FREE Character Toolkit: https://www.sophiachang.com/character

I hate character sheets.

Okay, I hate this writing advice.

Character sheets as step one is dead wrong and I’m going to tell you what Hollywood actors actually do to find the heart of a character fast.

*No character sheets were harmed in the making of this episode.

If your characters feel flat, sound the same, or read like a Tindr dating profile—it's time to build from the inside out.

Best Quotes:

"No one’s going to be moved to tears in the audition room because I wrote down the astrological sign of a character on a character sheet."

"You can list the character's wounds all you want. You can list the character's needs. But until you fully dig into that and understand what it really means, it’s just going to be a Tinder profile. And we know how much we like those."

"I hate this advice not because character sheets are bad. I think that they're very useful, but only if you do it at the right time. You should not be filling out a character sheet as your step one."

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why plotters AND pantsers both get character sheets wrong
• What Hollywood actors do to find a character fast that don’t involve knowing her favorite ice cream flavor
• The character-building approach most writing coaches get backwards
• FREE cheat sheet with two actor-based exercises to try right now

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 Worst Writing Advice on Character

00:25 Why I Hate Character Sheets

01:42 Why Hollywood Actors Do Character So Well

02:58 Lights, Camera, Character!

03:48 When SHOULD You Use Character Sheets?

🎬 Want to try these techniques yourself?Grab the FREE Character Cheat Sheet — both actor-based exercises, complete walkthrough, just 4 pages

DOWNLOAD FOR FREE: https://www.sophiachang.com/character

📬 No social media! Newsletter is the ONLY way to stay connected.

Subscribe: thesophiachang.substack.com

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast where she shares No B.S. publishing stories and advice she wishes she'd known. Subscribe if you don't want to cry alone. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

I edit and produce everything myself, no team. Help me keep creating: ☕ BUY ME A BOBA https://ko-fi.com/sophiachang

TOPICS: character development, character sheets, writing advice, writing craft, Hollywood acting techniques, character motivation, Book Finisher Summit, inside-out character building, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask:Are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant, not a writer? FREE Decision Tree: https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie

Madonna. Babs Bunny. Sophia Chang.

The trifecta of reinvention. (In my childhood dreams, at least.)

Kevin Chung from Standout Creatives interviewed me on Substack LIVE and this is Part 1: my origin story about reinvention as a survival mechanism.

Find out how losing my eyesight led to extremely smutty Harry Potter fan fiction—and the launch of my writing career including a Reese's Book Club fellowship. We talk about social media destroying your ability to think for yourself and the Ronny Chieng lesson I try to embody every time I pick up the mic.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why reinvention is survival, not a self-help meme or a marketing ploy
• How a silhouette can be racial (?!)
• Going blind and wheelchair-bound—and writing my way out of it
• Getting the Reese's Book Club fellowship
• The Be The Most You writer manifesto: you are what makes your writing

Timestamps:

00:00 When I Grow Up, I Want to be Famous...

01:01 Madonna and Babs Bunny: My Reinvention Idols

02:19 How Can A Silhouette Be Racist?

03:02 Reinvention as Survival, Not a Self-Help Meme

05:50 Going Blind and Wheelchair-bound: A Forced Reinvention

08:16 Harry Potter Fanfiction Smut

12:09 Is Social Media Destroying Your Voice?

15:18 Creative Advice on Bravery from Ronny Chieng

18:06 Summits, Unsubscribes, and Your Author Voice

Subscribe to this podcast for Part 2: pitching your book, selling yourself, and my 100% request rate querying agents; why "follow your bliss" is a privileged lie; and how radical acceptance of your darkest feelings makes you a better writer.

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask: are you actually ready for traditional publishing or are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant? Find out with my FREE flowchart — plus get access to Ask Sophia Q&A where you can submit a question for me to answer on the podcast. https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast where her honest traditional publishing stories will make you scream in your sleep. Subscribe to find out why deadlifts will save your writing life.

TOPICS: reinvention, author voice, disability and writing, digital minimalism, Harry Potter fan fiction, social media detox, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community, podcast for writers, MOG antibody disease, extroverted writers

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask:

Are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant, not a writer? FREE Decision Tree: https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie

Happy Asian American Month!

We’re 12 days in because THIS Asian was taken out by an immunosuppressed spoonie’s worst nightmare: the common cold.

Stop coughing with your mouth open, people.

But I’m here! Wearing lucky red, and I have three pieces of Asian media that hit me so hard I had to drag myself to the mic. One preaches hatred as the answer (trust me, you’ll laugh). One is 49 episodes of your Japan bucket list. And one made me want to write plays again after months of creative burnout.

Also: boba of the week. Obviously. And! A surprise BIG RED guest.

Best Quotes:

"Autoimmune diseases hate Asians and the Asian it hates the most is me. Happy Asian American month, everybody."

"Comedians are the hardest audience. Once you do some standup, nothing else will phase you."

"I wrote plays because there weren't any parts for Asians. You had to create your own. Things aren’t different now."

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Hasan Hates Ronny, Ronny Hates Hasan: who’s most Asian?! The rivalry show that proves Asians will save America

• Why female comedians can only say certain things privately (both sides would come for me)

• 49 episodes of Terrace House and why I need to visit a hockey player's dad's soba shop in Japan

• Love is Blind France is high-key a Vietnamese show and beating America in diversity

• Kim's Convenience the PLAY (before Simu Liu, there was a stage)

• The 24-hour play-a-thon that became a peak life moment and made me mic-drop out of LA

• Boba of the week: the older I get, the more Asian my stomach gets

Timestamps:

00:00 12 Days Late for AAPI Month Because Autoimmune Disease Hates Asians

00:50 Comedy Show #1 Hasan Hates Ronny, Ronny Hates Hasan: Hatred is the Answer

03:33 TV Show #2 49 Episodes of Terrace House

07:10 Stage #3 Before Simu, Kim's Convenience Was a Play

09:19 Surprise Guest Appearance (Red Pandas Anyone?)

09:43 Boba of the Week: My Perfume Drink Obsession

10:28 Subscribe So We Can Be AZN Friends!

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask: are you actually ready for traditional publishing or are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant? Find out with my FREE flowchart — plus get access to Ask Sophia Q&A where you can submit a question for me to answer on the podcast. https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast where her honest traditional publishing stories will make you scream in your sleep. Subscribe to find out why deadlifts will save your writing life. http://sophiachang.com/

TOPICS: AAPI Heritage Month, Asian American media, Asian American author, Hasan Minhaj, Ronny Chieng, Terrace House, Kim's Convenience, Turning Red, Asian representation, comedy, Asian American culture, traditional publishing, writing community, boba tea, podcast for writers

FREE 3 Hollywood Secrets to Author Voice workbook: https://www.sophiachang.com/hollywood

Part 2 where I answer your questions from my 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice presentation including:

• "Is my voice boring?" — the two questions to ask yourself before you panic
• What if you sound like AI? (Plot twist: your "proper" voice might be your superpower)
• How to turn your worst writing tics into your most memorable character voice
• Which to use for query letters: author voice, narrator voice, or character voice?
• Writing under a pseudonym: does your voice change or just put on a different outfit?
• Can you say no to your editor? (Even when the editor is you!)
• The time I over-edited my seventh novel and had to resurrect a previous draft
• Why people unsubscribing feels like guests leaving your party mid-canape
• My surprising take on short story collections as a marketing power move
• Does anyone want to hear about my ridiculous life? (The survey results are in and I'm wounded)

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Question 1: Is My Writing Voice Boring?

00:47 What If I Sound Like AI?

02:08 Question 2: What If I Naturally Use Minimizing Words?

03:35 Question 3: Which Voice to Use in a Query Letter?

06:45 Question 4: Same Voice, Different Pseudonym?

07:53 Question 5: Can I Say No to My Editor?

09:57 Unsubscribes and Rejection: You Can't Control People Leaving Your Party

12:28 Question 6: Short Story Collections—Art or Marketing?

14:24 Question 7-ish: Do You Really Want Behind the Scenes?

Sign up for my newsletter Books. Biceps. No BS. to get the FREE Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing Flowchart and access to Ask Sophia Q&A, plus more writing craft tips and publishing advice! https://thesophiachang.substack.com/

No social media! Newsletter is the ONLY way to stay connected.

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

TOPICS: author voice, writing voice, query letter tips, writing Q&A, author branding, pseudonym writing, self-editing tips, writing craft, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community, podcast for writers, finding your voice, digital minimalism

Author voice, character voice, narrator voice…what even is the difference?! And do I really need to know all three?

This was the question blowing up the chat during my presentation 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice at last month’s Perfect Your Process Summit. There were so many good questions and not enough time, that I am now answering them in a Substack LIVE.

This is your no-stress guide to the three different types of voice in novel writing, why you're accidentally leaking into your characters, and my deranged pantser method of using voice to draft my fiction books before I even have a character (or any story structure at all!)

Quotes:

“You want to be very careful about imparting your voice into your characters because that's how all your characters tend to sound the same."

"I could have the hookiest of hooks. But if I don't have a voice in my head, I can't get started. I don't even know how to get started."

In this episode:

• Differentiating author, narrator, and character voice and where they work in your writing process
• Why your first draft isn’t the time to perfect voice—catch it in revision!
• Can your characters be you when you're writing in first person a character who shares your demographics? (fanfiction self-inserts exempt...)
• "Do I even have an author voice?" Yes. You do.
• And this is just Part 1!

I answer the summit's biggest voice fears—boring voice, AI voice, query letter voice, and saying no to your editor—in Part 2. Subscribe to this show to catch the rest!

FREE Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing decision tree: https://bit.ly/freeflowchart

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Author Voice

00:49 Question #1: How do you impart your voice into your characters while still making them distinct?

01:34 When should I worry about these 3 voices?

02:32 Question #2: Should you make yourself the character?

04:22 Question #3: Do I have an author voice if my writing is character-driven?

05:22 Definitions: What is character, narrator and author voice?

06:55 Get it in revision!

07:28 Beginning a story on voice alone?!

08:57 In Part 2: Voice examples, application + short story question

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: ⁠www.sophiachang.com⁠

TOPICS: author voice, character voice, narrator voice, writing voice tips, how to find your writing voice, pantser writing process, writing craft, first person writing, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community, podcast for writers, books and fitness podcast

What is author voice—and why is it the #1 thing agents and editors look for?

In my first Substack live video, I share why I'm presenting at the Perfect Your Process Summit 2026, how my Hollywood acting career taught me what makes a writer's voice unforgettable, and how you can join me for free.

3 or 4 years ago I fell down the online writing summit rabbit hole. As a disabled writer, it was my only way to connect with other authors. I discovered some British guy named Daniel David Wallace and followed everything he did.

Now in 2026, I'm certified in his Character-First teaching method, I work with him, I've hired him to coach my own novels—and I'm finally presenting at one of these summits I used to watch from the sidelines.

My 2018 phone couldn’t handle the 97 degree heat so some of the sync is off in the recording.

IN THIS VIDEO:

• How I booked my second audition ever—and what casting directors taught me about snap judgments

• What got me full manuscript requests on every novel I queried

• Why Hollywood was easier than traditional publishing (!!)

• What happened when I built an AI bot to replicate my voice

• Why author voice is the one thing that AI-proofs your writing

• What you get with the free summit pass vs. the All Access Pass

🎟️ The summit is FREE to watch live (March 21–24, 2026). Talks lock after 24 hours. The All Access Pass ($87) gives you lifetime replays, transcripts, a private podcast feed, and speaker bonuses. Price goes up after March 21!

👉 Grab the All Access Pass through my link: https://summit.yourwritingprocess.com/?sc=aXR7SFnR&ac=Ad77WPKY

It costs you nothing extra and supports my work. And I will love you forever.

👉 My talk goes live: Tuesday, March 24 at 2 PM Pacific

📓 Get my FREE writer's voice workbook: https://www.sophiachang.com/hollywood

0:00 Why I'm doing this live in 97-degree heat

0:30 How I fell down the online summit rabbit hole

1:07 Discovering Daniel David Wallace

1:46 The All Access Pass — what you get and why it's worth it

3:09 My talk: 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice

3:16 Why I'm really good at pitching (and what that has to do with acting)

4:02 Booking my second audition ever — and what casting taught me

5:05 Why Hollywood was actually easier than traditional publishing

6:06 Why AI can never replicate your voice

7:56 Summit link

Topics: author voice, writing craft, writing tips, find your voice, writing summit, Perfect Your Process, Daniel David Wallace, novel writing, writing process, query tips, how to write a novel, Reese's Book Club, writing advice, AI-proof your writing, author voice exercises