Develop compelling character arcs using the power of myth! In the best novels, characters undergo dramatic changes that keep readers turning pages. A Writer's Guide to Characterization shows you how to develop such meaningful character arcs in your own work--stories of transformation that will resonate with readers long after the story ends. In this comprehensive guide, author Victoria Lynn Schmidt examines cross-cultural archetypes to illustrate how they can make your work more powerful and compelling. Plus, you'll learn how to draw from Jungian psychology to add complexity and believability to your characters. Schmidt also provides: • 40 lessons on character development (with examples from well-known films and novels) that you can apply to your own work • Questionnaires and exercises to help you select male and female archetypes and adapt them to your story • 15 classic animal archetypes (including the coyote, snake, tiger, and butterfly) you can use to build convincing character profiles With A Writer's Guide to Characterization, you'll have the information you need to infuse the development of your characters with drama and authenticity.

Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped has long been considered a masterpiece of high adventure. In The Low Road, James Lear reinvents this classic as a satirical, queer, coming-of-age story. In 1705 Scotland, young Charles Gordon reaches adulthood ignorant of his family's heroic past in the Jacobite Rebellion. He sets out to discover the truth about his father, but instead is kidnapped by mercenaries and sold into slavery as the plaything of a group of corrupt military officials. But Charlie’s talents, in and out of bed, win him powerful friends as well as dangerous foes. The false priest, Lebecque, violent Captain Robert, depraved General Wilmott — all contribute to Charlie’s "education." Eventually leading a makeshift army of sex-crazed layabouts, Charlie faces the might of the English forces. Will he triumph, or is it better to retreat to the safety of his sybaritic lifestyle? James Lear expertly interweaves spies and counterspies, scheming servants and sadistic captains, tavern trysts and prison orgies, into this delightfully erotic work that can take its place alongside his acclaimed novels The Back Passage and Hot Valley.

Create Realistic Character Expressions and Emotions! Most writers struggle with creating a captivating story. The fastest way to improve your writing is by the use of the "Deep Point-of-View" technique, which can transform any novel from mediocre storytelling into riveting prose. This manual will provide writers with the essential skills needed to significantly enhance their characterization and intensify emotions by eliminating filtering words that cause narrative distance. Plus, this unique guidebook includes hundreds of amazing ways to use "show don't tell" to submerge readers so deeply into any scene that they will experience the story along with the characters. Writers will learn to: Revise Shallow Writing Deepen Characterization Craft Realistic Visceral Reactions Improve Showing vs. Telling Create Lifelike Character Expressions S. A. Soule also shares her expertise with writers on how to apply "showing" methods through powerful examples in action, along with the necessary tools to immediately deepen the reader's experience with vivid, sensory details. Are you ready to instantly take your writing skills to the next level? Please scroll up and click the buy button now...

It’s a writer’s job to create compelling characters who can withstand life’s fallout without giving up. But building authentic, memorable heroes is no easy task. To forge realistic characters, we must hobble them with flaws that set them back while giving them positive attributes to help them achieve their goals. So how do writers choose the right blend of strengths for their characters—attributes that will render them admirable and worth rooting for—without making it too easy for them to succeed? Character creation can be hard, but it’s about to get a lot easier. Inside The Positive Trait Thesaurus, you’ll find: * A large selection of attributes to choose from when building a personality profile. Each entry lists possible causes for why a trait might emerge, along with associated attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions * Real character examples from literature, film, or television to show how an attribute drives actions and decisions, influences goals, and steers relationships * Advice on using positive traits to immediately hook readers while avoiding common personality pitfalls * Insight on human needs and morality, and how each determines the strengths that emerge in heroes and villains alike * Information on the key role positive attributes play within the character arc, and how they’re vital to overcoming fatal flaws and achieving success * Downloadable tools for organizing a character’s attributes and providing a deeper understanding of his past, his needs, and the emotional wounds he must overcome If you find character creation difficult or worry that your cast members all seem the same, The Positive Trait Thesaurus is brimming with ideas to help you develop one-of-a-kind, dynamic characters that readers will love. Extensively indexed, with entries written in a user-friendly list format, this brainstorming resource is perfect for any character creation project.

Crafting likable, interesting characters is a balancing act, and finding that perfect mix of strengths and weaknesses can be difficult. Not only does a well-drawn protagonist need positive attributes to help him succeed, he must also have flaws that humanize him and give him something to overcome. The same is true of villains and the rest of the story’s supporting cast. So how can writers figure out which flaws best fit their characters? Which negative traits will create personality clashes and conflict while making success difficult? Nothing adds complexity like character flaws. Inside The Negative Trait Thesaurus you’ll find: * A vast collection of flaws to explore when building a character’s personality. Each entry includes possible causes, attitudes, behaviors, thoughts, and related emotions * Real examples from literature, film, or television to show how each flaw can create life challenges and relational friction * Advice on building layered and memorable characters from the ground up * An in-depth look at backstory, emotional wounds, and how pain twists a character’s view of himself and his world, influencing behavior and decision making * A flaw-centric exploration of character arc, relationships, motivation, and basic needs * Tips on how to best show a character’s flaws to readers while avoiding common pitfalls * Downloadable tools to aid writers in character creation The Negative Trait Thesaurus sheds light on your character’s dark side. Written in list format and fully indexed, this brainstorming resource is perfect for creating deep, flawed characters readers will relate to.

The bestselling Emotion Thesaurus, often hailed as “the gold standard for writers” and credited with transforming how writers craft emotion, has now been expanded to include 56 new entries! One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much. If you need inspiration for creating characters’ emotional responses that are personalized and evocative, this ultimate show-don’t-tell guide for emotion can help. It includes: • Body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for over 130 emotions that cover a range of intensity from mild to severe, providing innumerable options for individualizing a character’s reactions • A breakdown of the biggest emotion-related writing problems and how to overcome them • Advice on what should be done before drafting to make sure your characters’ emotions will be realistic and consistent • Instruction for how to show hidden feelings and emotional subtext through dialogue and nonverbal cues • And much more! The Emotion Thesaurus, in its easy-to-navigate list format, will inspire you to create stronger, fresher character expressions and engage readers from your first page to your last.

The second book in the Writer's Compass series from professional writing instructor Elizabeth Lyon offers both aspiring and established authors the fundamentals of writing and selling a great novel or short story. In addition to the basics of characterization, plot, pacing, and theme, A Writer's Guide to Fiction also features a plan for revising fiction, a guide to marketing, samples of cover and query letters, and methods of honing the writing craft.

No matter what genre you write, this second manual on the Deep Point of View technique should be kept as a vital reference in every writer's toolbox. This in-depth guide offers specific, practical tools for creative fiction writers on how to craft realistic settings, visceral responses, and lifelike characters. Crammed with even more examples and ways to eliminate shallow writing, this book provides the necessary techniques to master describing facial expressions, body language, and character emotions. This resource of endless inspiration will reveal how to dig deeper to "show don't tell," which is essential to crafting compelling dialogue, vivid scenes, and deepening characterization.

The Fastest Way to Improve Emotional Descriptions, Create Believable Settings, and Powerful Characterizations! No matter what genre you write, this second manual on the Deep Point of View method should be kept as a vital reference in every writer's toolbox. This in-depth guide offers practical tools for creative fiction writers and lots of examples from published novels. Crammed with even more ways to eliminate shallow writing, this guide provides the necessary techniques to master describing facial expressions, body language, and character emotions. This resource of endless inspiration will reveal how to dig deeper to "show don't tell," which is essential to crafting compelling scenes and deepening characterization. Learn to write: Realistic settings through sensory details Three-dimensional characters Memorable "Voice" Authentic facial expressions Expression Thesaurus S. A. Soule shares her expertise with writers by providing simple methods of getting readers so emotionally invested in their stories that booklovers will be flipping the pages to find out what happens next. Are you ready to start instantly improving your writing skills today? Please scroll up and click the buy button now...

These three bestselling writing and thesaurus guides, "The Writer's Guide to Character Emotion," "The Writer's Guide to Character Expression," and "The Writer's Guide to Vivid Settings and Characters" have been combined to create one remarkable single volume! This comprehensive edition contains over 500 pages of guidance to inspire your creative muse with creative ways to craft a riveting novel that instantly grabs a reader's attention. Writers will get the essential skills needed to significantly enhance their characterization, settings, and intensify emotions. And this unique guidebook includes hundreds of amazing examples on how to use "show don't tell" to submerge readers so deeply into any scene that they will experience the story along with the characters. No matter what genre you write, this extensive manual and thesaurus should be kept as a vital reference in every writer's toolbox. Learn to craft: *Revise Shallow Writing *Deepen Characterization *Resolve Showing vs. Telling Issues *Craft Natural Character Expressions *Write realistic settings through sensory details *Create three-dimensional characters Bestselling author and Creativity Coach, S. A. Soule shares her expertise with writers by providing a simple approach to getting readers so emotionally invested in your stories that readers will be flipping the pages to find out what happens next. Are you ready to start improving your writing skills today? Then please scroll up and click the buy button now...