Welcome to 1,000 Characters!

This is a project about exploration, into writing and into characters. The goal is to create one thousand characters, and learn more about all of them. Most days (at least twenty per month) there should be a new story snippet to keep the words flowing. Do not fret that everything (or at least most things) are short, as that is the intention.

1,000 Characters is a practice for better storytelling, improved fiction. The focus is diving into characters, looking curiously and deeply into their hopes, dreams, desires. Exploring new characters, their stories, the places they live and work, becomes a journey of fun. This process of discovery should, in many cases, lead to longer stories, possibly even a novel. Dare it be said: maybe novels.

A total of 109 works of fiction featuring 38 different Characters!

Featured Story

Published: Dec 07, 2020

Numbers

He looked through the people in the virtual meeting out of boredom. There were faces with interest and faces with distraction, mostly appearing engaged in other things on another screen. There were one or two with children on their laps, even a screaming baby. The best face, hands down, was Antony, who was calculating something, or so his face suggested. The interesting part was that it was during the sales report. There, on the screen, face turned up slightly to the ceiling, eyes half closed, muscles tightened, lips just barely moving, it didn't seem like anything else could be happening.

Recent Stories

Published: Jun 30, 2026

Twenty Ways to Talk to No One

featuring: Luciano Xavier

I dabbled in French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Russian. I never learned to be good with any of them, probably because I couldn't find someone to practice with. A few ...

Published: May 14, 2026

No Stills

featuring: Donald York

I walk the bridge path everyday, both directions, all two miles or more. I see a lot of tourists taking photographs of everything: the skyline, other bridges, the harbor, monuments, even the ...

Published: May 11, 2026

Movie Masks

featuring: Lizzy Unger

I thought the masks were terrifying: big circular filters near the mouth, a clear plastic visor shielding the eyes, heavy back rubber to fit the contours of a human face, and thick ...

Published: May 07, 2026

In the Attic

featuring: Lizzy Unger

We climbed the stairs to the attic; the house protested with creaks and groans. I opened the door slowly, stirring dust. The air was hazy and the ceiling sloped sharply down from ...

Published: Apr 02, 2026

Seeds of Boredom

featuring: Brent Que

Boredom was the overpowering state of mind around me, in the house, in the city, in the country, in much of the world. A dictator of decisions for the populace, impressively exercising ...

Characters