Writing Excuses 9.10: Engaging Characters
Nancy Fulda joins us for a discussion of engaging characters. We begin by explaining how engaging characters don’t need to be sympathetic, but certainly can be, and then we head into why we find particular characters engaging. We also talk about how this plays into the villain problem, where the villain is more interesting than the hero is.
Homework: Put a character in a difficult situation, and then throw away your first three ideas for how they’re going to get out of that situation.
Thing of the week: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, by Timothy Zahn, narrated by Marc Thompson. Note also the free excerpt of the “Behind the Scenes” recording, featuring Timothy Zahn and his editor, Betsy Mitchell.
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