Posted on July 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
The publishing experts we follow always have plenty of craft advice to offer.
Here are the recent posts they shared that focus on character issues in fiction:
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The villain is the hero of their own story: Debbie Burke adapts the classic hero's-journey arc for antagonists, with variations for whether the hero conquers them ... or is conquered by them (Jane Friedman).
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Shadow work for writers, part two: Kristin Hacken South offers ways to both explore your own shadow side — as it relates to writing — and your characters', with the the thought that doing the work on yourself will bring your characters to life more vividly and realistically (Writer Unboxed).
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Tap into your character's unmet need to strengthen your story: Angela Ackerman explains what an unmet need is and how it will influence every decision a person makes (Writers Helping Writers).
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Reading and writing the Morse code of character: Therese Walsh analyzes a scene from the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People, focusing on how the dialogue reveals so much about each of the main characters (Writer Unboxed).
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