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Great Websites for Writers Creating Fictional Characters
No matter how clever your plot, how incredibly detailed your descriptions, or how deep the themes you explore in your fiction, if you don't have great characters, who cares? By creating rich, complex, and interesting characters, you provide an emotional bridge between you and your readers.

The process of developing believable fictional characters is endlessly fascinating and, luckily, there are lots of resources out there to inspire this area of your writing.

Detailed Character Inventory
Click on the 'Workplates' tab on the Reel People Homepage and then select one of three areas to explore: Historical, Psychological, and Relationships. Then, complete the detailed questionnaires on your character's behalf. I've never found a better, more comprehensive, more thoughtful set of questions designed to stimulate your creative thinking processes and probe the psychological depths of your characters. A fantastic resource that's fun and easy to use. (For those addicted to print, the site also offers links to print-friendly versions of the online forms.)
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Writing Great Dialogue
Intimidated by writing dialogue? Read this article to find out the most common pitfalls of writing dialogue, lists of books with great dialogue, as well as 12 exercises to help you tune your ear and capture the real rhythms and sounds of speech in your fiction.
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What's in a Name?
Does it really matter if you call your gorgeous main character Edwin? Or your nasty mob boss Fred? Absolutely! This is a great article about the perils of poor naming.
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Names Online
Search by name or by meaning at this comprehensive site for baby names. After all, creating a character is just like having a baby, right? A sample search for names meaning 'Grace' yielded nearly two dozen options including the Chinese name 'Lian' meaning 'Graceful as a Willow' and the Native American, 'Elu', meaning 'Full of Grace'.
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Probing the Psychic Depths
How can you learn about your character's most intimate secrets? Casting a horoscope or taking a series of psychological tests as if you were your fictional creation can reveal lots of interesting things your character may have been hiding from you. Tarot cards work very well, too. Check out this excellent tarot card on-line course. Learn to read the cards to find out your fictional character's primary motivation in life or just take a peek at the meanings of some of the cards. Working backwards from the card interpretations can lead to some fascinating insights about your character's most private thoughts, dreams, fantasies, and aspirations.
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