If you take a more organised approach at this point and adopt a more analytic approach to character creation, it may well save you time in the long run. The risk you run with this approach is that you will have to go back and rework early sections of your draft to accommodate what you have discovered about your characters. If you’re a pantser, and prefer to write and see what happens, you might take a more haphazard approach to character development, and see what arises as your text progresses. If they say anything they need to be ‘in character’. Even if someone puts in a brief appearance, you need to remind yourself that they are there for a reason, not just to move the plot along. If there is a villain or an antagonist, they need to be much more than just the agent of bad things happening to your central character. Sidekicks and supporting characters should never be cookie-cutter stereotypes, but credible creations in their own right. They apply their attention to every single character in their book. Good writers of fiction don’t concentrate all their skills and attention to make their main character three-dimensional and believable. If any characters in your writing run the risk of being two-dimensional, it’s worth spending time on them, fleshing them out and giving them the attention they need so that readers can engage with them. Although your protagonist is the one you most need to create as a rounded and convincing character, everyone who is involved in the narrative requires being properly realised. The template sheets can be used to create a profile for any character in your novel, not just the central one. You can fill it in on your computer, or print out as a reference to have at hand as you write. To help you to create characters with enough depth to make readers believe in them, we’ve created you a free template you can use to help you get to know your character.ĭownload your free character profile template here. Two-dimensional, sketchy characters will disappoint readers, whereas fully fleshed out characters will entice them.
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