A WORDSLINGER PODCAST

What can JAWS teach you about writing better characters? More than you might think.

In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, Kevin Tumlinson sits down with Donn King for another Kevin on Craft conversation, this time exploring what makes fictional characters feel real—and why writers may be describing far more than they need to.

Just as Steven Spielberg discovered that the unseen shark in JAWS could be more frightening than the mechanical shark itself, writers can harness the reader’s imagination to make characters more vivid, personal, and powerful. Kevin and Donn dig into character creation, discovery writing, physical description, character consistency, planting details during revision, and what happens when fictional people begin making decisions the writer never planned.

You’ll discover why Kevin rarely gives detailed physical descriptions of his characters, how readers unconsciously fill in missing details, why characterization should drive description, and how seemingly brilliant setups and payoffs are often created after the first draft is finished.

They also explore what happens when characters become so developed that they seem to take on lives of their own—and why character may ultimately be the engine that drives the strongest stories.

If you’re a writer, author, storyteller, creator, or creative entrepreneur looking to strengthen your craft and build stories readers actually care about, subscribe to the Wordslinger channel. This is where writers come for practical, experienced guidance on writing, publishing, storytelling, creativity, and building a sustainable creative career.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Why character is the foundation of story
04:52 Kevin on Craft begins
11:39 Why characters can take over the story
15:08 When fictional characters start making their own decisions
17:25 Imaginary friends, tulpas, and creating people who feel real
22:08 How writers visualize characters
24:08 Why Kevin rarely describes what his characters look like
26:41 Letting the reader create the character
28:34 When physical description actually matters
30:58 The JAWS trick: let the audience imagine it
33:36 Why movie adaptations can clash with the reader’s imagination
38:48 The dirty secret of planting details after the fact
40:21 Why revision makes discovery writers look brilliant
45:03 Keeping characters consistent across a long series
51:48 What Kevin wishes he’d known about writing characters
53:27 Using appearance to reveal character
57:55 Character growth across a series
59:32 How do you write a character smarter than you?

Donn King also hosts The Alignment Show and can be found on Substack and YouTube. Those platforms are mentioned in the episode, though specific URLs were not provided in the recording.

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