The Art of Character Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV [Paperback]

Former private investigator and New York Times notable author David Corbett offers a unique and indispensable toolkit for creating characters that come vividly to life on the page and linger in memory. Corbett provides an inventive, inspiring, and vastly entertaining blueprint to all the elements of characterization-from initial inspiration to realization-with special insights into the power of secrets and contradictions, the embodiment of roles, managing the tyranny of motive, and mastering crucial techniques required for memorable dialogue and unforgettable scenes. This is a how-to guide for both aspiring and accomplished writers that renders all other books of its kind obsolete.Praise forThe Art of Character

David Corbett has written a wise, inspiring love letter to all the imaginary creatures inside our minds—so we might conjure them whole on the page. I predict that massively underscored copies of The Art of Character will rest close at hand on writers’ desks for many years to come. —Cheryl Strayed, author ofWildandTorch

“David Corbett has combined his unique talents as a gifted writer and an extraordinary teacher to create a superb resource on character development. Deftly crafted and impeccably researched,The Art of Characteris a thoughtful and insightful book that is immensely readable and practical. Suitable for beginners to best-selling authors,The Art of Charactershould be on every serious writer's shelf next to Strunk and White'sThe Elements of Style, Anne Lamott'sBird by Bird, and Stephen King'sOn Writing. Highly recommended.”—Sheldon Siegel,New York TimesBest Selling Author ofPerfect AlibiandIncriminating Evidence

“I once made the mistake of writing a story with David Corbett.  The man smoked me.  He can delineate the character and personality of an accl#B