Hi Gang, Craig with you again. You’ll hear authors talk pretty frequently about how their characters take over and improve the story beyond what they had outlined. When this happens its magical, and one of the best parts of being a writer.

In a classroom explanation, your character has to change over the course of the story. They evolve in some small way. This is called the character arc. Some plan it, others write by the seat of their pants, but to have a successful story it has to happen.

This is my attempt to help you bottle some of that magic. We’re going to try fishing in those waters.

Ask yourself, who is my character? Then find their happy place. We’re talking about their primary motivation in life. Are they family oriented, workaholics, campaigning for an issue or position. This should be deeper than simply what they want.

Once…