One of many writing books I read over three months. Good, but his other one's a bit better, I think. ( )

Creating Characters – How to Build Story People by Dwight V. Swain is a non-fiction title for writers that delves into the art of character creation.

The Cover: I’ll start by saying that this book is almost 30 years old. Yet, while the cover art feels somewhat dated, it is only due to the character images and the clothing they wear. But then, they are characters and no doubt represent the stories they are set in. The colours are vibrant, the font is clear and it is a simple and clean cover. Combine this with the title and it represents a great match for the contents of this book. It clearly depicts the topic in a visual representation of the content inside.

The Good Stuff: There is solid advice within this book that will help writers create better characters. The advice is explained well, simple to understand, and helpful. There are things that I know that I’d say are common sense, yet the author made me stop and think about them, considering them more than I would have if I had not read this title. I found the book interesting in places and breezed through these sections with gusto.

The Bad Stuff: I felt there was unnecessary wordage in places that stunted the read for me. It was explaining things more than once or a little too much. I didn’t feel this way all through the book though, only in places, and it was easy to scan over and pick up the thread further on.

Overall, this is a good book for anyone who wants to gain a clear insight into creating interesting characters. If all it does is stimulate your mind to think a little more about people’s drives, quirks, and mannerisms, I’d say it has done its job. I’m giving this one a thought-provoking 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

This is a book of technique mainly for those just beginning to write. It's full of practical advice for those who would like to make their stories more believable, the players and the stories themselves less flat. The tone is conversational, but the advice moves beyond common sense and simplistic motivational segments found in some other similar books. How to create and flesh out a character concept is covered, but there is also explanation of how to implement character as well, so that the image inside your mind can come alive to the reader through effective dialog and personal development through the plot line. A valuable tool when used for the intended audience of beginners and those writing alone, but it will be of less value to anyone who has had the fortune/misfortune of having work criticized by other writers who use these techniques themselves.