Category: Character Development
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Temperament series: the melancholic
Time to wrap up our temperament series today with what happens to be my temperament! Yep, I’m an introverted, sensitive, cerebral melancholic. Melancholics react slowly to stimuli. (I’m famous among friends and family for my delayed reactions. I need time to process things). However, these reactions grow stronger over time. POSITIVES Melancholics are great planners,…
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Temperament series: the choleric
Today, we’re going to consider the go-getter choleric! Like sanguines, cholerics are extraverts. They have strong, quick, lasting reactions to external stimuli, and they are intensely active. They get things DONE. Think of your classic C-suite type: intelligent, business-smart, bold, fearless, questioning boundaries and rules, never taking no for an answer. When a choleric sets…
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Temperament series: the phlegmatic
Phlegmatics are such a gift! One of two kinds of introvert, phlegmatics are hard to rile up, possibly because they don’t process stimuli deeply or quickly. They are very “go with the flow,” willing and able to adapt, and they are not going to cause a ruckus at all. Everyone loves phlegmatics. They will do…
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Temperament series: the sanguine
As part of my series on temperament (mainly to help fellow authors with character development), today we are going to give a brief examination of the lovable and jolly sanguine. Sanguines tend to respond very quickly to external stimuli, but their reactions fade quickly. POSITIVES Sanguines are extraverts–and the life of the party! They’re outgoing,…
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On being faithful in the small things
It’s amazing how people (and fictional characters) show you who they really are. It’s human nature to assume that we can let little things slide and not hold ourselves to account for them–to tell ourselves that they don’t matter. We all do this, at least from time to time. The truth is, as I’ve heard…
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Movies can get away with being action-driven. Novels can’t.
While movies and novels both tell stories, it’s important to remember that they do this in very different ways. They are two very different mediums. Movies can get away with being action-driven because they are visual. (And boy, do modern superhero flicks and other modern films try to pull this off!) An action movie can…
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Character development and internal tension
Not all conflict in fiction needs to be, or should be, external. Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the fundamental things. A video on YouTube on “The Closer Look” channel did this for me yesterday. A dynamic character IS dynamic precisely when the reader understands that there are various impulses, often conflicting, at work…
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Will, Intellect, and Empathy/Emotion
I read in a book by Peter Kreeft that there are three dimensions to the human heart considered in the deepest, fullest, most inclusive sense: the human power of the will, the intellect, and our emotions. All can guide us. All clamor for attention. I was FASCINATED when he mentioned various literary trios who tend…
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My favorite edit to book two of my trilogy
I’m still so excited to be getting second editions of my trilogy out, and that book one is now available. Book two is currently with beta readers. I’ve made some big cuts to book two (some 10,000 words!), but my favorite edit is the one major thing I’ve added. I have fleshed out the relationship…
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Thoughts on killing off characters
The first character I ever had die on me in the middle of a story was Beth March. I’m still not sure I’m over it. I loved Beth SOOOO much! That said, both as a writer or reader, I’m not averse to killing off a character or two, if it’s done the right way. (Obviously,…
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 