In this introductory post in the new Character series, Vivian and I explain the basics of character, starting with what kinds of characters there are and how that’s determined by their relationship to the central conflict of the story. We touch on idealistic characters and how to handle them as well as the differences between an unsavory protagonist and an antagonist. We then talk about two writing and worldbuilding styles: top-down (Vivian’s style) and bottom-up (my style). Finally, we look at ways to easy pinpoint your character’s basic identity (which can also be used as a pitch when you enter the marketing part of writing a book). Throughout this series, we’ll be developing the character of Bob, an average Space Mana Engine (SME) engineer living in the fictional universe that Vivian and I develop throughout the blog. Start on our adventure as we take our character from his fledgling beginnings to a fully fleshed out character, and learn to do the same with yours!
