Characters As Puzzle Pieces

Characters are rarely perfect. They almost always have strengths and weaknesses. This is a good thing. Watching a character overcome challenges and grow is often one of the most enjoyable things about a story. But if you have a cast of characters, how do you decide what they should be good and bad at? How should you decide their strengths and weaknesses? One approach is to think of your characters as puzzle pieces.

If you’ve ever tried putting a puzzle together, you’ll know that the challenge is...