Pete Aldin and Bryan Chaffin explore how to make your characters more interesting, from finding unexpected flaws and contradictions to challenging your assumptions about who they are. They discuss techniques for pushing beyond obvious character choices, making protagonists as compelling as their supporting cast, avoiding stereotypes, and using real-world observations to create characters who feel distinctive and alive.

Chapters:

00:00 Introductions
00:20 Are Great Characters Discovered or Designed?
01:20 Basing Characters on Real People
08:04 Designing vs. Discovering Characters
11:15 Exercises for Creating Better Characters
25:58 What Line Won’t Your Character Cross?
27:58 Playing Against the Mood of a Scene
32:25 When Side Characters Outshine Your Protagonist
41:12 Avoiding Stereotypes
51:20 Outro

Links from This Episode:

AJ Saxsma's Trauma as Engine Workbook (The Name that Bryan Couldn't Think of—mentioned at 25:58)
https://andrewverse858.gumroad.com/l/wwkql

Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook
https://www.amazon.com/dp/158297263X/

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Pete Aldin and Bryan Chaffin discuss why every writer needs good critique partners—and how to find them. They explore what makes a critique relationship work, why different partners bring different strengths, how to give and receive useful feedback, and why critiquing someone else’s work can make you a better writer. Plus, they look at how many outside readers a manuscript needs and the value of seeking perspectives beyond your usual circle.

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Pete Aldin and Bryan Chaffin present the writing Battle Royale: Scrivener vs. Word. They break down the relative merits of both apps, from drafting and organizing a novel to editing, collaboration, and publishing. Which tool does what better—and which one belongs in your writing workflow?

00:00:00 Introductions
00:00:14 Why Bryan Writes in Scrivener
00:10:24 Why Pete Switched to Word
00:15:07 Editing and Working with Feedback
00:17:32 Formatting and Publishing with Scrivener
00:29:54 Collaboration, Snapshots, and Workflow
00:37:34 Publishing and Final Thoughts
00:47:50 Outro

• Scrivener, by Literature & Latte
• Word, by Microsoft

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