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How to make your characters make tough decisions?
Handy for: pushing characters into making tough decisions (anything from “steal to feed a child” to “resort to cannibalism”). Example: In The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, hunger is a huge part of the plot. Teenagers compete in annual “hunger games” to win food for their communities.
What’s the best way to make your characters suffer?
If you’re a bit stuck for ideas, though, or you feel like your characters should go through a bit more misery but whacking them around in a fight isn’t going to quite cut it … here are different ways to make your fictional people suffer. This is not, I suspect, an exhaustive list – please do add your ideas in the comments!
How to make your secondary characters stand out?
To help readers distinguish between two or more secondary characters, make clever use of alliteration. Perhaps Marcus has a mustache, for example, or Corey is a chiropractor. Though you don’t want to make constant mention of this alliterative quirk, giving it a small nod when the character comes into scene can help trigger readers’ recognition.
Can a character go through hell without a cut?
You can put characters through hell without a single cut or bruise, and this can be a huge part of their character arc. Here are a few ideas: Money (as most writers notice at some point!) can be a massive source of stress.
What makes a character strong in a story?
The beginning of every great story starts with a character who has powerful motivations. Captain Ahab needs to kill Moby Dick. Luke Skywalker wants to leave Tattooine. Even the weakest character becomes strong the moment you give them a powerful motivation. Why is Motivation So Important?
What’s the best way to hurt your characters?
There are some fairly obvious ways to hurt your characters: physical violence being pretty high on the list. However, that won’t always suit your novelistic purposes (sure, you could break your protagonist’s legs, but that may make the rest of your story fall apart) – and it’s not appropriate for every genre.
Do you think you have a strong personality?
You’ve been told that you have a strong personality and you know this to be true. While some people may assume that such a label is just a polite way of saying you’re loud, obnoxious, domineering or an asshole, there is actually a big difference between these and a more general strength of character.