Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life

Red Sneaker Writers Books, Volume 2

By: William Bernhardt

Narrated by: William Bernhardt

All fiction is character-driven, according to William Bernhardt, despite what you might have heard elsewhere. If your characters don’t interest readers, even the most exciting plots will fail. “Action is character,” Aristotle wrote, but what does that mean, and how can you use that fundamental principle to create dynamic fiction that will captivate readers? This audiobook explains the relationship between character and plot, and how the perfect melding of the two produces a mesmerizing story. Using examples spanning from The Odyssey to The Da Vinci Code, Bernhardt discusses the art of character creation in a direct and easily comprehended manner. The audiobook also includes exercises designed to help writers apply these ideas to their own work.

William Bernhardt is the author of more than thirty novels, including the blockbuster Ben Kincaid series of legal thrillers. Bernhardt is also one of the most sought-after writing instructors in the nation. His programs have educated many authors now published by major houses. He is the only person to have received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (U Penn) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (OSU), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large."

The Red Sneaker Writing Center is dedicated to helping writers achieve their literary goals. What is a red sneaker writer? A committed writer seeking useful instruction and guidance rather than obfuscation and attitude. Red sneakers get the job done, and so do red sneaker writers, by paying close attention to their art and craft, committing to hard work, and never quitting. Are you a red sneaker writer? If so, this book is for you.

©2013 William Bernhardt Writing Programs (P)2013 Babylon Books

Outstanding

I like how this educational book opens up my mind in ways I never thought of doing, emailing the author was easy and entertaining. I like it :)

Great topic coverage

Covers whats needed without all the fluff. Shows what's needed for believable, interesting characters and how to make them appealing to the reader.

Great for the beginning Author

After finishing Creating Character I found it very helpful as long as you do the exercises it has helped me define my harassed and make them more believable which will make my first novel much better.

Characters you remember

If you want to create a character that will generate a cult-like following of readers, this audio is for you. The audio gives basic instruction on how characters can be brought to life, embark on their epic journeys, change from within, comfort you while you cry, and make you laugh when you need it most. Reinforces the idea that you don't have to choose between strong characters and strong plot; they both are in a friendly working Relationship.

Real Meat.

Very informative. An honest exploration of character. William Bernhardt's series of Books provide real meat to inject into my current WIP. RET

Great overview of character dev

Mr. Bernhardt is an informed, well spoken individual with a sense of humor . I learned valuable lessons from this brief—but very informative—audiobook. I would recommend it for any level writer since the author is also a successful published author with many (selling) titles to his credit; credibility not many educators in the ivory towers of university can hold claim to.

Great advice from a successful author

No fluff, to the point advice for building memorable characters. I highly recommend this to anyone seeking to write a novel people will actually read.

Loved William Bernhardt's "Creating Character"

If you could sum up Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life in three words, what would they be?

Bernhardt's lessons and advice for the novelist or aspiring novelist are excellent. His approach is witty, engaging and concise.

Which character – as performed by William Bernhardt – was your favorite?

William Bernhardt is giving voice to his nonfiction book so there are no characters.

great for authors

If you could sum up Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life in three words, what would they be?

William Bernhardt has created a excellent reference for authors to help them develop characters in their stories.

What did you like best about this story?

Easy to follow.

Have you listened to any of William Bernhardt’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

They are all great.

What did you learn from Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life that you would use in your daily life?

How to make my characters stand out.

Any additional comments?

Buy the series.

need more guidance

I know so little about creating a character for a book, that I, probably, cannot yet fully appreciate the advice William Bernhardt gives. The process is still quite hazy for me, although I gained lots of great advice from this slim, yet informative volume. I will continue exploring the Red Sneaker series on writing.