Create unforgettable characters your readers will love

Want to make your characters and their stories more compelling, complex, and original than ever before? "45 Master Characters" is here to help you explore the most common male and female archetypes--the mythic, cross-cultural models from which all characters originate.

• Explore a wide variety of character profiles including heroes, villains, and supporting characters.
• Learn how to use archetypes as foundations for your own unique characters
• Examine the mythic journeys of heroes and heroines--the progression of events upon which each archetype's character arc develops--and learn how to use them to enhance your story.

Develop compelling character arcs using the power of myth

In the best novels, characters undergo dramatic changes that keep readers turning pages. "A Writer's Guide to Characterization" shows you how to develop such meaningful character arcs in your own work--stories of transformation that will resonate with readers long after the story ends.

In this comprehensive guide, author Victoria Lynn Schmidt examines cross-cultural archetypes to illustrate how they can make your work more powerful and compelling. Plus, you'll learn how to draw from Jungian psychology to add complexity and believability to your characters.

Schmidt also provides:

• 40 lessons on character development (with examples from well-known films and novels) that you can apply to your own work
• Questionnaires and exercises to help you select male and female archetypes and adapt them to your story
• 15 classic animal archetypes (including the coyote, snake, tiger, and butterfly) you can use to build convincing character profiles

Build a Timeless, Original Story Using Hundreds of Classic Story Motifs!It's been said that there are no new ideas; but there are proven ideas that have worked again and again for all writers for hundreds of years. Story Structure Architect is your comprehensive reference to the classic recurring story structures used by every great author throughout the ages. You'll find master models for characters, plots, and complication motifs, along with guidelines for combining them to create unique short stories, novels, scripts, or plays. You'll also learn how to: Build compelling stories that don't get bogged down in the middle Select character journeys and create conflicts Devise subplots and plan dramatic situations Develop the supporting characters you need to make your story work Especially featured are the standard dramatic situations inspire by Georges Polti's well-known 19th century work, The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. But author Victoria Schmidt puts a 21st-century spin on these timeless classics and offers fifty-five situations to inspire your creativity and allow you even more writing freedom. Story Structure Architect will give you the mold and then help you break it. This browsable and interactive book offers everything you need to craft a complete, original, and satisfying story sure to keep readers hooked!