Category: Characters

How to Craft Believable Protagonists

How to Craft Believable Protagonists

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Hey there, writers! Have you ever found yourself struggling to create protagonists that feel real and captivating? Well, fret no more! In this article, we’re diving deep into the exciting world of character development and exploring how you can craft believable protagonists using bibisco novel writing software.

Get ready to infuse life into your characters and create a novel that readers won’t be able to put down!

Why Character Development Matters

Let’s face it – without compelling characters, your novel is like a car without an engine. As writers, we want our readers to connect with our protagonists deeply and emotionally.

After all, it’s the characters that drive the story forward. As we always say, “No conflict, no novel!” So, let’s roll up our sleeves and dig into the essential art of character development.

How to Craft Believable Protagonists: Delving into Background, Experiences, and Dreams

When creating your protagonist, delve deep into their background, experiences, and dreams. Construct a vivid and intricate history for them, allowing their unique personality to radiate through the pages.

It’s important to emphasize their quirks and flaws, as these are the traits that make them relatable and captivating to readers. Perhaps your protagonist had a tumultuous childhood that shaped their outlook on life, or maybe they have a secret passion that they’ve kept hidden for years.

Developing their personal journey provides a foundation for their growth and transformation throughout the story.

How to Craft Believable Protagonists: Pushing Boundaries and Confronting Conflict

A good story thrives on conflict, and it’s no different for your protagonist.

Propel them out of their comfort zone and thrust them into challenging situations that test their limits. Whether it’s an external threat, an internal struggle, or a clash of ideologies, these obstacles will force your protagonist to confront their fears, weaknesses, and beliefs.

By overcoming these hurdles, they can experience personal growth and evolution, ensuring that readers remain captivated and invested in their journey.

Perhaps your protagonist is an introverted artist who must navigate the cutthroat world of competitive galleries, or maybe they find themselves entangled in a high-stakes political conspiracy. Whatever challenges you throw their way, ensure they are meaningful and contribute to their development.

How to Craft Believable Protagonists: Building Meaningful Relationships for Character Evolution

Just like in real life, the relationships your protagonist forges can make or break their character.

Craft compelling and authentic connections between your protagonist and other characters in the story. Explore the dynamics of friendships, rivalries, and love interests to add depth and complexity to their interactions.

A loyal best friend can provide unwavering support and act as a sounding board for your protagonist’s thoughts and emotions. A bitter rivalry can fuel their determination and spur them to greater heights. A complicated love interest can introduce passion, vulnerability, and conflicts of interest.

These relationships should be nuanced and realistic, allowing readers to understand the impact they have on your protagonist’s journey. Ultimately, these connections should contribute to their growth, challenge their beliefs, and shape their decisions throughout the narrative.

Good characters are the lifeblood of good fiction.

Stephen King

bibisco: Your Ultimate Tool for Character Development

Creating believable protagonists is like sculpting a masterpiece. You need the right tools and techniques to bring your characters to life. With bibisco as your trusty companion, you’ll have everything you need to craft protagonists that readers will fall in love with. So, let’s dive into some key tips and tricks!

Dive into your protagonist’s psyche

Use bibisco’s character interview to delve into their thoughts, desires, and fears. This will help you understand their motivations and create a genuine character.

bibisco character's interview - How To Craft Believable Protagonists
bibisco character’s interview

Organize and structure your character’s journey

Keep track of your protagonist’s growth and development. bibisco allows you to map out their arc, ensuring a satisfying and cohesive story progression.

bibisco character's conflict section -How To Craft Believable Protagonists
bibisco character’s conflict section

Visualize your characters

With bibisco’s visual tools, you can give your protagonist a face, physical attributes, and unique traits. Seeing your character come to life visually adds another layer of realism.

bibisco character's images - How To Craft Believable Protagonists
bibisco character’s images

Exploring Character Growth In Famous Novels: A Deep Dive

To truly understand the power of character development, let’s examine some examples from beloved novels:

  • In J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, we witness Harry’s journey from an orphaned boy to a brave and determined wizard. His growth and resilience make him a relatable and inspiring protagonist.
  • Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” introduces us to Scout, a curious and fearless young girl. Through her eyes, we experience the transformation of innocence to awareness, addressing themes of racial inequality.
  • In Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” we follow the transformative journey of Pip, a humble orphan who aspires to become a gentleman. Through his encounters with the enigmatic Miss Havisham and the convict Magwitch, Pip confronts his own values and learns the true meaning of love, friendship, and self-identity.
  • In Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” Elizabeth Bennet undergoes a significant evolution from prejudice and snap judgments to understanding and acceptance. As she navigates the complexities of societal expectations and romantic entanglements, Elizabeth’s wit and intelligence guide her toward personal growth and the realization of true love.
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” showcases the tragic transformation of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire who pursues the American Dream. Through his obsession with the past and his relentless pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby ultimately learns the futility of his illusions, leading to a poignant exploration of identity, wealth, and the corrupting influence of materialism.
  • Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” presents the haunting story of Sethe, an escaped slave haunted by her past. Sethe’s journey towards self-forgiveness and healing is intertwined with the supernatural presence of her deceased daughter, Beloved. Through the exploration of trauma, memory, and the complexities of motherhood, Sethe’s character evolves and finds redemption.

These diverse examples highlight the power of character growth in literature as protagonists evolve and confront their own limitations, biases, and desires. By immersing readers in their transformative journeys, these novels leave a lasting impact and offer valuable insights into the human experience.

Conclusion

Crafting believable protagonists is an art, and with bibisco by your side, you’re well-equipped to create characters that jump off the page. Remember to let your characters breathe, face conflicts head-on, and develop authentic relationships.

With bibisco novel writing software, your characters will come alive, making your novel an unforgettable journey for readers. So, go forth and unleash your creativity. Your protagonists are waiting to be brought to life!

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How Do You Create a Character From a Detail?

How Do You Create a Character From a Detail?

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Often it is the details that make the difference. Those details, especially, that you don’t initially pay attention to but later turn out to be a key part of the story. In some cases, it is an object (the famous Checkov’s gun), and in others, a detail that belongs to a character.

That is why sometimes characters are born from a point, as we explain in this article on character development.

What are these details? How do you create a character from a detail? Let’s see how.

What Does “Create a Character From a Detail” Mean?

Have you ever heard a song and thought of a person you know? Or see a drawing and relate it to your best friend’s tattoo?

Think about your friendships. Surely there is a physical detail, such as hair color, the texture of a face, the way they interact and speak, or even clothing that immediately brings you back to a person.

These details are those particulars that stick in the mind so much that we remember those particular people even when we should not associate with them. How many connections exist between people and details?

In the world of fiction, it is the same. A character can be created from physicality, background, or personality, even from a simple detail.

How to Create a Character From a Detail?

One way to start building a character can be to think backward. So don’t start creating the character but think about a detail and then create its owner.

Look around and be inspired. What catches your attention? A color? You could write about a character with intense green eye color, or if you think of red, a protagonist with red hair. Do you like a particular car, a song, or a piece of clothing? Starting with this detail, imagine what the character would look like related to it and create it.

However, remember that that detail will be so crucial within your novel that it must almost become a protagonist along with the character you create. The reader, reviewing that object or thinking back to that detail even in reality, will automatically have to think back to your character.

Characters Born From Details: Some Examples

There is a broad psychological aspect to creating a character from a detail. If you succeed in your purpose, your reader will carry the narrative with him always, in his mind.

For example, think of Harry Potter‘s scar. This detail is so specific that one only has to see it again, even separately from Harry Potter, to think of the world’s most famous wizard immediately.

Similarly, a green and red striped shirt immediately triggers terror in fans of horror readings and movies, thinking back to the horror character Freddy Krueger.

This is the power of detail. They may appear to be unimportant, but they are, in fact, of great value because if well used, they enable the reader to become attached to a character and never to forget them again.

“There are films that we have loved so much, characters that have stayed so much in our hearts, that they have affected our attitudes, choices and even the loves of our lives.”

Giuseppe Tobia

Choose the Right Detail for Your Character With Bibisco

bibisco features novel writing software that lets you keep track of any detail of your story.
In the case of creating a character, you can establish their physical character traits here, make notes on their past and even think about the detail that sets them apart.
It will be easier to remember all the characters to be created thanks to this software and the ability to develop a detailed sheet for each character in your story.

How do you create a character from a detail? - bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software
bibisco main character’s section
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Conclusion

Details make a difference, even in narration.

They can be the particular features of a character that the reader becomes attached to and will never forget.

Unleash your imagination and create a complex character, starting with a small detail that catches your attention.

Do You Know the Purpose of Your Characters?

Do You Know the Purpose of Your Characters?

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In a narrative, there are different characters with different roles. Each has its own story and character, but what do your characters want?

Do You Know the Purpose of Your Characters?

Even when it is not made explicit, the reader knows that a reason is there and that the character has a definite purpose.

What Do We Mean When We Say: “Do You Know the Purpose of Your Characters?”

As anticipated, there are different types of characters in a narrative.
There is the protagonist, the antagonist, the opponent, the helper, even the object, and finally, the facilitator.

Each of them has a specific purpose within the story, even if it is not always made explicit. However, the fact that it is not overt does not mean that it does not exist; on the contrary.

A story is thus like a machine, and the characters are the engine: if the characters do nothing, the story goes nowhere.

To tell a story, whether writing a short story or a novel, it is, therefore, necessary to determine which and how many characters will animate the scene, what relationships exist between them, what physical and personality traits each has, and how they will evolve in the course of the story.

How to create something that characters want

When it comes to creating a character, we need to keep in mind some basic steps that we summarize below.

1 ) Hierarchy

The first step is the hierarchy among characters.

You determine who has a predominant role over another, which characters are the main characters, and which are the marginal ones.

2) Characterization

The second step is that of characterization.

In addition to purely physical characteristics, what character does your character have? What is their history, their past? Consider these aspects, think about them, and write them down. It is precisely these moments that could provide him with a purpose within the story. Or, at any rate, condition them in their actions.

3) Psychological evolution

The third step concerns the psychological evolution of the characters

Characters can be more predictable, referred to for this reason as flat characters, or round characters:

  • Flat characters do not give the reader many twists and turns and stay true to their own way of being without any particular changes.
  • Round characters, on the other hand, are more multifaceted, more complex, and unpredictable. They give the reader more surprises and twists.

This aims to define the pattern of one’s characters. And to create a purpose for each of them.

A good author creates a story and characters by guiding the reader without the purpose for each character being too obvious. This will leave a sense of wonder and excitement engaging the reader.

An Example of a Character Who Knows Exactly What to Want

Think of the Harry Potter novels and the main antagonist of the world’s most famous wizard, Voldemort.

In the first book, one might think that Voldemort’s purpose is to get hold of the Philosopher’s Stone, and we focus on this single piece of the puzzle.

In reality, this character has a much larger plan in mind, which is not shared with the audience until the last part of the magical saga.

However, when the readers find out what the character wants, they are pleasantly surprised and begin to realize that the character, during the narrative, knew precisely what he wanted.

A character is what he does, yes- but even more, a character is what he means to.

Orson Scott Card

Develop Your Characters With Bibisco Novel Writing Software

An author cannot devote equal attention to every character. However, they must do so with the main characters. They need a purpose to lead them throughout the narrative.

One of the best tactics many authors use is creating cards that keep track of the information revolving around the character.

If it were software, however, wouldn’t that be even better?

With bibisco’s novel writing software, you can write about a character and ensure that the reader does not discover their purpose in the narrative until the last moment.

bibisco's character development - Do You Know the Purpose of Your Characters?
bibisco’s character development
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Conclusions

Do You Know the Purpose of Your Characters? Sometimes it may seem, in a narrative, that some characters have no specific purpose within the story.

The reader, however, does not always remember that characters, especially the main ones, know exactly what they want and aim for, even if they do not make this explicit throughout the story.

Every moment is constructed to lead to the ending in which the reader discovers what the character really wants, being pleasantly surprised and amazed.

This is indeed the purpose of concealing the character’s will.

Bring Your Characters To Life: You’ll Love Bibisco For Character Development

Bring Your Characters To Life: You’ll Love Bibisco For Character Development

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Are you worried because your characters are flat and lifeless? You’re right.

Characterization is one of the most important aspects of any story, and flat or lifeless characters can quickly detract from the overall quality of a piece of writing.

In this article, we’ll explore how bibisco can be used to create well-rounded, dynamic characters that will captivate readers and bring your story to life.

What is bibisco?

Before we dive into how bibisco can help with character development, let’s take a moment to define what it is.

bibisco is a novel writing software application designed to help writers plan and organize their work. It provides a range of tools and resources that can assist with everything from outlining and world-building to character development and scene creation.

One of the key features of bibisco is its character development tools. These are specifically designed to help writers create fully-realized, three-dimensional characters that are both compelling and believable.

How bibisco can help with flat or lifeless characters

If you’re struggling with flat or lifeless characters, bibisco can be an incredibly useful tool. Here are a few ways that it can help:

1. Character questionnaires

bibisco includes a range of character questionnaires designed to help you flesh out your characters and give them depth and complexity. These questionnaires cover everything from physical appearance and personality traits to background and motivation.

bibisco's character questionnaires - Bring your characters to life using bibisco
bibisco’s character questionnaires

By answering these questions, you’ll be forced to think deeply about your characters and really get to know them. This can be incredibly helpful in bringing them to life on the page.

2. Character arcs

Another feature of bibisco that can help develop your characters is its focus on character arcs. Character arcs are the journeys that your characters go on throughout your story. They’re an essential part of creating dynamic, well-rounded characters.

bibisco's character arcs - Bring your characters to life using bibisco
bibisco’s character arcs

bibisco provides tools to help you map out your characters’ arcs, from their starting point to their ultimate destination. This can help you ensure that your characters are growing and changing throughout your story rather than remaining stagnant and flat.

3. Event tracking

A feature that can help writers create more dynamic and memorable characters is bibisco’s event-tracking tool. With this tool, writers can create a timeline of important events in their characters’ lives, including major life events, traumatic experiences, or significant turning points.

bibisco's character event tracking - Bring your characters to life using bibisco
bibisco’s character event tracking

Writers can better understand how their characters have been shaped over time and how they might react to different situations in the present by tracking these events. This can help to create more fully-realized characters with a deeper sense of history and context.

4. Image association

Another feature of bibisco is its ability to associate images with characters. This means writers can add pictures or other visual references to their characters. Whether a photo that inspired their appearance or a painting that reflects their personality.

bibisco's character image association - Bring your characters to life using bibisco
bibisco’s character image association

By having a visual reference for their characters, writers can better visualize them and bring them to life on the page. This can also help to create a more consistent and memorable image of the character for readers.

Conclusion

If you’re struggling with flat or lifeless characters, bibisco can be an incredibly helpful tool to bring your characters to life.

By using its character development features, you can create well-rounded, dynamic characters that captivate your readers and bring your story to life.

So if you’re looking to take your writing to the next level, give bibisco a try!

DOWNLOAD BIBISCO FOR FREE NOW!

When the Characters Become People and Doing Things We Don’t Expect

When the Characters Become People and Doing Things We Don’t Expect

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When we read a story and start getting to know the characters, we think we know how they will behave. We also believe what their thoughts are.
What happens, however, when the characters start behaving like people and doing things we don’t expect?
What are the consequences on the reader of this “twist” regarding the characters’ behavior? Let’s find out together.

When characters become people (and do things you don’t expect)?

And then, there are the “rounded” characters. This concept was also taken up by the British writer E.M.Forster. His essay “Aspects of the Novel” also discussed this particular characteristic.
These types of characters are multifaceted and complex.

Sometimes they are contradictory and unpredictable (positively or negatively), and they amaze the reader with their moves.

They are usually the main characters in a story because they occupy the scene longer, and the author can enrich them with details and nuances.

Why do characters have to become people?

Indeed, characters, especially the main ones, should never be monolithic and should not always remain the same from beginning to end.

If it is a short text, such as a short story, usually the main character is represented with precise characteristics that are confirmed until the end of the story, but in more extended writing, such as a novel, it is essential that they evolve: the vicissitudes they go through cannot leave them indifferent.

A successful character grows throughout the story and, on this journey, takes the reader with them.

The unexpected character change is a magical element that causes amazement and acts as a catalyst for the reader.

In this way, a new element is created that leads the reader to continue reading to find out how many more surprises the characters in the narrative have in store for us or even simply to understand who that character really is.

How should you act when a character does something unexpected?

Simply get out of the way. You should let go of the imagination and let the character express themself freely.
A writer cannot completely control a character. Nor can they make them always act correctly and impeccably or according to their own ideals.

We may divide characters into flat and rounded.

E.M.Forster

Create your unexpected character thanks to bibisco

Think you can get help creating your characters. It would be nice to have a tool that helps you keep track of your characters and their characteristics and allows you to have at your fingertips the essential elements that you can use to create that twist as characters begin to become people and do unexpected things.
But wait–this tool is there! bibisco, thanks to its innovative writing software, can help you with this challenging task.
Try it. You will feel you have a valuable ally while writing your novel.

When the Characters Start Behaving Like People and Doing Things We Don't Expect - bibisco character's Timeline - bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software
bibisco character’s timeline
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Conclusions

In certain situations, the narrative leads a character to behave unexpectedly. Let them do that; let their imagination run wild. That is the beauty of storytelling and an element of surprise that will play in your favor with the reader.

Your characters don’t always tell the truth

Your characters don’t always tell the truth

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In a narrative, we know that there are essential elements such as story, scenario, and characters. There can be main and secondary characters. But should we always trust what characters think and tell us? What are the situations in which your characters don’t always tell the truth?

Why do your characters not always tell the truth?

When a reader reads a novel, they tend to trust the protagonist and the main characters right away. They read about their feelings, emotions, thoughts, and follow their experiences and adventures, and everything seems to coincide with the truth.

But have you ever wondered if your characters should always tell the truth? Think of a character who purposely wants to hide a part of their past. Or someone who lies, not knowing they are really lying, unaware of what their reality is. Making it so that your characters, main or otherwise, can partly hide the truth can make the narrative more exciting and keep the reader glued to reading.

Why a character who does not tell the truth is interesting?

Among all types of characters, there are also kinetic and static. The former, the kinetic ones, are the characters who undergo evolution (either positively or negatively) during the story and thus undergo even radical behavioral transformation.

Static ones, on the other hand, are the characters who, while the story undergoes, no change and whose characteristics remain unchanged from beginning to end. Kinetic characters are an excellent example to use for characters who do not tell the truth.

One can think of telling the story of a character who lies because of a particular personal event that has so scarred them that they prefer to lie about the truth. Finally, tell their story, their change, and how they become a better character. That is why when characters lie, it can also be interesting from a psychological and human perspective.

The reader will appreciate the character’s growth and change for the better.

Some examples of characters that don’t always tell the truth

Think of the short story “Ten Little Indians” by Agatha Christie. Over the course of the narrative, the reader begins to realize that one of the main characters is necessarily lying and becomes increasingly curious about who among them is not telling the truth and is the culprit.

A writer’s skill when using a technique like this is in introducing the protagonists to the reader, talking in depth about who they are so that the reader can become attached to each of them. Then, the twist. Someone lies. But who? Why? About what? Lorenzo Ostuni’s book “The Cage” is another masterful example of this technique, though used in reverse.

The reader understands the situation from the very first pages. A lonely boy, locked in a cell illuminated by a dim, inconstant light, constantly turning on and off. He remembers nothing, perhaps his name; he does not know how he ended up there or who took him there.

He knows he wants to get out as soon as possible. And his wish is granted. A message warns him that there are other boys outside the cell, one of them is lying, and they have only 60 hours to escape and get to safety. Then the door opens, and the game begins.

“Don’t lies eventually lead to the truth? And don’t all my stories, true or false, tend toward the same conclusion? Don’t they all have the same meaning? So what does it matter whether they are true or false if, in both cases, they are significant of what I have been and what I am? Sometimes it is easier to see clearly into the liar than into the man who tells the truth. Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object.”

Albert Camus, The Fall

bibisco helps your character not to tell the truth

We are not saying that bibisco has magical lying software that can help you figure out what kind of lies your characters are hiding. But bibisco does come with innovative writing software, which is very useful for learning how to write a narrative and keep track of your characters. Specifically, with bibisco, you can build characters, track their thoughts and thus structure a lie that will surprise the reader while reading the story.

Characters Series: Your characters don’t always tell the truth- bibisco's Timeline - bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software
bibisco character sheet

Conclusions

The search for truth is something that has always intrigued anyone and makes a reader keep reading a story, all in one go. Although the reader generally tends to trust many of the characters they encounter in the course of a story, especially the main characters, they do not necessarily have to tell the truth.

On the contrary, this constitutes precisely that element of surprise that keeps the reader in suspense until the truth is discovered.