Tip #455: Character masks

People in real life wear masks to protect their real feelings and vulnerability.
Masks peeling away is a dramatic device

http://aerogrammestudio.com/2013/12/14/50-narrative-devices-for-non-fiction-storytellers/#more-5652 Slide 26

Tip #454: Passive characters

in language... subjects act, objects are acted upon

http://www.upworthy.com/being-a-sex-object-is-empowering-oh-wait-no-it-s-not-here-s-why-2

Do you want your protagonist to be the subject or the object of your story?

Are your female characters subjects or objects?

Tip #446: The middle

Your protagonist and antagonist don’t know when they’re in the middle of the story... they should be doing everything they can to end the story on the very next page

http://kevinkruse.com/9-writing-tips-from-thrillerfest-2013/

But they're held back by something (maybe a character flaw such as recklessness, or a lack of certain information about the problem or antagonist - usually a combination of things).  So they're making mistakes, mistakes which have consequences.  Often unpleasant consequences.  But these mistakes and consequences and how the protagonist deals with them eventually teach the most stubborn protagonist about the thing which is holding them back (often after their biggest mistake plunges them into the Dark Point).

Tip #335: Creating internal conflicts

pick a word that describes your character. For example: He’s compassionate. Then find another word that can also describe your character, but make it a polar opposite—terrorist... Giving a character a dual nature creates an instability, a lack of balance, that probably can’t stay forever.

http://www.davidfarland.com/writing_tips/?a=281

Tip #329: Using characters' desires to create character arcs

How far will that character go to fulfil their desires? Will he sacrifice the life of a member of his family to stay alive? Will she sacrifice her own life to kill him?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/crime-writing-competition/10159834/Telegraph-Harvill-Secker-Crime-Writing-Competition-masterclass-Stuart-Neville-on-plot.html

Quote taken from video so may not be word perfect.

Character arcs often build up to this question.  It's something we often grapple with daily: how far will we go to satisfy our desire for calorie-rich food?  Will we sacrifice our spare change/diet/figure/health/self-respect/love?  Where is the point when one desire battles with another and we start to question if the original driving desire is worth it?  Where is the point when we decide YES, it's worth it, or NO, it's not?  And what are the consequences of this decision?

The main character arc in Star Wars IV is different.  It's about Luke learning to believe in the Force (and therefore himself) culminating in his choice to trust it (and his own judgement) for a vitally important gamble (and foreshadowing the same decision in Star Wars VI).  But Han Solo has a desire character arc, discovering offscreen he can't abandon his friends in their attempt to destroy the Death Star -- even for money/long life.

Tip #326: Living characters

our characters are just like us, constantly reacting to a million different stimuli... they could {n}ever have anticipated.

http://www.writeyourscreenplay.com/2013/04/24/are-you-planning-your-script/

Tip #322: Character motivations

to sift through an array of possible motivations... The way to do that is not to ask, “What would make one man kill another?” Unless you’re a telepath... Better to ask, “What would make me kill someone?”

http://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/you-and-your-characters/

Tip #320: Organic character growth

if your characters are doing things, even small things, those things will {often} change your characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vm6ttFHDTE (Christopher Paolini)

sometimes just in small ways, but small changes add up.

Tip #316: Meaning in character arcs

A powerful story motif occurs when the anti-hero, because of the unfolding events, is forced to join the community.

http://www.writersdigest.com/tip-of-the-day/writing-fiction-the-three-types-of-lead-characters

Likewise, if you start with a character who is part of the community and because of the unfolding events chooses or is forced to leave the community, that's also powerful.

Tip #308: Easy character arcs

If nothing (and no-one) else, your protagonist should end the story in a different state of mind to the one they began in, unless you're deliberately putting them back exactly where they started to show their lack of change or to emphasise small changes...   

Going from a negative to a positive emotion gives the ending a greater positive impact because the reader is subconsiously aware they've been on an positive emotional journey with the protagonist.

Given examples:

Biggles and Tintin frequently follow this arc:
Boredom -> Increasing Determination -> Satisfaction

Some of the Nancy Drew books often do something similar:
Curiosity -> Increasing Fear -> Relief

The Harry Potter books are much more complex, containing multiple arcs, one of which is:
Alone -> Increasing Friendships -> Loved

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, December 2012

Tip #303: Scaling challenges

when you're a first level character in a game a wolf is a really impressive challenge... once you've leveled up... an army of kobolds can't take them out. {The gradual scaling of challenges alongside the scaling of character ability as they grow from their experiences} needs to be built into your rule system right from the start... else the story gets boring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYqx3nwcpQ0&feature=plcp

Tip #300: Problems with endings?

Does the plot build from... inciting incident to an inevitable climax? 

http://annerallen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-biggest-problem-facing-beginning.html

If you're having trouble answering this question, try separating your various story arcs/problems (external, internal, etc) and thinking as abstractedly as possible.  Different arcs may have different inciting incidents (but as many as possible should share a climax).

e.g. Inciting Incident: Boy learns his parents were murdered -> Climax: Boy comes face-to-face with the murderer is only a tiny part of the Harry Potter story and certainly not the main story arc, but the additional arc (and its dictated requirement) gives the climax additional emotional power.

Tip #287: The antagonist

The Big Boss Troublemaker is whoever or whatever causes the hero’s world to turn upside down {inciting incident}. The BBT creates the story problem that must be resolved by the end of your tale. The BBT is also who or what must be present at the Big Boss Battle. In Star Wars, the BBT was the Emperor. It is his agenda that causes the inciting incident and it is he who must be faced in the final battle or the movie ain’t over... In the beginning, your protagonist should be weak. If pitted against the BBT, your protag would be toast…or actually more like jelly that you smear across the toast...

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/structure-part-3-introducing-the-opposition-2/

Example:

In Fried Green Tomatoes, Evelyn is her own worst enemy. She is spineless and weak. But, the real enemy resides in those who desire to control and bully Evelyn. In each act of the movie, we see Evelyn learning confidence so that by the end, the BIG battle, she can tell her abusive mother-in-law to stuff it.
 

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/structure-part-4-testing-your-idea-is-it-strong-enough-to-make-an-interesting-novel-2/

Tip #272: Compelling emotional stakes

Emotional stakes are created by a character acting to prevent the loss of something important to themself and/or others.

Given examples of Important Things:

Love, a loved one, a secret, safety, life, a long-time goal, an emotionally important object, a pet, integrity, self-appreciation...

To make those stakes compelling, add in or increase one or more of the below:

Feeling of responsibility for risk/character at risk
Love/respect/strong emotion for character at risk
Risk/fear of failure
Difficulty of character recovery from failure
Another important thing/character at risk from the same threat (house of cards)
Importance of IT to character at risk physical/mental well-being
Character at risk deservingness
Act of bravery (overcoming fear)
Act of sacrifice (character accepts & bears a loss/hurt)
Catch 22 (has to choose to sacrifice one character for another character, or one IT for another. No decision = both lost.)
Failure

All increase how far the acting character is prepared to go, what they are and aren't willing to do. Like spices, a little goes a long way. 

H.R. Filmore's Reminders to Self, July 2012


...Is it just me or is that also the definition of a story up there?

Tip #271: Backstory & plot

your protagonist should have an emotional backstory that enhances or complicates the plot of this book now.

Given example:

If he’s falling in love in the plot: What has his experience with love been like before this?

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/second-sight-an-interview-with-executive-editor-cheryl-klein/

This backstory tends to be one of the reasons why this story could have only happened to this person in this way.

Tip #267: MG/YA characters

Middle grade characters are focused internally; it's about self-growth, learning who you are. Young adult characters are focused more externally, noticing the world around them and how they fit in, how they affect things. Often, that's a huge part of a YA character's growth throughout his or her story; moving from a naturally selfish stage in life to becoming more aware of the feelings and situations of others.

http://www.yahighway.com/2011/05/5-fast-differences-between-ya-and-mg.html

Tip #254: Conflicting needs

Try giving your protagonist...

two friction-causing, conflict-creating, mutually exclusive needs.

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/two-conflict-creating-needs-of-every.html
Given example:

in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Jane’s primary need is to marry and live with her soul mate, Rochester.
... Jane’s need to remain true to her moral duty, as well as her need to grow into the strength to truly stand as Rochester’s equal, impedes her from remaining with Rochester after she learns of his insane wife.

Tip #253: What is a story arc?

I have a very simple definition... A story arc is created when something in your writing gets repeated three times.

http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/three-points-make-story-arc.html

Tip #252: Who is the protagonist?

who is {your protagonist}? Is he the brilliant young doctor that he imagines that he could be, or is he the pond scum that past evidence shows him to be? Well, that’s what the story is about.

http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=81

Tip #246: Character as story

if you look at a tale as being about a character moving from one phase of life to another, you can immediately begin to see some of the conflicts you might want to establish, and you’ll get ideas for what needs to happen.

Given example:

Gladiator... our protagonist moves from being “Most trusted general and family man,” to “accused traitor,” “to widower/bereft of family” to “slave” to “gladiator” to “arena champion” to “avenger” to “gaining heavenly reward.”

http://www.davidfarland.com/writing_tips/?a=79