believable characters Archives

How to Craft Believable Protagonists

By Andrea Feccomandi | June 25, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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!

DOWNLOAD BIBISCO FOR FREE NOW!

How Do You Create a Character From a Detail?

By Andrea Feccomandi | April 22, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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?

By Andrea Feccomandi | April 8, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

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.

Why bibisco is the Best Story Planning Software

By Andrea Feccomandi | March 20, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

A story planning software is a tool designed to help writers plan and organize their stories. It provides a range of features that can be used to map out a story’s plot, characters, setting, and other key elements.

Story planning software can be especially useful for writers who work with complex narratives, as it can help them keep track of all the different components of their story and ensure that they are structured in a coherent and effective way.

By using a story planning software, writers can save time, streamline their writing process, and create more engaging and polished stories.

bibisco is the ultimate story planning software for writers who want to bring their ideas to life. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, it has become the go-to tool for authors, screenwriters, and storytellers all around the world.

In this article, we’ll explore why bibisco is the best choice for anyone who wants to plan their stories in a comprehensive and effective way.

Story Planner Software Feature #1: Timeline

Firstly, let’s talk about the Timeline feature. This is a powerful tool that allows you to organize your story events in a clear and concise manner. With bibisco’s Timeline, you can easily create and manage a chronological sequence of events, add descriptions and notes to each event.

bibisco's timeline Story Planner Software feature — bibisco’s timeline

bibisco’s Timeline automatically populates with the date and time when scenes occur. This allows for a precise timeline and maintains a logical order of events. Additionally, each significant event can be associated with characters, locations, and objects, creating a connection between different parts of the story.

This is especially useful for writers who work with complex plots, multiple characters, and interwoven storylines. By using the Timeline, you can keep track of all your story elements and ensure that they are properly structured and paced.

Story Plot Software Feature #2: Mind Map

Another great feature of bibisco is the Mind Map tool. This is a visual brainstorming tool that allows you to explore your story ideas and plot points in a non-linear way. With Mind Map, you can create a network of interconnected ideas and link related concepts together.

bibisco's mind map Story Plot Software Feature — bibisco’s mind map

Through the Mind Map tool, it is possible to visually design the relationships between characters, locations, and objects in our story. This feature allows writers to easily see how different elements of their story are connected and how they impact each other. This can help writers avoid plot holes and inconsistencies, resulting in a more engaging and satisfying story for readers.

This is an excellent way to develop your story world, flesh out your characters, and explore different possibilities. The Mind Maps can also help you overcome writer’s block and generate new ideas when you’re stuck.

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Plot Writing Software Feature #3: Character Development

Finally, let’s talk about the Character Development feature. This is one of the most important aspects of any story, and Bibisco makes it easy to create well-rounded and believable characters.

bibisco's character development Plot Writing Software Feature — bibisco’s character development

With the Character Development tool, you can create detailed profiles for each of your characters, including their personality traits, motivations, backstory, and relationships with other characters. You can also add images, notes, and tags to each character, making it easy to keep track of them as your story progresses.

By using the Character Development tool, you can ensure that your characters are realistic, relatable, and memorable.

Story Plotting Software Feature #4: Analysis

In addition to its Timeline, Mind Maps, and Character Development features, bibisco also offers a powerful Analysis tool that can help writers fine-tune their stories.

bibisco's analysis Story Plotting Software Feature — bibisco’s analysis

With this feature, you can analyze the length of individual chapters to ensure they are consistent with each other. You can also analyze the presence of characters, locations, and objects throughout the story, allowing you to track when they first appeared and validate the overall coherence of your story. Finally, you can monitor the use of different points of view to ensure that they are being used effectively and appropriately.

By leveraging bibisco’s Analysis feature, writers can gain a deep understanding of their stories, identify areas that need improvement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance the overall quality of their work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, bibisco is the best story planning software for writers who want to create compelling and well-structured stories.

Its Timeline, Mind Maps, and Character Development features make it easy to organize your ideas, develop your characters, and plan your plot in a clear and effective way.

Whether you’re a novelist, a screenwriter, or a storyteller, bibisco has everything you need to bring your stories to life. Try it out today and see for yourself why it’s the top choice for writers everywhere!

DOWNLOAD BIBISCO FOR FREE NOW!

Are You Struggling Because You Don’t Know How To Turn Your Idea Into A Novel?

By Andrea Feccomandi | January 28, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

So you’re a writer and have an idea for a story. But now you’re struggling because you don’t know how to turn it into a novel. Do you know this sense of frustration?

It’s perfectly normal. When a writer has an idea for a novel but doesn’t know where to start, they may feel confused and uncertain. They may have a general idea of what they want to write about, but they may not know how to turn that idea into a full-fledged story. They may also struggle with developing their characters, creating a believable plot, and building a coherent world for their story to take place in.

Writer’s block

This uncertainty can be overwhelming and lead to writer’s block and a lack of motivation. You, as a writer, may feel like you don’t have the skills or knowledge to turn your idea into a finished product. They may also feel like they are stuck in a rut and don’t know how to move forward.

In addition to these feelings, you may also experience a sense of fear and doubt. You may be afraid that your idea is not good enough or that you will not be able to execute it correctly. You may also doubt your abilities as a writer and wonder if you are truly capable of writing a novel.

Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.
George Orwell

Turn your idea into a finished novel with the right tools and good writing habit

It’s important to note that this feeling of confusion, uncertainty, fear and doubt is normal, and it happens to many writers, even the most successful ones. But with the right tools, such as bibisco, and a good writing habit, you can overcome these obstacles and turn your idea into a finished novel.

bibisco is a powerful and user-friendly software that is designed to help writers of all levels create and organize their novels. With bibisco, you can easily create characters, locations, and scenes, and then organize them in a way that makes sense for your story.

You can also use the software to create an outline, so you can see the structure of your novel before you begin writing. This can be especially helpful for those who have a great idea for a story but are unsure of how to turn it into a full-fledged novel.

DOWNLOAD BIBISCO FOR FREE NOW!

Character development

One of the best features of bibisco is its ability to help you with character development. It is a game-changer when it comes to creating believable characters with meaningful relationships. It allows us to develop our characters in a way that readers can connect with, giving them a unique and interesting set of attributes.

With bibisco, you’ll have easy access to all the information you need about each character – from physical features to motivations and goals. Using this feature is incredibly helpful when it comes to writing dialogue and building relationships between characters.

bibisco character's sheet - Are You Struggling Because You Don't Know How To Turn Your Idea Into A Novel? — bibisco character’s sheet

When you know your characters well, it’s easier to come up with lines reflecting their personalities and motivations, making your story more immersive and believable. And by knowing each character’s background, you’ll be able to create meaningful connections and tension between them.

No matter what kind of story you’re trying to tell, character development is key, and bibisco makes it incredibly easy to do. With this powerful tool in your arsenal, you can easily create compelling characters with depth and meaning.

World-building

Another great feature of bibisco is its ability to help you with world-building. bibisco enables you to create vivid and detailed descriptions of the locations in your story, and it also allows you to attach photos for further visualization.

This feature can be incredibly helpful when writing fantasy or science fiction stories, as it helps bring the world you have created to life. It provides an extra level of depth and realism to the narrative that readers will appreciate. With Bibisco, you can ensure that your readers are immersed in the world you have crafted for them.

bibisco location's image - Are You Struggling Because You Don't Know How To Turn Your Idea Into A Novel? — bibisco location’s image

Furthermore, the ability to track locations is an incredibly useful feature of bibisco. You can keep track of where your characters have been, as well as where they’re going next. It’s a great way to stay organized while creating a complex and vibrant story world. With this feature, you don’t need to worry about forgetting any details or missing any important plot points. You can just focus on crafting an engaging narrative with all the pieces in place!

World-building is essential to writing a gripping and believable story, and bibisco makes it easier than ever.

Track your progress

Writing a novel is an incredibly rewarding experience. It requires a lot of focus, dedication, and hard work to create something that you can be proud of. With bibisco, staying focused and motivated while working on your project is easier than ever.

You can set writing goals and track your word count as you make progress. This will help you stay on schedule and measure the success of your work. Additionally, you can set deadlines for yourself so that you have an extra push if needed.

bibisco writing history stats - Are You Struggling Because You Don't Know How To Turn Your Idea Into A Novel? — bibisco writing history stats

Writing goals are incredibly important when it comes to producing a high-quality novel. With bibisco, setting and tracking those goals has never been easier. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to enjoy the process of writing instead of worrying about meeting deadlines or staying motivated.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you have an idea for a novel but don’t know where to start, bibisco novel writing software can be a great help. It will help you organize your thoughts, create detailed characters, locations, and scenes, and track your progress as you write.

With bibisco, you will be able to bring your story to life in a way that is both efficient and enjoyable. As Stephen King said, having a clear and structured plan for your novel is essential; bibisco can help you to achieve that in a user-friendly way.

DOWNLOAD BIBISCO FOR FREE NOW!

Alongside bibisco, if you’re interested in high-quality writing courses, take a look at Jericho Writers Writing courses.

How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps

By Andrea Feccomandi | July 18, 2021 | Comments 0 Comment

Characters are the engine of every story.

Quite often, indeed, they live longer than the story itself. How many of you happened to remember perfectly the characters of a novel read many years ago and not remember the plot at all?

Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.
Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

For this reason, it is very important to understand how to master character creation: here’s how to do it in 7 easy steps.

Step 1: download bibisco, your character creation program

Since the creation of the characters is essential, it’s necessary to have the right program that will help you in this task.

bibisco is a novel writing software focused on character creation.

Our vision is that characters are the driving force of any novel. So bibisco is packed with tools designed specifically for character creation.

bibisco is a desktop application for Linux, Mac, Windows. It’s available in 14 languages: Czech, Dutch, French, German, English, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (for both Brazil and Portugal), Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Turkish.

You can download bibisco from the official website: https://bibisco.com.

Step 2: create your project

Once bibisco is installed, it’s time to create your project.

Choose the title (you can always change it later), register yourself as the author, select the language and you are ready to go!

create a project in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — create a project in bibisco

Step 3: create your first character

It’s time to create your first character!

bibisco divides the characters into two groups: the main characters and the secondary characters.

characters' section in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — characters’ section in bibisco

Each main character has a conflict, the driving force of the story. Secondary characters instead don’t have a conflict, but they are useful for the development of the story.

In this tutorial we focus on the creation of the main characters: let’s create the first one by assigning it a name.

Step 4: get to know the character in depth

This is certainly the most important step.

All the great characters in the stories have one thing in common: they are believable.

Characters who are either completely good or completely bad are stereotypes and therefore not believable.

What makes a positive character interesting and believable is discovering their dark side. What makes us empathetic with an evil character is knowing that before they became who they is, they was a sweet and generous person.

So, how then can we create interesting characters? Knowing them thoroughly, so that it emerges their human nature, with strengths, weaknesses, contradictions.

bibisco offers an innovative, simple and fun way to get to know the characters: by interviewing them!

Character's interview in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — Character’s interview in bibisco

Through 138 questions divided into 6 sections (personal data, physical features, behaviors and attitudes, psychology, ideas and passions, sociology) we can know everything about our characters.

Main character's section in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — Main character’s section in bibisco

It’s also possible to enrich the knowledge of a character by associating images with it. One of the images can be selected as profile picture.

The associated images and the profile picture can be used as a source of inspiration while building the character or later when writing the story.

Character's images visible while writing in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — Character’s images visible while writing in bibisco

Step 5: get to know the story of the character before the story’s beginning

The way of being of each of us, in every moment of our life, is determined by our character and by the experiences we have lived up to that moment.

For this reason, bibisco provides two tools for knowing the character’s life before the story begins.

The first tool is a dedicated section in which to describe the childhood, adolescence, school and professional life of a character up to the moment of the beginning of the story.

The second tool is a section in which to indicate the significant events of the character’s life, with dates and descriptions.

Character's event section in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — Character’s event section in bibisco

The events indicated in this section will then be merged into the novel’s general timeline.

Step 6: define the conflict of the character

As we discussed in detail in a previous post: no conflict, no novel!

Every main character has a conflict: a dream to be realized, a reaction to an external event, an inner need.

The conflict leads the character to action and thus to start the story.

bibisco has a dedicated section in which to describe the character’s conflict.

Character's conflict section in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — Character’s conflict section in bibisco

Step 7: define the evolution of the characters

Every story is the story of a change in the condition of things and the evolution of the characters during this process.

And the evolution of the characters is the most interesting aspect because it’s what excites, inspires or upsets us. It’s what we’ll remember when we forget the plot.

As discussed in a previous post, every author should always ask himself: can my readers see themselves in my characters?

bibisco has a dedicated section in which to describe the character’s evolution during the story.

Character's evolution section in bibisco
How to Master Character Creation in 7 Simple Steps — Character’s evolution section in bibisco

Conclusion

This is how to master character creation in 7 Simple Steps.

Now it’s your turn! Download bibisco now and start creating characters your readers won’t forget.

Why if your characters don’t evolve your novel is useless

By Andrea Feccomandi | May 2, 2021 | Comments 0 Comment

If you’re writing a novel, you’ll understand the most important aspect is the characters. And ensuring those characters keep people interested while they’re reading is vital. If your characters are doing the same thing, day in and day out, people are going to get bored quickly. This is why the evolution of characters in your writing is essential.

Think about those novels that you remember that you may have read 20 years ago. Why do you remember them? It’s the characters. And most likely, it’s because those characters underwent some sort of physical, emotional or psychological transformation. (Take a look at The Hero with a Thousand Faces of Joseph Campbell).

So, why if your characters don’t evolve your novel is useless?

The fact is, everyone changes

If you want people reading your book to relate to the characters, you want them to be as realistic as possible. Our lives are never mundane, and there’s no such thing as ordinary. Almost every year of our lives is filled with some type of change, and for some of us, it’s every month or week.

Couples, for example, meet for the first time, they start dating, get engaged and then married, they have children, then grandchildren – they may even get divorced. It’s a natural progression of life. Not only that, but we change jobs, we travel, and we do things in our lives that are significant. You want your characters to embody all of this as well.

So, what is change?

And how can you incorporate this into your characters? Change is anything that happens in life that is outside the “norm”. You can get up every day at the same time, shower, eat breakfast, get in the car or catch a train, and go to work at the same job you’ve been at for 10 years, doing the same job you’ve always done. That’s the norm.

But if you catch a train and all of sudden, you trip and fall and break your hand – that’s change. If you get to work and they’re holding a party for you because you’ve been promoted, that’s change.

How to plot change

You want to make the change believable and relatable to your character.

If your story is about a poor farmer girl in the 1800s who falls in love with a rich city boy, she probably shouldn’t grow fairy wings all of a sudden. Unless of course, that’s what your novel is all about.

But change for your characters should evolve slowly throughout the book. It’s best if you write down all the character changes before you start your novel – it will make more sense when you’re writing. Set the scene for each chapter and set expectations for what might happen.

Once you have the character features set, it’s time to shake it up a bit. Which part of the story could do with a bit more excitement? And how are you going to introduce that?

For example, you have a story about two young lovers in the 1900s, on a farm, and they’re standing having a conversation about the weather. Suddenly, a storm hits and floods the property, and the boy gets washed away. This changes everything (and opens the path for a pretty good story).

Use your own experiences

We understand why if your characters don’t evolve your novel is useless.

The best, and easiest, way to draw on change for your characters is to think about your own experiences or fears. For a simple example – if you’re afraid of spiders, your character could be also – and they could come face to face with a huge spider as part of the storyline. Think about what makes you tick and what impacted you when you were growing up – and use it as part of your character’s storyline.

Remember, you want the characters in your novel to be remembered forever. This means they need to create a psychological and emotional connection to the reader. By evolving, the characters in your story are more relatable – in life, we all evolve.

If you need help to do this, bibisco is a novel writing software that helps to turn your good ideas into a fantastic novel.

Why if your characters don't evolve your novel is useless. - bibisco architecture - bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software — bibisco architecture section

It can help you to create your characters and define where they’re headed within the story. Try it yourself today.

The beauty of common people

By Andrea Feccomandi | April 18, 2021 | Comments 0 Comment

The beauty of common people: keep them boring, or shake things up!

Every story has “common” characters who keep showing up in novels because they may be significant to moving your story along or they may be just there as a mention.

They don’t have any kind of past trauma, and they may not be the lead, they are just as important. For starters, it gives the reader a sense of realism – not everyone lives a dramatic life, and even the people who seem most insignificant in your life can play a huge role. Or, they have the potential to shake things up a bit, particularly in your writing.

And just like in life, if you didn’t have these “common” people who don’t bring drama everywhere they go, it would be boring, right?

How common characters can shake things up

Your common characters could come into your writing by simple name drops. And you have two options – you can keep them as being boring characters who are simply there to add life to the story, OR you could use those characters to shake things up later in the story.

Here’s a few examples:

If your novel is about crime, as your story unfolds, perhaps an old friend’s name might come through in your investigation. Your memories of that person are pretty standard – they never did anything exciting, they were simply floating through life without creating issues. But, they could become a central part of the investigation (and perhaps even the killer).

You might consider protagonists workmates. If your character is a CEO of a multimillion-dollar enterprise, there is most likely someone who is instrumental in helping him to achieve his goals but wishes to remain anonymous. If you want to expand on this role later in the novel, you can easily turn the story around so that the workmate is someone who secretly objects to his boss’s moving up the ladder, leaving him behind even though he’s been with the firm for a number of years.

There are neighbours who you don’t give the time of day to, however, by a chance meeting they eventually play a significant role in your story. What about the lead’s mother or father-in-law? How would they fit into the story? They could well end up hiding many secrets you discover along the way. This secret will change the whole dynamic of your lead’s relationship making your story even more interesting.

Minor characters

If your novel is a romance, there are many options here for minor characters. Your lead may be a bit of a Lothario and one of his conquests shows up at a most inappropriate time and place. Or an ex-girlfriend whom he may have completely forgotten about, decides to get in touch.

Just remember that your characters don’t always have to be exciting, and they don’t always need to bring drama into the story for them to play a part. Also keep in mind that too many common characters who are simply there for show will slow the story down. So don’t go overboard with the “extras”.

How do you determine common characters?

Have you ever sat in a shopping centre and people-watched? This is a great opportunity to create a minor character for your novel. There might be one person that stands out as memorable, whether it’s the way they’re dressed or their mannerisms, or what they eat. They might be just the character you’re looking for to include in one of your scenes.

The beauty of common people - bibisco character's section - bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software — bibisco character’s section

If you need any help in understanding and creating minor characters, bibisco is a novel writing software that will help turn your novel into a best seller. Try it today!

Good guys are boring

By Andrea Feccomandi | March 7, 2021 | Comments 0 Comment

Are you writing a novel or a short story and trying to work out the details of your character?

Or, perhaps you’re in a relationship with a good guy and wondering why you thinking of dumping them. You’re not alone!

Good guys are typically seen as boring.

It may be because they don’t like to take risks, or perhaps because they don’t challenge the norms of society.

The truth is that generally no one is attracted to nice guys. Or not?

The issue with good guys

Good guys don’t have to be boring!

In fact, many good guys aren’t boring. The key is to understand what constitutes good.

Good as an adjective– to be desired of or approved of
Good as a noun – righteousness

There is little doubt that a righteous man should be desirable. They put others first, are caring and compassionate. But, they are unlikely to take any risks or enjoy some adventure. In short, you’re going to find this type of good guy boring.

But, the good guy that is to be desired or approved of has more room to maneuver. They can accept the current rules but be prepared to break them because they are fundamentally good, but realistic.

Realism and good guys

That’s the fundamental difference. A good guy that always seeks the moral high ground is hard to cope with. They are rigid in their approach to rules, even if these rules can be detrimental to them and their family.

But, a realistic good guy lives with those rules and bends them where necessary. They are not afraid to push the boundaries and have an adventure.

At the same time, they will not unnecessarily break the rules, although there may be times when this is necessary. That’s a regular good guy that you can create a story around.

You should also consider the fact that many great guys have lewd and licentious desires. These remain hidden from the average person and don’t stop them from being a good guy.

A great example of this is the Fifty Shades trilogy. Christian Gray appears to be a good guy with a successful business. But, he certainly isn’t boring. He knows how to get what he wants and he has significant flaws that were developed during his upbringing.

The Bad Guy

In contrast, the bad guy is someone who has no regard for rules, they are happy to do anything and try anything without regard for the consequences. It makes them seem appealing and adventurous. You’re guaranteed to find excitement, risk, and danger around a bad guy.

However, in the long term, this becomes a less appealing concept as the bad guy doesn’t have time for others and can’t build functioning relationships.
As a character in your novel, the bad guy is likely to be thrilling but ultimately their nature is one of self-interest.

This drives the reader to dislike them and wants them to fail.

Making good guys appealing with a novel writing software

When drafting a novel you need to appreciate that every person is flawed.

The best flaws are those that affect personality and are invisible to most. They drive people, often resulting in their good or bad guy image. It’s the resolution of those flaws that makes the good guy, and the bad guy, appeal to your reader.

That’s why the bad guy can become the good guy, and vice versa.

If you’re concerned about how to keep track of all this then bibisco has you covered. The novel planning software helps you create plotlines and maintain the story chapter by chapter. But, it also excels at character building.

You are not just listing characteristics. The secret to developing characters is to use the interview technique, you can use the bibisco novel writing software to do this.

Good guys are boring - bibisco interview mode -
bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software — bibisco interview mode

By adopting this approach you’ll ask your character questions and note the answers. It will build a complete picture of them and their flaws, allowing you to develop the novel and stay in character throughout.

Conclusion

A completely good guy is boring.

They will look after you and do their best to serve the needs of the community. It’s simply human nature to find anything that is too perfect boring.

But, good guys can be exciting if they are prepared to challenge the boundaries and you are prepared to show their hidden flaws.

After all, the flaws make them more appealing and reflect that good guys don’t have to be boring, they also have issues that need to be dealt with.

The life of your characters before the story’s beginning

By Andrea Feccomandi | December 27, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

“When Martina first noticed Paolo walking down the pavement, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Never in her imagination, she thought about meeting Paolo in such an ordinary circumstance.”

Let’s say it is the beginning of a story. What is Martina going to do next? Aren’t Martina’s past encounters with Paolo would shape her behaviors today?

It surely would because the way all of us humans live the day is the result of our way of being and of our experiences right up to that point.

That’s why backstory is so important for your characters, for them to be humans.

The backstory is what happened to your character before the story began

Getting back to our story, who is this Martina? How old is she? How does she know Paolo? Are they friendly to each other? How does Martina greet someone?

These little details may or may not feature in your story.

But whatever happened to your characters for them to come to this opening point of your story is what an author should find out in the character’s backstory.

It’s the personal history of your characters, a fundamental step in the process of character development.

It is a great tool for the author, as it can hugely benefit in understanding your characters – their fears, inner and outer lives, motivations, etc.

Backstory impacts a character’s behavior and adds depth to the story

Whether it happened yesterday or a long time ago, different events shape a person’s life, and thus, could be included in your character’s backstory.

The richer the character’s backgrounds are, the more depth you would get into your story.

These details would also help you differentiate one character from the other with distinctive actions and dialogues.

Your responsibility as a writer is to give the characters’ human forms and personalities by pulling out significant details from their life history.

Some of these important life events could be:

The time, date, and place of birth.
Family orientations and the relationships with each other.
Personality type, skills and talents.
Educational background, profession, passion and hobbies.
Current and past relationship status.
Political affiliation, spiritual life, life views and goals.
Anger triggers, goals, joys, fears, etc.
Friends and acquaintances.
Biggest failures, successes, tragedies.

So, immerse yourself into your characters and fill their lives with incidents and events. Let your imagination flow and visualize their childhood, their love life, their biggest support and such in the context of your story.

For example, if you know the relationship between Martina and Paolo; you would be able to design how they speak or respond to each other authentically.

It doesn’t matter if in your novel will be shown only one day of the life of our characters: the way they will live that day, every single gesture, will be the result of their way of being and experiences lived before the story’s beginning.

You can utilize novel writing software to create rich backstories

Sketching out the life of your character can easily get a little complicated due to the amount of information you could get. Considering that bibisco, our advanced novel writing software, comes with a fully-featured character’s dashboard.

The life of your characters before the story's beginning - bibisco character's dashboard
bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software — bibisco character’s dashboard

With elaborate questionnaires regarding the character’s personal data, physical features, behaviors, attitudes, psychology, conflict, evolution, and so on; it challenges the author to think all the minutest details of the character’s life.

The life of your characters before the story's beginning - bibisco character's interview
bibisco blog | useful resources by your novel writing software — bibisco character’s interview

Intuitive, playful and easily accessible, bibisco keeps the authors motivated and interested to know more and more about their character’s life.

Conclusion

The importance of creating the life of your characters before the story’s beginning can’t be stressed enough. It makes them multi-dimensional, and in turn, makes the story memorable.

As bibisco comes featured with the most detailed dashboard to spell out the backstories of a character, it is now simpler than ever to add depth to your novels.