Episode 47 - Get 'em off the couch! Goals motivation and passion as the driving forces for your characters

The Creative Writer's Toolbelt

Oct 15 2015 | 00:13:00

00:00 / 00:13:00

Show Notes

Jeanne Cavelos, the Director of the Odyssey Writing Workshop says that the number one piece of advice she gives to writers is this: give your character a goal. It's so easy for us to create pet characters who just sit on the couch, docile and useless in our story. We may love these creations but they slow the narrative, and bore the reader. So how do we get our characters engaged, and working with our story not against it? Simple, we follow Jeanne's advice and give them a goal (or goals), as well as some strong motivation, and a driving passion as part of who they are.

Other Episodes

Episode

April 02, 2019 • 01:02:01

Episode 136 Your guide for the journey. The work of the sensitivity reader with Patrice Williams Marks

We all want to introduce diverse characters into our work and not be afraid to tackle difficult social and cultural themes, but can we...

Episode

May 14, 2016 • 00:58:33

Episode 66 - Conversation with Becky Chambers

My guest this week is the author Becky Chambers, author of the critically acclaimed novel 'The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet'. Becky’s...

Episode

March 08, 2014 • 00:15:27

Episode 5 - The power of suggestion

In this episode we look at another dimension of showing not telling, and that's the potential for hinting, suggesting or implying something rather than...