The Art of Character

Former private investigator and New York Times notable author David Corbett offers a unique and indispensable toolkit for creating characters that come vividly to life on the page and linger in memory. Corbett provides an inventive, inspiring, and vastly entertaining blueprint to all the elements of characterization-from initial inspiration to realization-with special insights into the power of secrets and contradictions, the embodiment of roles, managing the "tyranny of motive," and mastering crucial techniques required for memorable dialogue and unforgettable scenes. This is a how-to guide for both aspiring and accomplished writers that renders all other books of its kind obsolete.

* Praise for David Corbett*

“Corbett handles dialogue, narrative, and characterisation like an experienced novelist and is a name to watch.” (for The Devil's Redhead)
—The Sunday Telegraph

“Corbett writes with an intensity of feeling. . . . Without compromising the stark realism of his bruising style, [he] has written an astonishingly tender love story.” (for The Devil's Redhead)
—The New York Times

“Dazzling . . . The beauty of Corbett’s seductive style [is that] for all the lyricism of his narration and all the compassion he shows his characters, he never strays too far from the blunt vigor of California noir.”

(for Done for a Dime)
—The New York Times

“Corbett, like Robert Stone and Graham Greene before him, is crafting important, immensely thrilling books.”

—George Pelacanos, writer and producer for The Wire

“Corbett does people beautifully.”

—Chicago Tribune