This is a helpful book on creating character and one of the more helpful writing books I've read overall. As a writer, for some regrettable reason I have a hard time absorbing the lessons in writing books; this one actually reaches me somewhat. Excellent exercises. Writers should read it unless they've already read many books on character.

Eventually, reading books about how to write is just another way to put off writing. I've said before that I think I've exhausted what I can gain from such books, not because I'm now the best writer I can be (I'm not, or at least I hope I'm not) but because you have to learn by doing, not by reading about it.That said, I begin to distinguish between writing advice books aimed at "beginning," "intermediate," and "advanced" writers. Though the latter is hypothetical - an "advanced" writer would pr...

I've not much to say about this book as I was reading it in a bit of a hurry as it was borrowed, but I've lots of notes.

At first this book seemed like a regurgitation of basic things I already knew. But I hung in there and learned a lot. I'd advise any aspiring author to do the same.

An outstanding collection of explanations, examples, & exercises to improve your writing by focusing on character development. I've learned a lot from this book and I am busy applying it to my own writing. I highly recommend it to new and emerging writers. This book will be staying on my reference shelf-or more likely, open on my desk-for some time to come.

Boring and repetitive. Better books out there.

Very useful and will keep in handy while out long my book series.

Characters emotions and viewpoints⭐️Every time I pick up a new writing book I learned something different or get some other insightful tips. What I liked most about this one is that it had a lot of exercises to do writing exercises that is. So I mark them off so that way when I am stuck or I need help or I just want some thing to keep my mind writing I can’t flip to it quickly. I recommend picking up this book I enjoyed it.

As the title says, this is a craft book for writers giving helpful guidance on creating believable characters, using emotion effectively and in a way that helps build character and add to the story, and choosing the correct point of view for your story. Nancy Kress is a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.The more craft books I read, the less often I find anything really new to offer in terms of tips and advice. Usually it's the same information in different dress. Sometimes I find

4.5*s This book is a bit weak on developing characters (see below), but strong on what to do with your characters once you develop them. Topics such as motivation, emotion, dialogue, point of view, etc. are covered.If you're looking for examples of characters, try The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines or 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters. There are a number of other similar books, but those are two that I'm familiar with.

I found this book to be very useful at helping me work through some issues with the characters in my novel. The relatively narrow focus means Kress can delve deeply into each of the issues she covers. The first seven chapters are about deciding and showing who your characters are, including how their outer presentation might not match their inner thoughts, and how they might (or might not) change over the course of the book. I appreciated the level of detail here. I thought I had a pretty good h...

I found this book to be about as helpful as Orson Scott Card's Characters and Viewpoint, but more in depth. If you aren't a beginner, some of it is a refresher, but there are things I hadn't learned about before. In 16 chapters and three sections, Kress covers types of characters, introducing characters, characters' genuine selves, character motivation, character change, protagonists in genre fiction, and humorous characters. As for emotion, she talks about dialogue and thoughts, emotions throug...

Excellent reference book for fiction writers. Most first time novelists don't realise how important viewpoint is. And characters. Everyone starts writing a novel without knowing who the baddie is - that's why they can't finish it.Great book. Highly recommended.

A how-to-write book. Covering exactly the topics described in the title.Goes into all sort of aspects, Like complicated motives, character change, the different types of POV (first, third, omniscient, epistolary), humorous characters and how they differ from the usual rules, what you need to know about the character's background in order to write, the complications that you have view the character as the reader will, the importance of putting attitude into the description, and more.

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction)by Nancy KressThis book is very similar to the author’s Dynamic Characters: How to Create Personalities That Keep Readers Captivated - some of the text is word for word.This books covers more topics and has writing exercises at the end of each chapter. The book is written with very specific and helpful advice about the craft of writing and contains many examples...

This book was more textbook-like than most of the writing books I have, but I found it quite useful, even if it was slow reading (But not dry! The writing was entertaining.). The parts I found most useful were about using humor and emotion, and the differences between types of point of view. I often get confused between the various types of third person and omniscient, so it was nice to have it explained and see some examples. There are also writing exercises at the end of each section. I haven’...

This book got me thinking about my writing even when the focus was old hat. What more could I ask for?

This book is about how to write characters with sufficient depth that readers will follow them through to the end of a story. As the title suggests, there are three major components to the book: character building, emotional considerations, and point of view. A story requires a character who needs or wants something and faces barriers to that goal. The character has to be someone that the reader is interested in seeing through a process that involves inching toward a goal while being repeatedly

I found this a very helpful book on characters, setting and explaining the differences with points of view. I wish I had read this book earlier as I could have saved myself a lot of hassle with re-writes. Now that I've read it, I will be working through the exercises within the book to improve my own writing. Highly recommended.

Even though some of the things in here were already known to me this was still a big help. Love the exercises!