Creating Complex Characters: The 5-Day Fiction Fix

by Jen Blood

A simple, five-day process for writing complex characters readers will love -- or love to hate. Through case studies, insightful lessons, and writing exercises divided into five easy-to-follow daily plans, veteran editor and bestselling author Jen Blood shares her secrets for creating characters readers can't get enough of. You’ll get clear, concrete advice, with examples, Day 1: Finding Your Character’s Motivation Day 2: Getting to Know Your Characters Day 3: Dialogue and Characterization Day 4: Artful Exposition Day 5: Character Arc and Evolution Plus, a bonus technical clinic on writing dialogue!

105 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2016

About the author

Jen Blood is a professional editor and publishing consultant, and author of the bestselling Erin Solomon Mysteries. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing/Popular Fiction, with writing influences ranging from Emily Bronte to Dennis Lehane, and any number of genres and authors in between. Her work has earned accolades and awards including the AIA Seal of Quality and the B.R.A.G. Medallion for ALL THE BLUE-EYED ANGELS, and honorable mention for Best in Fiction from the New England Book Festival for her second novel, SINS OF THE FATHER. All four of her novels have reached the Amazon Bestseller list in Mystery, Suspense, and Women Sleuths.

Born and raised among the smaller fishing villages of midcoast Maine, Jen's writing is rich with the details and tone of that isolated, occasionally harsh landscape. Today, after spending several years traveling the country, Jen is once again living in midcoast Maine, busily working on the next installment in the Erin Solomon series.

Reviews

[Paula Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful

I bought this book after listening to the author on Joanna Penn’s podcast. It is a really useful book and got me thinking hard about my character and her journey.

[Miguel Lazo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice work! I started with writing some months ago, so this book was very helpful for me. Clear concepts, nice examples and useful exercises.

[Crina-Ludmila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came at the perfect time in my writing life.
I am currently working on a story, and I am brainstorming and developing characters, striving to make them feel as real as possible.
This guide is very helpful. It's short but efficient; it keeps me focused on how to write great characters that feel like real people.
The examples provided are great because I am the kind of person who understands better when given actual examples/extracts from novels.

I am certain that I will return to reading this guide every time I will be writing a character and/or story because the steps I need to follow to develop a character are clear and concise.

[Dan Guajars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo leí hace un tiempo. De los 5 pasos para corregir la historia en 5 días, creo que se puede sacar en limpio 2 súper relevantes, 1 necesario y dos irrelevantes. Pero ese soy yo, siendo quisquilloso.

[Lyss Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

The exercises in this book were great and definitely helped me get a handle on my characters. However, it can all be done in one day, and I'm unsure why the author separated everything out into days. It's a really short book that could have been even shorter.