WHY DOES YOUR STORY MATTER? CHARACTER ARCS show the events of our story are worth reading about. In most works of fiction, the major characters don't just experience the events of the plot—the story changes them. They learn and grow, ultimately succeeding at the climax of the story because of all they've gained. Even the greatest plot in the world can ring flat if the character's internal journey isn't dramatic enough. For a character to truly resonate with readers, he should change and grow over the course of the story. CHARACTER ARCS will help you: Give your readers a powerful experience in any genre Discover your character's arc: their internal, emotional journey. Implement that character arc to make your readers root for your character. Keep your story moving by using external plot events to prompt your character's internal growth. Revise your character's arc for maximum impact. PLUS a special chapter on using character arcs in romances, family dramas & other relationship stories. Far from a write-by-numbers manual, this approach examines the basic mechanics of character change to show you how to apply these principles in your own work, with numerous examples. Add power and resonance to any story—master character arcs!

IS YOUR CHARACTER WORTHY OF YOUR READER? CHARACTER SYMPATHY hooks your readers and gets them on your character’s side from the very start. Often we think of sympathetic characters as those we love or envy or pity, but character sympathy runs deeper than simply liking or feeling sorry for a character. Sympathy in this sense is truly feeling what the character feels, worrying over the same things he worries about, and wanting him to succeed against all odds. If we can get our readers to fully sympathize and identify with our character, our readers will enjoy that journey with our character and then clamor for more. CHARACTER SYMPATHY will help • Learn what events, actions and characteristics create true sympathy for a character. • Engineer your character’s motivations and goals to maximize her sympathy. • Avoid clichéd methods for creating reader identification. • Foster sympathy for heroes, antiheroes, villains and everyone in between. • Observe and analyze master storytellers’ techniques to create character identification. Character sympathy isn’t automatic or easy, but it’s necessary for readable fiction. Applying these principles can strengthen any story and any character. Hook your readers with a character they can really root for!

IS YOUR CHARACTER REAL TO YOUR READER? CHARACTER DEPTH brings your character to life, making her real for your reader. Does your character come to life, bounding off the page and into your readers’ hearts and minds? Or is he flatter than a paper pancake? A well-rounded character is more than a puppet to the whims of the plot. She moves her story forward through her actions and motivations. For a character to truly come to life for your readers, first she must come to life for you as the writer. Even a well-rounded character can fall flat if we fail to convey her well. Deep point-of-view plays a vital role in showing our character’s depth to readers. Both well-rounded character development and effective writing are necessary to make our character truly come to life for readers. CHARACTER DEPTH will help Create a three-dimensional character from the ground up. Dig into your character to find what makes him tick, and use that to make him come to life. Discover your character’s vital backstory and convey it effectively. Effectively portray your character’s emotions to keep your readers invested in her and her story. Take advantage of deep point-of-view, the most popular POV mode. Character depth is a fundamental feature of engaging fiction to keep your readers riveted to this book and eagerly anticipating your next. Make your characters really come to life!