Character development in stories

Here’s an excellent Cynsations blog interview with K.A. Barson, author of 45 Pounds (More or Less). Barson goes into detail about how she develops her main character. She asks questions of the character, what is it they want, how is she/he trying to get it, their reaction to certain situations, etc. My favorite line of that interview is: “Sometimes the only way to get to the heart of the story is to step out of it and spend time with the characters somewhere beyond the pages of the draft, using things like letters, interviews, journal entries, and scenes outside of this story.”

 

Here’s a question that author Nathan Bransford asks on his blog: “Do you re-read your books when you’re finished writing them?” Well, do you? Read his interesting answer to find out if he does or doesn’t. 

 

Here are three different links and the submission guidelines to Cricket magazine. For Cobblestone. For Odyssey. For Faces. Best of luck!

“Slant: The approach or style of a story or article that will appeal to readers of a specific magazine.” –Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner