Mastering Character Development

If developed well, a character can live in a reader's mind long after they've forgotten the book's title, plot points, even the author's name. Here are some tips on creating memorable characters.

Memorable Characters

Naming Your Characters

Avoid Sad Sack Protagonists

Reinventing the Hero

Choosing Your Antagonist

Crafting The Con Man

Mob Mentality (how mobs control people)

Angel or Devil

Levels of Antagonism

Friends and Foes

Developing Sidekicks

Sixteen Lovers Part 1

Sixteen Lovers Part 2

Sixteen Lovers Part 3

Sixteen Lovers Part 4 16 Heroes and Villains Wynn

16 Heroes and Villains Frances

16 Heroes and Villains Nevada

16 Heroes and Villains Arden
16 Heroes and Villains Blair

16 Heroes and Villains Dallas

16 Heroes and Villains Hadley

16 Heroes and Villains Shelby

16 Heroes and Villains Joss

16 Heroes and Villains Kelly

16 Heroes and Villains Greer

16 Heroes and Villains Taylor

16 Heroes and Villains Cam

16 Heroes and Villains Morgan

16 Heroes and Villains Lee

16 Heroes and Villains River

16 Parents and Children Wynn

16 Parents and Children Francis

16 Parents and Children Nevada

16 Parents and Children Arden

16 Parents and Children Blair

16 Parents and Children Dallas

16 Parents and Children Hadley

16 Parents and Children Shelby

16 Parents and Children Joss

16 Parents and Children Kelly

16 Parents and Children Greer

16 Parents and Children Taylor

16 Parents and Children Cam

16 Parents and Children Morgan

16 Parents and Children Lee

16 Parents and Children River

Romance: Points of Connection

Obstacles to Love

Layering Conflict Character Motivation 

Ten Ways to Motivate Characters

Writing (Characters) in Three Dimensions

Should Your Characters Change?

Unpacking your Character Question 1

Unpacking your Character Question 2

Unpacking your Character Question 3

What Drives Your Characters Part 1

What Drives Your Characters Part 2

Tapping Your Character's Currency

Currency in Action

Ditherers and Despots

Conflicts of Project Runway Under Pressure

New Year's Resolution

Personal Ghosts as Conflict

Crafting Creatures: Ghosts

Crafting Creatures: Witches

Crafting Creatures: Vampires

Crafting Creatures: Fae

Crafting Creatures: Angels and Demons

Crafting Characters: Seenagers

Dressing Your Characters

12 Fascinating Fe/Male Spies

Revising Characters


The information on genre can also be found in the book Story Building Blocks The Four Layers of Conflict in ebook and print editions as well as on my website 
www.dianahurwitz.com. Much of the material from my Story Building Block books is available in my blog posts and website along with free forms such as:

Character Worksheet

Mannequins Under Pressure

Sixteen Lovers

Communication Conflicts

Online Writing Courses

There are many classes offered online, some with college credit, some without. They range in price accordingly. Some are from Universities and others are from professionals who want to share their passion for the subject.

1.EdX is a site that offers online college courses from a multitude of sources. 

How to Write a Novel: Writing the Draft, University of British Columbia, Whether you’re beginning your novel draft or nearing the end, this course is a unique opportunity to learn the essentials of strong fiction writing from award-winning authors sharing their proven methods and approaches. Cost is $295.

How to Write a Novel: Structure and Outline, In the tradition of the UBC MFA program, this course draws on the work habits of established authors to help writers move quickly toward creating a blueprint for a successful draft. Cost is $295.

English Grammar and Style covers grammatical principles, word usage, writing style, sentence and paragraph structure, and punctuation. Cost is $99.

2. Coursera is another source for online courses priced from $29-$99.

Grammar and Punctuation University of California, Irvine refresher on some tools needed for good writing.   

Creative Writing: The Craft of Plot 

Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest

Creative Writing: The Craft of Character

Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description 

Script Writing: Write a Pilot Episode for a TV or Web Series (Project-Centered Course) 

3. MIT Online offers a variety of online courses by publishing the course materials of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity. Here is a brief list of some of the writing related courses.

Course #21W.759 Writing Science Fiction (Spring 2016) Undergraduate Level

Course # 15.269 Leadership Stories: Literature, Ethics, and Authority (Fall 2015)
Graduate level

Course #21A.270 Anthropology Through Speculative Fiction (Fall 2009)
Undergraduate level

Course #21G.010 Introduction to European and Latin American Fiction (Fall 2006)
Undergraduate level

Course #21L.003 Introduction to Fiction (Spring 2002) Undergraduate level

Course # 21L.021 Comedy (Spring 2016) Undergraduate level

Course #21L.310 Bestsellers: Detective Fiction (Fall 2006) Undergraduate level

Course #21L.430vPopular Culture and Narrative: Use and Abuse of the Fairy Tale (Fall 2015) Level

Course #21W.742J Writing About Race: Narratives of Multiraciality (Fall 2008)
Undergraduate level

Course #21W.755 Writing and Reading Short Stories (Spring 2012) Undergraduate Level

Course #21W.758 Genre Fiction Workshop: Fantasy (Fall 2016) Undergraduate Level

Course #21W.758 Genre Fiction Workshop (Spring 2013) Undergraduate Level

4. Stanford University also offers online courses at a cost of $330 per course. Whether you’re just beginning to write or putting the finishing touches on your first novel, our on-campus and online writing courses offer expert instruction, individual attention, and supportive feedback at all levels, in all genres of creative writing.

Fiction Writing Fundamentals: Discovering and Working with Your Best Material

Eavesdropping: Using Overheard Dialogue in Fiction

Fiction Writing The elements of fiction writing: narration, description, and dialogue. Students write complete stories and participate in story workshops.

Creative Writing Beginner

Creative Writing Intermediate

5. Writer's Digest offers online courses to improve your craft in the $400-$600 range.

12 weeks to a Rough Draft

Character Development: Creating Memorable Characters

Build Your Novel Scene by Scene

Advanced Novel Writing

Storytelling: Story Mapping and Pacing

Fundamentals of Fiction

6. Gotham Workshop classes offer the same quality of instruction as our NYC classes, and, as much as possible, our Online classes replicate the experience of being together in a classroom with a teacher and fellow students.

 Fiction Writing I (10-week Workshop)


Screenwriting I (10-week Workshop)

Article Writing I (10-week Workshop)

Creative Writing 101 (6-week Class)

Hit Send: Publishing Short Nonfiction (Selling Seminar)

7. Stratford Career Institute offers online courses in the $600 to $800 range.


Creative Writing  Learn to create stories and characters that are as real on paper as they are in the mind. Provide settings and create plots that will entice and inspire readers. 

Stratford's in-depth curriculum covers everything from writing structure to character development and self-editing. This thorough and fun program can help you learn fundamental writing technique to spark your best stories yet. 

8. The Writers Workshop offers online classes for $500 each in addition to their regional writing workshops. Classes include: Introduction to Fiction Writing, Intermediate Fiction Writing, Advanced Fiction Writing, and Intermediate Novel Writing.

9. The University of North Carolina offers online continuing education courses for credits:  English Comp, English Comp & Grammar, Introduction to Fiction Writing, Intermediate Fiction Writing, and Advanced Fiction Writing. 

10. Skillshare gathers people who provide video courses to help others.

Writing Standout Opening Scenes

How to Write Short Stories

Write Your First Horror Story

It would be remiss to not add my Story Building Blocks series of books which can take you from "I have an idea" to a carefully cast, soundly constructed novel, and richly drawn story world your readers won't forget. All are available in print and ebook through Amazon. There are also free worksheets and materials on my website and a great deal of information in past posts on this blog.

Story Building Blocks I has been called a "mini-MFA" course. Helps you decide what promise you wish to make to your reader and how to keep it by structuring your story in ways that meet their expectations based on genres. The fourteen Build A Plot Workbooks offer a fill-in-the-blanks road map for your story.

Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict: Faulty logic and missing motive are plot holes that cause reader disconnect. In Story Building Blocks II, we explore obstacles and responses at scene and overall story level. We find out how your characters navigate the world, who they love and hate, and why they behave and misbehave. The Build A Cast Workbook utilizes the same prototypes to help you create the perfect cast.

Story Building Blocks III: The Revision Layers helps you eliminate speed bumps and plot holes and present the cleanest manuscript possible whether you submit it to an agent or publisher or go the self-publishing route.

Next week, we take a look at how to name your characters.

Great Courses for Writers

 In addition to the Master Class offerings, Great Courses offers DVD and streaming classes on every topic imaginable. There are quite a few on aspects of writing.

1. Writing Great Fiction: Story Telling Tips and Techniques by James Hynes, Novelist and Writing Instructor. 

2. Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything by Professor Dorsey Armstrong, Ph.D. Purdue University. 

3. The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction by David Schmid, Ph.D.
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. 

4. How Great Science Fiction Works by Professor Gary K. Wolfe, Ph.D. 

5. Redefining Reality: The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science by Professor Steven Gimbel, Ph.D. Gettysburg College 

6. Masterpieces of Short Fiction by Professor Michael Krasny, Ph.D., San Francisco State University. 

7. English Grammar Bootcamp by Professor Anne Curzon, Ph.D. University of Michigan

8. Building Great Sentences by Brooks Landon

9. How to Market Your Book by Jane Friedman 

10. Writing Creative Nonfiction by Professor Tilar J. Mazzeo, Ph.D, Colby College 

11. Becoming a Great Essayist by Professor Jennifer Cognard-Black, Ph.D., St. Mary’s College of Maryland 

12. Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story by Professor Angus Fletcher, Ph.D.
The Ohio State University

13. The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction by Professor David Schmid, Ph.D., University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

14. Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature by Professor Thomas A. Shippey, Ph.D., St. Louis University 

15. Trails of Evidence: How Forensic Science Works by Professor Elizabeth A. Murray, Ph.D. Mount St. Joseph University

16. Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals by Professor Elizabeth A. Murray, Ph.D. Mount St. Joseph University

17. The English Novel by Professor Timothy Spurgin, Ph.D., Lawrence University 

The list prices for the courses are rather high for struggling authors. But there are frequent sales with up to 70% off, especially once you create an account and get emails or mailed catalogs. Some courses are sold in sets with a price break. Share them with your writing pals or critique group if you have one. Perhaps you could all chip in together and watch the lectures together. Also check your local library. It is possible a course has been donated.

I cannot recommend these courses highly enough, especially for those going it alone and when you can't find local resources for writing classes. There are too few! Most conferences cater to beginning writers. The more you learn about your craft, the better your writing will be.

Next week, we look at online college courses.

Book Covers: How To Videos

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, and You Tube, there are many gracious artists and designers willing to teach you book cover design with How To videos.

Here are links to the top twenty tutorials. 

Checking out one usually leads to more. It is a glorious time sink. A few have annoying music. You can mute them.

1. How to Make a Book Cover in Microsoft Word 

2. How to Make Your Own Cover Using MS Word 

3. How to Use Create Space's Templates  (Note: Create Space's templates may be removed as CS closes down).

4. KDP Cover Creator Tutorial 

5. Foolproof Book Cover Designs 

6. How to make a cover on Photoshop

7. How to make a book jacket on Photoshop 

8. Book Cover Design Tutorial 

9. Book Cover Fantasy Tutorial 

10. Book Cover Design Tricks 

11. Five Tips for Great Design 

12. How to Make Book Covers That Sell

13. Foolproof Book Cover Design

14. Three Book Cover Design Mistakes to Avoid 

15. Book Cover Design Mastery 

16. Design a Paperback Book Cover with InDesign 

17. How to Make a 3-D Book Cover in Photoshop 

18. Udemy Learn Book Cover Design 

19. Corel How to Design a Book Cover 

20. PSD Box How To Create a Realistic Book Cover 

Next week, we explore interior design and ebook formatting.

Utilizing Fonts for Book Covers and Interiors

Typeface and fonts designers are protected by trademarks and design patents. It is crucial to understand the licensing for fonts you intend to use for your interior format as well as the cover. Fonts have rules similar to software. They are the creator's intellectual property.

Some fonts are free for personal use, even commercial use.  Many fonts can be used for personal projects only: letters, blog posts, scrapbooking, etc. Others require a license for use on the web, in print, and on items that are sold. Others require you to purchase a license to use it for print ads, covers, marketing materials, etc. 

The rules apply to the fonts you use on the cover as well as the book's interior. It is best to stick with simple fonts for e-books such as Times New Roman or Arial. Each e-book publishing platform has limitations to the fonts they will accept. E-readers allow the user to choose a font style and size. Specialized fonts would have to be embedded as images to translate.

To read more about licensing basics, view:

1. Font Licensing 101

2. Introduction to Licensing and Usage

When you download a font, there is usually a text document outlining the End User License Agreement (EULA) that comes with it.

If you are still not sure what the rights are, you can usually find it by searching for "XYZ Font license agreement" in your web search engine. Distributors and sellers of fonts often share that information under product details.

When in doubt, don't use it.

Once you dive into the world of font designs, the search easily turns into a passion. There are many resources for downloading fonts and most have useful articles on font licensing.

1. 1001 Fonts 

2. Design Roast 

3. Design Shack 

4. Fonts.com

5. Font Spring 

6. Font Space 

7. My Fonts 

There are even online sites with tools to design your own fonts.

1. Caligraphr

2. Fontself

3. Fontstruct

4. Prototypo

5. Your Fonts

Typography is an art unto itself. There is no way to cover all of the intricacies in a blog post. At the very least, font choices should reflect the tone and genre of the book. It helps to understand blocking, contrast, color, size, and placement. Poor font selection can turn great artwork into a dud cover design.


Here are a couple of articles explaining the importance of good placement.

1. Typography Mistakes 

2. Typeface Fonts 

3. How To Design Book Covers

4. Top 10 Fonts for Book Covers 

5. Book Cover Typography 

6. The Complete Guide to Choosing Your Book Cover Font With Examples 

7. How to Create a Standout Book Cover 

When creating a book interior, it is important to embed the fonts in the document.  You can choose to embed only the characters you used, for chapter headers etc., or the entire set. The entire set increases file size.

You can learn more about how to embed fonts from these sources:

1. Creating a PDF with Embedded Fonts for MS Word (PDF)

2. How to embed all the fonts in a PDF file (PDF)

3. How to embed fonts in Adobe Acrobat (PDF)

4. How to embed all the fonts in a PDF file

5. How to determine if fonts are embedded in a PDF file

6. Font embedding and substitution

Some font files on your system, or that you have downloaded for "free," have embedding permissions in them that may prevent you from using them. Unless you have purchased a license, it is best to substitute the font for another open use font.

As with any intellectual property, it is courtesy to offer a mention in the credits for the creator of your fonts. This can be done in a colophon section in the front matter on the page after the title page where you find the copyright information. It can also be located in the back matter after the author biography.

Crediting a type font

The same applies to images utilized in the interior or on the cover.

          This book is set using (font) designed by (designer) of (page or website).

          The cover was designed by (artist) of (page or website).

          Image used on page (#) was created by (artist) of (page or website).

          Illustration on page (#) was created by (artist) of (page or website)

If you use multiple specialty fonts, list each on a separate line.


Next week, we discuss book cover video tutorials.

Book Covers Using Stock Images

 If you decide to design your own cover, you must understand licensing for images.  Just because you can find an image on the internet or through a simple search does not give you the right to use it for your book cover, or any other purpose such as blog posts or other personal use.

There are some truly "free" images available for any use, but you need to make sure that is stated in writing somewhere from the artist. If they post on a site such as Deviant art, they may only ask that you for attribution.

Most professional image providers have different levels of permission and licenses for purchase.

It is also important to note whether you will have exclusive rights to the image or if they resell it. As you can see from the example on the left, this image was used for two different covers. It happens quite often in traditional publishing these days as well as self-publishing.

Royalty free (RF) images give you almost unlimited usage "in perpetuity." You are free to manipulate the images for your covers and marketing items for as many projects as you like. Some RF images are free, other providers charge for the image but do not require a licensing agreement.

Rights managed images (RM) come with restrictions on how and where you can use the image, the duration of use, type of usage, etc.

A standard license will cover a certain amount of books (say 500,000). You can use the image for promotion and giveaways but not for promotional items that are sold. To do that, you need an extended license from the creator of the stock image.

Stock Photo License has answers to most licensing questions.  

This primer from 99 Designs explains the legal aspects of licensing and protection from lawsuits.

You should consult the licensing data from each stock photo site you utilize.

You should also credit the artists, at the very least mention their name or username and webpage on your copyright page: "Artwork courtesy of Jane Doe at www.janedoe.com."

There are many exciting resources for stock images as well as illustrations.

1. Adobe Stock Images charges you for access with different subscription levels. 

2. Alamy offers book cover images. 

3. Deviant Art is one of my favorite sites. Artists from around the world upload their work. Many let you use their images for free as long as you credit them. You can search by keyword or genre. If you find an artist whose work you love, you can look at their entire gallery. You can also search "Book Covers" and find many talented book cover designs and original artwork. 

4. Deposit Photos offers book cover art as well as stock images. 

5. Dreamstime is another excellent source for stock images.

6. Fantasy Background Store features high resolution fantasy backgrounds and images. A few are free. Most are for sale. 

7. Free Images provides free stock photos, not necessarily for book covers but if you can use Photoshop or the like you can manipulate their stock images. 

8. Getty Images has high resolution royalty-free images. Image usage and cost depend on the license you purchase.

9. iStock has high quality images with different levels of licensing for purchase.  

10. NeoStock images start at $75 and up. 

11. Period Images is a wonderful source for costumed characters and other book cover art. The images are not exclusive to you.

12. Shutter Stock  has a photo manipulation tool in addition to different cost and license levels.

13. Stock Fresh offers book covers as well as stock images. 

14. Wallpapers Craft has wonderful high resolution background images you can download for free. Search by keyword like Fantasy, Fairies, Earth, etc. 

Can you use an old painting as a cover image?

There are many talented artists and photographers advertising their work on Facebook. A simple search for "book cover designers" or "illustrators" will bring up a wide range of image providers.

Next week, we discuss font licensing and how to utilize typography for your cover.