Let me present you with a hypothetical situation. Let’s say that I’m pitching a YA novel about a young witch who, through circumstances outside of her control, became world-renowned at a very young age. She was treated cruelly by an adoptive family for no reason until fate stepped in. While not having grown up around magic, she’s naturally gifted. She’s generally well-liked, and those who don’t like her are portrayed as bullies who are just mean to be mean (at least at first)

Creating a fictional character of your own is probably one of the most rewarding experiences of being a writer. A solid main can determine how much you value your own writing, as well as the impact your story could have on readers. The character's opinions, perspective, anxieties, fears, and joys become our own. We find ourselves growing attached to them in their non-existent realm in the very process of our late-night writing binges and hours of reviewing and editing. We v

You are probably thinking, “Wait, Did I read that right? A eulogy for a fictional character that may not even actually die in my story? You are crazy!” While I’m not denying my craziness, hear me out. A eulogy is the speech that is given at funerals or memorial services for someone who has died in acknowledgment of their life. It is also a great way to really develop your characters. Sometimes when I’m writing I get stuck on one aspect of my character’s nature or how I expect

About the author: Robyn Cross holds a BA in Creative Writing from Vancouver Island University and is a co-founder of The Writer's Workout. You can find her on twitter: @poorwritergirl. Characters are vital to the storytelling process. They're how we relate to and tell the story. Without them, a good story rarely exists (if you'd like an example of a character-free story done well, check out Tesseracts Nine: New Canadian Speculative Fiction, edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Geoff