One of the best insights I gained from this series of podcasts was how adjusting the character "sliders" can influence all your characters to make a more compelling story.
I admit, one of my weaknesses is character development. I think I'm pretty good at plot and conflict (especially after the coursera class I mentioned) but I kind of treated my characters as puppets - different dressing, but they were all just my hands underneath. At best, I would work on my protagonists and leave it at that. I realize now that all of my characters need development, and that is one of the things that separates ok books from great ones.
(As an aside, if you want to read a master at character studies, I suggest Jane Austen. She was truly excellent at creating characters and that's one of the things that makes her such a joy to read.)
This particular episode is about adjust character sympathy. It's a great slider to play with for all your characters. The sympathy slider can completely change the way your reader reacts to a character, even a minor one. This episode goes into how.
Rating: 4/5
Homework: adjust the sympathy slider on your antagonist or villain. Sometimes the best way to add depth to your story is to give your villain some unexpected humanity.
Link: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2014/06/15/writing-excuses-9-25-adjusting-character-sympathy/
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