Minor spoilers ahead for Widows, A Star is Born, Better Call Saul, and A Beautiful Boy. by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) As often as we all strive for perfection, we rarely appreciate it when we see it in others – including characters in stories. The woman that never has a bad day, the co-worker that’s never in a bad mood, and... Continue Reading →
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Stories rely on the strength of their characters. The more memorable they are – the better. However, if we, as an audience, don’t buy the characters, we quickly lose interest in whatever their goals or struggles are. Crafting characters that feel real can be tricky for a number of reasons. In an... Continue Reading →
The nice folks over at onewordnocaps recently shared this video with us, and it's pretty awesome. If readers tell you that your side characters need fleshing out, you may be guilty of writing one of these people (we've all done it). Check out the video and share it with your writer friends to help inspire... Continue Reading →
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Hollywood continues to struggle with representing stories from the many different perspectives found in our ever-changing world. Fortunately, the recent box office slate has offered narratives through the eyes of one of the most historically underrepresented voices in film – women. Women of varying ages, ethnicities, and occupations are being seen on... Continue Reading →
by Douglas Eboch (@dougeboch) I considered titling this article “7 Ways to Make Us Care About Your Story,” because it’s really the same thing. The only reason we’ll care about your story is if we care about your characters. We stay engaged in the plot of a movie because we want to find out what... Continue Reading →
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Sigmund Feud is credited with popularizing the idea that the human psyche is multi-faceted. He suggested that our personalities could be seen as having three parts: the id, the ego, and the superego. Long before Freud’s suggestion of this idea, stories were often told with a key character representing one of these... Continue Reading →
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) There’s little debate that Better Call Saul is one of the best-written shows on television right now. The writers have managed to take a side character from a different hit show and develop him into a multi-layered protagonist that we can all empathize with. Even though the show is only part way... Continue Reading →
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) The ability to construct an interesting character can make or break a story. The two most popular methods are taking a very ordinary person and thrusting them into an extraordinary world, like was done in 13 Hours, or taking a very extraordinary person and thrusting them into the ordinary world, like was done... Continue Reading →
by John Bucher (@johnkbucher) Most writers like to think they’re nice people. But is it possible you might be too nice? Have you ever tried to see how mean you can be to your characters? Engaging storytellers quickly learn that becoming diabolical toward their protagonist can be an effective tool for keeping their stories enchanting.... Continue Reading →
Begin with an individual, and before you know it you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find you have created - nothing.
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