Craft

The Best Way to Describe Characters: 6 Writing Tips

Writing any kind of description can be a fine line.

If you share too much, you risk taking your reader out of your story. If you don’t share enough, you leave your reader confused.

So, what about when it comes time to describe characters? Characters are important, and there’s a lot a writer can potentially describe. Selecting the most important details can be overwhelming.

There is no true “right” way to describe a character–it’s all a matter of preference–but in my opinion, a lot of writers waste words describing the wrong details.

So, there may not be a “right” way to describe a character, but if you ask me, there is a “best” way to describe characters, which is what I’m going to talk about today.

You by no means have to follow the same philosophy, but hopefully it at least gives you something to think about.

For any kind of description, there’s a rule I like to follow; if readers don’t need to know, don’t tell them.

Here’s how I apply that rule when I describe characters:

What a reader does need to know:

There are a few touchstones we’ll get into, but to me, the biggest is anything that defines the character personally or emotionally.

These are the elements that readers will connect with. They’ll see these qualities in themselves, their friends, their family members, or the people they’ve encountered over time. These are the details that make your characters real.

These are also the character details that drive your story. Their personality and temperament tell you how they will react in the different situations you put them in. Which is why you want to give them most of your attention when you describe characters.

Here’s three areas I focus on when I describe characters:

1) Their personality

This is the most important element to describe. This tells us who your character is and why readers should care.

Are they kind? Are they loud? How do they react under pressure? Do they reassure others, or are they the ones who need to be reassured? Do they thank the waiter at a restaurant or talk down to them?

This list could go on. If you’re looking for tips on developing your character, check out this post with three tips to create strong characters.

2) Their quirks

Do they pick at their fingernails? Or are they incapable of looking someone in the eye? Anything that makes your character unique or adds to their behavior should be described.

3)Their energy

Does the room fall silent when your character enters? Or does everyone else get tense simply because this person is present? Do they instill confidence?

The energy your character carries and how the dynamic of a room changes when they enter says A LOT about who your character is, how others see them, and the role they play. Take time to describe it.

What a reader doesn’t need to know:

A character’s physical appearance. Now sure, there should be some description here, but it should be minimal. In my opinion, a lot of writers have a habit of giving too much here.

There are a few reasons behind this school of thought. First, from a practical standpoint, you only have so many words you can cram into a book. You can use those words describing what a character looks like or you can capture their personality and behaviors.

As we talked about, the latter tells readers a lot more about the character than the former, which is why I rarely waste my word count on appearance.

Additionally, as a reader, I don’t really care all that much about what a character looks like. It’s not like watching a movie. I don’t have to physically recognize a character when they walk on to the page. As a reader, I recognize the energy, dynamic, and personality they bring to a scene more than anything.

Also, I think one of the joys of writing books is that we do not work alone.

Half of the story belongs to the writer, but the other half belongs to the reader and their imagination.

I tell the reader what I need them to know in order for me to tell my half of the story effectively. Everything else I leave up to them.

I believe that the less detail you give, the more of an opportunity readers have to see themselves in the characters. This allows the reader to take some ownership of the story, which I think makes it more fun for everyone.

Here are some guidelines I use for a character’s physical description:

1) I shoot for one defining physical characteristic for each character

Maybe it’s their hair, eye color, or something about their size. This gives the reader something to latch onto while still giving them plenty of room to imagine the character as they’d like.

2) Any important marks, scars, or physical feature that is in some way adds to my character’s story or personality

For example, in Crossing the Line, I mention my main character has a circular burn scar near her left ear. This scar acts as a vehicle to her past and plays a small role in the story. And going off the point above, I gave my character thick curly hair as her distinguishing feature because I knew I wanted her to use her hair to hide that scar.

This would also be where you can include a character’s race or ethnicity. I typically only use this detail if a character’s race or ethnicity is absolutely necessary to tell the story I want to tell.

If I don’t need to assign a character a race/ethnicity, I don’t. This is because if a reader really connects with a character, I want to remove as many barriers as possible between them and that character. I don’t want them to feel more removed from a character if they’re Asian and I arbitrarily decided the character was something other than Asian.

Representation is important, and we need more books that tell different stories and experiences! But if I’m not telling the story of a specific race or cultural experience, than I believe in doing my best to make my characters as accessible as possible to whomever they may connect with.

Again, this is just my personal philosophy, but it doesn’t have to be yours.

3) How they move

Do they strut? Shuffle? Wander aimlessly? Do they have some kind of compulsive behavior? These features tell us a lot about their self-image and state of mind.

If you’re looking for help describing body language and gestures, Bryn Donovan has a Master List you can check out!

I leave every other physical detail to the reader.

I hope this helps when you describe your characters!

Now it’s your turn: What description do you focus on for your characters? As a reader, what do you care most about? Tell me about it in the comments. If you have any tips to share, you can leave them there as well!

4 MORE Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue

By Meghan 2 Comments

Here’s the second half of my top tips for writing dialogue!

ICYMI, last post I set out write about my top eight tips, but it turned out I had more to say about each tip than I realized. Instead of cramming everything into one post, I decided it would be better to split it into two.

4 MORE Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue

I shared my first for tips in the last post. Here are the next four:

When you’re writing dialogue, make sure it doesn’t sound too real

As much as you want your dialogue to sound as realistic as possible, you don’t want it to sound too real.

Next time you’re in a public place, do some eavesdropping. Make a point to notice how much filler and repetition we use in our day-to-day conversations. It’s not uncommon to hear a sentence that goes something like this:

“Like, I’m driving down the road, and this guy just, like, came out of nowhere and completely cut me off! And I was like, ‘hello! I’m driving here!'”

I know when I talk, I use “like” and “just” more than I need to.

4 MORE Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue

And while you can definitely drop words like this into your dialogue to add personality, if use those types of words at the same frequency that we use them in real life, they start to interfere with your storytelling.

The reader shouldn’t have to sift through filler words and repetitions to figure out what your character is trying to say. If you do this consistently, you’re going to lose your reader.

Additionally, if you have a character who has a stutter, or an accent, or any kind of verbal tick, I would advise against those elements when writing dialogue. Instead, describe those aspects of the character’s voice in the narrative. This makes it easier for the reader to decipher, while still capturing your character’s unique sound.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. But if this is a rule you’re going to break, make sure your realistic writing doesn’t interfere with your story.

Action and Action beats can take the place of dialogue tags

You don’t always have to say “he said” or “she asked” every time someone speaks. One way around this is to use a character’s actions to pace your dialogue and to distinguish your speaker.

For example,

“You ready?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, I want to throw up.”

The fact that the narrator shakes her head in a new paragraph is enough to tell us that it’s the narrator who’s speaking the second piece of dialogue.

Using action beats gets you away from using said all the time, and gives you a chance to dig into your character a little bit more by telling readers about their movements and body language.

4 MORE Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue - in photo: Writing Tip by Meghan Rogers: You don't always have to say "he said" or "she asked" every time someone speaks. Instead, use a character's actions to pace your dialogue and distinguish your speaker.

Your dialogue and narrative shouldn’t echo one another

If you tell your reader something in the narrative, you don’t need to also have your characters say it in dialogue. This is something I see a lot in new writers, and something I definitely did myself.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

He wandered around the room and she couldn’t help but wonder if he had any idea what he was doing. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” she asked.

Now, this is a simplistic version of this concept, but you get the idea.

All aspects of your story need to serve a purpose. If your character is going to echo something your narrative already told us, then what’s the purpose of saying it again in dialogue?

Instead, have your narrative describe the situation then have your character vocalize their thoughts. So a rewrite of the example above might look something like this:

He wandered around looking aimless and lost. She cut into his path stomping him dead in his tracks. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

This way we get a picture of the situation. We see that the male character looks a little clueless and that the female character isn’t happy about it, but we also don’t know what she’s really concerned about until she speaks.

This gives a purpose to both the narrative and the dialogue.

4 MORE Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue - in photo: Writing Tip by Meghan Rogers:

Use character names in dialogue sparingly

I think you’ll find that your dialogue can stand pretty well on its own without your characters consistently addressing each other.

A lot of times, adding character names into dialogue slows down the pace of the conversation. In my experience character names just aren’t all that necessary in dialogue, which kind of makes them wasted words.

The only time I really use character names in my own dialogue is if one character is trying to get another’s attention or if a character is trying to stress a point. Otherwise, I just let my characters talk.

Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t go against this policy if you do it sparingly, but it’s something to be mindful of.

I hope this helps you write some awesome dialogue!

If you missed part one, you can find it here!

Now it’s your turn: What’s your favorite part about writing dialogue? What about your least favorite? Tell me about it in the comments! You can also share any of your own tips and tricks!

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4 Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue

By Meghan 2 Comments

I love writing dialogue. It’s always been one of my favorite craft elements.

I’m fairly certain this is in some way connected to my deep love of television growing up, but it’s hard to be sure.

Whatever the reason, I’ve always paid a lot of attention to writing dialogue, and it has a very special place in my writer heart.

Originally, this was going to be one post with all eight of my top tips for writing dialogue. But it turned out I had a lot to say about the first four, so it seemed best to split this up into two posts. You can find part two here!

4 Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue

For now, here are my first four tips for writing good dialogue:

Stick with ‘said’ or ‘asked’ in your dialogue tags.

There seems to be a point in every grade school curriculum, where students are taught not to use said as a dialogue tag.

I definitely experienced this, as did every writer I’ve ever asked. We were told said is boring and repetitive, and we need to pick more descriptive words. This lesson usually came with a cute worksheet that says “Said is Dead.”

Then suddenly our characters were chortling and muttering and chuckling, and doing a handful of things with their voice while they talked.

I think this was (and is) a terrible lesson.

Meghan Rogers shares 4 Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue - in photo: two people talking

While word variety in most cases is a good thing, the same cannot be said when it comes to dialogue tags.

The point of a dialogue tag is to help readers keep track of who is talking in the least intrusive way possible. Ideally, you want your reader’s attention to be more on the dialogue than the tag.

“Said” and “asked” stay out of the reader’s way.

Readers are able to quickly pick up on who’s speaking, while the tags are barely registered. By adding different tags, you’re giving your readers something extra, (and in most cases, unnecessary) to process. This slows your reader and takes them out of the dialogue itself.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. In the right situation, you can get away with words like “whispered” or “hissed,” but I would suggest using these sparingly and sticking with the unintrusive tags as much as possible.

Avoid adverbs when you’re writing dialogue tags

Adding an adverb to your dialogue tag is often a sign of weaker dialogue. You shouldn’t have to tell your reader that something was said “angrily.”

Instead, you want to write in a way that makes it clear to your reader that your character is angry. Here are some examples to compare:

1) “You shouldn’t have gone there alone,” she said, angrily.

2) She stood with her arms crossed, glaring daggers at me. “You shouldn’t have gone there alone.”

This is ‘show don’t tell’ in action. Adverbs tell, which is what makes them weaker.

The second example paints a picture. We know the character is angry because of how she’s standing and how she’s acting. We don’t need to be told that she spoke “angrily.”

This doesn’t mean you can’t use them ever. But I do believe the less you use them, the stronger your dialogue will be.

Personal Process Tip: Often when I’m drafting I’ll use adverbs. It helps me get the draft down quickly and reminds me of the emotion I want to express. Then in revision, I’ll go back through and replace the adverbs with stronger prose.

Meghan Rogers shares 4 Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue - in photo: Writing Tip: The point of a dialogue tag is to help readers keep track of who is talking in the least intrusive way possible. "Said" and "asked" are great because stay out of the reader's way.

Don’t use ellipses in the middle of dialogue

I think every writer has a handful full of technical or grammatical nuances that they feel unreasonably strongly about. Ellipses are one of mine.

This stems from a lesson that really stuck with me from one of my former instructors when I was in grad school.

It’s become fairly common to use an ellipsis in dialogue for pacing and natural breaks in speaking patterns. For example:

“It’s just that…nothing makes sense anymore.”

And while this is totally something you can do, my instructor came to realize that in most instances when an ellipsis is used like the example above, it’s really a placeholder for an action.

So when you see those ellipses, the character is actually doing something while they’re talking. For instance, we could rewrite the example above to read:

“It’s just that–” He pressed his fingers to his forehead, searching for the words. “Nothing makes sense in anymore.”

See the difference? When I follow this rule, I’ve found that it adds a layer to the character and the dialogue, and it makes it easy to avoid adverbs.

Also, I think it’s pretty true to life. In real life conversations, we may hesitate to say something or struggle to find the right words, but when that happens we are almost always doing something at the same time.

We break eye contact, find something else to focus on, bounce our legs up and down, or play with the sleeve of our shirts. So instead of using the ellipsis, let that action pace and pause your dialogue. I think you’ll find that it reads a lot stronger.

Meghan Rogers shares 4 Awesome Writing Tips for Good Dialogue - in photo: two people in a park

And speaking of ellipses, avoid them at the end of dialogue too

Similar to the point above, it’s also become pretty common to end dialogue with an ellipsis if your character has an unfinished thought or isn’t stating something strongly.

I think this is in part because it’s how we use ellipses when we send text messages and emails, but it’s really not how you should be using it in your dialogue.

I was taught that generally, an ellipsis should only really be used if a voice is trailing away to nothing.

So, if your character were to jump out of an airplane while they were talking to someone still on the plane, their voice would probably trail away to nothing. That would the right time to use an ellipsis.

But if it’s just that your character has an unfinished thought, then you’re actually better off with a dash.

Generally, dashes in dialogue are used if your character is getting cut off or interrupted. I would argue that it’s still the same concept even if your character is cutting themselves off. It’s still an abrupt stop in conversation, regardless of who or what is causing the interruption.

So, if you find that you’re using an ellipsis because your character is uncertain about what they’re saying (i.e. “I just don’t know…“) you might want to reconsider.

If the phrase is a sentence or complete thought, punctuate it correctly with a period. Then it’s your job as the writer to make it clear with tags, actions, or voice description that the phrase isn’t being stated with conviction.

I think leaning on an ellipsis in this situation can lead to lazy writing. You’re better off describing how your character sounds than letting the ellipsis do your job for you.

I hope this helps you write some awesome dialogue!

For more tips on writing dialogue, check out Part Two!

Now it’s your turn: What are your thoughts on writing dialogue? If you hate it, what do you struggle with? If you love it, why? Tell me about it in the comments! You can also share any of your own tips and tricks!

How to Write a Killer Action Scene: 7 Writing Tips

By Meghan 10 Comments

As a writer of spy thrillers, one question I get asked a lot is how to write a good action scene.

Maybe this isn’t cool to admit, but I honestly didn’t realize it was something I did all that well until other people pointed it out to me.

As a lover of action TV and movies, I think I subconsciously internalized the style, which is how it found its way into my writing. So when people ask me how to write a good action scene, I never really knew how to answer it.

But I got asked this question enough that I wanted to be able to give it a semi-concrete answer. So today, I’m going to share one of my own scenes and do my best to break it down why I think it’s successful.

Sample

Below, you’ll find an excerpt from my first book, Crossing the Line, then after, seven tips with examples from the excerpt to help you write killer action scenes.

But first, some story context. In the series, my main character Jocelyn was kidnapped by a North Korean spy agency when she was eight.

Ten years later, she’s out to escape them and get revenge, but to do that, she’ll have to work with the American-based agency she’s spent her life fighting against.

In this scene, Jocelyn’s been sent by the American agency to rescue their top agent, Scorpion. He’s been captured, temporarily blinded, and he definitely doesn’t trust Jocelyn to save him. This picks up in an empty office building, during their attempted escape from his captors.

Meghan Rogers shares How to Write a Killer Action Scene: 7 Writing Tips

Excerpt from Crossing the Line:

We made it to the third floor before we ran into any real problems. The door to the floor opened as we were coming up the steps below it. I stopped quickly and flattened Scorpion against the wall. He moved easily and had enough instincts to stay perfectly still. The door opened out, shielding us from the guard. I crept slowly up toward the opening door, letting go of Scorpion and pushing his chest so he’d stay put. He took the hint.

I got close to the door and waited until the guy started to cross the threshold. Then I slammed it shut, trapping his head. He fell hard, and one of his friends came charging after us. He pushed a button on his radio and told the rest that he had found the intruder. I spun into the floor and ran down the hallway at him. He fired off a few shots. I opened one of the empty office doors and ducked behind it, pulling out my gun and shooting enough rounds to get him to back up. I leaned on my knees, feeling short of breath and more winded than I should have.

But I couldn’t afford to wait. I grabbed one last gulp of air, then turned and ran back to the stairwell before he could get his bearings. He would be right on our trail and there was still another guard to worry about. Plus, I’d left Scorpion alone longer than I would’ve liked.

I kicked the unconscious guard out of the way and hurried back to Scorpion. “Let’s go,” I said, taking his arm. “They’ll be right behind us.”

“Did you get hit?” he asked.

I was shocked he cared. “I’m fine.” I yanked him harder and we hustled up to the next floor. I pulled him down the hall and into one of the offices. I needed a minute—or even a second—to catch my breath. Everything was quiet.

“What’s going on?” he asked. He kept his voice low.

“We just need to wait them out a minute,” I said.

“Did you get hit?” he asked, more forceful and serious.

“No.” I could barely get the word out.

“I don’t have to see you to know you’re having a hard time breathing.” He was getting angry.

“I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. This had never happened to me in the field. “I only need a minute.”

He rubbed his eyes and I could tell he was getting frustrated with me. “You’re lying.”

My breath started to catch up to me. “Remember how we said you weren’t going to second-guess me?”

“You convinced me you had an actual shot at getting me out,” he said.

“You’re in too deep to back out now,” I said. “They will kill you if you don’t stick with me.”

His jaw flexed.

I stepped in front of him. “I’m going to get you out of here. Just stay with me, okay?”

He took a moment before nodding.

I grasped his wrist again and led him out the office, down the hallway, then out the other end into the stairwell on the opposite side of the building. Then guided him back out the door and up the steps. We made it up only one floor—six from the roof—before we ran into more trouble. The guard who had shot at me earlier burst through the door with his gun out.

I pushed Scorpion down, then grabbed the railing and windmilled my legs into the guard. It was enough to knock down his gun and stun him momentarily. I dropped back to the ground and grabbed the gun before he could get himself together. I quickly fired two shots, one into each thigh, which would be enough to stop him from getting to us. I pulled Scorpion up. He got on his feet quickly and latched on to my elbow.

I pushed my comm. “I need an immediate rooftop extraction! My location.”

I put a floor between us and the latest guard before I tugged Scorpion to a stop. He swiveled his head in my direction, his teary eyes as red as ever. “What is it? Did you get hit this time?”

“Stop asking that,” I said. “Listen. There’s still one more guard and I don’t know where he is. I want you in front of me. Can you handle the steps?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve got the layout.”

“If I pull you down, don’t fight me.”

“I won’t.”

I nodded, but I still worried. I knew I only had his trust for a limited amount of time, and I was afraid it was running out.

Seven Tips to help you write killer action scenes:

1) Know your character’s surroundings

It’s important to know your character’s environment so you can use it in the scene.

For example, in the scene above, I was very aware of the fact that we were in a regular square office building, with one floor on top of another. There was a staircase on either side of the building, which was connected by each floor and a hallway of offices.

This meant I was able to use the doors to the offices and stairwells for bullet cover. Since the stairwell was involved, it provided tight confines for a fight, and Jocelyn could use the railing to leverage some kicks.

Additionally, the tighter the space is, the more challenging it will be for your characters, which raises the stakes.

2) Limit description to absolute essentials

I think one of the keys to a successful action scene is to keep it moving. There may be moments of relief and recovery, which is fine (we’ll get to that next), but you want to do your best to ensure the scene doesn’t drag.

Here’s one sentence from this scene where I think this technique is working well:

I grasped his wrist again and led him out the office, down the hallway, then out the other end, into the stairwell on the opposite side of the building.

I needed to get my characters from one side of the building to the other. I didn’t spend time describing how many offices they passed, what color the hall was, or anything like that. Those details weren’t essential to my action scene and would have only slowed the pace.

3) Check in regularly (but briefly) with how your character feels

Checking in with your characters tells us not only how your character feels, but it can add to the tension for your reader.

If they know your character is nervous, anxious, running out of steam, it can make your reader more tense and engaged. If they know your character is feeling empowered, they may draw on the same feelings.

In this scene, Jocelyn is struggling to keep up, which adds a layer of stress.

Additionally, brief breaks in the action can give your reader a chance to absorb the scene and process the stakes, such as when my characters duck into an office so Jocelyn can catch her breath.

But use this sparingly. Too many breaks will slow your scene down.

Meghan Rogers shares writing tip: I think one of the keys to a successful scene is to keep moving. So, limit description to the absolute essential.

4) Add conflict on both sides of the situation whenever possible

Sure, putting your character in a fight with an enemy can be tense enough to carry a scene, but if you really want to kick it up a notch, consider adding a conflict to your character’s side of the fight.

In this scene, Jocelyn is battling three attackers, but she’s also dealing with the reality that the person she’s rescuing doesn’t trust her. He could go rogue at any moment and make her job infinitely harder (and there are reasons that she needs to save him).

This adds a level of conflict and tension to both sides of the fight.

5) Raise the stakes as high as you possibly can

In most situations, action scenes work best when they’re about life and death, but capture and torture are also solid options!

In my case, I have my characters outnumbered, one character missing a sense he usually has, and they’re being shot at.

Scenes like these tend to work best when there is a believable reality that the characters won’t make it out. Even if it’s early in the book and readers can guess that your characters probably aren’t going to die around page 100, in that moment, it should feel like a real possibility.

6) Focus on the threat in front of your character, but give your reader a periodic threat assessment

Action scenes often have a lot going on in a finite amount of text. If you have your character consistently describing every possible threat at every given moment, it will take away from your scene and likely overwhelm your reader.

Instead, focus on the most immediate threat to your character, then catch us up with the other possibilities.

In the case of the scene above, Jocelyn was, for the most part, only fighting one guard at a time, or dealing with one threat at a time. When she was in a fight, that was the only thing described. When she wasn’t, we heard about threats she was afraid of; we got updates about which guards she was expecting, which guards she lost track of, and how pressing their need to escape was.

A regular threat update helps your reader keep track of the various threats in the scene and shows how much danger your characters are in.

Meghan Rogers shares writing tip: To write a good action scene, try to add conflict on both sides of the situation whenever possible.

7) For practice, try watching a scene from an action movie or TV show and writing it out like a novel

If you’re new to writing an action scene or just want some practice, this may really help. You won’t have to create characters, setting, or a threat level–all you have to do is focus on writing the action and making the scene feel the same when you read it as you do when you watch it.

Use the tips above as a guide. Once you’re comfortable writing these scenes, you can shift that style to your own writing.

I hope this helps you write your own killer action scene!

If you want to check out more of my action scenes, you can find another excerpt of Crossing the Line here and more information about both my books, here.

Now it’s your turn: What are your thoughts on writing an action scene? If you hate them, what do you struggle with? If you love them, what’s your favorite thing about them? Tell me about it in the comments! You can also share any of your own action scene tips and tricks!

Excerpt from Crossing the Line by Meghan Rogers. Copyright © 2016 by Meghan Rogers. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher, Philomel/Penguin.

Writing Tips: Managing Multiple Plot and Character Arcs

By Meghan 4 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE stories with a bunch of different plot and character arcs.

These stories have a lot going on, which keeps things exciting. It also feels more true to life.

Sometimes we make things happen, sometimes things happen to us. Our lives are never linear, so your characters’ shouldn’t be either.

But balancing different storylines and character arcs can be overwhelming–both for you and your reader.

You need to keep your reader interested in each plot throughout the course of the book, but if you throw too much at them at once or at the wrong time, you risk losing or confusing your audience.

With that in mind, here are four tips that I’ve found helpful when managing multiple plots and character arcs.

Writing Tips: Managing Multiple Plot and Character Arcs

Each plot and character arc should have the same basic structure as your book

Make sure each storyline has its own beginning, middle, and end, complete with its own set of raising actions.

Personally, I find it helpful to plot each storyline out with this 3-act plot structure, just as I do the book itself. The subplots may not be as long, detailed, or in-depth as the main plot, but they should be as complete.

Approaching plot and character arcs as individually as you do a book will force you to give each one time, attention, and direction.

Think of each storyline independently

Going off the point above, I also find it really helpful to plan each storyline independent from the rest of the book.

I’m an outliner, but when I plan a book, I don’t dive right into an outline. Instead, I plan each storyline out on its own, in its entirety.

This includes using the plot structure in the point above, then freewriting the storyline from start to finish.

This way I know what the important scenes are, the pacing, and everything else that needs to happen. Then I consider how it fits into the whole book.

It’s also worth noting that this doesn’t necessarily have to happen before you write your first draft. It can also happen after your first or second if that works better for you.

Sometimes, you need to write to discover what your storylines are. However, I would suggest mapping your plotlines out in the early stages of the revision process at the latest. In my experience, the closer you get to finishing your book, the more challenging it will be to iron out plot problems.

Personal Process Tip: If you’re an outliner, try color coding your outline. Give each plotline an assigned color, then write out each scene in the appropriate color. This way, when you look at your outline, you’ll have a sense of how balanced your story is. Here’s an example from my Instagram.

Managing Multiple Plot and Character Arcs: in photo: Write Tip: If you're an outliner, try color coding your outline. Assign each plotline a color, then write out each scene in the appropriate color. - Meghan Rogers

Some plotlines should be smaller and shorter than others

If all of your storylines share the same length and importance, it’s going to be incredibly overwhelming to your reader.

An easy way to control importance is to consider the stakes. You might have one or two storylines that are life or death, or have larger life implications. Then you can have some that are smaller (like, will your character get their dream job).

You can also have some storylines that run the whole book, and some that start and wrap up in different places. (So, a plot line introduced at the one quarter mark can wrap up at the three quarters mark).

This will keep your readers invested in all of your storylines without overwhelming them.

They should all be connected in some way

None of your plotlines or character arcs should be completely independent of one another.

They should all be serving either your overarching main plot or your main character’s overall development–ideally, both.

If your storylines don’t connect, they will often confuse and distract your reader. Readers might spend time fixating on the point of the storyline instead of fully experiencing your book.

This interferes with the story you’re trying to tell. The more connected your plotlines are, the tighter and more engaging your story will read.

However, this doesn’t mean the connections have to be obvious from the start. It’s okay if the link between two storylines is a brilliant plot twist towards the end of the book. In fact, that’s often a lot of fun.

Just make sure there is a logical connection at some point before the end of your novel.

Managing Multiple Plot and Character Arcs: in photo: Write Tip: None of your plotlines or character arcs should be completely independent of one another. - Meghan Rogers

I hope this gives you a good idea how to manage multiple plot and character arcs!

Now it’s your turn: Have you struggled with managing multiple plot and character arcs? What’s been particularly problematic for you? What’s helped you? Tell me about it in the comments!

How to Write an Unlikable Character: 3 Writing Tips

By Meghan 9 Comments

First, what is an unlikable character?

There are probably a few similar definitions out there, but I’ve always thought of them as characters I wouldn’t want to be friends with or invite over for dinner.

Maybe they’re the “mean girl” stereotype, destructive, or self-destructive–whatever the case may be.

The bottom line is, they’re not someone the average person would choose to spend time with if they were to meet in real life.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about unlikable characters in my time as a writer, and it’s something I’ve thought a great deal about.

It’s come up in workshops, in rejection letters, and even in reviews of some quality books. Traditionally, it’s seen as a negative note; “This character is too unlikeable.”

I think there’s a flaw in this note. To me, it seems like it’s missing the true character issue.

I don’t believe characters always have to be “likable” but I do think readers need to either relate to the character or understand why the character acts the way they do.

To me, understanding a character is essential. Relating to them is nice, but I don’t necessarily need that in order to enjoy the story.

How to Write an Unlikable Character: 3 Writing Tips

So, if you’re writing an unlikeable character, or if you’ve ever gotten a “too unlikeable” note, here are three tips to consider:

1) Make sure you understand the motivations of your unlikable character

If you’re writing a character who’s out of control just because that’s how they are, then they’re not going to come across as very believable.

In real life, everybody does stupid things and everybody makes bad decisions. But we always have our reasons.

The same should be true for your character. If your character can’t help but be destructive, there has to be some underlying issue.

It might be inherently psychological or it could be that something happened to make them that way. Either way, you as the writer have to understand why they behave the way they do.

Once you do understand your character’s motivations, make sure you share them with your reader fairly early. I’m not suggesting an info dump in the first chapter or anything like that, but if you want your reader to follow this character, it’s important to get them on the character’s side early.

I would say before the halfway point, your reader should have some understanding of your character’s motives.

2) Give them redeeming qualities

People are very rarely one-sided, so it can be difficult for a reader to understand a character who is.

If you have a character who is constantly making bad or selfish choices, give them another side to complement that.

Maybe their life and relationships are a hot mess but they’re an amazing parent. Maybe they do some immoral actions for the sake of someone worthy. Or maybe they have a big secret they’re carrying around that would in some way explain their actions.

There are a lot of directions you can take this.

If you’re having a hard time, consider what or who your character cares about and why. The “why” might point you in the direction of something redeeming. These traits will make your character more interesting and help to draw your readers in–whether they like them or not.

3) Have at least one character who does understand your unlikeable character

The company you keep says a lot about you, so if you surround your character with good people, or at least one good person, who understand your character, it will create curiosity in your reader.

They too will want to understand the character.

You can also use these people to help explain your character’s struggles. If there are other people in the character’s life who are rooting for them, it will be easier to transfer those emotions to the reader.

However, in order to pull this off believably, you need the elements above to be working as well. If your character has no redeeming qualities or believable motivations, then these understanding characters are going to look like doormats who unnecessarily put up with the unlikeable character.

No one will come across as understandable or relatable, which won’t help your story or your character.

I hope this helps you write your unlikable character!

Now it’s your turn: Have you ever been told you have an unlikable character? Have you ever read a book with an unlikeable character? If you have, did you understand the characters? Do you think this influenced out you thought of the character? Tell me about it in the comments!

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