Her latest title, Writing the Fiction Series, will be published by Writer's Digest Books in May 2013. She is also the author of the bestselling writing reference book, From First Draft to Finished Novel: A Writer's Guide to Cohesive Story Building. Wiesner has had 90 books published in the past 14 years, and been nominated for and/or won 124 awards. This is an edited extract of First Draft in 30 Days (Writer's Digest Books) by Karen Wiesner. Don't worry about depth or organisation right now.Ĭlick here for the next section – day two: setting sketches and research strategies You'll be referring back to your character sketches often – adding new details and changing old ones whenever you feel the need – so be sure you keep them handy and leave yourself extra room. You may want to further expand on the character by brainstorming on anything else that fleshes out the main characters in your mind. For example, what educational requirements were necessary? What is this character's financial picture? How does this affect him/her? Don't worry about researching occupations at this point – we'll get into researching specific occupations later. Provide some insight into your character's chosen occupation and how he/she got there. Readers usually only root for the characters they care about. While I'm sure you can think of some genre stories that contain only external conflicts, the most effective plot is one that reveals both the inner and outer conflicts of your characters. Some examples include an accident or loss that has scarred a main character physically or emotionally, or a relationship that eludes him/her or dominates his/her choices. External conflictsĮxternal conflict is an outside or situational conflict that prevents your main character from accomplishing his/her goal. Internal conflict, or emotional turmoil, is usually handled with a summary or narrative as a character reflects on his actions, judgments and perceived mistakes.Ī solid, well-developed internal conflict makes characters more realistic and complex. Internal conflictsĪll characters must have depth, and this usually comes from internal and external conflict. Did this character have a happy childhood? What kind of schooling did he/she have? Was he/she popular? Where did the character grow up? What does he/she consider some of his/her worst mistakes and greatest achievements? What goals does this character have? Include all the information that comes to you. Creating a solid background for each main character will help you fill out your entire outline in detail.Ī main character's backstory might include information on the character's parents, siblings, relatives, friends, pets, life-shaping events and their long-term effects. Backgroundīackground is very important in defining a character and making him/her three-dimensional. What are his/her strengths and weaknesses as a person? Does he/she have any vices or hobbies? What kind of entertainment and food does he/she like? What are his/her least favourite forms of entertainment and food? Be as detailed as you can because your outline and story will be stronger for it. This is the section where you detail what kind of person your character is. You may wish to attach certain mannerisms to some of your characters to make them unique. If a character has any physical flaws, abnormalities or disabilities, describe them and the affects they've had on his/her life and relationships. It can also include any other characteristics you deem important to the character or the book. This section includes any – or all – of the following: age, race, eye colour, hair colour and style, build (height/weight), skin tone and style of dress (based on the time period and season of the year the book is set in). It will encourage you to think deeply about characters' appearances, backgrounds and motivations, for example, rather than merely naming them, by taking you step by step through a range of character facets: Physical descriptions If you can picture your characters clearly – actually see them – the chances are that you'll write about them as if you know them inside out. That's exactly what this worksheet is designed to help you do.
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