In this video, I’m walking you through my full character creation process, not just how to make characters feel “real,” but how to build characters who actually drive your story. We’re talking about personality traits, core wounds, unconscious needs, desire, and consistency, etc. and how all of those pieces work together to create main characters readers care about.
This episode is part of my BRAINSTORM TO BOOK series, where I’m building my next novel, The Distance Between Skin, in real time and showing you how to apply the same process to your own writing.
If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure why your characters feel flat on the page, this video will help you rethink character creation from the inside out. This isn’t about personality quizzes or aesthetic Pinterest boards, it’s about psychology, intention, and writing characters who feel alive.
GRAB MY CHARACTER CREATION TEMPLATE 🤍
In my opinion, a lot of character sheets focus on small details that don’t actually help you write a better book so I created one that’s structured as a guided questionnaire based on everything we cover in this video, and it’s designed to help you understand why your character is the way they are.
LINK TO TEMPLATE: https://ko-fi.com/s/fd3f200f4d
WHAT'S IN THIS VIDEO 🐆
The 3 key metrics every strong main character needs
Why “likeable” characters are overrated (and what matters more)
How to use personality traits strategically, not randomly
A simplified version of the Snowflake Method for character building
How to uncover your character’s core wound
The difference between a character’s desire vs. their unconscious need
Why consistency makes your story stronger — not boring
How character psychology directly shapes plot and conflict
TIMESTAMPS 💋
00:00 – intro: why character creation impacts everything
00:21 – welcome to the BRAINSTORM TO BOOK SERIES, episode 3!
00:57 – project overview: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SKIN
01:42 – what character complexity actually means
02:37 – the misconception about character likability
03:43 – the snowflake method...but not (simplified for character building)
04:14 – step one: defining your personality trait
05:24 – step two: building context around your traits
07:27 – the importance of making social commentary
09:21 – step three: acceptance or rejection?
11:06 – step four: examining adult expression
12:31 – a short guide to the inciting incident (beauty of playing Jenga)
13:50 – step five: the cost of being your character
15:28 – PART TWO: the internal world!
15:42 – core wounds: what they are & why they matter
17:32 – character relatability & vulnerability
20:50 – unconscious need vs. core desire
27:34 – consistency vs. predictability
29:11 – GRAB THE TEMPLATE from yours truly surprise
30:37 – final thoughts + what’s next in the series
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IF YOU'RE NEW HERE, WELCOME! 🥂
Hello, hello 🤍 I’m Geneva — a literary fiction, fantasy, and romance writer who loves literary analysis, story structure, and understanding how good novels actually work. On this channel, we talk about writing craft, intentional creativity, and the emotional mechanics behind storytelling, while I document my journey toward becoming a published author.
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My latest substack article “ON THE RESURGENCE OF SEX WRITING IN MODERN ROMANCE AND EXAMINING THE INTENT OF MEDIA” is now live! Check it out using the link below :)
https://open.substack.com/pub/genevah...
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