4 Reedsy Resources to Help You Write Better Characters
Characters are at the heart of every narrative. They anchor readers to a story and make them respond emotionally, so it’s important to write them well.
Reedsy has several resources that can help authors develop intricate and persuasive characters. You’ll find templates, guides, and professionals, all dedicated to improving your characterization.
1. Character Profile Template
Creating a biography for each character is a great first step to understanding them better and establishing their role in your story, but you don’t have to go into excruciating detail.
Reedsy’s downloadable template for character profilessteers you in the right direction. It prompts you to consider things like the character’s name, occupation, and physical appearance, as well as their speech patterns, childhood experiences, enemies, and behaviors.
If you need inspiration, exploreReedsy’s guide on character quirks, too, and fill your narrative with intriguing and, above all, convincing people. Creating well-rounded profiles will make it easier to integrate characters into your book smoothly.
2. Character Questionnaire
Another free template you may read online or download isReedsy’s character questionnaire, which gets you to interview your characters.
There’s a list of 50 questions you can pose, involving anything from hypothetical scenarios to habits and routines, that could illuminate a character’s psyche in greater detail.
At the same time, the questionnaire lets you hear the character’s voice and observe their mannerisms, all of which helps you flesh them out better in the story.
For good characterization, you really do need to go well beyondgenerating names for your fictional characters.
3. Character Development Exercises and Template
To ensure a satisfying narrative arc for your protagonist, antagonist, or any other key character, make the most ofReedsy’s character development exercises.
There are eight exercises to try with a character, such as playing Truth and Dare, posing moral dilemmas, creating a timeline of their life, and imagining people gossiping about them.
You also have access toReedsy’s character development template, featuring the most important steps to creating a memorable character with purpose and personality.
If you want to take your characterization to the next level, combine Reedsy’s resources with your favorite project management apps, likeonline tools for creating timelines. Keep working on your characters to make them as realistic as possible.
4. Developmental Editors
Once you plan your characters and write them into your story, you can keep enhancing them while editing. Better yet, you don’t have to do it alone.
Another pair of eyes–especially experienced and objective ones–can spot mistakes or room for improvement you may have missed, so browsedevelopmental editors on Reedsy.
These professionals look at your characterization as much as your plot, form, andstory structurein order to assess your narrative as a whole and resolve any problems.
Don’t Hesitate to Seek Help When Developing Fictional Characters
Even if you base a character on a real person instead of completely making them up, you need a plan before writing them into your book. Otherwise, you might forget details or ruin the narrative with your awkward characterization.
As a rule of thumb, character profiles benefit stories. Putting them together takes a lot of brainstorming, but a group effort can make the process faster and easier.
In addition to Reedsy’s guides and editors, for example, use online forums or your creative writing group to get tips from fellow authors. They might have personal insights or point out character flaws.
These online communities offer inspiration, ideas, and support, no matter what type of writer you aspire to be.
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