Ep. 594: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You're At It)

FromHelping Writers Become Authors

Start listening View podcast show

Ep. 594: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You're At It)

FromHelping Writers Become Authors

ratings:

Length:

18 minutes

Released:

Jun 27, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

If your story suffers from cardboard characters, it probably also suffers from plot contrivances. Good news: if you fix one, you fix both.

Released:

Jun 27, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Helping Writers Become Authors provides writers help in summoning inspiration, crafting solid characters, outlining and structuring novels, and polishing prose. Learn how to write a book and edit it into a story agents will buy and readers will love. (Music intro by Kevin MacLeod.)

Skip carousel

Emotional Connection: Punch Your Readers in the Gut!: So how do you go about creating emotionally resonant stories? It's simple: You create stories with which you resonate. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Backstory: The Importance of What Isn't Told: Particularly during this modern trend of beginning stories in medias res (in the middle of things), a deep and full-bodied backstory is every whit as important as the story itself. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
5 Ways to Pace Your Story: Pacing is like a dam. It allows the writer to control just how fast or how slow his plot flows through the riverbed of his story. Understanding how to operate that dam is one of the most important tasks an author has to learn. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Branded: Negotiating Consumerism in Fiction: Two reasons to avoid specifying common and popular consumer names in your fiction. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
yWriter Software Tutorial: Tutorial for yWriter, the quintessential organizer for writers. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Sticking With a Story: If you are willing to stick with a story and resist the urge to let go when the going gets tough, you are likely to discover one of the most important traits of any artist: perseverance. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
How to Kill a Character - And Avoid Hate Mail: When your story demands you kill a prominent character, how do you tap into the power and pathos without infuriating your readers? by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
6 Reasons Not to Listen to Your Critique Partner: How do you know when to heed criticism? How do you know what's worth listening to? You can start by asking yourself the following six questions. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Details: Bringing Fiction to Life: Learn why the details of an author's prose decide whether a story will be the entertainment of an hour or a lasting piece of literature. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Choosing Your Character's Career With Care: What your character does for a living, even if it doesn't feature prominently in your story, will profoundly affect who he is and how he responds to the world around him. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
How You Can Take Advantage of Art's Subjectivity: For better or worse, art (like life) is subjective. Not one of us looks at a story, a painting, a movie, or a concert in the same way. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Making Cliches Work for You: Cliches need not be dreaded bogeymen who haunt our work, but rather exciting and multi-faceted challenges that we can make work for us in many ways. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Why You Should Be Writing Scared: A little dryness of mouth, a little dampness of face, a little quiver in the abdominal region - these are the symptoms of sheer, unadulterated panic. These are the symptoms of a good writer. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Eliciting Emotion: Discovering what drives emotion in fiction and how to elicit it in readers. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Why Genre Writing Could Kill Your Career: Genres too often lead to cliched storylines, sub-par writing, and, in the long run, a less discerning and demanding reading public. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Should You Outline Backwards?: Often, it's easier and more productive to start with the last scene in a series and work your way backwards. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Daydream or Die!: As writers, the one thing we can't afford is not to daydream. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Angst, Mental Illness, and Creativity by Carolyn Kaufman: Is angst a necessary ingredient for creativity? by Helping Writers Become Authors
9 min listen
It's What Your Characters Do That Defines Them: Characters need to do something to prove themselves worth defining. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Should You Write for a Specific Audience?: Writing for an audience, instead of merely to an audience means you're molding your artistic vision to please the whims of the public. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
Characters: Likability Is Overrated: Learn why readers connection with imperfection in characters, more than perfection. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Embrace Your Internal Editor: We've transformed the internal editor into a monster of epic proportions, but only because we haven't learned to utilize him. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
9 Ways to Strengthen Your Beginnings: Nine traits of a good beginning. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
11 Killer Chapter Breaks: Chapter breaks are do-or-die territory for novelists. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
When Your Story Doesn't Turn Out Like You Planned: How many times have you come up with a brilliant idea - a story so dazzling, a character so real, a snippet of dialogue so scintillating that it knocks you breathless - only to have it fail to live up to your vision when you start putting it on paper? by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
10 Habits of Successful Authors: If, by the end of the year, you can cross the following habits of successful authors off your checklist, you'll be a force to reckon with in the literary world! by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Don't Let the Big Words Die: How authors can encourage the growth of vocabulary and use it to enhance their writing. by Helping Writers Become Authors
6 min listen
11 Dichotomous Characters - And Why They Work: Take a look at the following list of classic characters and the dichotomies that made them so memorable. by Helping Writers Become Authors
7 min listen
Good Writers Are So Lazy, They Make Readers Do All the Work! by Jason Black: By letting the reader imagine all the filler details, the stuff that's not actually important to the plot, readers create for themselves a scene that is both vivid and completely believable. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen
Why You Should Write More Than One Genre: The better the artist, the more varied his work. by Helping Writers Become Authors
5 min listen

More Episodes from Helping Writers Become Authors

Skip carousel

Ep. 595: Clearing Up Some Misconceptions About In Medias Res: Is opening your story in medias res compatible with the Three-Act Structure? The secret is in understanding how the First Act functions. by Helping Writers Become Authors
17 min listen
Ep. 593: Understanding the New Normal World of a Story's Resolution: In many ways, the New Normal World of a story's Resolution is what successfully completes the context of the entire story. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 592: Understanding the Underworld of a Story's Third Act: The Underworld of a Story's Third Act is symbolically important for creating powerful and realistic change with your characters and plot. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 591: Understanding the Adventure World of a Story's Second Act: Writers can use the metaphoric Adventure World of a story's Second Act to better understand this crucial part of story structure. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 590: Understanding the Normal World of a Story's First Act: Authors need to understand the four "worlds" represented within a story's structure, the first of which is the Normal World of the First Act. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 589: Deepening Your Story's Theme With the Thematic Square: If you want to deepen the complexity of your story's theme, one tool you can employ is Robert McKee's thematic square. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen
Ep. 588: 6 Ways to Find Your Best Ideas Before You Start Writing: Use these six ways to find your best ideas for writing your book, as you cultivate, channel, and honor your deeper inspiration. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 587: The Role of the Antagonist in Story Structure, Pt. 2 of 2: Examines the role of the antagonist in the second half of a story's structure--the Second Pinch Point through the Resolution. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 586: The Role of the Antagonist in Story Structure, Pt. 1 of 2: The major plot beats in a story are interwoven with the protagonist's journey. But what is the role of the antagonist in story structure? by Helping Writers Become Authors
22 min listen
Ep. 585: Do You Have to Write Every Day? 10 Pros and Cons: Should writers make it a habit to write every day? Here are five pros of writing every day, as well as five potential cons. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 584: The 6 Challenges of Writing a Second Novel: Writing a second novel can often be surprisingly harder than the first one. Check out six challenges sophomore writers often face. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 583: 14 Tips for Dealing With the Passage of Time in a Story: Ask these important questions to make sure the passage of time in a story is strengthening rather than weakening its narrative power. by Helping Writers Become Authors
20 min listen
Ep. 582: 6 Ways to Craft Spectacular Set-Piece Scenes: Here are six important considerations to keep in mind when amping up your story's most important scenes--its set-piece scenes. by Helping Writers Become Authors
14 min listen
Ep. 581: How to Know When You're a Successful Author?: The question of "how to know when you're a successful author?" offers some obvious answers--and yet the subject is far more complex. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 580: Should You Take a Break From Writing? 5 Red Flags: When should you take a break from writing? And once you've taken that step, what in heaven's name are you going to do with yourself? by Helping Writers Become Authors
21 min listen
Ep. 579: 9 Ways to Approach Relationship Dynamics in Fiction: Creating an amazing supporting cast that can offer important relationship dynamics in fiction will also help develop your protagonist. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Episode #578: Archetypes and Story Structure: How They're Connected: Learn how archetypes and story structure mirror each other in any individual book and can be used to further strengthen your story. by Helping Writers Become Authors
25 min listen
Ep. 577: Making Story Structure Your Own: Here are a five important questions you, as a writer of fiction, can ask yourself to help you in making story structure your own. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 576: Conflict in Fiction: What It Really Is and Why It's Important to Plot: There’s nothing incorrect in using confrontation to create conflict in fiction. But to understand conflict as only confrontation is too narrow a definition. by Helping Writers Become Authors
12 min listen
Ep. #575: The Writer's Inner Critic: 10 Ways to Tell if Yours Is Healthy: Learn how to increase the health and effectiveness of the writer's inner critic while diminishing toxic effects. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 574: A Writer's New Year Reflections: The 6 Gifts I Gave Myself in 2021: Here are this writer's New Year reflections, focusing on six "gifts" I gave myself and why I believe they were profoundly life-changing. by Helping Writers Become Authors
19 min listen
Ep. 573: The Two Halves of the Climactic Moment: The two halves of the Climactic Moment require the story's final sequence to offer two very specific beats: Sacrifice and Victory/Failure. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 572: The Two Halves of the Third Plot Point: The two halves of the Third Plot Point work together to create a scene arc that moves from the False Victory to the Low Moment. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 571: The Two Halves of the Midpoint: The halves of the Midpoint are unique in story structure in that they mark the dividing line between the two halves of the entire story arc. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 570: The Two Halves of the First Plot Point: The First Plot Point is often referred to as a threshold, a visual metaphor representing the native two-sidedness of all structural beats. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 569: The Two Halves of the Inciting Event: A series examining the two important "halves" in each of story structure's major beats, beginning with the Inciting Event in the First Act. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen
Ep. #568: 6 Questions to Help You Avoid Repetitive Scenes: Find out what defines repetitive scenes, as well as strategies for recognizing and avoiding them in your fiction. by Helping Writers Become Authors
15 min listen
Ep. 567: Archetypal Antagonists for the Mage Arc: Evil and the Weakness of Humankind: The archetypal antagonists for the Mage Arc often manifest subtly--not in obvious "evil," but in an ordinary person's weakness. by Helping Writers Become Authors
16 min listen
Ep. 566: Archetypal Antagonists for the Crone Arc: Death Blight and Tempter: The archetypal antagonists for the Crone Arc are represented as a Death Blight and as the subtle Tempter who would lure her from the Truth. by Helping Writers Become Authors
14 min listen
Ep. 565: Archetypal Antagonists for the King Arc: Cataclysm and Rebel: The archetypal antagonists for the King Arc are the Cataclysm and the Rebel, both of which challenge the King to culminate his rule. by Helping Writers Become Authors
18 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Bathrooms, Privacy and Seinfeld by Really? no, Really?
35 min listen
S02E23 The Story of A Disappearance and An Appearance by M R James by Classic Ghost Stories
50 min listen
S2 E7: Bernardine Evaristo, author: Next over to Grace’s is award winning author Bernardine Evaristo by Comfort Eating with Grace Dent
36 min listen
Sleep Story: The Wind in the Willows (Chapter 5: Dulce Domum): Download the Stereo App and follow me for exclusive live readings, bonus episodes and more: http://stereo.com/sleepyandrew Note: Apologies for the slight 'raspyness' in this episode, I'm currently fighting off some slight cold symptoms!... by Send Me To Sleep: Books and stories for bedtime
66 min listen
Ep. 717, The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, by Stephen Crane: What will become of the townsfolk when Scratchy Wilson goes on the rampage, and the sheriff is out of town? Stephen Crane, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. by The Classic Tales Podcast
38 min listen
Remembering Hilary Mantel: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dan Snow pay tribute to the award-winning writer of the acclaimed Wolf Hall trilogy. by Not Just the Tudors
26 min listen
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher with Late Night's Mike Scollins: Waddup, book nerds! Our special guest Mike Scollins (Late Night with Seth Meyers, SNL) forced us to read Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. A #1 NYT bestseller in 2011, this book was inspired by an audio guide to a King Tut exhibit! It spawned the... by Mean Book Club
118 min listen
Ancient Vampires: They Only Knock Once: Communities all over the ancient world had a problem: their dead wouldn't stay in the ground. by Ancient History Fangirl
89 min listen
Ep. 645, The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe: Is there, in fact, a curse on the actual House of Usher, or just the inhabitants? Edgar Allan Poe, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. by The Classic Tales Podcast
55 min listen
Noel Streatfeild — Ballet Shoes and The Whicharts with Wendy-Marie Chabot by Lost Ladies of Lit
45 min listen
When You Think You Know Your Parents: Ariel Sabar was visiting his parents in his childhood home in California, when he awoke one morning to high-pitched giggles coming from his parents’ room. He opened the door to a Norman Rockwell-type image: his father, 70, riding his stationary bike in his pajamas; and his 6-year-old son perched on its frame, cheerleading for his grandfather. Ariel was stunned: “As a boy, I’d seen this house as a battlefield, a place where children and parents less often joshed than jousted,” he wrote in his 2009 Modern Love essay. Was his relationship with his father as turbulent as he remembered, or had he blinded himself to happier times? In today’s episode, Ariel starts to see his father in a new light, as his son brings them closer together. Then, we hear a Tiny Love Story about a woman who took a DNA test that led to a life-changing discovery (fun fact: coincidentally, she is a geneticist). Join Modern Love for a virtual event on March 9 (RSVP at nytimes.c by Modern Love
21 min listen
Chapters 57-61: Focused Summary by Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
13 min listen
S02E25 The Story of Salome by Amelia B Edwards by Classic Ghost Stories
58 min listen
Sleep Story: Sherlock Holmes, The Red-Headed League (Part 1): Download the Stereo App and follow me for exclusive live readings, bonus episodes and more: http://stereo.com/sleepyandrew Note: Apologies for the slight 'raspyness' in this episode, I'm currently fighting off some slight cold symptoms!... by Send Me To Sleep: Books and stories for bedtime
58 min listen
Mansa Musa: Forget Jeff Bezos, meet Mansa Musa – the richest man ever to live. by You're Dead to Me
46 min listen
Episode 5: The Way You Sing Off-Key: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers continued to light up the silver screen in 1937, and it was the Gershwin brothers -- Ira and George -- who were responsible for the nominated song that accompanied their song-and-dance routine. Not to be outdone, Bing C... by The Best Song Podcast
53 min listen
SYMHC Classics: Transatlantic Telegraph Cable by Stuff You Missed in History Class
29 min listen
Chapters 57-61: Favorites by Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2 min listen
Yellowhead (alias Goldilocks) by Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt
12 min listen
Love Among the Chickens by P. G. Wodehouse ~ Full Audiobook: Love Among the Chickens by P. G. Wodehouse audiobook. Jeremy Garnet, a second-rate novelist, gets talked into joining his old pal Stanley Featheringstonehaugh Ukridge in an insane plan to start a chicken ranch. Garnet should bail out on his crazy fri... by Classic Audiobook Collection
368 min listen
Curling: The Most Ridiculous Sport? by Ridiculous History
44 min listen
Chapters 57-61: Reading (Ch. 61) by Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
8 min listen
1. The Gathering Storm: A team of experts must work together to stop disaster in the Bermuda Triangle. by The Triangle
92 min listen
Ridiculous History Presents: A History of "Adult" Toys, Part 2: While it's a taboo subject in the modern day, it turns out people have been improvising ways to pleasure themselves since, well, the dawn of history. In the second part of this week's two-part takeover episode, Ben and Noel join Eli and Diana Banks, real-life spouses and creators of the hit podcast Ridiculous Romance, to discuss the strange, ridiculous (and at-times disturbing) history of sex toys across the planet. Heads-up, this one gets a little raunchy. by Ridiculous History
63 min listen
Elizabeth Barrett Browning: poet, activist, trailblazer, runaway: Fiona Sampson speaks about the extraordinary life of the Victorian poet, who battled chronic illness and family troubles to write ground-breaking poetry. by History Extra podcast
59 min listen
Carmilla (1872): Today's episode is the first of Queer as Fiction, a series in which we talk to you about the intersection of the historical and the queer in the media. We'll kick things off with J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 lesbian vampire novella Carmilla, and talk about... by Queer as Fact
56 min listen
5. Castaways: The team has survived the bizarro-world Russians, but it turns out there is more than one unfriendly neighbor on the island. by The Triangle
71 min listen
The Woman of Colour: A Tale with Leigh-Michil George by Lost Ladies of Lit
39 min listen
Rilla of Ingleside and the WWI Homefront: (Elizabeth) What was life like for those on the Canadian home front during WWI? Join Liz as she uses L.M. Montgomery's final book in her Anne series, Rilla of Ingleside, to answer questions about the ones who stayed behind. by Footnoting History
14 min listen
GARM-A HOSTAGE by RUDYARD KIPLING: 1001 Classic Short Stories Stories by Rudyard Kipling by 1001 Classic Short Stories & Tales
41 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Ep. 594: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You're At It)

Ep. 594: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You're At It)

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Helping Writers Become Authors

Related podcast episodes