Dynamic Characters cover

Dynamic Characters

by Nancy Kress

In teaching writers the fundamentals of creating characters that will keep their readers spellbound, Kress utilizes dozens of excerpts from well-known fiction, along with enlightening exercises. In this guide, award-winning author Nancy Kress explores the crucial relationship between characterization and plot, illustrating how vibrant, well-constructed characters act as the driving force behind an exceptional story.In teaching you the fundamentals of creating characters that will keep your readers spellbound, Kress utilizes:Dozens of excerpts from well-known fictionEnlightening exercises to help you build strong characters starting from the outside-inBeginning chapters that focus on the physical elements that comprise a character, providing techniques for using external qualities to reflect personalityBuilding skill upon skill, you blend these qualities with emotional and mental characterization, forming muti-dimensional characters that initiate exciting action, react to tense situations, and power the plot from beginning to end.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?