This week JJ and Kelly talk about the characterization of protagonists, how to get a vivid, realistic character, and whether or not “unlikeable” means “unsympathetic.”
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Show Notes/Further Reading
- Characters need a balance of flaws and strengths.
- Universal appeal is not possible—it generally means the character becomes incredibly bland.
- Specificity breeds intimacy, and specific action shows more than telling details.
- There is a difference between an “unlikeable” and an “unsympathetic” protagonist. An unlikeable protagonist can still be sympathetic, but an unsympathetic character just makes us not care.
- Writing Wednesday: Characterization by JJ
- Active Characters by Julie Eshbaugh
- Writing Three-Dimensional Characters by Susan Dennard
- Character Movement and Characterization by Kat Zhang
- Creating Characters Readers Care About by Julie Eshbaugh
- Know Your Characters by Marie Lu
- The Ultimate No-Effort Character Sheet for Writers
- The No-Effort Character Character Sheet for Lazy Writers Like You and Me
What We’re Reading/Books Discussed
- City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
- The Rose Society by Marie Lu1
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown
- JJ is in a reading rut, so nothing new.
Off Menu Recommendations
- Boredom! Boredom is kind of great. Mindlessness breeds creativity in many ways.
- Carcassonne
- Betrayal at the House on the Hill
- Arkham Horror
What We’re Working On
- Kelly is working on freelance stuff
- JJ is working on Wintersong copyedits and she has a cover! The cover will be revealed on Monday, April 11, but those who are subscribed to JJ’s newsletter will get to see it first!
That’s all for this week! Next week we will be continuing our characterization series with an episode about VILLAINS. As always, if you have any questions, sound off in the comments!
- PubCrawl alumna! ↩
I just wanted to thank you so much for this podcast! Not only is it really enjoyable, but it has helped me so much in how I approach writing, and the book industry in general. This week’s podcast was particularly insightful.
(Also, I had been in a bit of a book slump for the last year, and your weekly ‘What We’re Reading’ segment has been a lifesaver.)
Thanks so much, Meghan! We always hope the podcast can be both entertaining and informative, and it’s so nice to hear that we’re hitting that combination for you!
Reading slumps–ugh. I’ve finally learned how to just embrace them. It’s usually a sign that my brain needs something else for a while. I know JJ is taking walks and welcoming boredom right now, which is probably doing wonders for fueling her well of creativity!
I really like to make things when I’m in a reading slump. Something that uses my hands and gets me out of my head. I usually turn to cooking, coloring, or other simple crafty things. My love for reading always comes back around. Sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder!
This was really useful! Thank you so much for all the tips. I’m on a break after a round of edits on my MS, and this has given me new focus on where to direct myself and what to look for next week. Also, Betrayal At House On The Hill is an excellent game!