#character-development — Public Fediverse posts

✮ The Person I Could Become ✮

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I Made My Characters With Tarot Spreads and So Can You!

Author A.E. Osworth shares a strategy for creating characters with tarot spreads, specifically using the Celtic cross.
The post I Made My Characters With Tarot Spreads and So Can You! appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/i-made-my-characters-with-tarot-spreads-and-so-can-you

#Character #WriteBetterFiction #character #characterarc #characterdevelopment

The One Big Question We All Work With in Fiction

Author Sara Foster investigates the one big question all authors work with in fiction and shares why it's so important.
The post The One Big Question We All Work With in Fiction appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/the-one-big-question-we-all-work-with-in-fiction

#WriteBetterFiction #WritingTechniques #characterdevelopment #plotdevelopment #questions

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/character-psychology-f4890f7072a9

Character Psychology.
The Engine Behind Every Plot.
A story becomes compelling when a character’s inner world begins to shape their outer world.

#CharacterDevelopment #character #psychology #medium #writingtips

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/dilemmas-the-bedrock-of-storytelling-968f429a4562

The writer sits at a small wooden desk, a single lamp lighting the page. Two arrows are sketched in the notebook. One points to safety, the other toward danger. The writer’s pencil hovers in the space between them.

#storytelling #dilemma #CharacterDevelopment #writingcommunity #writingtips #medium #fictionwriting #fiction

When the Career Becomes a Character— Why do some fictional careers feel real while others fade into the background? A look at how deeply integrating a character’s job can transform a story from surface-level to immersive.

#AmReading #BookBlog #RomanceBooks #WritingCraft #Storytelling #CharacterDevelopment #BookThoughts #ReadersOfInstagram #WritingTips #FictionWriting

https://notquitesuperhuman.com/2026/04/24/when-the-career-becomes-a-character/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Writing Big Flat Characters in Fiction

Bestselling author Bonnie Friedman explains why writing big flat characters in fiction can make stories better and more memorable.
The post Writing Big Flat Characters in Fiction appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-big-flat-characters-in-fiction

#Character #WriteBetterFiction #character #characterdevelopment #CharacterRelationships

Cartoons are my life coach.

“Dude, suckin’ at somethin’ is the first step towards being sorta good at somethin’.”

— Jake the Dog, “Adventure Time”

#motivation #inspiration #characterdevelopment #wisdom

Their Voices, Their Wounds: Pitfalls to Avoid When Writing About Trauma

Author Fartumo Kusow shares two very big pitfalls to avoid when writing about trauma and how she navigated around them.
The post Their Voices, Their Wounds: Pitfalls to Avoid When Writing About Trauma appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/their-voices-their-wounds-pitfalls-to-avoid-when-writing-about-trauma

#Character #WriteBetterFiction #CharacterConflict #characterdevelopment #narrative

What's the moment in your WIP where your protagonist first realizes the world wasn't built with them in mind?
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #CharacterDevelopment

Writing Best Friends Who Are More Than a Sidekick

Author Patricia Leavy explains how to write best friends who are more than a sidekick by looking at a friendship in her own romance series.
The post Writing Best Friends Who Are More Than a Sidekick appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-best-friends-who-are-more-than-a-sidekick

#Character #WriteBetterFiction #characterdevelopment #FriendshipInRomance #WritingFriendships

I write antagonists by asking: what would a reasonable person do if they were certain they were the only one who saw clearly?
The answer is never small.
#WritingCommunity #CharacterDevelopment #AmWriting

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/fictional-worlds-through-character-eyes-f4b4b358bcf5

A character steps into a crowded market. Instead of a long explanation about trade routes, local customs, or political tensions, you watch what they notice first.

#worldbuilding #characterdevelopment #medium #fiction #storytelling #characters

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/shady-characters-and-long-shadows-7b5977dc788b

The light is low. A person sits alone in a small room. Sorting through old papers, pausing at certain pages, setting others aside.
What is this person doing? Thinking? And what are those papers?

#characterdevelopment #fiction #fictionwriting #medium #writingtips

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/scenes-that-expose-the-truth-f0972d03bfce

Writers fall into the trap of telling the reader what a character is like. They say the character is kind, stubborn, or guarded. We believe it when we see it. Let actions carry the weight.

#fiction #fictionwriting #characterdevelopment #medium #storytelling #writingtips #Checklist

Wednesday, March 11, 2026: Birthday Girl!

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Waning Moon

Mercury Retrograde

Rainy and cool

We’ve hit another midweek! Gosh, this year is going fast.

It was difficult to concentrate, because yesterday was such a piece of lovely weather, I just wanted to go out and play in it. It got up into the 70’s F. We opened up the front porch and Tessa was thrilled. I got to do some work out there, too, prepping for planting season.

I mean, I know it’s False Spring and it’s supposed to snow again on Friday for Third Winter, but enjoy what’s in the moment, right?

But needs must with deadlines and things. Plus, I knew I had today off, so no matter what today’s weather is, I get to play.

I had to fill out the quarterly form from Johns Hopkins as part of their Long COVID study (I am still part of the control group).

I took out the garbage and ran my errand.

I spent most of the day finishing the outline for the ghostwriting, and got it off around 4 PM, which meant I started my “day off” a little early. It always feels good to get a big project off on time.

Thursday, I go back to the other ghostwriting assignment which is due on the Equinox!

I finished reading a book that’s been getting a lot of buzz (I’ve actually met the author a few times, in the UK on trips). I liked it, but the twist near the end felt forced to me. I did, however, figure out the killer early, early on, and it was a case of waiting to see if I was right and when everyone else caught on. I enjoyed the book, the writing is terrific, but, to me, the twist wasn’t organic to the rest of it. Also, I was annoyed at the end where there were several pages pointing out the planted clues and explaining them. Yes, I got them, I pay attention!

I also did some reading on the May Morris book that has to go back on Friday. I’m getting a sense of the people, some of whom will become characters in the play.

My hip and back were cranky. I have a feeling, as we move into mud season and it’s cold and damp, there will be some issues. We will deal with them as they come up.

Slept reasonably well, up at the usual time. The morning routine was good, and did my yoga and meditation by moonlight again. The time change means longer light in the evening, but darker when I get up, at least for the moment.

Today is my birthday, so I arranged to be off from work (out of office) for the day.  I woke up to some lovely messages, thank you so much. I’m making up the day as I go along, doing what I please. The weather will negate some of the options. Honestly, at this point, not having a plan feels like the best plan!

There’s good food and cake and prosecco, and certainly plenty of books and cats, so it’s all good!

A day of peace is much needed.

Have a good one!

I wanted the Calamivox to be a viable—if terrifying—companion. The "Bond Surge" mechanic introduces a high-risk/high-reward dynamic. A positively bonded unit is a defensive asset, but the line between "Protective" and "Obsessive" is intentionally thin. I want players to feel uneasy even when the creature is "on their side."
#GameDesign #CharacterDevelopment #CompanionMechanics

3 Ways to Define Your Protagonist to Stand Out

Author Hays Blinckmann shares three ways to define your protagonist to stand out for readers, including the importance of the right name.
The post 3 Ways to Define Your Protagonist to Stand Out appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/3-ways-to-define-your-protagonist-to-stand-out

#Character #WriteBetterFiction #characterdevelopment #Description #protagonist

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/write-tension-from-the-inside-out-b804f7b68fec

Give a character two meaningful desires that pull in different directions to create conflict that doesn’t rely on plot twists.

#characterdevelopment #fiction #medium #storytelling #writing #writingcommunity #writingtips

Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (MCU):
Best friend of Steve Rogers.
Brainwashed by Hydra for 50+ years, committing multiple murders, including Tony Stark’s parents.
Gradually regains memory and “turns” good. While the MCU does show some consequences—Tony refusing to reconcile with him—overall, Bucky’s crimes are largely overlooked in the narrative. He becomes a “redeemed hero,” despite a long history of violence and betrayal. 3)

#CharacterDevelopment #Superheroes
#Marvel #MCU #WinterSoldier

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/wants-drive-strong-stories-08710adbbb5d

Stop Writing Characters Who Drift. A flat story often traces back to one missing piece.

#writing #writingcommunity #characterdevelopment #medium #fiction #fictionwriter

5 Things Writers Should Know About Narcissism

Author and psychotherapist Dr. Alina Kastner shares five things writers should know about narcissism and narcissistic characters.
The post 5 Things Writers Should Know About Narcissism appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/5-things-writers-should-know-about-narcissism

#Character #WriteBetterFiction #character #CharacterConflict #characterdevelopment

How to Handle Plot Holes Effectively

How To Handle Plot Holes Effectively – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 183 *** “It’s hard to fix a manuscript that is not yet finished. And this is what I counsel…
https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2025/12/15/how-to-handle-plot-holes-effectively

#HOWTOWRITETHEFUTUREPODCAST #BethBarany #characterdevelopment #continuityerrors #draftrevision

5 Tips for Writing Psychological Thrillers

Author Christina Kovac shares her top five tips for writing psychological thrillers by putting the focus on character development.
The post 5 Tips for Writing Psychological Thrillers appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/5-tips-for-writing-psychological-thrillers

#Genre #MysteryThriller #WriteBetterFiction #characterdevelopment #characters

https://medium.com/the-writers-reach/would-this-character-think-this-way-dcfe61d946ea

“Would this character think this way?”
Tie internal thoughts to actions and words.
Internal monologues show how characters think and feel.

#character #characterdevelopment #medium #fiction #WritingCommunity #writingtips

The Challenges of Balancing Character With Plot

Author Mike Maden shares his thoughts on balancing character with plot (and plot twist, it's all about character in the end).
The post The Challenges of Balancing Character With Plot appeared first on Writer's Digest.
https://www.writersdigest.com/the-challenges-of-balancing-character-with-plot

#Character #Plot #WriteBetterFiction #character #characterdevelopment

If you’ve known me a while you know that I have not always felt this way about the vigilante garbage granny phenomen here in Tokyo as it is easy to feel targeted by them as a foreigner but I have since come around towards her, and likely she has come around towards me as well. #characterdevelopment

How Legendary Sci-Fi Writer Isaac Asimov Felt About Star Trek – Looper

How Legendary Sci-Fi Writer Isaac Asimov Felt About Star Trek

By Jaron Pak Nov. 7, 2025 11:50 am EST

It’s always interesting to hear what creators think about others in their genres, especially when we’re talking about the biggest names in classic science fiction. One example is when the legendary sci-fi author Isaac Asimov was interviewed in footage from the New York City “Star Trek” convention in 1973. Asimov, who wrote the Laws of Robotics (and the Zeroth Law) in context of both “I, Robot” and “Foundation,” offered his thoughts on the fellow sci-fi icon. This was after the original series had ended in 1969, and more than a decade before “Star Trek: The Next Generation” began, meaning he was talking about foundational “Star Trek” concepts.

Asmiov talked about the show’s famous tagline, “To boldly go where no man has ever gone before.” He pointed out that, while the implication is territorial, the show tackled, in his words, “problems that man has not faced.” He praised the way “Star Trek” wasn’t afraid to deviate from adventure to tackle real social problems.

He also complimented how the show handled their Prime Directive, saying, “It mattered not what form the intelligence took, or what kind of universe the intelligence built for it. If it was intelligent, if it was intelligent enough to build a culture, then it had the right to live in that culture. It had the right to exist and be. And no other culture had a right to interfere with it, as long as it was not endangering cultures beyond itself.” That’s all a lot more favorable than what Asimov later thought about “Battlestar Galactica.”
Star Trek’s character development and the rational man

Asimov also had a lot to say about how “Star Trek” handled its characters. He pointed out that the show gave them sanity and meaning in the midst of adventure into the unknown. “It had fully realized characters,” he said in ’73, adding, “Naturally, Spock springs to mind. The rational, sane man. And there’s something very comforting about sanity, especially in a world like ours.”

Complimenting the characters of “Star Trek” is interesting, considering that character development is one of Asimov’s weaker points. His “Robot” novels have few recurring characters. Even when you do meet someone again, they are often presented and re-presented with minimal backstory. Dr. Susan Calvin is one of these, only popping up in short stories when needed. Elijah Baley is probably the most important recurring character in the “Robot” novels, and he is a flatly troped detective, all things considered.

In the “Foundation” novels, characters see relentless turnover. Some, like the plot-central Golan Trevize, are again predictably written. It’s ironic that, in Apple’s “Foundation” series, the most compelling characters are individuals like Lou Llobell’s Gaal Dornick and Lee Pace’s Emperor Cleon, both of whom have a scant presence in Asimov’s stories. Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) isn’t even a steady focus, though, like the Apple series, his presence lasts even when his body is dead.

Asimov was a world-builder and a concept creator. Character development simply wasn’t his strong suit, but he knew to love it when “Star Trek” did it well.

Read More: https://www.looper.com/2019818/isaac-asimov-sci-fi-writer-feelings-star-trek/

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How Legendary Sci-Fi Writer Isaac Asimov Felt About Star Trek

#AttitudesTowardsStarTrek #CharacterDevelopment #IsaacAsimov #JaronPak #Looper #RationalMan #SciFi #ScienceFiction #StarTrek #Writer

Life is Strange: Rewriting Max and Chloe’s Reunion for the Show

https://jaimedavid.blog/2025/10/29/23/12/48/analysis/jaimedavid327/7940/life-is-strange-rewriting-max-and-chloes-reunion-for-the-show/