Parents Who Write logo
23. Finishing the first draft: Character development
  • Erin Canning
  • November 29, 2022
  • 9:41 am
  • 0 comments

Have you ever written something you love, that you’re feeling so excited about, but you find yourself unable to get past a certain scene or finish the first draft?

Spending the time to really carve out your character’s personality and identity will give you great insight into their motivations and desires, making it easier to craft a story around them. This knowledge develops a deeper understanding of any hero, villain, or supporting character. Instead of wondering where the story is going next, you’ll have a clearer direction to work with.

Three-dimensional characters that ring authentic to readers usually have a depth that readers connect to, resulting in them becoming more invested in the characters’ fates. In short, readers will care more, and writers will be more motivated to tell their characters’ story.

To learn how character development can help you get past doubt and feeling stuck to finally finish the first draft, tune in to this episode!

Topics discussed in this episode
  • Surface-level character development
  • 3 things to help you dive deeper into your characters
  • Benefits of knowing your characters through and through
  • Reverse engineering your plot
  • Why it helps to know your character for marketing purposes
  • Don’t forget about the villains!
About Erin

For 15 years, Erin has worked as a magazine and book editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals. When she became a parent, she set aside her own writing aspirations to focus on her family. As the years passed, she grew increasingly anxious, depressed, and angry until she realized that she had forgotten who she was beyond being a parent.

Despite fearing her skills had atrophied, Erin started writing again. She first created her blog, Life Beyond Parenting, and then created the Parents Who Write podcast. Erin’s current role as a podcaster and writing coach enables her to help parents pursue their writing dreams.

She earned her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and she has finished the first draft of a fantasy-romance novel. She lives with her husband and their two young boys in Maryland.

Connect with Erin
Free your creative self too

Let’s connect via my Facebook group, Parents Who Write, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite.

Listen or Watch

Listen to Parents Who Write on Apple Podcasts
Listen to Parents Who Write on Spotify
More button

Feeling stuck in your author journey?

As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.

Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.

Bonus: Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.

Posted in Podcast

Related

Unraveling the 3 Main Types of Editors: How They Support Writers episode of the Parents Who Write podcast
63. Unraveling the 3 Main Types of Editors: How They Support Writers
Discover out how finding the right editor can help you avoid or blow through your confusion and doubt. You’ll also learn the major differences between development editors, inline editors, and proofreader.
Simplifying “show, don’t tell”
18. Simplifying “show, don’t tell”
In this quick episode, you will learn exactly what "show, don't tell" means, when to use them, and how to transition between the two.
Turning a blog post into a book w/ Hilary Kinney
52. Turning a blog post into a book w/ Hilary Kinney
Tune in to find out if a seed of an idea can become a whole book, what would that process might look like, and how to verify if you have enough content.