Character Development
Let Dan help you craft dynamic, memorable characters for your book
R
eaders don’t generally fall in love with books for the plot.
They fall in love with books because they care deeply about the characters in the story.
Flat characters, characters who all sound/act the same, protagonists who make choices that don’t ring true, antagonists who are evil for no real reason — these are the problems that quietly kill otherwise good novels.
I help fiction writers build characters that feel psychologically real — the kind readers think about long after they’ve finished the book.
Two Ways to Work With Me:
Character Diagnostic Call — $47
Best if: You have a specific character who isn’t working — your protagonist feels passive, your antagonist feels cartoonish, or your ensemble cast all sound like the same person.
We’ll briefly talk on the phone and get the payment sorted. Then you can send me a brief character overview and a sample scene (preferably of the problem character and another character interacting) beforehand. Then we’ll spend 45 minutes on Zoom diagnosing exactly what’s missing and how to fix it.
You’ll leave with a clear picture of who your character actually is — and how to get that onto the page.
→ Book a Character Diagnostic Call — $47 (see Calendly booking widget below)
Full Character Development Session — $197
Best if: You need to build out a protagonist, antagonist, or ensemble cast from the ground up — or significantly rebuild characters that aren’t working.
We’ll briefly talk on the phone and get the payment sorted. Then we spend 90 minutes on a Zoom call and work through your characters’ core psychology, motivation, fears, desires, and voice.. You’ll learn valuable tricks for distinguishing between characters and making them memorable. BONUS: you will learn techniques for creating memorable minor or supporting characters!
→ Request a Full Character Development Session — $197 (see Calendly booking widget below)
What Writers Say
“He helped me understand how to transform and deepen my characters in ways that brought them to life on the page… Thanks to Dan’s guidance, I was able to not only continue working on my book but actually complete it.” — Cherie Hans
“Dan’s ability to anticipate the ripple effects of each story beat and strengthen character arcs accordingly… what seemed like small suggestions in the moment turned out to be pivotal improvements.” — Rusty Williams, Amazon Hot New Release author
Who This Is For
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Your characters feel flat or one-dimensional -
Your protagonist makes choices that don't feel believable or earned
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Your antagonist is just 'the generic bad guy' with no real depth
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Your ensemble cast all seem like the same person with different names
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You've been told your dialogue sounds too similar across characters
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You want to craft characters your readers love and think about after they close the book
What We’ll Work On
Core psychology and motivation — what your character wants, fears, and needs at a level deeper than surface traits.
Authentic voice — how each character thinks, speaks, and sees the world differently from everyone else in your story.
Character arcs — how your character changes from page one to the end, and why that change feels earned.
Antagonist depth — building complex villains with understandable motivations that make them genuinely threatening.
Ensemble dynamics — making sure every character in your cast serves a distinct purpose and has a distinct presence as they interact.
Why Work With Me
Published fiction author. Horror Writers Association member. Short fiction published in anthologies edited by Robert McCammon, Jane Yolen, and Ramsey Campbell, with personal praise from Ray Bradbury. I’ve spent decades studying what makes fictional characters unforgettable — and I’ve built my own casts of characters that readers have connected with deeply.
Ready?
→ Book a Character Diagnostic Call — $47
→ Request a Full Character Development Session — $197