To take on the mantle of your characters is to be at the very hub of cutting edge fiction. You invent these skeletal entities, add flesh to the bones; give them names, commission them to act out a part, bestow on them a distinct personality. Now you must live with each of them for a time before you write your story. You must converse, eat and sleep with them; you must infiltrate the inner recesses of their psyche; you must discover how they react to situations and stimuli. Next you will turn your attention to their unique attributes; how they look, dress, walk and talk. o Which of them is shy and introspective?o Which is lively and outgoing? o Which are strong enough to take the leading roles?o Which are not? While they are not real live human beings, they are real in your mind, and if they don't come across as such on the printed page, your work of fiction is doomed. Strong storylines with weak insipid characters never cut the mustard but modest storylines populated with robust lifelike characters frequently produce outstanding fiction. Create Snatches of Dialog Before You Write Your Story Add this one to your list of things-to-do. As your characters develop they will start to talk to you. It can happen while you are asleep, walking the dog, or engrossed in a task that is unconnected to your project. When they talk, take heed. As they begin to develop their own distinctive voice they will provide you with snatches of dialog. You might wake up some morning to several such snatches from disparate characters. Write them down immediately and incorporate them into your story later. Above all, ensure your characters are factual, because paradoxical though it might appear, it is facts, not flights of fancy, that make fiction perfect.