CHARACTERS ~ BE ALL YOU CAN BE CON’T. ~ BY RITA KARNOPP

Have you considered the power and failure of a group of three or more?  Don’t forget there’s a reason we generally think ‘two is company and three’s a crowd.’  But this kind of triangle can work to your advantage . . . two best female friend now fall in love with Alex, the third member of their group.  Relationships can get complicated and the more complex, the more interesting.  Think about it, people act differently in a group and that can be good as far as being safe, and it can be bad when it turns into the ‘mob mentality.’

Remember one thing about groups and that is relationships and alliances shift, depending on incidents, accidents, and situations.  It’s important to be careful not to over defend, vindicate, or rationalize relationships.

Keep in mind that in every good person there is a bit of evil.  In every mature, savvy adult there is a bit of a child.  In hatred there might be a spark of love.  Consider creating a character with a delicate soul, and make him agonize and grieve an injustice that would push anyone over the edge.  Your reader is hooked.

Opposites attract – but also cause conflict.  Give your characters opportunities to experience perilous situations, make the scene, relationships, and outcome all believable.  Don’t let your heroine get stabbed twenty times and then have her show up scenes later . . . barely hurt . . . falling into the hero’s arms.  She might get stabbed once and be able to survive – as long as she wasn’t stabbed in the heart.  Believability and strong characters will grab your reader every time.

No two characters are the same because we all lead different lives, with different experiences, and with different sensitivities and reactions.  If you spend time learning about your character’s relationships – you’ll find yourself creating some of the most developed characters ever.  Expose what they’re made of – and the reader will care.

If you’d like to read a great book that shows  how to create strong characters, craft believable dialogue & get the attention of agents read The Writer’s Little Helper the Big Fiction Advice from a Little Book

There is nothing little about the dynamic fiction-writing advice inside The Writer's Little Helper. With big ideas, time-saving tips, and revision-made-easy charts, James V. Smith, Jr. offers effective guidance in short, easily checklists, Q&As, and practical tools.

This book gives you everything you need to:

• Create great characters
• Maintain a compelling pace
• Craft believable dialogue
• Expand your creativity
• Revise your work to perfection
• Attract agent's and editor's attention
• And much, much more!

The unique format of the book allows you to read from start to finish or to focus just on areas where your fiction needs work. With valuable and surprising tips on every page, The Writer's Little Helper is sure to become your biggest fiction writing aid.