In one of the fiction-writing courses I teach, we talk about character development. I break it down into four specific categories to use in crafting fully three-dimensional characters:
Physical (what do they look like, how do they dress, walk, carry themselves)
Mental (how do they think, how do their thought processes affect what they say and do)
Emotional (how do they feel and react in different situations, and why; are they stable or do they swing between extremes; are they rational or more driven by feelings)
Spiritual (what is the basis for their outlook on life, their personal integrity, internal moral code, their meaning and purpose on this Earth)
We writers often spend a lot of time with the physical, a good amount of time with the mental and emotional, but then gloss over the spiritual, a key element of human nature that can add …
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