Come for the Mysteries. Stay for the Characters.
After starting the month with a setting prompt and an object prompt, this week I’m offering a character prompt for a short story. I chose this photo because the expression on the little boy intrigued me. He’s holding a plane, like he’s been playing with it, but he looks so serious or stunned. Like I… Continue Reading →
When a character turns into a problem child, a writer wants to administer a serious time-out session. I ran into this frustration while writing my YA mystery. My main character Rae belongs to an extensive, extended family. I decided to give her father an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. The dad… Continue Reading →
One of the reasons I love having guest bloggers is that they can give you a new perspective on topics. I’m excited to have the guest blog today, “How to Write Realistic Characters” by Candice Yamnitz. Candice is new to “JPC Allen Writes”. I met her on Instagram and have been following her journey toward… Continue Reading →
Last week I wrote about the Golden Rules for naming characters. Today I will dig into the art of creating character names. Names can do more than label characters. They can be quick ways to define relationships, provide backstory, and above all, add another layer of reality to our fiction. Choose Variety In my YA… Continue Reading →
Writers often offer advice on plot, setting, and character as if they were distinct story devices that barely had any association with each other until a writer pulls them into a story. But those three components are all interwoven. Since my theme this month is setting, this post will focus on how setting fuels characters… Continue Reading →
JPC Allen Writes