Writing Character (Lit Starts)

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series.

Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Writing Character begins with an essay by author and educator Constance Hale, who offers pointers for observing and capturing human complexity. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities for you to develop your own characters. Among other ideas, you’ll be asked to create:

• a sketch of a famous person you admire 

• a portrait of someone based on the items on his desk 

• a positive take on someone you loathe 

• a description of your mother’s emotions as they are expressed by her eyes
• a scene involving a group of people, focusing exclusively on how they use their hands 


Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time.

Special Features

• Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts
• Part of a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto

Check out the other books in the Lit Starts series: Writing Action, Writing Dialogue, and Writing Humor