If readers don’t care about your characters, they won’t care about your book. If your characters are wooden, generic, or forgettable, readers won’t buy, read, finish, or recommend your book. If you want to write a book people not only finish but recommend to friends, you must craft compelling characters. So how do you do that? Well, this is what we are going to talk about in today’s episode.
We have a special guest who is the author of both award-winning and bestselling books. He is the kind of writing coach people like Jerry Jenkins go to for advice. He writes novels and popular writing-craft books, including his newest book, Writing Unforgettable Characters: How to Create Story People Who Jump Off the Page (Bell on Writing Book 12).
James Scott Bell, welcome to the Christian Publishing Show!
Links:
Sponsor: Christian Writers Institute
The Course of the Week: The Inside Secrets of Bestselling Fiction
Based on Bell’s popular fiction workshops, this course takes you into the deep layers of can’t-put-it-down storytelling. The videos, slides, and handouts are packed with tools and techniques–and no fluff.
You’ll learn:
- The seven critical success factors of fiction
- Character-driven vs. plot-driven: what’s the difference?
- The secure foundation that never fails
- The absolute essentials of structure
- How to write without dull parts
- How to write scenes with no dull parts
- The fastest way to improve your manuscript
- The amazing power of writing “from the middle”
- How to create “jump off the page” characters
- Giving your novel a deeper meaning
- The secret of voice in fiction
- Power revision
- Becoming an idea-generating factory
- Top ten ways to get ideas
Use coupon code “podcast” to save 10% or click the link in the show notes to activate the coupon code automatically.
The post How to Craft Unforgettable Characters with James Scott Bell appeared first on Christian Publishing Show.
When the Gloves Come Off
To write unforgettable characters you have to be an unforgettable character yourself.
Thanks Steve for introducing us to Scott Bell today. I wonder if the course is free.
It will be a great opportunity to enhance one’s skills in that aspect of character forming.
From my experience through my writing journey, I have realised that my most unforgettable characters were those drawn from real life or characters I had cloaked with real life personalities.
I will definitely check out the course. Thanks and God bless you.
James Scott Bell is the real deal.
Great podcast!
James Scott Bell’s books are amazing! I’m working through the Five Year Plan which is where I first encountered his “Plot & Structure. I’ve also signed up for the course and cannot wait to take it.
P.S. I love how he used “Umstattd” as a verb!
I recently cried at the end of a Netflix series because I hated to leave the quirky characters. Crash Landing on You is now my all-time favorite story and it is all because of the characters.
I had the pleasure of talking to James Scott Bell at a BRMCWC years ago. I’m sad to say I insulted his city when I told him the plot to my work-in-progress.