Field guide 03 · 7 lessons
Character
Goals, agency, arcs, opposition and relationships that make people generate the story.
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The character shelf
Writing Compelling Characters
Core craftHow to write people who want things, contradict themselves and make choices that could only belong to them.
Character Goals
Core craftHow to give a character something clear to reach for without reducing them to a plot-delivery machine.
Character Agency
Deep diveHow to keep your main character involved in what happens—even when they are trapped, overwhelmed or getting everything wrong.
Character Arcs
Core craftHow people change, refuse to change or become more deeply themselves over the course of a story.
Antagonists and Opposing Forces
Core craftHow to write the person, institution or force in the way as if it has a life and a convincing point of view of its own.
Supporting Characters and Ensembles
Deep diveHow to make the rest of the cast feel like people with lives—not helpers waiting for the hero to enter the room.
Writing Character Relationships
Deep diveHow history, affection, need and power make two characters feel as though they existed before page one.