Writers - even the best ones - struggle with how to convey characters' emotions without breaking the golden rule of ‘Show Don’t Tell.’

Most times, who the characters are is best revealed by the emotions they forecast. Those same emotions may seem cloudy and unclear at first until we slowly unravel them, exposing their truth through actions, dialogue, and more. 

The reader wants to know: Who are these characters? What do they want? How do they differ from the other characters in the story? What makes the characters tick and why should we care? 

Whoever they are, in whatever role, we don’t want them to tell us any more than what we might learn on a first date or at a first meeting. We want to discover their dreams, quirks, and passions naturally, over time. 

We want those characters to show us who they are. We want to understand them more and feel their disappointment, jealousy, gratitude, or reluctance. We want to laugh, cry, cheer, and even...

Within the pages of fiction, no one knows the characters better than the writer. 

Designing a protagonist worthy of the title ‘lead character’ isn’t always easy.  

As writers, we’re likely to spend too much time, if there is such a thing, pondering the multitude of ‘what if’ scenarios and potential dialogue before considering whether our protagonist’s quest will be successful or not.

But first, we must design a character with a unique appearance (what makes them stand out from others), underlying thoughts (self-doubts), and determination to be more than an ‘interesting’ bystander in the story. 

To keep this in perspective, let’s remember that what the protagonist wants, more than anything in their world, may sound pretty simple: 

                                    They want something or someone they don’t...

Last week, I wrote about how using a partial sentence prompt as a scene or opening for a short story can boost a writer’s creativity. However, it never ceases to amaze me how a simple, open-ended prompt can become the springboard for a life story, essay, or poem.

A prompt can even turn into a story that leads your main character, the protagonist, to any number of unexpected endings.

Isn’t that what creative writing is all about — the journey a writer takes a reader on? That journey — your story — is vastly enriched when it is populated with believable characters.

Let’s start with the protagonist. It is, after all, their story. Others play supporting roles, but this guy (or gal) takes center stage.

Their motivation — their ultimate goal of getting what they want most — is what the story is about. However, the protagonist’s success is determined by their decisions along the way. These decisions will move the story forward through...

After each of my weekly writing classes, both online and in-person, I send out a list of Tips & Pointers along with their next assignment. It turns out, my students love these T&P's.

I thought you would, too. Here's one that will help if you've ever wrestled with character development:

Know your characters from the inside out -- When first creating a character, most writers begin with the basics of height, weight, and hair color. This one-dimensional, flat cardboard outline is nothing but an exterior description. Ho-hum!

So how can you create a life-like character that your reader will either love or despise? Admire? Resent? You must first ask questions of him. In-depth questions. Your purpose is to get to know him -- really know him.

You've probably read plenty of character-development outlines, but have any taken you so deep into a character that there is no doubt what his reactions or responses will be? That's the moment you create a believable character -- whether...