how-to

StatCounter lets me see the search terms that lead people to this site, and I thought it would be fun to examine what people are looking for when they come here, and hand out a big mess of links to all these in-demand subjects.
The most common search terms are writing-related, which is no surprise, especially [...]

Characters should be a product of their time and place, in ways that go far deeper than clothing and accent. Their outlook on life is affected as well — a character born in the Dark Ages is going to have very different expectations than one born on a space station orbiting Jupiter. What your character considers normal will be based on the people they see around them. Ideas of what is ethical or polite will change as well.

She’s beautiful, often with hair and eyes of some unusual and striking color; brilliant, often with education and skills far beyond her age; and charismatic to the point where all other characters’ thoughts and actions revolve solely around her. Everyone likes, or at least admires her, even her worst enemies. If she has any flaws at all, they are minor and even endearing. Oh, and readers hate her guts.