Writing Rounder Characters with Andy Weir, #1 NY Times Bestselling Author of The Martian

Bestseller Andy Weir has made a special effort to make the characters in his latest release, Project Hail Mary, as rounded out as possible. By working off of past criticism, like the need to avoid writing characters based on his own personality and focus on relatability while including reasonable flaws, he has both increased the depth of his characters and consequently strengthened his story arc. Andy has been writing for over seven years and is best known for his debut novel, The Martian, which topped the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted into a hit film starring Matt Damon. To order Project Hail Mary, follow the link below.

From Amazon.com:

ANDY WEIR built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail.

Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today’s publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins.

Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Andy’s writing process
• Why to avoid self-based characters
• How to write a flawed character that is still likeable
• How to balance plot depth and character depth
• When to write a short story vs. a longform piece

Links:

J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/

J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/

Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/

Andy Weir - https://www.andyweirauthor.com/

Project Hail Mary - https://mybook.to/ProjectHailMary

Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com

Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com

The Career Author Summit 2021 - https://thecareerauthor.com/summit2021/

Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/

Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep

Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com

Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/

*Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links.

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