Creating Characters
How to Build Story People
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Creating Characters
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Narrated by:
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John N. Gully
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By:
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Dwight V. Swain
About this listen
A jargon-free manual on the basics of developing interesting fictional characters
Vibrant, believable characters help drive a fictional story. Along with a clever plot, well-drawn characters make us want to continue reading a novel or finish watching a movie. In Creating Characters, Dwight V. Swain shows how writers can invent interesting characters and improve them so that they move a story along.
“The core of character,” he says in chapter one, “lies in each individual story person’s ability to care about something; to feel implicitly or explicitly, that something is important.” Building on that foundation - the capacity to care - Swain takes the would-be writer step by step through the fundamentals of finding and developing “characters who turn you on”. This basic but thought-provoking how-to is a valuable tool for both the novice and the seasoned writer.
The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.
©2008 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2020 Redwood AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 324
Are you writing a novel, but having trouble getting your first draft written? You've heard of "outlining," but that sounds too rigid for you. You've heard of "organic writing," but that seems a bit squishy to you. Take a look at the wildly popular Snowflake Method - a battle-tested series of 10 steps that jump-start your creativity and help you quickly map out your story. All around the world, novelists are using the Snowflake Method right now to ignite their imaginations and get their first drafts down on paper. In this book, you'll follow the story of a fictitious novelist as she learns to tap into the amazing power of the Snowflake Method. Almost magically, she finds her story growing from a simple idea into a deep and powerful novel. And she finds her novel changing her - turning her into a stronger, more courageous person.
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1 out of 5 stars
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What a waste of time
- By Edriss A. on 09-23-18
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Story
- Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting
- By: Robert McKee
- Narrated by: Robert McKee
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,263
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,514
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,480
Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress, and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese, and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives, and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Only 5 Chapters
- By Stephen Buck on 02-15-11
By: Robert McKee
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Structuring Your Novel
- Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
- By: K. M. Weiland
- Narrated by: Sonja Field
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 725
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 634
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 621
Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An Outstanding Resource for Writers
- By Richard Phillips (Bestselling Author of The Rho Agenda) on 02-01-15
By: K. M. Weiland
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Story Genius
- How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
- By: Lisa Cron
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 338
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 286
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 284
It's every novelist's greatest fear: pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into writing hundreds of pages only to realize that their story has no sense of urgency, no internal logic, and so is a page-one rewrite. The prevailing wisdom in the writing community is that there are just two ways around this problem: pantsing (winging it) and plotting (focusing on the external plot).
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2 out of 5 stars
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As a fantasy writer, this book was not for me.
- By Wendy on 01-10-21
By: Lisa Cron