23. Finishing the first draft: Character development

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 a full 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 P.T. Canning 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: 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinptcanning 
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinptcanning  
• Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite 
• Book a free 30-minute discovery call: https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting

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