7 Secrets to Creating Likable Characters
Character likability is one of the most important parts of telling a good story. If readers don’t care about your characters, it’s doubtful they will care what happens to them. … Read More
How to Tell If You Have Too Many Characters
“Do I have too many characters?” you may wonder, biting your nails as you scrutinize your fictional cast. It’s good that you’re asking, because oversized casts can cause hefty problems. Having too many … Read More
A Sneak Peak at My Side Characters
In April, I introduced you to the main characters of my fantasy novel, Emergence. Since that post received a really positive response, I’ve decided to introduce you to three more characters. (Eep!) I’m … Read More
A Sneak Peek at My Main Characters
I see a lot of bloggers writing about their characters, while I’ve been pretty quiet about mine. But, I am passionate about the characters from my novel, Emergence, so of course I’d love to talk about them! In … Read More
5 Storytelling Lessons from the Throne of Glass Series
Throne of Glass is currently my favorite epic fantasy series. While I wouldn’t say the books are perfect, one aspect of them blows me away: The characters. Ironically, these characters are somewhat … Read More
The Right Way to Torture Your Characters
As writers, we often joke about how much we enjoy “torturing” our characters. Of course, this doesn’t just mean literal, physical torture, but any of the numerous ways we make our … Read More
10 Traits of an Epic Hero
Last month, we talked about how to write epic villains. Naturally, it’s time to discuss the other side of the coin: Epic heroes. There will be some overlap with these … Read More
10 Traits of an Epic Villain
Good villains can be one of the hardest types of characters to write. And yet, for an epic-style story, they are one of the most important. An effective villain sells the … Read More
3 Storytelling Lessons From The Odyssey
Two months ago, I started an unofficial series studying some of the greatest stories in history. First on the list was The Iliad; now, we will continue this epic trek through … Read More
4 Storytelling Lessons From The Iliad
I recently finished reading Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, as part of a personal challenge to read more classical literature. What better way to become a better storyteller than by studying … Read More