What will take your fiction from good to great? From decent to dazzling? From lackluster to blockbuster? Characters who "jump off the page."
Of course plot matters. So does conflict, and scenes, and every other aspect of the fiction craft. But without unforgettable characters, your books will always be less than they could be. Don't let that happen.
This book takes you through a different considerations for characterisation... along with a set of questions to ask yourself and exercises to dive deeper into your characters.
Goodreads Review:
The JLM Book Club reviewed this book in April 2024. We decided to give this book a 4-star rating, recommending this book as a useful resource for fiction writers.
Like all of the books in the "Bell on Writing" series, this book is an easy read and logically laid out. Each chapter contains an explanation of the idea that Bell is trying to convey, an example (or two) to illustrate what he is getting at, and a series of questions (or an exercise) to apply the concepts to your own writing. Because of this consistent chapter structure, it make it easy to use this book as a quick reference guide for future manuscripts.
Bell includes a discussion about the plotter vs panster argument when it comes to developing characters. (He calls it dossier and discovery.) While many writers will be somewhere on the spectrum, he approaches that topic with a discussion of his own process, and the limits that he needs to impose on himself before the joy of writing disappears. And he reminds writers that it's OKAY to not have it all worked out before you write. And it's OKAY to have that full dossier too. You have to do what works best for you. (A huge thank you to James Scott Bell for this chapter, because it made many of us in the Black Wolf Book Club feel much better about not having full dossiers for our characters.)
We also noticed that the examples used in the book are from a mixture of older and newer stories (published in recent years) AND from a range of genres. As such, we feel that writers of all ages (and all genres) will benefit from the book and be able to connect with the material.
We are recommending that writers think of this book as a quick-reference guide. Bookmark and dog-ear the exercises.
What will take your fiction from good to great? From decent to dazzling? From lackluster to blockbuster?
Characters who “jump off the page.”
Of course plot matters. So does conflict, and scenes, and every other aspect of the fiction craft. But without unforgettable characters, your books will always be less than they could be. Don’t let that happen.
In WRITING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS you’ll learn:
•How to lay the foundation for a memorable character
•How to bond the reader with the main character from the start
•The super power of unpredictability
•The secrets of grit, wit, and moxie
•How to bring your character to life on the page
•How and when to reveal backstory
•All about arcs and what they truly mean
•The key to unforgettable villains
•How to make minor characters memorable, too
•How to create a great series character
And more, PLUS the powerful exercises James Scott Bell has taught in his sold-out writing workshops. No more flat stories! Give your readers what will turn them into career-long fans—characters who jump off the page.