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lachellerising's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first time reading a book about character development and I'm happy I picked it up. I found some of the case studies and exercises to be useful and overall, it feels pretty comprehensive in terms of address the various facets of writing characters. Seger talks about everything from villains, non-human and mythic characters to how to craft multidimensional protagonists and rhythmic dialogue. This is a great entry point for writers looking to expand their repertoire for writing dynamic characters.
jaymike11's review against another edition
3.0
At times I really enjoyed some of the tips and shared experience that this book had to offer, and at other times I felt out of the loop because of the large amount of references made to works that I had not read or seen. When the author was talking about characters from a film I'd seen, I felt like I was learning a lot, but that didn't happen often enough to warrant more than 3 stars for this book.
ryanberger's review against another edition
3.0
Just like "Making a Good Script Great", this book does seem to be geared towards super-beginners for much of its density, but the checklists at the end and some of the ideas tackles are really good for running through your work and tightening the screws.
Sorry to say that the highlights stem mostly from quotes from other authors, and that the less you "hear" Seger, the better. But good advice is good advice and that all contribute to the rating of the book.
A lot of the advice does get a "no shit" response from me, but there's enough here at the end of each section (if I can identify a problem with one of my characters or a script, I will probably consult this book and go to the specific chapter, which seems like what this book was made for. I consider that to be pretty high praise for something like this) to make keeping this book nearby a smart choice.
A few tips here and there seem like they've aged poorly in the years since the book was originally published, but most of the good advice is still relevant, and that's ultimately more important. It's just likely not opening your eyes to subtle problems and how to fix them so much as it is a user manual for identifying most given problems you might come across.
Overall, definitely worth it.
Sorry to say that the highlights stem mostly from quotes from other authors, and that the less you "hear" Seger, the better. But good advice is good advice and that all contribute to the rating of the book.
A lot of the advice does get a "no shit" response from me, but there's enough here at the end of each section (if I can identify a problem with one of my characters or a script, I will probably consult this book and go to the specific chapter, which seems like what this book was made for. I consider that to be pretty high praise for something like this) to make keeping this book nearby a smart choice.
A few tips here and there seem like they've aged poorly in the years since the book was originally published, but most of the good advice is still relevant, and that's ultimately more important. It's just likely not opening your eyes to subtle problems and how to fix them so much as it is a user manual for identifying most given problems you might come across.
Overall, definitely worth it.
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