Creating Characters: How to Build Story People

Vibrant, believable characters help drive a fictional story. Along with a clever plot, well-drawn characters make us want to continue reading a novel or finish watching a movie. In Creating Characters, Dwight V. Swain shows how writers can invent interesting characters and improve them so that they move a story along.

'The core of character,' he says in chapter 1, 'lies in each individual story person s ability to care about something; to feel implicitly or explicitly, that something is important.' Building on that foundation the capacity to care Swain takes the would-be writer step-by-step through the fundamentals of finding and developing 'characters who turn you on.' This basic but thought-provoking how-to is a valuable tool for both the novice and the seasoned writer.

YA-- Young people seriously interested in creative writing will find this manual for developing fictional characters a rich source of detailed information. Students can browse through the 17 chapters, each titled and annotated, without reading the book from cover to cover. Swain talks to his readers in a conversational tone, suggesting techniques, giving examples to illuminate his points, and offering activities for sharpening character development skills. This is a book for those already committed to writing fiction and who want to think about the craft of writing.

Joyce H. Jones, Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria, VA

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