Writer Unleashed

#94: Three Simple Steps to Deeper Character Development


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Lots of writers believe you can't deeply develop character until you know what happens on the plot level. 

But this is backwards. 

Ultimately, what moves your story forward is your protagonist's reactions, choices, and actions. 

Not the external events that activate those reactions. 

Your plot doesn't just need structural coherence. 

It needs emotional and psychological coherence.

Simply put, before you develop your plot, before you write your opening scene, you need to know who it affects and why. 

In today's episode, we're breaking down 3 simple steps to deeper character development

You'll learn:

  • Two things driving your plot. Hint: It's not what happens. 
  • How to drill down your protagonist's desire to the specific and concrete. 
  • And how to unlock the unconscious drives that both fuel and thwart your protagonist. 

Once you do these 3 steps, everything you include on the plot level will have meaning. 

And your readers will know why it  all matters. 

Episode Website

Write. Revise. Finish. The Emerging Writers Academy is where fiction and memoir writers get the support to do all three - with a community that's doing it alongside you. Spots close January 15. Learn more at nancipanuccio.com/writer.


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Writer UnleashedBy Nanci Panuccio

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