Making Your Villain 3D: What’s His Favorite Food?
Weird question, isn't it? But if you don't know the answer, your characters might not be 3D.
Weird question, isn't it? But if you don't know the answer, your characters might not be 3D.
This is a really simple, helpful way to understand "show, don't tell."
Writer's block can be summed up in two ways: Being afraid to write because we think it sucks, and not knowing what to write next.
Your characters didn't appear the moment you write the first page. Just like in your own life, they were influenced by someone else—for good or ill. Understanding why your characters respond the way they do is crucial to character development, and knowing who influenced them is a key part of that.
Bear with me. As I write this post, I'm more than a little mad. And I don't mean "crazy," either. I encountered a fellow the other day who spoke things so poisonous, so deadly to the creative mind, that I suspect he's already left a battalion of writer-corpses in his wake. And I'm not staying silent about it anymore.
Writing is a strange thing, filled with emotional roller-coasters and storms and deserts. Who would ever put themselves willingly through this? Well, you (and me). Why? Because you have something to say. The only person who can tell your story is you.
What would you write if you knew you couldn't fail? I promise I'm not setting you up for failure. There is a very good reason I'm asking this question.