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Mark Atley's avatar

I agree. Although I don’t write out my planned characters, I always have to find a motivation for them that seems opposite of where they are in their life at the time of the story—for every main character.

I like that this makes most of them round and allows for change for all of them even if they change back into who they were at the beginning of the story.

I find your approach the most compelling in fiction

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Nick Kolakowski's avatar

The fun/hard part is when I can’t figure out that tension or dichotomy, then I start to wonder if the character even works, or the story…

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M.E. Proctor's avatar

I'm not a sketcher type. I learn about the characters by writing them. Although it's a bit more complicated. I wrote 3 full size novels featuring my lead guy before getting "Love You Till Tuesday" out of the gate. By then I knew him inside out, the bio still has gaps (that keep me surprised), but in terms of personality/voice he's very much there.

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Carman Colwell's avatar

This is a great article. I never really thought about its personal aspects. I just write what they are doing, why they feel they do it that way, and what the outcome will be afterward.

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