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: Sep 18, 2020

Fifteen Minutes

"Kean, you're pompous."

He was brushing his hair while sitting on the couch watching the evening news from January 27.

"Why are you watching that? It's old news, what, seven or eight months old by now."

"I had to cut back on my television time this year. Fifteen minutes, a New Year's Resolution. The worst is when I have to stop in the middle of a segment."

"This is worse than the four hours per day you watched last year."

A chime signaled time was up. Kean stopped the stream, stood, clipped his brush into a belt holster, and went to the kitchen.

"Are you pouring me a drink, you lush?"

"Why is it that you have to talk to me like that?"

"Why is it that you dare to talk to me, like that?"

He poured a bourbon, then another. He slid the decanter to the back of the shelf, paused, pulled it out again and made his a double.

"You're a pretty bird," he said.

"Yes, you are." She smiled.

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