Goes over the techniques that will help writers create characters and stories that won't be forgotten.

Includes index.

What do readers want? -- Types of characters : assembling your cast -- Introducing characters : first impressions count -- The genuine self : what is she really like? -- The motivationally complicated character : but I'm a mess inside -- Showing change in your characters : if I knew then what I know now -- Protagonists in genre fiction : from lovers to starship captains -- The humorous character : all bets are off -- Talking about emotion : dialogue and thoughts -- Emotion suggested : using metaphor, symbol, and sensory details to convey feeling -- Special cases of emotion : loving, fighting, and dying -- Frustration : the most useful emoting in fiction -- Point of view : Whose emotions are we sharing? -- First person : I saw it with my own eyes -- Third person : see Dick run -- Omniscient point of view : playing God -- Putting it all together : the fourth persona -- Checklist -- Critical points.