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 104 works of fiction featuring 34 different Characters!

Featured Story

Published: Oct 23, 2020

Ugly Clumps

Jeffry lay in the park, near the top of the sledding hill, watching the clouds float through the sky. He was having trouble seeing anything but blobs of puffy whiteness. His mind wandered to childhood and he remembered seeing many shapes and characters in the marshmallows of the atmosphere. This thought made him wonder if any of those had been true or if he had simply wanted to see what he saw, willing his mind to find the secrets even though they were not there.

It was both alarming and comforting to think that he could trick himself so easily, be so willing to enter into an agreement that he would find what he wanted to find. Along the time of growing up, it seemed that he had lost this skill, or defect. He was not sure which side of the argument he would want to land on. For the moment he would have to be content with what he had: a serious of ugly clumps heading nowhere at all.

Recent Stories

Published: Mar 18, 2026

Stranded Diner

featuring: Andrew Puck

Andrew watched the hostess as she welcomed diners, handled the phone, and sent waiters to the correct tables. He admired her dark hair, and the way she stood, with her hips askew, ...

Published: Mar 13, 2026

Rain Water

featuring: Marie Salman

Rain water cascaded off the roof of a motel. Marie Salman huddled next to the wall, hugging her knees. Long, dirty amber hair clung to her head like a helmet, framing her ...

Published: Aug 29, 2025

Lamb History

featuring: Moreland Bouquett

Moreland stood before the picture window filled with hanging sausages, dried jerky, smoked slabs, ribs, and birds, plucked clean, dangling by rope. His mouth watered. He entered the shop, breathing heavily and ...

Published: Jul 12, 2025

He Walked too Far

featuring: Moreland Bouquett

Sometimes the long walks took Moreland into new parts of the city, blocks and blocks that he had never seen before or that had completely changed since the last time he had ...

Published: Jun 26, 2025

Moreland Liked to Walk

featuring: Moreland Bouquett

Moreland liked to walk the streets because he could inhale the smells of foods leaking from the restaurants as he passed: fried, spicy, grilled, sweet, steamed, broiled, baked, and fresh. Glasses tinkled ...

Characters