Ask the Author: Annabelle Batie
Answered Questions (4)
Annabelle Batie
I totally get that! My characters started out that way at first, too. Here are my top tips for writing strong character development:
1. Give them all distinct personalities. Don't make two characters the exact same. It can also be really helpful to use personality tests like the Enneagram or MBTI to help assign personalities to your characters. Also modeling some of your characters after real-life people can be cool too, and it makes them feel a lot more relatable to you readers.
2. Read the book "Creating Character Arcs" by K.M. Weiland. This book helped me a lot with my character development! Give your characters a lie that they believe about themselves or about the world, and then over the course of the story have them realize the truth. This is especially good for your main character, but it can also be good to have smaller character arcs for your side characters so that they can sharpen your main character.
3. Remember that it's okay for your characters to make mistakes. When I first started out writing, I often made my MCs perfect in almost every way, just because I thought that was way cooler. But actually, it's not! It only makes it so that readers have trouble relating to your characters and there's hardly any good plot or action, because the main character never messes up, so they never create any problems for themselves.
4. Check out my blog post on Writing Distinct Character Voices (https://annabelle.batie.com/how-to-wr...), or my blog post on Creating Relatable Characters (https://annabelle.batie.com/3-tips-on...) for some more tips!
I hope this was helpful!
1. Give them all distinct personalities. Don't make two characters the exact same. It can also be really helpful to use personality tests like the Enneagram or MBTI to help assign personalities to your characters. Also modeling some of your characters after real-life people can be cool too, and it makes them feel a lot more relatable to you readers.
2. Read the book "Creating Character Arcs" by K.M. Weiland. This book helped me a lot with my character development! Give your characters a lie that they believe about themselves or about the world, and then over the course of the story have them realize the truth. This is especially good for your main character, but it can also be good to have smaller character arcs for your side characters so that they can sharpen your main character.
3. Remember that it's okay for your characters to make mistakes. When I first started out writing, I often made my MCs perfect in almost every way, just because I thought that was way cooler. But actually, it's not! It only makes it so that readers have trouble relating to your characters and there's hardly any good plot or action, because the main character never messes up, so they never create any problems for themselves.
4. Check out my blog post on Writing Distinct Character Voices (https://annabelle.batie.com/how-to-wr...), or my blog post on Creating Relatable Characters (https://annabelle.batie.com/3-tips-on...) for some more tips!
I hope this was helpful!
Annabelle Batie
My first tip would be to never give up, no matter how hard it is! Writing requires a lot of perseverance, and if you ever want to finish a full novel, you're going to have to do a lot of work.
Secondly, always remember how fun writing is. If you're a natural writer, you probably enjoy creating stories and characters. However, if you work TOO hard, then writing can start to feel a lot more boring. Remind yourself that it's okay to take breaks sometimes and regain your motivation for your story. Chances are, once you have taken a short break, you will feel so much more motivated and happy about your story. 😊
Secondly, always remember how fun writing is. If you're a natural writer, you probably enjoy creating stories and characters. However, if you work TOO hard, then writing can start to feel a lot more boring. Remind yourself that it's okay to take breaks sometimes and regain your motivation for your story. Chances are, once you have taken a short break, you will feel so much more motivated and happy about your story. 😊
Annabelle Batie
The name of the underwater city is Reefinia City, but the town Maria grew up in is something I never mentioned in the book (and I don't plan to. Mostly because it's a made-up town that is completely nonexistent. 😆)
I came up with names for the characters pretty quickly. I think I just googled "book character names" or something like that, then I picked my favorite names and moved on. 😄
I came up with names for the characters pretty quickly. I think I just googled "book character names" or something like that, then I picked my favorite names and moved on. 😄
Annabelle Batie
I'm not sure yet. I think it will take me about two years to write and publish the second book, so I'm guessing 2025 for that one. And the others will come sometime after that. :)
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