Every person has a story to tell. These simple stories are about life in Eastern Montana from the late 1930's through the 1960's and the incidents common to those who endured the hardships and challenges of that sometimes-austere environment.

“The most complete and comprehensive guide to character I've ever read." Adam Croft Character is at the heart of every story. We love stories because we fall in love with characters, we want to see what happens to them and we want to see them experience hope and despair. International Emmy nominated writer, Mark Boutros, offers a guide to creating characters who are engaging, emotionally driven and memorable. With experience as a screenwriter, novelist, creative writing teacher and mentor, Mark shares a mixture of theory and creative writing exercises to get you thinking about the questions to have in your mind during character creation. A lot of stories are perfectly functional, hitting all the right beats, but often fall short due to a thin or obvious character. Problems people think are related to plot are often symptoms of a deeper issue with the characters. Mark highlights what is at the core of character, the importance of motivation, trauma, obstacles and how every little detail can enrich an experience for an audience and ultimately make people care. How do you get to know people? By asking questions and getting to know them so you move past the shallow. Do the same during character development and your story will be so much more engaging for it. Each chapter focuses on an aspect important to character development and ends with exercises so you can apply the concepts to your work and write better characters. The book includes: - Goals, desires, lessons - Stakes to your character’s goal - Character flaws - Developing your character’s voice and world view - Generating truthful obstacles - How to write anti-heroes and compelling villains - Character and personality traits - Common mistakes in character writing - Character research - A character questionnaire The majority of the ideas originate from the author’s screenwriting experience, but they apply to all forms of story, whether it be fiction writing or playwriting, because the focus is on what really makes a character stand out and memorable. The job of the writer is to deliver an emotional experience. Character is the heart of that. If you're looking for a book to help you to improve your screenplay writing, fiction writing, or play writing then this is for you. An invaluable tool for beginner and experienced writers. This is perfect for anyone interested in screenwriting books, fiction writing books, or character development books. Praise for The Craft of Character: “Would 100% recommend not only for beginners, but also for experienced writers looking to get to know their characters better. A bit like writer-character therapy.” reader review “Both the chapters and the exercises are easy to understand and get through. Mark Boutros clearly knows his stuff and seems happy to be able to help the reader, rather than becoming lecturing and elitist. The structure of the book also means that it is easy to dip back into, when you come across a specific problem, and as such it is a great little reference book, which any aspiring storyteller would benefit from.” reader review “Normally, I find myself arguing with the author of craft books, but here I would say 90% of what I read were things I either found helpful, or flat out agreed with whole heartedly and just needed a reminder on why these things are important. The exercises were a excellent touch, especially as someone who is teaching writing, it gave me ideas on what to do for my students.” reader review

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. You'll find timely advice and helpful instruction from best-selling authors like Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Sims, Orson Scott Card, Chuck Wendig, Hallie Ephron, Donald Maass, and James Scott Bell. They'll show you how to: • Effectively introduce your characters • Build a believable protagonist • Develop strong anti-heroes and compelling villains • Juggle multiple points of view without missing a beat • Craft authentic dialogue that propels the story forward • Motivate your characters with powerful objectives and a believable conflict • Show dynamic character development over the course of a story No matter what your genre, Creating Characters gives you the tools necessary to create realistic, fascinating characters that your readers will root for and remember long after they've finished the story.

Do you want to create characters that jump off the page and hook your perfect reader? Do you want to develop multi-dimensional characters your readers can relate to? What about getting to know their deep, dark secrets and motivations more clearly?Go beyond common character traits and delve into what makes them human. Using personal anecdotes and pop culture examples, this book explores how to dig deeper into your characters' backstories, motivation, beliefs, and more.Each chapter contains tips and activities to get you thinking about your characters differently.Some of the chapters include: Family and friends Love and romance Cultures, sexualities, race, and religion Physical and mental health Speech and dialogue Attitudes and beliefs Stop creating characters. Start writing humans. Grab your copy today to get started

A jargon-free manual on the basics of developing interesting fictional characters 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.

Character Development Journal for Authors!Awesome journal for beginner or experienced writers for creating characters that readers will love or love to hate! Detailed prompts allow authors to create full back stories for each character, includingpersonal characteristics (age, sex, size, race, species)family backgroundpersonal history (education, beliefs, occupation)personality characteristics (over 150 descriptive traits to consider)key role in the storycharacter arcand more!This is a great gift for any new author just getting started. This is also a great journal for experienced authors to create character dictionaries for expansive stories or epic tales.Large, 8.5" x 11" format will fit perfectly with any other manuscript papers and folders.The Character Development Journal is a great way to finally start writing your novel!

2 Manuscripts in 1 Book, Including: How to Write a Screenplay and Character Development! Book 1) How to Write a Screenplay: Step-by-Step Essential Screenplay Format, Scriptwriter and Modern Screenplay Writing Tricks Any Writer Can Learn Behind-the-Scenes Secrets to Publishing Screenplays Whether you've got a completed script, or need help off the starting-blocks, getting a Screenplay formatted correctly to catch the eye of producers is no easy task. A little, professional advice goes a long way, and How to Write a Screenplay delivers large, for those with big screen aspirations! Book 2) Character Development: Step-by-Step Essential Story Character Creation, Character Expression and Character Building Tricks Any Writer Can Learn Need to Breathe Life into Your Characters? You may have a great story but if your characters are flat and uninteresting your readers will find your story dull. If your lead protagonist isn't generating empathy, then no one cares what happens to them. Character Development covers every aspect of character building; from developing charismatic and believable people, to making sure they work holistically to drive the narrative forward in realistic ways. You have made an excellent decision by choosing to learn more about screenplay character development. So, don't delay it any longer. Take this opportunity and purchase your copy today. Order "Screenplay Character Development" Now!

Need to Breathe Life into Your Characters? You may have a great story but if your characters are flat and uninteresting your readers will find your story dull. If your lead protagonist isn't generating empathy, then no one cares what happens to them. Character Development covers every aspect of character building; from developing charismatic and believable people, to making sure they work holistically to drive the narrative forward in realistic ways. Know Your Anti-Hero from Your Antagonist In order to create compelling characters your readers will love, Marsh introduces the reader to 12-character types and explains how and when they are introduced to a story. She demonstrates the importance of instilling flaws to create a balance of human qualities that evolve throughout the novel in captivating ways. Make Unforgettable Characters Character Development is a much-needed step-by-step guide to help authors create remarkable protagonists and to decide which characters are necessary to the plot. Marsh delivers a groundbreaking 176 questions to consider while creating characters. An author need never struggle again to generate memorable heroes and villains! 10 Samples of the 176 Character-Forming Questions: When communicating, what is the pace that this person communicates with? What posture do they tend to have? What does their average day look like? Be specific. What is the most significant event that took place in your character's childhood? If your character does have a criminal record, how did they get it and where were they when the event happened? How is your character perceived by strangers? How does your character react to people who challenge them? Does your character have any psychological issues such as phobias, mental illnesses, or otherwise? What does your character value and prioritize the most? (i.e., family, religion, friends, fun, money, success, etc.) If anything is stopping your character from achieving their goals, what is it? By using some, or all of these questions an author will no longer create one-dimensional characters and will have readers gripped throughout their trials and tribulations. Inspires New Connections There will be many thought-provoking subjects for both beginner and experienced authors that will motivate a much deeper conception of characters, some of which include: How Characters are Presented & Revealed Creating Expression Let You Characters Suffer Bringing Characters to Life Use Contradictions Listen to Them Give Your Characters Plenty of Opportunity to Show Up One Click Away from Getting Amazing Results Fast! A must-have guide for storytellers who want to create lasting characters that tug at the heart of readers' emotions and deliver BIG on compelling drama. Click Add to Cart now to create enthralling characters that bring the page to life!

From Snow White to Shrek, from Fred Flintstone to SpongeBob SquarePants, the design of a character conveys personality before a single word of dialogue is spoken. Designing Characters with Personality shows artists how to create a distinctive character, then place that character in context within a script, establish hierarchy, and maximize the impact of pose and expression. Practical exercises help readers put everything together to make their new characters sparkle. Lessons from the author, who designed the dragon Mushu (voiced by Eddie Murphy) in Disney's Mulan—plus big-name experts in film, TV, video games, and graphic novels—make a complex subject accessible to every artist.

This valuable book identifies and solves a major problem for writers -- creating characters who are so real they literally jump of the page. Halperin has developed an easy-to-understand, logical system which gives all screenwriters a foolproof and fail-proof method of developing great characters. Writing Great Characters is a book for all writers, from the expert who is looking to polish his techniques to the novice who wants to learn the craft from an expert.