The Busy Writer's One-Hour Character

Book excerpt: Characters are the heart of your book. No matter how good your plot is, if you don't fill the pages with vibrant, interesting characters, your book won't reach its potential—and you won't win hordes of raving fans. What every writer needs is a fast-track way of creating characters that let you hit the ground running, but leaves plenty of room for growth as you write. The One-Hour Character system shows you how to come up with the Lead Character, other main characters, and a solid supporting cast in just sixty minutes. Team it with the One-Hour Plot, and you’ll have a plot and characters sorted out in less than the time it takes you to go out to dinner! # You’ll learn of six different sources for characters, and how to best use those sources–as well as a few others. # You’ll learn about the different character types that you’ll need: the Lead, the Antagonist, other main characters, a romantic interest (if applicable), sidekicks, confidants and walk-ons. # Step by step, you’ll be walked through the process of creating characters – but with a time limit, so you know that at the end of an hour, you will be ready to start directing your new cast! You also learn how to tweak your characters. You'll find out: # how to give your characters a distinctive voice (tips on dialogue) # how to develop series characters (leaving room for a secret or two) # how to ensure that your characters suit your chosen genre # tips on naming your characters # tips on character growth and development # the importance of giving your characters goals Just one hour—that's all it will take. In the beginning, you'll have a few ideas and a blank sheet of paper. In the end, you'll have a cast of characters, eagerly awaiting their debut!