Allusion is a reference to a person, place, event, or literary work that is assumed to be familiar to the reader. It is a powerful tool that can be used to add depth, richness, and complexity to your writing. When used effectively, allusions can evoke strong emotions, create suspense, and even foreshadow plot points.
The Benefits of Using Allusion
There are many benefits to using allusion in your writing. Some of the most important benefits include:
Adding depth and richness to your writing: Allusions can add depth and richness to your writing by allowing you to draw on the shared knowledge and understanding of your readers. By referencing familiar characters, events, or works of art, you can instantly convey a wealth of information and emotion.
Eliciting strong emotions: Allusions can also be used to elicit strong emotions in your readers. For example, if you are writing a story about a character who is struggling with betrayal, you could allude to the story of Judas Iscariot. This allusion would immediately evoke feelings of sadness, anger, and disappointment in the reader.
Creating suspense: Allusions can also be used to create suspense. For example, if you are writing a mystery novel, you could allude to a famous unsolved crime. This allusion would immediately pique the reader’s interest and make them want to read more.
Foreshadowing plot points: Allusions can also be used to foreshadow plot points. For example, if you are writing a story about a character who is about to make a dangerous decision, you could allude to the story of Icarus. This allusion would subtly hint at the potential consequences of the character’s actions.
How to Use Allusion Effectively
While allusions can be a powerful tool, they can also be difficult to use effectively. Here are a few tips for using allusion in your writing:
Choose allusions that are appropriate for your audience: Make sure that the allusions you use are familiar to your target audience. If you use allusions that are too obscure, your readers will not understand them and your writing will lose impact.
Use allusions sparingly: Do not overload your writing with allusions. Too many allusions can make your writing seem pretentious and difficult to read. Use allusions only when they are truly necessary to add depth and meaning to your story.
Use allusions subtly: Do not hit your readers over the head with your allusions. Instead, use them subtly to create a sense of depth and complexity.
Make sure your allusions are relevant to your story: Make sure that the allusions you use are relevant to the point you are trying to make. Avoid using allusions for the sake of using them.
Examples of Effective Allusions
Here are a few examples of effective allusions in literature:
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the character of Juliet is compared to the Greek goddess Diana. This allusion suggests that Juliet is beautiful, chaste, and powerful.
In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the character of Atticus Finch is compared to the biblical figure Atticus of Athens. This allusion suggests that Atticus is a just and courageous man.
In J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, the character of Lord Voldemort is often compared to the devil. This allusion suggests that Voldemort is evil and dangerous.
Conclusion
Allusion is a powerful tool that can be used to add depth, richness, and complexity to your writing. When used effectively, allusions can evoke strong emotions, create suspense, and even foreshadow plot points. However, it is important to use allusions sparingly and to make sure that they are relevant to your story.
By following the tips in this blog post, you can learn to use allusion like a master storyteller.
Some characters are so dynamic, we feel immediately close to them. Everything they say, do, and think is consistent with who they are, they have a past and present, and as we share their experiences, we never have to guess at what they feel, want, or need.
This authenticity happens when the author does the deep work to understand the character inside and out. And, I’m betting they did something else, too: created a reference file about the character, a.k.a., a Character Bible. This is a great way to avoid unintentional inconsistencies and mistakes.
And mistakes do happen, because we forget things —Does Emma fear lizards or birds?—or we change our mind mid-book, and the love interest, Liam, goes from being a skateboarder to the king of parkour. Oh, and name changes? Don’t even get me started!
The point is that nothing pulls readers out of the story faster than when details shift, so implementing a way to keep each character straight in our minds is key.
The Character Bible: A Writer’s Best Friend
A character bible document will contain important details about a character, everything from their appearance, personality, and preferences to their backstory wounds, goals, needs, and secrets. It has a trio of benefits:
It pushes you to explore a character’s inner layers to figure out who they really are and what’s driving them in the story
Once complete, the bible serves as a reference tool for you to ensure everything about the character is consistent
Writing is easier because how the character thinks, acts, and behaves will be second nature to you.
Appearance
What does your character look like? Do they have any interesting features that act as clues to readers as to the type of person they are? For example, hair: is their go-to a messy bun, is it chronically unwashed, or is every curl carefully tamed? Or do their clothes suggest a style preference or level of wealth? Do they have scars, marks, or defects that hint at an experience or trauma? Chosen well, specific details do a lot more than just help readers imagine what they look like.
Backstory
Your character’s past affects the present, in good ways and bad. So, who has influenced them to date, either supporting them or limiting them? What personal challenges have they worked through? What negative experiences (emotional wounds) are unresolved, leaving behind fear, biases, and false beliefs about themselves and the world?
Answering these questions will give you a good sense of what their past was like, and the most likely things they will carry forward, like emotional baggage, a sense of duty, a compulsion to fix people, etc.
Personality Traits
Every character will have a unique personality made of positive traits (strengths & identity markers) and negative traits (flaws that keep people and situations at a distance so the character can avoid being hurt by them). Think about both halves – this character’s defining positive qualities, and those that create friction with others.
Moral & Spiritual Beliefs
All characters, even the baddies, will have a moral code. Do you know what beliefs your character hold to so strongly they make decisions and are willing to sacrifice other things to stay true to them? Where is their line in the sand, and what ideas are important enough to them to protect?
Emotional Range & Behaviors
Each person expresses themselves in their own way, and characters will too. Think about your character’s individuality – are they open and communicative about feelings, or keep them inside? Are they demonstrative, or more reserved, extroverted or introverted, or somewhere in the middle? What are their quirks and comfort zones? Understanding a character’s typical emotional range helps you choose emotional responses that feel authentic.
Fears and Misbeliefs
Every character has fears that result from negative experiences, because that dark seed is planted that the same sort of hurt could happen again. So, what fear is making your character a prisioner in some way, shaping their view of the world, themselves, and holding them back from being truly happy? Do they believe they are unworthy or incapable because of this fear, andthis destructive lie is one they must cast aside to achieve their story goal?
Talents, Skills, and Abilities
A character should have a few things they are good at, or an ability that make them unique. Giving your character a talent or skill that aids them when it comes to their goal (even in an unexpected way!) will create a sense of synchronicity for readers.
Likes and Dislikes
What are some of your character’s preferences…and why? Will these preferences steer their behavior in the story in good ways and bad? (Yes, the answer is yes.)
Hobbies, Interests, and Passions
What does your character enjoy doing? For a character to be realistic, they should have a few personal interests that make life more enjoyable. These may not even tie into the bigger story, but they do humanize your character to readers.
Current Situation
Just like a character has a past, they have a present, too. Note a few details about where they live, what their family situation is like, what job they do, the vehicle they use to get around, and any routines or habits that might show up in the story. Knowing your character’s life better will give you ideas on how you can poke their soft spots (people and places they are attached to) and choose conflict that will come with personal stakes attached.
What They Want Most
Every character wants something – a goal that will make their situation better and leave them happier or more complete. This is what your character is striving to do or achieve in your story.
This goal should be something tangible or quantifiable, so readers know the character has done what they set out to do.
What They Need
Sometimes what your character wants and what they need are a bit different. Maybe your character wants a new girlfriend to get past the pain of their latest breakup, but what they need is time to love themselves better and understand why they keep choosing toxic partners. Thinking about what makes them feel incomplete and why can set them on the path of a goal that will help them grow and make them feel more complete.
Secrets
Every character has a secret (maybe more than a few!) so think about what they hide from others. Is there something that could create big problems for them if it was revealed, or does it tie into their unresolved emotional wound? (Readers love secrets, and a hint of one will keep them flipping pages.)
Worldview
How do they view the world – do they believe most people are good, or untrustworthy? Do they put others first, or look out for number one? Do they have biases, avoid certain places and experiences because they have preconceived ideas about what will happen, or refuse to listen to certain opinions that go against their own? If so, try to understand how this might tie to their backstory experiences.
Insecurities & Sensitivities
Life is not always gentle, and experiences where your character’s ego was bruised, or their emotions upended may have left them feeling insecure or easily triggered. If there are emotions your character tries to avoid feeling, or situations they stay away from because they make them feel weak, inept, or emotionally volatile, make a note. These are pointing to past pain, and you might wish to use them in the story to push them to become more self-aware so they can start a journey to healing.
This may seem like a lot to know about someone, but think of how easy it will be to write this character’s thoughts, decisions, and actions. And by writing when you down these details, you’ll have a character bible to reference when you need it!
The holiday season is a time for celebration, joy, and spending time with loved ones. It’s also a great time to write a story. The holiday season is full of inspiration, from the twinkling lights and festive decorations to the heartwarming traditions and stories that we share.
Here are some tips on how to write a story about the holiday season:
1. Choose a theme. What aspect of the holiday season do you want to write about? Is it the magic of Christmas morning? The warmth of family gatherings? The universal themes of love, hope, and peace? Once you have a theme, you can start to brainstorm ideas for your story.
2. Develop your characters. Who are the main characters in your story? What are their goals, motivations, and conflicts? The holiday season can be a time of great personal growth and change, so it’s a great opportunity to develop complex and relatable characters.
3. Create a setting. Where does your story take place? Is it in a small town with a quaint Christmas tree lighting ceremony? Or is it in a big city with bustling shopping malls and dazzling holiday light displays? The setting can play an important role in creating the atmosphere of your story.
4. Write a compelling plot. What happens in your story? How do the characters overcome their challenges and achieve their goals? The holiday season is full of potential for conflict and resolution, so make sure your plot is both engaging and meaningful.
5. Use vivid language and imagery. The holiday season is a feast for the senses, so use your writing to bring your story to life. Describe the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the season in detail.
6. Add a touch of magic. The holiday season is a time for magic, so don’t be afraid to add a touch of the fantastical to your story. Maybe your characters meet a talking snowman or receive a visit from Santa Claus. Or maybe they simply experience the magic of the season in a new and unexpected way.
7. End with a heartwarming message. The holiday season is a time for reflection and gratitude. Think about what the holiday season means to you and what message you want to leave your readers with. Your story could end with a character learning a valuable lesson, finding true love, or simply appreciating the simple joys of the season.
Here are some additional tips to keep in mind:
Don’t be afraid to be personal. The best holiday stories are often the ones that are drawn from the writer’s own experiences. Share your own memories and traditions to make your story more authentic and relatable.
Don’t be afraid to be creative. The holiday season is a time for magic and wonder, so don’t be afraid to let your imagination run wild. Come up with new and unique ideas for your characters, setting, and plot.
Have fun! The holiday season is a time for celebration, so enjoy the process of writing your story. Let your creativity flow and don’t be afraid to experiment.
With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way to writing a heartwarming and memorable holiday story.
Lore is the backstory and history of your fantasy world. It’s the stuff that makes your world feel real and lived-in, and it can be a great way to deepen your readers’ immersion in your story.
Here are some tips for writing lore that will deepen your fantasy world:
1. Start with the big picture. What are the major events and conflicts in your world’s history? What are the different cultures and societies that exist? What are the major religions and beliefs? Having a good understanding of the big picture will help you to create lore that is consistent and believable.
2. Focus on the details. The best lore is the kind that feels real and lived-in. To achieve this, focus on the small details of your world. What do people eat? What kind of clothes do they wear? What are their customs and traditions? The more details you can add, the more believable and immersive your world will be.
3. Make it relatable. Even though your fantasy world is different from our own, it’s important to make your lore relatable to your readers. This doesn’t mean that your world has to be exactly like ours, but it should have themes and ideas that your readers can connect with. For example, you could write lore about a war that is fought over the same resources that we fight over in our own world.
4. Use storytelling techniques. Lore doesn’t have to be dry and boring. In fact, it’s more likely to be remembered and enjoyed by your readers if you present it in a creative and engaging way. Use storytelling techniques like suspense, foreshadowing, and conflict to keep your readers hooked.
5. Show, don’t tell. Don’t just tell your readers about your world’s lore. Show it to them through your characters and story. For example, instead of telling your readers about a religious festival, show them a scene where your characters are celebrating the festival. This will help your readers to connect with the lore on a deeper level.
Here are some additional tips for writing compelling lore:
Make it mysterious. Don’t reveal everything about your world’s lore at once. Leave some things to the mystery. This will keep your readers engaged and wanting to learn more.
Make it relevant. The lore that you create should be relevant to your story and your characters. It should help to explain the world that your characters live in and the challenges that they face.
Make it consistent. The lore that you create should be consistent with itself. Avoid creating contradictions or plot holes.
Get feedback. Once you have written some lore, share it with other people and get their feedback. This will help you to identify any areas that need improvement.
Writing lore can be a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to make your fantasy world feel more real and immersive. By following these tips, you can write lore that will deepen your readers’ understanding of your world and keep them coming back for more.
In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.
Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.
But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.
But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.
DESCRIPTION: This rebel sub-type is a loner with a devil-may-care attitude. His confidence, charisma, and disregard for authority only add to the attraction of his physical appeal, which is usually significant.
FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Dally Winston (The Outsiders), Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby), Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights), Han Solo (Star Wars series), Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES Appearing confident Defying rules and authority Knowing their own mind Seeking out excitement and adrenaline rushes Preferring to create their own destiny Wearing clothing (often dark or black) that sets them apart Always having a witty comeback Struggling with emotional intimacy Saying things just to rock the boat Dismissing others’ opinions or experiences as invalid
SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM Falling in love with someone and needing to be vulnerable in the relationship Encountering someone with an even bigger persona than they have Not being able to attain the object of their affection
TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO… Is in charge of a business or other corporate venture Works for a charity that protects others Has an atypical trait: nervous, nurturing, diplomatic, sophisticated, etc.
CLICHÉS TO BE AWARE OF The vintage “cool guy” who dresses in black leather, smokes cigarettes, and rides a motorcycle The vampire as a bad boy A bad boy who is saved and redeemed by the love of a good girl
Every person or character, at any given time, is in a particular mood. Generally, mood is a person’s state of mind, but it’s more than that. Mood can also describe the disposition of a collective of people, a certain time in history, or the ether of a place.
Regardless of what kind of mood we speak of, it’s always subjective. Ten people can be experiencing the same event at the same place and time, yet, depending on their perspective, their individual mood will differ.
We all know about moods and have a range of them we express and feel, whether we’re aware of them or not. We can sense others’ moods just as they can sense ours. The mood of the character should affect the way he perceives his environment, and expert writers will carefully choose words and imagery that act like a mirror to their emotions.
First, Consider Your Scene’s Purpose
Your story may have an overall tone or mood, but every scene is a microsystem of mood that depends on the emotional state and mindset of your character. When you plot out your scene, you need to first think about how your character will interact with his setting based on his mood and the purpose of your scene.
Remember: it’s the purpose of the scene that determines all the setting elements—what you choose to have him notice (and not notice) and react to and why.
Words Are Everything
However, learn this truth: it is not the originality of a world or the degree of creativity in the world itself that makes a fantasy novel shine with brilliance; it’s the choice of words and phrases that the author uses that evokes not just a right sensory experience but makes readers fall in love with the writing.
Please note: this doesn’t just pertain to fantasy novels. Every novel involves the creation of a “world,” and so writers need to take just as much care in the creation of any world in any genre. Take a look at this hastily written sentence:
Bill walked through the forest until he found a cottage set back in the trees . . .
Now consider the reworked description below that I spent a bit more time on:
Bill slogged along the leaf-choked path, the spindly arms of the bare maples quivering in the cold autumn wind—a feeble attempt to turn him back. But he pressed on until he spotted, nestled in a copse of willows, the derelict cottage slumped like a lost orphan, the lidless windows dark and vacant. Hardly a welcoming sight after many tiresome hours of travel.
A specific mood is created by bringing out Bill’s mindset and emotional state. Without knowing anything else about this scene (if I’d written one), a reader can clearly sense the purpose of the action by the things he notices and the words used to describe them
To immerse your readers in the world you’ve created, you need to spend time coming up with masterful description. And the components of such description are the nouns, verbs, and adjectives you choose.
Mood Nuances
We all know about moods and have a range of them we express and feel, whether we’re aware of them or not. We can sense others’ moods just as they can sense ours. The mood of the character should affect the way he perceives his environment, and expert writers will carefully choose words and imagery that act like a mirror to their emotions. It’s a reciprocal factor: mood informs how the character sees his setting, but the setting also informs his mood—shifting it or intensifying it.
Take a look at this passage from The Dazzling Truth (Helen Cullen):
Murtagh opened the front door and flinched at a swarm of spitting raindrops. The blistering wind mocked the threadbare cotton of his pajamas. He bent his head into the onslaught and pushed forward, dragging the heavy scarlet door behind him. The brass knocker clanged against the wood; he flinched, hoping it had not woken the children. Shivering, he picked a route in his slippers around the muddy puddles spreading across the cobblestoned pathway. Leaning over the wrought-iron gate that separated their own familial island from the winding lane of the island proper, he scanned the dark horizon for a glimpse of Maeve in the faraway glow of a streetlamp.
In the distance, the sea and sky had melted into one anthracite mist, each indiscernible from the other. Sheep huddled together for comfort in Peadar Óg’s field, the waterlogged green that bordered the Moones’ land to the right; the plaintive baying of the animals sounded mournful. Murtagh nodded at them.
There was no sight of Maeve.
Culler is masterful in her usage of imagery to convey sensory detail. The feeling of rain on Murtagh’s skin is described by flinching at spitting raindrops. The blistering wind attacks his pajamas. Dragging the heavy door shows the sensation of his muscles working—proprioception. And of course we have visuals, which paint the stage for us.
We also have the sound of the brass knocker—used for a specific purpose—to tell us he’s concerned about the children waking. This is a good point to pay attention to: sensory detail should serve more than one purpose. Don’t just add a sound or sight without thinking of the POV character’s mood, concerns, mindset, and purpose in that moment. The more you can tie those things to the sensory details, the more powerful your writing.
Weather
Writers are sometimes told not to write about weather. It’s boring, right? But weather affects us every moment of every day and night. We make decisions for how we will spend our day, even our life, based on weather. And weather greatly affects our mood, whether we notice or not.
Since we want our characters to act and react believably, they should also be affected by weather. Sure, at times they aren’t going to notice it. But there are plenty of opportunities to have characters interact with weather can be purposeful and powerful in your story.
Strong Verbs and Adjectives
Using strong and effective verbs and adjectives will help you craft setting descriptions that are masterful. Every word counts. To borrow unfaithfully from Animal Farm: All words are created equal, but some words are more equal than others. Some words are plain boring, and others take our breath away.
Mood is one of the 3 M’s of character setup, and you’ll want to make sure you get the character’s mood, mindset (what she’s concerned about), and motivation on that first page. What happens in the scene will shift the mood in some way, resulting in some change in mood by the end of the scene. So think about what that mood will be like at the start of the scene and what’s changed in the mood by the end. Using the setting interactively with your character is the most powerful way to masterfully accomplish this!
Escalation is an important element of story structure. The opening pages are often quiet as key players are introduced, the setting is established, and readers are given a glimpse of what’s wrong in the protagonist’s world. The catalyst then provides a choice, where the hero leaves their ordinary world and steps into a new one. In the next half of the story, they work their way toward the goal that will fulfill them, facing many conflict scenarios that challenge their methods and way of thinking. In those story moments, the stakes get higher, the consequences more drastic, and the clashes more incendiary until everything culminates in a final confrontation that will determine if the hero achieves their goal or not. This confrontation is the climax of the story. The reader has known from the beginning that this moment would occur; it’s what they’ve been looking forward to, why they’ve stuck with the protagonist for so many pages. A successful climax will help determine how satisfied the reader is with the story, so it’s vital that we get it right.
What Is The Climax, Really?
The climax is the final showdown between the hero and their nemesis. The two may have butted heads already—multiple times, possibly—or this might be the long-awaited battle they’ve been working toward. Different structure models position this pillar at various places, but it’s generally agreed that it works best in the last half of Act Three. This allows for the proper build-up to the climax while leaving enough time for events to resolve afterward. The purpose of the climax is to give the protagonist a final chance to succeed and achieve the story goal. Numerous conflict scenarios have tested the hero’s resolve and abilities so far. They haven’t always succeeded, but as the struggles have gotten bigger and the stakes have grown, they have moved steadily toward their outer (and inner, if they’re working a change arc) goals. And now comes the biggest test of all: the final meet-up with the nemesis. It’s the protagonist’s last chance to prove themselves. If they fail here, they fail for good. As a result, the climax should definitively determine who wins.
It also allows the hero to display what they’ve learned on their journey. Whether they’ve acquired skills, identified a strength they thought was a weakness, rejected a long-believed lie, or adopted a new mindset, what they’ve learned should tip the scales in their favor during the climax. This is often where the inner and outer journeys merge because the changes they’ve undergone and the lessons they have learned about themselves are exactly what they need to achieve the outer goal. When it’s done artfully, that synchronicity creates a satisfying resolution for readers as the pieces click into place. Lastly, the climax should mirror the catalyst. As Michael Hauge says in Writing Screenplays That Sell:“Just as the aftermath contrasts with the setup at the beginning of a screenplay, the climax of the story mirrors the opportunity (catalyst). While the opportunity begins the forward movement of the story—begins the hero’s visible journey by taking him to a new situation—the climax ends that journey by resolving the hero’s outer motivation (story goal).” In a story with a three-act structure, there’s an invisible hinge at the midpoint that divides the story into two halves. James Scott Bell likens the midpoint to a mirror because the events on one side reflect the other. In this way, the climax relates back to the beginning, closing out the journey that started in your first pages.
What Are The Elements Of A Successful Story Climax?
To recap: a successful story climax should tick the following boxes:
It’s the final showdown between the protagonist and the antagonist.It mirrors the catalyst/opportunity. A definitive winner emerges.If the protagonist wins, they do so by using the lessons they learned during their journey.The victor (whomever it may be) achieves their goal.
To illustrate how these elements can be used to craft a perfect climax, let’s use Star Wars: A New Hope as an example. In a nutshell, here’s what happens in this important scene:
Luke Skywalker uses his Jedi training to destroy the Death Star, crippling the Empire and sending the enemy packing. Peace and safety are restored to the galaxy.It’s the final showdown between the protagonist and the antagonist. Luke’s fight to destroy the Death Star is the last confrontation between him and his enemy in this story. It should be noted that the true villain here isn’t a tangible one that Luke can face off against; it’s the empire. But every protagonist needs a physical adversary to battle. That’s provided in the form of Darth Vader, and Luke’s defeat of the empire is also a defeat for him. It’s a good reminder that if your hero is going up against an antagonistic force rather than an actual person, you’ll want to introduce a physical antagonist for them to fight against.It mirrors the catalyst/opportunity. Luke’s catalyst occurs back on Tatooine, when he’s invited to learn the ways of the Jedi and help the Rebellion defeat the empire. The climax mirrors this as the journey he began culminates in him destroying the Death Star. It’s also a nice touch that the person who offered Luke his catalyst opportunity (Obi-Wan) shows up unexpectedly in the climax to remind his protégé that he must use his Jedi training if he wants to succeed.A definitive winner emerges. This is made clear in the rout of the empire and the medal ceremony that follows.If the protagonist wins, they do so by using what they’ve learned. Luke is unsuccessful in destroying the Death Star until he embraces the lessons he learned from Yoda—mainly, his knowledge of and connection with the Force. The victor (whomever it may be) achieves their goal. Luke’s goal was twofold: learn the ways of the Jedi and defeat the empire. Thanks to Yoda, he has begun his journey to becoming a Jedi and has completed the first part of his objective. With the destruction of the empire, he achieves the second.
A Few Caveats
The protagonist won’t always win. If you’re writing a tragedy, such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Into the Wild, or Up in the Air, the hero will fail to defeat their adversary and/or achieve fulfillment and improve themselves.Maybe they’re unsuccessful because they didn’t learn what they needed to learn, or they weren’t able to fully embrace those lessons during the final confrontation. Sometimes, their internal conflict remains unresolved, and they allow self-doubt, fear, pride, or another habit or hang-up to rule the day. It’s also possible that they achieve their goal only to discover that it was a false goal—one that made things worse or ended up ruining them.If your protagonist is doomed for failure, element #4 becomes inverted: they don’t succeed precisely because they haven’t gained the knowledge they needed or they failed to utilize it when it mattered. The rest of the key ingredients remain the same, regardless of who wins.Quiet climaxes can be just as effective. While many thrillers, suspense, and action movies require a gargantuan clash at the end, other kinds of stories don’t necessarily need this. The climax of Pride and Prejudice, for example, happens with Lizzy and Mr. Darcy going for a simple walk. They don’t even argue at this point. Instead, they admit their past failings, express their love for each other, and decide to get married. It’s a quiet climax that still achieves its purpose. It is their final confrontation as antagonists and happens at the right point in the third act. Lizzy’s recognition of pride as her fatal flaw allows her to overcome it and find true happiness with Mr. Darcy. And her choosing him for a husband reflects the catalyst (her determination when she first met him to have nothing to do with him). This is something to keep in mind if you’re writing the kind of story that calls for a low-key resolution. A quiet climax can work as long as it does what it’s supposed to do.As you can see, the climax is important, both for your characters and readers. And the necessary elements for this moment can be applied to all kinds of stories, giving you a blueprint for success when writing this vital scene.
No one in the real world is perfect, and so characters shouldn’t be either. To seem as real as you or me, they should have flaws and strengths, and these sides of their personality should line up with who they are, how they were raised, and reflect the experiences they’ve had to date, good and bad.
While we develop our characters, however, we need to remember that flaws come with a tipping point. If we write someone with an overabundance of negative traits and behaviors that are a turnoff, the character will slide into unlikable territory. And yes, if the goal is to make a villain, antagonist, or other character loathsome, that’s fine–mission accomplished. But if we want readers to be on their side, too much surliness, negativity, secretiveness, or propensity for overblown reactions can cause a reader to disconnect.
Like a joke taken too far, it’s hard to claw an audience back once they’ve formed negative judgments, which is why we want to be careful and deliberate when showing our character’s negative side. Antiheroes tend to wear flaws more openly and can be semi-antagonistic as they battle the world’s constraints, so this line of likability is something to pay close attention to if we want readers to ultimately side with them. Here are some tips to help you.
How to Write Flawed Characters & Not Turn Readers Off
Show A Glimmer: no matter how impatient, uptight, or spoiled your character is, hint there’s more beneath the surface. A small action or internal observation can show the character in a positive light, especially when delivered in their first scene (frequently referred to as a Save the Cat moment.) It can be a positive quality, like a sense of humor, or a simple act that shows something redeeming about the character.
Imagine a man yelling at the old ladies crowding the hallway outside his apartment door as they pick up their friend Mabel for bingo, and then seeing him swear and fume at the chuggy elevator for making him late. Not the nicest guy, is he? But when Mr. Suit and Tie gets to his car outside, he stops to dig out a Ziploc bag of cat food and carefully roll down the edges into a makeshift bowl.
What? Here the guy seemed like an impatient jerk, but we discover part of his morning routine is to feed the local stray cat! Maybe he isn’t so bad after all. (Talk about a literal interpretation of “saving the cat.”)
Use POV Narrative for Insight: characters are flawed for a reason, namely negative experiences (wounds) which create flaws as an “emotional countermeasure.” Imagine a hero who stutters, and he was teased about it growing up. Even his parents encouraged him to “be seen and not heard” when they hosted parties and special events. Because of the emotional trauma (shame and anger) at being treated badly, he’s now uncommunicative and unfriendly as an adult. This type of backstory can be dribbled into narrative with care, as long as it’s active, has bearing on the current action, and is brief as to not slow the pace.
Create Big Obstacles: the goal is to create empathy as soon as possible, and one of the ways to do that is to show what the character is up against. If your character has a rough road ahead, the reader will make allowances for behavior, provide they don’t wallow and whine overmuch. After all, it isn’t hardship that creates empathy…it’s how a character behaves despite their hardship as that gives readers a window into who they really are.
Form a Balance: No character is all good or all bad. Give them a mix of positive traits (attributes) and negative traits (flaws) so they feel realistic, and ensure their negative traits contain a learning curve. For example, their negative traits may be good at keeping people and uncomfortable situations at a distance in the past, but in your story, they won’t help your character get what they want. Your character will have to see this for themselves, and it’ll only happen when that flawed behavior and way of thinking leads to poor judgment, mistakes, relationship friction, and other problems, the poor sap.
Eventually the character will see that they need to change up their behavioral playlist if they want to succeed, and this means letting go of the bad and embracing the good, opening their mind to a new way of thinking, behaving, and being. This is where their positives get to shine, so lay the foundation with qualities that may start in the background, but come forward and show them to be rounded, likable, and unique.
Of Special Concern: Your Story’s Baddies
It’s easy to give an antagonist flaws because your intent is to make readers dislike them, but even here, caution is needed. Hopelessly flawed antagonists make shallow characters and unworthy opponents, so we want to also give them strengths (like intelligence, meticulousness, dedication, and discipline, for example) to make them formidable and hard to beat.
This forces your protagonist to work their hardest, and in a match up, nothing is guaranteed. Being uncertain about the outcome of these story moments is what will hold the reader’s attention to the very end.
A common mistake I see in client manuscripts is a cast of secondary characters that simply exist to help or to outright block the protagonist. They’re either ready, willing, and able to drop everything to help that protagonist reach their own goal. Or they’re a character who is out to make the protagonist’s life hard for no logical reason.
Let’s face it. That’s not how real life works, as everyone has wants and needs of their own. Fictional secondary characters are no different. Their relationship with your protagonist should work like sandpaper, revealing internal growth your protagonist needs, or revealing their commitment to reaching their external goal. If we craft our secondary characters well, they should create a tug-of-war inside the reader. Readers should empathize with each secondary character’s inner motivation and struggle with who to primarily cheer for. This applies to antagonists every bit as much as it does to an ally. Conjuring empathy for each and every secondary character makes those characters more engaging, and it forces you as the writer to create the most compelling protagonist possible. Your protagonist’s desire to reach a particular goal fueled by unmet inner need will have to work that much harder to earn that top spot in reader’s hearts because you’ll have crafted compelling contenders, vying for that spot.
Let’s talk about three ways to achieve this…
They Must Have Their Own Inner Desire/External Goal
It helps to look at any given scene from the perspective of every secondary character you’ve included. If those characters are only on the page to help your protagonist achieve/block their goal, then it’s a missed opportunity. Secondary characters should consistently add tension to scenes—tension that grows your protagonist internally or externally. It’s far more interesting when we get a sense for what other characters want in a scene because we can gauge how that may help or harm what the protagonist wants.
Even if your secondary character is supporting your protagonist and aiming to reach the same external goal, their inner motivation shouldn’t be the same as any other character. What’s motivating each of your secondary characters? Does their motivation conjure empathy in the reader, even if we don’t support that end or we still cheer for the protagonist more? What’s the logic or backstory behind that secondary character’s motivation? Does your protagonist wrestle with the way even an antagonist presents logical motivation to them? Does your protagonist struggle seeing what their allies are giving up in order to support the protagonist’s end?
Tip: A secondary character cannot help or rescue your character without your character losing something they value.
The Secondary Character Must Challenge Your Protagonist in Some External And/Or Internal Way
If your secondary character is an ally or a romantic interest of your protagonist, we might not expect that they’re working like an antagonist, trying to thwart the protagonist’s success. Still, even allies and love interests should be working to grow the protagonist.
*Is that secondary character working like a mirror the protagonist doesn’t want to see themselves in?
*Are they asking hard questions about the protagonist’s hidden fears or motivations?
*Is the secondary character someone the protagonist wants to be like but they’re not ready or unable to accept that they’re never going to be that way?
*Are they asking more from your protagonist than the protagonist is ready to give?
*What does retaining that ally or love interest cost your protagonist?
*How does having that character’s help or support complicate things?
*Are they forcing your protagonist to look at backstory events from a different perspective?
*Forcing the protagonist to empathize with the motivation of any given antagonist?
Tip: The answers to these questions should not be the same for any two secondary characters. Each secondary character must challenge the protagonist differently in order to earn their keep.
Their Dialogue Can’t Solely Exist to Teach Your Character (And Reader) About The Story World
We’ve all heard it. Secondary characters saying things like, “As you know,” or sitting your character down to hand them the handbook on your story world. As much as possible, the dialogue and even the actions of your secondary characters should convey intent and a hint of their own inner world. The problem with dialogue that carries worldbuilding or stark plot-based information is that it oftentimes fails to reveal more to us about your protagonist or that secondary character. Worse yet, it leaves almost no room for the protagonist to respond with dialogue that conveys their own intent or emotion. Unless your protagonist has approached a secondary character with a very specific question that requires an answer containing information, try to think of secondary character dialogue as an opportunity to reveal their intent and emotion as much as possible. To challenge your protagonist.
Tip: Study every line of dialogue to see if you can attach an emotional “label” to it. You should be able to read the line and sense some primary emotional current running through the content. Anger, avoidance, relief, elation, etc. Emotions that are almost always red flags for weak dialogue are characters expressing awe or curiosity. Lines like, “Wow!” or, “What is that?” Those types of lines simply exist to set the other character up to talk at the other character/us more. If the line of dialogue doesn’t leave space for a response of some sort, then you know it’s not reaching its potential for adding tension.
What aspects of secondary character creation do you struggle with most? Do you find secondary characters easier to craft since the pressure isn’t as direct as it may be in crafting the protagonist? When you develop secondary characters, how do you bring them to life effectively?
We’ve covered many aspects of pain so far in this experience, such as the different categories of pain and how to write the discomfort associated with minor, major, and invisible injuries. All of this is helpful for identifying the pain your character will be feeling and helping you write it accurately. But how will your character sustain their injury?
If you’ve determined that pain is in your character’s future, you’ve got to then figure out how it will happen. The good news is that this can often be done organically through whatever they’re already doing. It’s just a matter of knowing which activities they’d be involved in and the locations they’re likely to visit. Get them there, and let the mishaps unfold.
Here are a few of the common causes for injuries and places where harm could naturally befall your character.
Household Accidents
It’s commonly known that many injuries occur in and around the home. This means your character’s living space can become a minefield of potential hazards. Moving heavy furniture, slipping in the shower or on slick floors, falling down stairs, cutting oneself while cooking, choking on food, fingers getting smashed in a drawer, getting zapped by a faulty electrical outlet…the possibilities, both serious and slight, are endless.
This is also true of incidents happening just outside the home. Your character could be injured while using faulty lawn equipment (or misusing perfectly good tools), tripping over uneven driveway pavers, being exposed to poison ivy, breathing noxious fumes from a DIY painting project, getting a splinter, or falling out of a tree.
Sometimes, the easiest solutions are the best ones. When it comes to injuries, there really is no place like home.
Workplace Injuries
The other place your character spends a lot of their time is at work, making it a logical place for bad things to happen. If your story calls for a certain kind of injury, consider a career for the character where it’s most likely to happen. Maybe a more dangerous occupation is in order, such as construction work, being a police officer, or working as an EMT in a hazardous area.
But even mundane office jobs can provide opportunities for a range of injuries—paper cuts, carpal tunnel, slips and falls, and back and neck pain from staring at a screen for hours, to name just a few. As a matter of fact, a physically painful event at work can spice up a boring day on the job. Just make sure it’s a natural fit so it doesn’t read as contrived.
Recreational Activities
What does your character do in their spare time? Could it be something that would incorporate the injury you need them to sustain? Maybe they’re an exercise enthusiast and enjoy running marathons, lifting weights, or some other way of pushing their body to its limits. Or they could be into extreme sports, like motocross, rock climbing, cave diving, or hang gliding. Even run-of-the-mill activities like hiking, jogging, fishing, hunting, and playing pickleball can end painfully given the right (or wrong) circumstances.
Transportation Accidents
When your character leaves home, some form of transportation is going to get them to their destination. Whether they’re in an isolated area or are surrounded by other people who are also getting from here to there, there are many opportunities for harm to befall them. Car accidents, falling off a bike, suffering a heart attack while riding the city bus, being hit while walking as a pedestrian, difficulties driving in other countries where the traffic laws are unfamiliar…so many possibilities.
Weather Events
Wherever your character lives, they’re going to encounter different kinds of weather that can impact their safety. Slippery roads and icy streets can make accidents and falls more likely. Heavy fog, rain, and snow will decrease visibility. High winds can cause tree limbs to fall, crushing buildings or blocking roadways and causing hazards. And then you have extreme weather—tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, lightning strikes, and hailstorms. The latter are much more dramatic, so you’ll have to lay that groundwork carefully. Make sure your character is living in an area where these threats are real. And use enough foreshadowing to inform readers of the danger so when it happens, it rings true.
Animal Injuries
As much as we love our pets, they can inadvertently be a source of pain. For instance, we know how dangerous it is when an elderly person falls and breaks a hip. What you may not know is that one of the main reasons the elderly fall is because they’ve tripped over a pet. Sustaining an injury while walking the dog is also common, along with the garden-variety scratches, nips, and bites that may occur. It’s also easy to be hurt while trying to help a wounded or scared pet.
But domesticated animals aren’t the only ones your character needs to be careful with. Consider the altercations they might have with animals of the wilder sort: insect stings, snake and spider bites, or being bitten by a tick and incurring the chronic effects of Lyme disease. Is your character the reckless sort that might try to hand-feed a raccoon in the backyard or get a selfie with a bison at Yellowstone? They’re likely to get more than they bargained for.
Physical Violence
Sometimes harm occurs from other human beings, and it’s not always intentional. Being bumped on the street, elbowed in the mouth, knocked down in a crowd, slammed in a concert mosh pit, roughhousing with the kids—there are many ways someone could accidentally injure your character. And then there are deliberate acts of violence in the form of an attack, mugging, bullying, or domestic abuse.
This is a short list, really, of the ordinary ways your character could be injured just going about their day. It’s definitely not exhaustive but hopefully provides some ideas for how you can naturally incorporate the painful events your story needs in ways that are natural and seamless.
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