Comments on: Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 19:04:49 +0000

Oooh, shiny! Another new book to add to my growing collection!
This list looks like it will be incredibly helpful. I absolutely suck at creating characters – they all look like they were made with cookie cutters, even my MCs.

Thank you for posting this!

By: 10 Writing Resources: Characters | Alyssa Hollingsworth

10 Writing Resources: Characters | Alyssa Hollingsworth — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 16:35:56 +0000

[…] 2. Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page […]

By: How to liven up your characters | The Proof Angel

How to liven up your characters | The Proof Angel — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 08:36:45 +0000

[…] your characters jump off the page, full of life? If not, these notes from a workshop with James Scott Bell may inspire you to greater […]

By: No Wasted Ink Writer’s Links | No Wasted Ink

No Wasted Ink Writer’s Links | No Wasted Ink — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 16:00:35 +0000

[…] Lessons From James Scott Bell: Characters That Jump Off The Page […]

By: Penelope Silvers

Penelope Silvers — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 20:42:16 +0000

I absolutely loved this book! While reading, it was as if all the missing puzzle pieces finally fell into place. I’m going to use it on my current romance novel–almost finished–to try and make the character pop even more.

Of course, had to go and search out more JSB books from the library, so have “The Whole Truth” sitting here ready for me to devour this weekend! Thanks, Angela and James!

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 18:12:05 +0000

In reply to Laura Gross Smith.

One way to help find those unusual reactions would be to write a list of 10 different ways a character might react to the situation, each using different emotions. Maybe a scene sets up that happiness would be the right response. Ask yourself, what if it was disappointment instead? Embarrassment? Gratitude? Relief? Anger? How would the character react to express that?

This can be a fun exercise, and also a good way for you to have better insight into the character. Maybe you’ll discover that relief is really unexpected and fits the character & screne better than happiness. Or, you’ll reinforce that happiness is the right emotion to go with. Once you have the right emotion, do the exercise again. List 10 or more ways she can respond that will show her happiness–get crazy, think outside the box. Pick the one that seems like it’s the best fit, but also is uniquely her. 🙂 Good luck!

By: Laura Gross Smith

Laura Gross Smith — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 13:36:57 +0000

Hi, thank you for these valuable resources. I forget that I can ask for help! The Emotion Thesaurus looks like a useful tool as well. I think I need to look at how I react to life situations (predictable) and think about how my characters can react (unpredictably). So many times my characters react how I would in real life, kind of boring.

By: Top Picks Thursday 06-05-2014 | The Author Chronicles

Top Picks Thursday 06-05-2014 | The Author Chronicles — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 17:06:50 +0000

[…] characters need to be vivid and gripping. Angela Ackerman shares some of James Scott Bell’s character tips to make characters jump off the page, and Margie Lawson describes how to write non-cliché facial […]

By: Celtic Rose

Celtic Rose — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:30:29 +0000

Hello from the United Kingdom!
Thank you so much for featuring this book……it is great and just what I needed. I have returned to writing after many years away from it and am currently writing a novel and am having a great time…..really enjoying the process and all the new learning.
Thank you also for the thesaurus…….I now have all three…..so very useful when my brain needs help!

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 04:07:33 +0000

In reply to Manju Howard (@ManjuBeth). Oh, really great question. Guilt can be a great trigger for internal reflection. :)

By: Rosi Hollinbeck

Rosi Hollinbeck — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 01:11:57 +0000

Great list, and as I read it, I couldn’t help but think how much your site and thesauri will help with several of these. Thanks!

By: Manju Howard (@ManjuBeth)

Manju Howard (@ManjuBeth) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 23:53:29 +0000

In reply to ANGELA ACKERMAN. Yes, those questions are great! And in my MC's case - Is it my fault?