719 books
—
1,489 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints” as Want to Read:
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints
(Write Great Fiction)
by
Create Complex Characters
How do you create a main character readers won't forget? How do you write a book in multiple-third-person point of view without confusing your readers (or yourself)? How do you plant essential information about a character's past into a story?
Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by award-winning author Nancy Kress answers all of the ...more
How do you create a main character readers won't forget? How do you write a book in multiple-third-person point of view without confusing your readers (or yourself)? How do you plant essential information about a character's past into a story?
Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by award-winning author Nancy Kress answers all of the ...more
Paperback, First Edition, 232 pages
Published
March 15th 2005
by Writer's Digest Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints

Apr 30, 2013
David
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
writers, especially head-hopping melodramatic writers
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 ...more
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 ...more

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.
...more

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.
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.

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.
...more

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
...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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. ...more
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. ...more

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.
...more

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.
...more

Oct 12, 2016
Bernie Gourley
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
writers wanting insight into improving character development.
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
...more

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction)
by Nancy Kress
This 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 ...more
by Nancy Kress
This 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 ...more

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
...more

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. ...more
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. ...more

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’
...more

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.
...more

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.
...more

One of the best books I've read on viewpoint. Character and emotion stuff was also very good.
...more

People always complain that my characters are "gray," and even though I have good stories, character is the heart, and if I'm not getting that right, no one but people who love me are going to want to read my story. It's been frustrating to me because although I want to do what my critique group tells me to and give my characters more agency, I haven't seen how to do it, and trial and error wasn't working for me.
This book gives concrete examples on how to make characters more dynamic, and I fina ...more
This book gives concrete examples on how to make characters more dynamic, and I fina ...more

Remember that scene in the movie Amadeus, where Antonio Salieri complains to the priest about how badly God has treated him and his music? I feel somewhat the same way about writing fiction: "All I wanted was to write science fiction. Why did God implant the desire? Like a lust in my body! And then deny me the talent?"
So I read books like this one, which gives good, solid advice on how to develop believable fictional characters and how to place them in the right fictional situations. The advice ...more
So I read books like this one, which gives good, solid advice on how to develop believable fictional characters and how to place them in the right fictional situations. The advice ...more

I feel like I learned more about creating good characters in the Plot book in this series (Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish) than I did in this book, but otherwise it was fine - not amazing, but fine.
...more

Great book with lots of information I loved the recap feature at the end of each chapter. Some of the sections weren’t especially useful, such as the omniscient POV section. Parts of it were slow, not because of bad writing but because of dense information. Also a few rare times the author explained a rule as it applied to a particular passage rather than in more universal terms. It still made sense but made taking notes challenging.

This book is filled with ideas on how to create characters and tell their story in an easy to follow detailed manner. Kress gives many examples and exercises to help the writer learn to sharpen their skills. There is so much to consider when reading this book. I recommend taking your time and working on your writing at the same time implementing the ideas presented.

Very helpful guide. A resource I’ve tabbed and will revisit. My only qualm is I wanted more detail particularly regarding character emotions. Great overview, however, and the POV chapters are worth the price alone. I also appreciated her advice for writers and how not to become the “critic” of your own work early on in the process of writing.

Sections of this book reminded me of Donald Haass's book on emotion, with more emphasis on what to keep in mind during initial drafts instead of rewrites. The section on POV is well conceived - Kress devotes far more attention to the nuances between and among POV possibilities than most books on craft. This is a book I will be returning to throughout the drafting process.
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Nancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella
Beggars in Spain
which was later expanded into a novel with the same title. In addition to her novels, Kress has written numerous short stories and is a regular columnist for Writer's Digest. She is a regular at Clar
...more
Other books in the series
Write Great Fiction
(5 books)
News & Interviews
As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of...
35 likes · 8 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“You must learn to be three people at once: writer, character, and reader.”
—
12 likes
“We writers want readers to love our books. Greedy people that we are, we mean all readers. But in our more rational moments, we know that there is no book written that every reader enjoys. This is because people read for different reasons. Some readers want fast-paced excitement—and will put down a slower-paced book that examines the same reality as their own lives. Others want thoughtful insights into reality—and will put down fantasies of nonstop adventure. Some want to read about people they can identify with, some about characters they will never meet. Some seek clear, straightforward storytelling, and some cherish style: the unexpected phrase in exactly the right place. Some want affirmations of values they already hold, and some hope to be challenged, even disturbed. It’s”
—
2 likes
More quotes…