My CHARACTER-BUILDING process (step by step + template) | BRAINSTORM TO BOOK SERIES, ep. 03

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 --- 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. If this video resonated with you, feel free to: like the video (it really helps!) subscribe if you want more writing craft + thoughtful conversations about art check out my Substack and Instagram for better look into my writing & my life SOCIALS: Follow me on Substack! (for personal reflections, creative analysis essays, and short fiction pieces) 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... Follow me on Instagram: (for a sneak peek into my life! - main platform)   / bygenevaholden   . . . for business inquiries ONLY✨ contact: [email protected] . . . . #writingadvice #authortube #writertubecharacter creation, character development, how to write characters, writing characters readers love, character psychology, novel character building, how to write a novel, writing craft, storytelling techniques, literary fiction writing, romance writing advice, fantasy writing tips, author life, writing process, character arcs, internal conflict, writing mindset, intentional writing, how to build believable characters, character flaws and wounds, character motivation, writing community, author YouTube .#writingtips #novelwriting #creativewriting #writersofyoutube #writingcommunity #amwriting #authorlife #writingprocess #writingcraft #storytelling #characterwriting #literarywriting #fantasywriter #romancewriter #howtowriteabook #writinggoals #intentionalcreativity #writertok #writersofig #authormindset #writinginspiration