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.