I have heard over the years how easy it is to write. It is not that simple or easy. That would be great if it so. So I pulled up some notes on things that authors need to remember and include from a character development class I took.

Do you have your setting correct? It tells you where and when a storyline is occurring. It has to be believable, for it allows you to deliver a backdrop for your book. For example, if you are in the tundra or jungle, odds are the book is an adventure. If the dust bowl in the Midwest is the location, the character might experience tough times in the storyline.

One can’t forget that the mood and setting can change throughout the book. Location and weather also hint at where the reader will find themselves. One’s settings give us physical boundaries and develop the plot and characters. If we can’t wrap our minds around this, we will lose the readers.

You can’t forget the good guy. They are the central figure that readers can identify with. But, they must go through changes throughout the book, or they will fall flat and be one dimension. You want your characters to be well-rounded. They should have positive features and still be flawed. It makes them dynamic as they change with the experiences they encounter. We develop characters directly or indirectly. We state what the character looks like, what they say, do, or feel. Indirectly we let the readers conclude by the words written.

But let’s not forget about the plot, which is an arrangement of the consequence of the story, including conflict and obstacles. And even then, there is still more to think about and perfect.

If you have conflict in your book, you include the resolution regardless if your readers like it.

And still, that is not the end.

There is so much more that goes on in writing a book and making it published ready. To tell someone writing is easy has never picked up a pen and tried.

I will wait.