by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) When we create characters, we make choices about who those characters are. Though we may never use the exact term, what we are really doing is creating the psychology of those characters. In other words, we are painting a picture of how their mind works and how that affects their behavior. It’s... Continue Reading →
Crafting Characters Across Formats
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Many writers decide what format they will be working in before they ever write the first word of their story. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this approach. Acknowledging one’s strengths and leanings toward storytelling in long-form films, serialized television and streaming formats, or non-linear virtual reality can be helpful in determining the... Continue Reading →
5 Wounds to Give Your Character
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) One of the most fascinating and under-discussed characters in Wonder Woman is the villain, Dr. Poison. She is an intelligent woman, immersed in her work, but driven by hatred that causes her to develop vicious methods of inflicting pain on humanity. Her most striking physical characteristic is a mask she wears to hide the... Continue Reading →
Writing Exercise: 6 Character Prompts to Practice Developing Backstory
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) As writers, keeping our tools sharp is a necessary part of the craft. Sometimes, a scenario pops into our head and we rush to create characters to plug in to the story template we’ve created. However, great stories often come out of well-developed characters. One effective way to create a new story... Continue Reading →
3 Secrets Your Character Must Keep to Survive
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) In an age where everything about everybody somehow finds it’s way online, what we manage to keep to ourselves has become more and more difficult. Secrets are a universal human characteristic. We’ve all had one. We’ve all let one slip. Creating realistic characters requires creating their secrets as well. But secrets can... Continue Reading →