Fantastic Characters and How to Write Them

by P.S. Hoffman

Fantastic characters make great stories.

If you want the power to make your readers fall in love …
If you want to write characters we’ll remember forever …
If you want readers to devour your stories and beg for more …

You must create fantastic characters. The good news: you already have the power to write them.

This book will help you unlock your greatest storytelling gift, and create characters that readers can’t resist.

I’m P. S. Hoffman, and I’ve been researching, writing, and blogging about characters for 7 years. This book contains everything I’ve learned from the best romance, science fiction, and fantasy authors on character development. It includes development mindsets, techniques to instantly improve your existing characters, and tools used by best-selling authors to craft more addictive heroes and villains.

Perhaps best of all, you will have way more fun writing than you ever thought possible.

You will discover:

Part 1: Why Characters Matter

- What makes a fantastic character?
- How to keep readers hooked with better characters
- Where do bestselling authors find inspiration for their characters?

Part 2: How to Instantly Write Better Characters

- The #1 secret to better characters
- Why they must want something
- How to craft intense motivations
- Using internal conflict to keep readers engaged
- How to write richer backstories (without slowing down)
- Crafting truly memorable names
- Creating a magnetic voice that sticks in readers’ minds

Part 3: How to Write Eye-Catching Descriptions

- How do you describe a character?
- 8 Techniques for outstanding descriptions
- What is description without description?
- How to make readers fall in love with your character’s personality
- 23+ endearing traits and fatal flaws

Part 4: How to Write Supremely Addictive Characters

- How to write high-agency characters
- Why is character growth so enthralling?
- How do you write character progression?
- How to make progression endlessly exciting
- Creating your character’s ultimate destiny

If you want to develop deeply fascinating characters, then buy Fantastic Characters today.

127 pages, ebook

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[Jamie Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book to Help You Write Characters Right

While I am mostly a writer who authors non-fiction books, a part of me wants to publish my fiction writing as well. I'm not as confident about my fiction, so I haven't yet done so. I also edit fiction for other writers, and from the very first chapter, I gleaned insights and tips that will help me assist those I edit for and might actually make me feel confident enough to publish my own better fiction. The author stated ideas I've often thought about fiction I’ve read and its characters (like how unlikeable characters can keep us reading as well as likable ones) but hadn't quite distilled into fully developed concepts. I review a lot of fiction books, and this book will help me put better ones together as I will better describe what authors do right and wrong with characters. The author has an engaging writing style that pulls you right in and gets you thinking about character right along with him. The book is logically laid out, first building your concept of what a fantastic character is and then giving you the building blocks about how to create them yourself, from figuring out their motivations and inner conflicts to creating excellent backstory (and weaving it in well) to writing good descriptions to crafting character growth arcs… and so much more. This is ostensibly the first book in this author's series about writing, and I can't wait to see what else he has to offer. I actually enjoyed this book so much as an ARC that I actually bought it for myself at Amazon. Highly recommended!

I received a free copy of this book (but later bought it myself), but that did not affect my review.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book breaks down components of what makes fantastic characters, such as character motivation, backstory, and voice. The example character the author has selected is a dragon.

The book is predominantly aimed at fantasy, science-fiction, and romance authors, but can cater to those in literary fiction, video games, dungeon mastering, and anyone who is curious.

While the example character is a dragon, the method applies to any type of character chosen by the reader/writer because the components remain the same. However, there isn't a 'one size fits all' rule when writing a character because every character is different. The components are there as a baseline before the reader/writer can break rules to adapt to their creation. Imagination plays a huge part.

The structure makes it very easy to read and readers can refer back to relevant sections when there are obstacles when writing. There are examples provided, such as reasons behind character motivations and how to write character descriptions without being too vague or over the top. At the end of every chapter there are also questions for readers to ask themselves regarding their own character.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let you imagination run wild.
This is so well done right from the start you know it will awaken your imagination and when that happens you are off and running. What I liked about the book that it gives a clear idea on what you need to do so that your characters stand out and feel real. Any good author knows that the character must be real to them as they otherwise it is a cookie cutter story. We all know that kind of book as soon as we finish reading we forget all about it. For me I want my readers to remember the characters and look at the book as one they will revisit time and time again. I have books like that where I can become totally engaged with the story even if I have read it numerous times. This book will be one I will go back to anytime I get a bit stalled just the way this author wrote the book will inspire me. I did receive a free copy of this book from Booksprout and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Michalka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, I have to say that when I first started reading this book, I didn't realize just how much I'd end up liking it. I really enjoyed the way it's written. The concepts, information and tips are very easy to understand and I learned A LOT, more than I thought I would. Some of the tips seemed like common knowledge to me at first but when I tried applying them on my characters, I realized just how much unexplored potential my characters really had. All in all, it's a really good book, written in a language that's easy to read and understand and I definitely recommend it for anyone who's in a rut or trying to start creating their own characters.

[Polli.p · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! If you're a writer or hoping to get published this book is chock full of serious, sensible advice that will improve your writing no end.
Every chapter is easy to understand and will guide you to improve your craft. Even if you think you know it all I am sure you will learn something new from this absolute treasure of a book. Keep to this close by as you write it will give you confidence to write better and bolder than ever before.
I know just from my first reading that I have learned so much. My sincere thanks to P S Hoffman for sharing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michael Popovici · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll be drawn into this treasure of instruction on the art of creating exciting and engaging characters from the very first page. Author Hoffman is brilliant in his directions on how to excel as a writer using beautifully descriptive examples throughout the book. It is a must-buy for the novice and professional fiction writer.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rachel]

This book was helpful for authors.
I enjoyed the tips from each chapter to better the works I have, especially as I'd love to become published in the next year.
Will be applying ideas to enhance characters I've written already, and new ones to be written!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this advice manual. It was a great read because the author gave it a wonderful narrative. He creates excellent ideas to put you the reader in the driver's seat on the road to creating your own great characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jodie Cary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read and learn from. Easy to read and to follow.
I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about how to write better and make my characters come to life on paper and not just in my head. Loved it!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[madtrekkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a wonderful guide to characters and how to write them. I really liked how the book explores character relationship, arcs, and how much fun they are to write. Written in a conversational style it's easy to read and has great examples to clarify concepts to the reader. I felt after reading it that I really wanted to write!.

[Cherie Alvaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great resource book. I found it to be very helpful. I am looking forwards to putting the skills I've read about into action.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for this read, this was incredibly helpful in getting my story characters underway and ready for adding into my story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.