Creating characters / from the editors of Writer's Digest ; foreword by Steven James.

Part I. Getting started. 25 things you should know about character / by Chuck Wendig -- Character concepting / by Joseph Bates -- Choose a name wisely / by Nancy Kress -- Name-dropping / by Elizabeth Sims -- Introducing your character for the first time / by Jeff Gerke. Part II. Point of view. Whose emotions are we sharing? / by Nancy Kress -- What POV communicates about your story / by Alicia Rasley -- Dealing with multiple points of view / by Jordan E. Rosenfeld. Part III. Dialogue. Writing dialogue / by Hallie Ephron -- Dialogue that propels the story forward / by Gloria Kempton -- Using profanity and other raw talk in your fiction / by Elizabeth Sims -- The uhs, ands, and ers of dialogue / by Gloria Kempton. Part IV. Protagonists. The hero and the common man / by Orson Scott Card -- From zero to hero / by Dawn Wilson -- How to challenge your protagonist / by Larry Brooks -- Relate to readers with a lead character / by James Scott Bell. Part V. Antagonists. Creating an anti-hero / by Jessica Page Morrell -- The three-dimensional villain / by Donald Maass -- Amp up your antagonists / by Laura DiSilverio -- Sympathy for the Devil / by Jessica Page Morrell. Part VI. Supporting characters. Developing your supporting cast / by Joseph Bates -- The character hierarchy / by Orson Scott Card -- Crafting effective supporting characters / by Hallie Ephron. Part VII. Conflict. A character's emotional thread / by Jordan E. Rosenfeld -- Push your characters to the limits / by David Corbett -- Character objective and conflict / by Mary Kole -- Coping with conflict / by Rachel Ballon. Part VIII. Motivations & relationships. Motivation and realism / by Cheryl St. John -- Showing change in your characters / by Nancy Kress -- Romantic relationships / by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. Part IX. Character arcs. Creating a character arc / by Joseph Bates -- The arc within plot -- by James Scott Bell -- The knot / by Jeff Gerke -- The moment of truth / by Jeff Gerke -- Revising for strong character / by Jack Smith.

Create characters that leap off the page--and into readers' hearts! Populating your fiction with authentic, vivid characters is a surefire way to captivate your readers from the first sentence to the last. Whether you're writing a series, novel, short story, or flash fiction, Creating Characters is an invaluable guide to bringing your fictional cast to life. This book is a comprehensive reference to every stage of character development.