When I start on a novel, I'll have a rough idea of who my characters are and how they relate to one another. I expect you do, too.

But as I write, I get to know those characters better. Someone who seemed standoffish early on might open up with the right person. A character who was initially timid might turn out to have a lot of inner strength.

Like me, you may find that your characters shift a little – or a lot – during the writing process. I don't mean that they undergo a character arc: that's a different thing. Instead, I mean that your whole idea of who they are changes.

This often means going back and rewriting. In your first few chapters, in particular, you might not have had quite such a good handle on your characters. Their characterisation – how they come across on the page – might seem a little "off".

As you redraft, you might want to:

• Compare an early scene involving your character with a later scene. How do they speak? How do they act and react to things? What kind of internal thoughts do they have, if it's their viewpoint? You may find you need to tweak the earlier scene to make sure your character is portrayed consistently.
• Keep notes on different aspects of your character. That includes physical things like their hair colour and height ... but you could also note down what riles them up, or what they're most afraid of.
• Get feedback from someone else. That might be a beta reader, a writing coach, a trusted writing friend, or anyone who you'd like to give you some insights on your writing. Ask for their impressions of your characters after the first chapter or two. Does this match up with what you intended? 
• Establish a backstory for your character. This doesn't usually need to be extensive ... but it's helpful to have a clear sense of why your character is who they are. What happened to make them that way? Was it recent or long ago? Look for ways to incorporate hints about their backstory as your novel progresses.
• Consider whether you need all your characters in the plot. Sometimes, cutting a minor character (or merging two minor characters together) can tighten up your story without you losing any nuance.
• If you're stuck, experiment with a different angle on a character. You might write about them from a perspective you've not yet used (e.g. from a minor character's point of view). You could even write a scene where you make a fundamental change to your character and see how it affects them.

Remember, you get to take as many passes at this as you like! You don't have to nail your characterisation on the first draft (or the second, or the third). You've got plenty of time to explore and see what works.

Happy writing,

Ali

P.S. If you missed the most recent blog post, here it is:

Three Act Story Structure (Including the Seven Key Plot Points Your Novel Needs)

I rewrote my self-study courses Start Freelancing and Freelance Confidence in 2022 ... and then in 2023, generative AI started taking off. 😅

Both of those courses are still packed with lots of useful information for freelance writers, but I'm not going to be updating them again in the future. Things are just changing too fast in the freelance writing industry (content writing, in particular).

So I'm taking both courses off the market on Friday 15th November, as they'll end up becoming increasingly outdated over time. Until then, they're available for just $20 each (previously $50).

Start Freelancing is aimed at new freelancers, who've not yet started freelance writing or who are in their first few months. It's also a good refresher course if you've been freelancing a bit longer but you're struggling with common issues like how to price your services or how to get testimonials.

Freelance Confidence follows on from Start Freelancing, though you can also take it as a standalone course. It's designed for established freelance writers who want to get more clients and take the next steps with their freelancing.

Start Freelancing and Freelance Confidence are available until Friday 15th November. After that, they'll be gone for good.

You can find out about them both (and buy them) here. You don't need a discount code: the price is already adjusted for you.

Start Freelancing: aliventures.com/courses/start-freelancing

Freelance Confidence: aliventures.com/courses/freelance-confidence

If you've got any questions about the courses, just hit "reply" and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.