Melpomene
Writer of Tragedy|Art by ROYTHEART|
Hello and welcome my lovelies!
I come here with a new guide in hand, in hopes of helping all of my lovely writers/roleplayers out there with this little thing called character creation and development. So, I will not dwell on any introductions, you either know who I am or you do not and I know you probably do not care. Let us get on to what everyone wishes to know about, and that is how I sold my soul to unlock the knowledge of the perfect character. The knowledge is in my hands and what I giveth, I can taketh away!
Shall we hear what I have learned?
The answer is: there is no guide to make the perfect character.
Ha! You thought I came with something which would make the lives of writers everywhere easier!
So, what I mean by this is there is no actual step by step guide to making a character that is perfect for you and your story. While most people can offer basic directions to go and perhaps even questions and thought exercises to help flesh out the character, there is no way to actual way I can tell you exactly how to make the perfect character. Why? Because depending on the setting, there are many different types of characters that can work. There is a reason you will see certain types of characters in one setting but not in others. For example, a character like Goku probably would not work in Game of Thrones, or hell, even another anime like Death Note. Not only because he is... grossly overpowered for those particular works, but really, his character was not made to fit into stories with that type of tone.
So, there is no perfect character that can perfectly fit into every story.
Of course, there are the characters that are traditionally seen as bad. While that is true, and as characters they are boring/badly made, they can still work in a story. Usually, however, the story was made with them in mind, so that the audience still enjoys it. Blank slates are put in places where people can project themselves on them. That is why many romance mains are without actual personalities. Same with some suave action heroes. Or the character is more of a plot device than they are a character (this does not work, more often than not I found, mostly because in both roleplays and novels and such, I find that people will still treat them like characters even though they really only act like plot devices). Mary-Sues can even sometimes work. It all depends on the story. If it works it works.
However I found it works in... a very low percentage of mediums in the grand scheme of things. The plot usually has to cater to that character. Both in roleplays, and in stories. Mary-Sues are not fun to play against, mostly because by nature they demand to be the protaganist. In a roleplay, you're going to have to plan that ish out and make sure everyone will be having fun.
Bottom line, these characters can and have worked, but they usually will not. Moving on.
But here I am to help with what I feel I have learned a lot about over the years of writing: the true character. The living and breathing person that is locked within the pages of the novel, or within the site of the roleplay. These are the types which are usually in need of being more grounded for the story. In truth, many stories will not work with devices rather than characters, or rather, they would work better if they were true characters. Perhaps they would make the story stronger by making the reader have a bigger emotional connection to it.
Without further ado (I kept you waiting damn long enough) here is a simple guide to help with character development, character making, and characters in general.
Here are some things that may help with the initial decision making:
Now that you have a basic idea for what you want, you have to begin putting it together in a tangible way. Now, some of this can be done in part 2, but allow me to offer some basic pointers for when you are starting to put all the bits and pieces into a tangible character. This will be you putting down the base colors before we begin fleshing out the character.
Step 1:
Pick out more characteristics apart from the basic ones you started with. They can either be completely different or built off of what you already have. This is not yet a fully functioning anything, but it is a good sketch of what you want. This is where you may decide how you want your character to be seen in the society they live in, or where you want them to be from, etc. As I said before, you definitely don't need to have everything full fleshed out, but there should be enough here to make a basic sketch of your character. Add some skill sets you might want them to have, perhaps even the type of relationships they developed. Skills, likes, dislikes, interests, quirks, mannerisms, hell, moral alignment even. Just some things you think up and want to throw into this character.
Step 2:
Now we start to develop some things. A backstory, perhaps? A personality as well? These can begin rather basic. Something that would make sense for their role in the story and how they got there. Backstories, I believe, often times should be developed alongside the personality and mannerisms as a person's past can directly affect who they are today. Often times the characteristics you will see in a person are results of where they came from. Of course, at this time both of these things can be a bit bare, mostly this is so you have something for when we reach the fleshing out phase. I'm going to say now that it is okay to have characters end up being different than you initially planned once you start fleshing them out through roleplay, but you should have something behind that. I find that going in with a blank slate will not build as solid characters as going in with at least an idea. What usually happens with my characters is that they have the same characteristics I planned out for them, they just don't show them in the initial way I planned out.
Really, for this step, you want to solidify the overall big picture of the character. The main personality traits and the beats you want to hit with the backstory. There are still a lot of beats to hit after this because people are like onions, they have layers. But once again, this is a start. You aren't making a finished product yet, so don't stress over it, you're simply beginning to take all the bits and pieces you have and stitch them together into something bigger and prettier.
Step 3:
Now that you have something at least partially developed, look before you leap. You do not want to get too far down the line of development only to discover what you have won't work. Think about what role they are supposed to be playing. Think about what is necessary and what is not. Think about where they will be.
Why I say this is because I found that many people like playing antisocial characters. However... That can get downright annoying an RP, a group RP especially. They can work better in a novel type setting, but even then be careful with that, they can get annoying there as well. I'm not saying don't ever try to tackle this type of character, just understand you will really have to keep an eye on this type of character, especially when playing them against other people and make sure that other people are actually having fun with it.
Also, take a look at the backstory. Yes, it is only an outline now, perhaps, but make sure it is something that actually makes sense, especially for the skill sets you might have in mind. People aren't just born with natural talent when it comes to certain things. They have to be learned. Someone who is really good with a gun should have a backstory that reflects how they got so good. Whether their parents decided they had to be taught or they had a long history as a sniper in the military before the RP started. You do not even have to go deep into it, the reasoning just should be there.
And from this stage onwards, you need to watch out for contradictions in the character. Now, the contradictions you really need to watch out for is when you actually get to the writing portion, but for now, keep an eye on the traits you picked out. While people have layers and are very complex, I find that there is a serious problem with people confusing complexity with contradictions. Like, I have seen characters that are described as selfish and then are described as generous just because they want to be, and never have personal gain in mind when they give shit away. And then I say, but that is the opposite of being selfish. Selfish people don't do that. Perhaps you could try saying they only do it with certain people, but still you would need to explain and develop that a lot.
I am going to go farther into detail about this in the portion that is actually about writing the character, but I will stick to this for now, because if you find any traits that are seemingly contradictory, you are goinbg to want to already begin thinking now on how you can make them work with one another, or you will just have to choose one or the other.
Step 4:
Nothing contradicts each other and things make sense now, I assume! An idea has been formed and the character is at least partially set! You're ready to pick out a character design if you have not already and to get ready to debut this character! Personally, I enjoy throwing the characters I write for my novels into roleplays and short stories to help flesh them out before I begin seriously writing them in the role I intend for them in the story. Quite frankly, writing them in different scenes can be the absolute best way to flesh them out entirely. It gives you a better grasp of how you want certain things to affect them and where you want them to end up.
Now, most of you guys probably did not need any help with this part. Most people have made a Character Sheet before, and that is basically what I just said to make. Which, by the way, character sheets are very helpful. Even if you don't like them, I actually do recommend keeping something like that for your characters (especially if you have a lot of them) stored somewhere. They don't have to be super in depth, but keeping them updated on where your character is in the story and how they are developing can help you not make any contradictions and such. But I digress.
What I am trying to convey here is that for now, everything should show the big picture. Now we get to actually writing them out.
This is actually why I put so much emphasis on part one. While none of it was any actual technique and mostly just to help you build a a solid base for a character I think it makes this part easier to do. It is far easier to develop a character when you have an actual backbone than it is to just throw a blank slate out there. Having something you can build on when you begin the story will very much help with everything because you will be concentrating on fine-tuning the character when the story begins rather than completely building them. Plus, this keeps the character from being very bland at the beginning, because even if the RP/ short story is supposed to help flesh them out, it will be better if they aren't bland at the beginning of the RP/ story. And it will also help for when you are planning what will happen in the RP, already having an idea about the character will give you what you need to actually have ideas for events which will provide your character with a challenge or make them stressed and help develop them and such.
So, here I give you some ideas for technique and actually writing your character. This is going to be a long ramble because I love to talk about things like this, but here we go.
Show Don't Tell
This is one that I really do not need to include. Everyone knows now that show don't tell is a big rule in writing. Although, I must admit that there are times which it can be just as effective to just tell. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Showing instead of telling is not always inherently better, in fact, sometimes it is better to do neither and simply allow the audience to put together what happened. Such is why No Country for Old Men ended up being so critically claimed. There were many points when you were just left to figure it out for yourself why something happened or even what happened based on clues we see around the characters.
There's not much to say here, really. In moments that are supposed to be whimsy and magical, well just saying it is whimsy and magical won't be as effective as showing the whimsy and magical. But then there are people like H. P. Lovecraft that basically had writing that was effective because he didn't show you things. You know it is terrifying, but you've never seen it and in a way that makes it scarier.
This sounds super flippant, but really you just need to read the scene and know what needs to be shown, not shown, told and not told. Sometimes you need to tell what someone's intentions were. Sometimes you need to show them. Sometimes you need to keep it a complete mystery. Sometimes it can improve on a scene:
His words upset her. "Leave. Go." she said.
It could be made more powerful with a little showing instead of telling.
Dahlia's lips parted in silent protest as he spoke. Her eyes widened and swelled with unshed tears as her body recoiled.
"Leave," she whispered, voice shaking. "Go!"
While they both conveyed the same overall message, one gave a more in depth understanding of just how upset she was. But, like I said, it is not better 100% of the time, but there are times when showing can improve on a scene. In all honesty, there are times when you legitimately have to tell the audience what is going on. Sometimes it is necessary to do both show and tell. It all depends, so... really use it at your own discretion.
The introduction
Introducing your character can be one of the most important things you do. The introduction is not as important in a roleplay as it is in something like a novel, but it can still be a huge part of your character entering the battlefield. This is the first time other people are going to see this character in action, so often times you want it to be something they can remember well. While you might not have to go huge, like a battle or a fight, you just need something that would well define them.
As an example, look at the first few pages of Stephen King's Dark Tower series did a very good job in establishing the main character Roland Deschain. The entire series began with one line: "The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed." This line and the first few pages tell you many things about Roland. Actually, they show you many things about Roland rather than tell you. And that is why many people love these opening pages. Not only is the opening sentence a really good hook, you also learn about the setting and characters through it and what follows. I already know Roland is resilient and a gunslinger. He is willing to chase someone across a blistering desert for the chance of getting closer to the dark tower. He must have some survival skills to be able to make it this long, fighting skills as well. He's obviously confident he can catch up with this dude at some point. We know quite a bit about him through this opening shot. Chasing the man in black across the desert is something Roland would do. It is something that is inarguably Roland.
This may not be the best example, but it is a damn good one. In most cases, it is best to start your character off doing something that is inarguably them. Whether it be displaying their heroics or their greed or their evilness, it has to show something about them. Not everything. Everything does not have to be laid bear upon the first few pages. In fact, everything should not be laid bare and there should be twists and turns still to go through to understand the character in their entirety. But at least some aspect of them should be known upon that first scene.
Basically, it is best not to start off with something like them eating breakfast. Well... unless they eat something strange for breakfast, perhaps but... eggs and bacon are the standard so if they do nothing different then... ok, I guess? This could even go for bigger events. Perhaps they had family members killed as an opening scene (which I am going to get to things like this in a moment), well them feeling sad about it is to be expected. At least have them do something which is characteristic of them. How they handle grief could say a lot about a person. What they decide to do now that this has befallen them can say a lot about this person. However, I have read intros where they are established to be sad, and then nothing else. So, I really learned nothing about the character other than that they were sad when normal people are sad.
Of course, an RP might be different, you should try to work with either your partner(s)/GM to have an opening that will fit the people you work with, but you can still have one that really establishes your character's presence. Now I am not going to badger people to do it this way in an RP, because Roleplays are about enjoyment and if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. Do what you like and keep on doing what you like. This is what I like to do, and for those of you out there that prefer to almost be writing a novel in RP form when you RP with someone, this is a good way to really establish and start working with your character. Even if the purpose of the RP is to flesh this character out, you can still get a lot of traction by having such a strong opening post that displays their core characteristics, and who knows? A strong opening might be a great point to spring off into fully fleshing everything out.
The Tragedy v. the Exploitive Writing
This comes up often enough, I am going to give it an individual section. Tragedies happen in everyone's lives, your characters included. I understand wanting to add in a tragedy as it can end up acting as someone's main drive. A huge tragedy that may have affected the character could even drive the story along.
The problem I have recently been seeing with tragedies is that the market is kind of getting oversaturated with them. Most places you look, there are several characters with a tragic backstory, or they try to get away around that by just having the tragedy happen in story. Many authors do it rather well, and understand the elements to at least a decent tragedy.
Oldboy (the original Korean film) and The Revenant both had tragedies happen to their main characters which worked to fuel their spiral into revenge. These tragedies weren't there just to make us feel sympathy for them, but also to act as catalysts for their mental battles and spiral into vengeance filled rages. Perhaps it is like Arlen from the Demon Cycle Series and where he is obsessed with the idea of killing every Coreling in existence after watching his mom get killed by one (sounds like something else I have seen hmmm). I have seen characters grow paranoid because they believe they are cursed. I have seen characters change their identities and make drastic changes in their lives because of a tragedy. One bad day can cause a man to go insane. It may also cause someone to become a hero. It can also be used for story purposes. Just like a plot device. Tragedy, quite frankly, is inherent to human existence. Which is why in some cases, it is used so well.
Tragedies are usually done well. They usually end up being perfectly fine. Many people, I find, they make something which serves both the character and the story well. Not all of them are amazing, but most are serviceable. The best advice I can actually offer is that some people make the mistake of having a tragedy happen too early. Having a tragedy happen early is not, in itself, a bad thing, but if you really want it to have the maximum emotional impact, for there to be empathy and not just pity, then you have to have it happen after the reader gets to know the character. Of course, this also requires properly fleshing out and making a character the audience fell in love with
but I think this lot has that down on lock. I can say with confidence that a character that the audience has already connected to will be the type which will cause the most feels when they reveal their tragedy or experience it.
But then I come to what I call Exploitive Writing. I cannot even call this tragedy because it can, quite frankly, be insulting to people who really did go through these tragedies.
I have seen this happen many times with female characters being raped. As someone who has been sexually assaulted and harassed on multiple occasions, even I can say it is a bit... ewwy to see how some female OCs are treated in such cases. There is a reason why I often say that when there is any other choice other than rape, don't use rape. It is not just because rape is such a sensitive topic and if you put it in your story, you have to understand that and know that this is something which will heavily affect the character it happened to in many ways. it is also because it is now one of the most overused plot devices I have ever witnessed in literature. So many people seem to go: "I don't know what to do with this female character... eh, rape."
Exploitive Writing simply means that instead of taking these tragedies with the weight they deserve, instead of actually having the character feel the weight of what has happened, it is used as more of a cheap trick to make the audience feel bad. Many times it affects the character for all of 2 seconds and then comes up every now and again to ensure that people remember it happened and are paying attention to them. While there are times tragedies are not done well, this is the only form of writing that tends to make me legitimately angry. Because it is disrespectful.
Many times that I have seen it done, there was absolutely no consideration put into how the traumatizing event may affect someone, it was really only there to be there.
Writing is a form of art. It is supposed to be an experience and help other people experience. To take such emotional experiences, such personal stories of pain and perseverance and use them as nothing more than a cheap way to make a character look sadder and make more people feel bad for them whenever convenient... that is not alright.
There also comes something which I think is more common, and that is people overdoing the tragedy. What I mean by that is the character... seems to have been made with Murphy's Law in mind. And literally everything possible went wrong. The legit problem is the same as I mentioned earlier and sometimes this just feels like a cheap trick to force an emotion from the audience rather than slowly building them to like and care for the character and genuinely feel for them through the hard times.
In truth, that is the actual line between a decent tragedy and exploitive writing. One relies on the emotion to come from the audience making a close connection to the character and digesting what has happened with them, making for the audience to appreciate and understand the tragedy which happened and the character to be affected by it in whatever way the author chooses. Exploitive writing is simply the author attempting to force the emotion out of the reader through throwing a bunch of: "Look! It is so sad! Look! Look!"
So in the end, go for actual tragedies my dudes.
What is Written vs. What is Projected
I already mentioned this in the character creation section, but it definitely needs to be addressed again. Of course, one way to avoid this early on is to make sure none of the original traits you make earlier do not contradict one another. Now comes making sure the character you are trying to project is not a contradiction of who they really are. This is something I actually see in published media as well as RPs all of the time. For example, perhaps you have a character that others are supposed to think are untrustworthy. Well, if the character has done nothing that is untrustworthy, then there is no reason for the audience to find them untrustworthy, and in fact the audience probably will think the other characters are weird for just... not trusting them for no reason.
There is actually not much advice I can give here other than watch for it when you write. Basically. you may want other people to read it or reread it yourself and see if the character you are trying to project is the same as the one which you have on the page.
This is basically a part of the show don't tell rule. But at the same time, it is saying, if you are going to tell it, at least show it as well. Or at the very least, don't insist one thing through writing but show something completely different. As an example, in the Oldboy American remake, they insist the main leads are in love with one another when we cannot actually see the chemistry or them falling in love.
There have been many times when I was told a character was smart, and everyone around the character was supposed to think they were smart, but they had never done anything which could actually be considered smart. If you are projecting them as some huge suave manly man who gets all the ladies and sleeps with hotties for a hobby, well don't depict them as someone that gets intimidated by one scene with a hottie.
Long story short, make sure you are not insisting a narrative that you never set up. It is not the audience's or partner's fault that they cannot read your mind.
More to be added~ I will update this thread regularly with my little tidbits about writing characters and hope it helps someone
There is a lot to say and I do not feel I will do it justice by doing it all at once. I will regularly be editing this as well as I come up with new ideas to add and learn more about old ones I have already mentioned.
My PMs are always open for questions or comments.
I come here with a new guide in hand, in hopes of helping all of my lovely writers/roleplayers out there with this little thing called character creation and development. So, I will not dwell on any introductions, you either know who I am or you do not and I know you probably do not care. Let us get on to what everyone wishes to know about, and that is how I sold my soul to unlock the knowledge of the perfect character. The knowledge is in my hands and what I giveth, I can taketh away!
Shall we hear what I have learned?
The answer is: there is no guide to make the perfect character.
Ha! You thought I came with something which would make the lives of writers everywhere easier!
So, there is no perfect character that can perfectly fit into every story.
Of course, there are the characters that are traditionally seen as bad. While that is true, and as characters they are boring/badly made, they can still work in a story. Usually, however, the story was made with them in mind, so that the audience still enjoys it. Blank slates are put in places where people can project themselves on them. That is why many romance mains are without actual personalities. Same with some suave action heroes. Or the character is more of a plot device than they are a character (this does not work, more often than not I found, mostly because in both roleplays and novels and such, I find that people will still treat them like characters even though they really only act like plot devices). Mary-Sues can even sometimes work. It all depends on the story. If it works it works.
However I found it works in... a very low percentage of mediums in the grand scheme of things. The plot usually has to cater to that character. Both in roleplays, and in stories. Mary-Sues are not fun to play against, mostly because by nature they demand to be the protaganist. In a roleplay, you're going to have to plan that ish out and make sure everyone will be having fun.
Bottom line, these characters can and have worked, but they usually will not. Moving on.
If you get bored of
Melpomene
rambling about stupid shit that has nothing to do with her helping you make a character and is instead talking to herself about Mary-Sues and them being valid at times and shit, then please come down here.
#ThankYouForStickingWithMeEvenThoughIAmTrash.
Melpomene
rambling about stupid shit that has nothing to do with her helping you make a character and is instead talking to herself about Mary-Sues and them being valid at times and shit, then please come down here. #ThankYouForStickingWithMeEvenThoughIAmTrash.
But here I am to help with what I feel I have learned a lot about over the years of writing: the true character. The living and breathing person that is locked within the pages of the novel, or within the site of the roleplay. These are the types which are usually in need of being more grounded for the story. In truth, many stories will not work with devices rather than characters, or rather, they would work better if they were true characters. Perhaps they would make the story stronger by making the reader have a bigger emotional connection to it.
Without further ado (I kept you waiting damn long enough) here is a simple guide to help with character development, character making, and characters in general.
Part 1
The Character Awakens
The very first thing you have to do is actually make the character. This, in all honesty, is one of the hardest parts for me. Why? Because there are so many possibilities and I have to make a decision on which one I want. This is where a lot of the big decisions are made about the character you are making, this part is a lot like going seed shopping to me. At least the first part is. You have to decide what type of character you want.The Character Awakens
Here are some things that may help with the initial decision making:
- Decide on some basic characteristics. I am not necessarily saying build the personality yet, that can come later, but decide what some characteristics of this character are going to be. Do you want them to be funny? Shy? Flirtatious? Violent? All of the above? Well... all of the above could end up being problematic, but we will get into that later. Having an idea of what you want your character to be like can be very helpful in the long run. More than likely, the things you decide in the first few seconds of creation will be very small, maybe 1% of the character, but it is just as important as the other 99%. That being said, do not feel very pressured into making all the choices now. If you just have one distinct characteristic as an idea, for now, that is alright. Work with it. Build on it. I guarantee more will come.
- Decide what role they are going to play. Quite frankly, it might be best if this is the first step. It can really help you decide what you want their characteristics to be if you already know where they are going to be in the story. Are they the knight? The police officer? the voice of reason? The King? The Judge? The executioner? The Grand Admiral? The civilian? While your character CERTAINLY should not be defined by the role they play, it can affect what you do for their personality. If you have an idea about their role, you can decide how well they fit into it, how comfortable they feel in the role, what others think of them in this role. Some of this stuff can be developed later, but that is why I say a good start to beginning to make a character is knowing what role they play in the story.
- Base them on a known trope. Now, this may sound strange. Everyone tells you to make sure you are original and here am I saying you should start building off of something that is not your own. Well, quite frankly, there is nothing wrong with getting inspiration. Do not copy, by all means, but whether you know it or not, you will be taking inspiration from things you've seen in life and things you have seen in other stories. As long as you build on it, to make it your own, it will work. If you want that magnificent bastard, you can have them. Hell, this makes it easier because now you have a few characteristics picked out based on the trope. But you need to add to it. As I said before, this is 1% of your character.
- Start with the reference image. This helps some people, I found, to know what their character looks like. Sometimes an image gives people a burst of creativity to write a character. Personally, it does not do that for me. I find how a character to look to be one of the least important parts to me, though it is still very important, especially for any character that is going to be in a work that is heavily visual. This helps some people, however, I don't really recommend it. But if it helps you, it certainly helps you and more power to you for that.
Now that you have a basic idea for what you want, you have to begin putting it together in a tangible way. Now, some of this can be done in part 2, but allow me to offer some basic pointers for when you are starting to put all the bits and pieces into a tangible character. This will be you putting down the base colors before we begin fleshing out the character.
Step 1:
Pick out more characteristics apart from the basic ones you started with. They can either be completely different or built off of what you already have. This is not yet a fully functioning anything, but it is a good sketch of what you want. This is where you may decide how you want your character to be seen in the society they live in, or where you want them to be from, etc. As I said before, you definitely don't need to have everything full fleshed out, but there should be enough here to make a basic sketch of your character. Add some skill sets you might want them to have, perhaps even the type of relationships they developed. Skills, likes, dislikes, interests, quirks, mannerisms, hell, moral alignment even. Just some things you think up and want to throw into this character.
Step 2:
Now we start to develop some things. A backstory, perhaps? A personality as well? These can begin rather basic. Something that would make sense for their role in the story and how they got there. Backstories, I believe, often times should be developed alongside the personality and mannerisms as a person's past can directly affect who they are today. Often times the characteristics you will see in a person are results of where they came from. Of course, at this time both of these things can be a bit bare, mostly this is so you have something for when we reach the fleshing out phase. I'm going to say now that it is okay to have characters end up being different than you initially planned once you start fleshing them out through roleplay, but you should have something behind that. I find that going in with a blank slate will not build as solid characters as going in with at least an idea. What usually happens with my characters is that they have the same characteristics I planned out for them, they just don't show them in the initial way I planned out.
Really, for this step, you want to solidify the overall big picture of the character. The main personality traits and the beats you want to hit with the backstory. There are still a lot of beats to hit after this because people are like onions, they have layers. But once again, this is a start. You aren't making a finished product yet, so don't stress over it, you're simply beginning to take all the bits and pieces you have and stitch them together into something bigger and prettier.
Step 3:
Now that you have something at least partially developed, look before you leap. You do not want to get too far down the line of development only to discover what you have won't work. Think about what role they are supposed to be playing. Think about what is necessary and what is not. Think about where they will be.
Why I say this is because I found that many people like playing antisocial characters. However... That can get downright annoying an RP, a group RP especially. They can work better in a novel type setting, but even then be careful with that, they can get annoying there as well. I'm not saying don't ever try to tackle this type of character, just understand you will really have to keep an eye on this type of character, especially when playing them against other people and make sure that other people are actually having fun with it.
Also, take a look at the backstory. Yes, it is only an outline now, perhaps, but make sure it is something that actually makes sense, especially for the skill sets you might have in mind. People aren't just born with natural talent when it comes to certain things. They have to be learned. Someone who is really good with a gun should have a backstory that reflects how they got so good. Whether their parents decided they had to be taught or they had a long history as a sniper in the military before the RP started. You do not even have to go deep into it, the reasoning just should be there.
And from this stage onwards, you need to watch out for contradictions in the character. Now, the contradictions you really need to watch out for is when you actually get to the writing portion, but for now, keep an eye on the traits you picked out. While people have layers and are very complex, I find that there is a serious problem with people confusing complexity with contradictions. Like, I have seen characters that are described as selfish and then are described as generous just because they want to be, and never have personal gain in mind when they give shit away. And then I say, but that is the opposite of being selfish. Selfish people don't do that. Perhaps you could try saying they only do it with certain people, but still you would need to explain and develop that a lot.
I am going to go farther into detail about this in the portion that is actually about writing the character, but I will stick to this for now, because if you find any traits that are seemingly contradictory, you are goinbg to want to already begin thinking now on how you can make them work with one another, or you will just have to choose one or the other.
Step 4:
Nothing contradicts each other and things make sense now, I assume! An idea has been formed and the character is at least partially set! You're ready to pick out a character design if you have not already and to get ready to debut this character! Personally, I enjoy throwing the characters I write for my novels into roleplays and short stories to help flesh them out before I begin seriously writing them in the role I intend for them in the story. Quite frankly, writing them in different scenes can be the absolute best way to flesh them out entirely. It gives you a better grasp of how you want certain things to affect them and where you want them to end up.
Now, most of you guys probably did not need any help with this part. Most people have made a Character Sheet before, and that is basically what I just said to make. Which, by the way, character sheets are very helpful. Even if you don't like them, I actually do recommend keeping something like that for your characters (especially if you have a lot of them) stored somewhere. They don't have to be super in depth, but keeping them updated on where your character is in the story and how they are developing can help you not make any contradictions and such. But I digress.
What I am trying to convey here is that for now, everything should show the big picture. Now we get to actually writing them out.
Part 2
The Character is Written
The Character is now out of development and ready to head out there into the real world. Now, this is where I step in to help you. This is my absolute favorite part of character development and that is actually putting them through the things that allow them to develop. Now, here are some pointers for writing a character in the world rather than in the abstract world of character creation. This is different because instead of then just being an abstract concept of ideas, traits, and mannerisms, now you see them come to life on the screen or on a page. They actually do things and you get to see the skills and such you gave to them in action. The fact this will be the first time you see them in action is why many times, things will change. You may decide to go in a different direction after seeing them interact with other people and the world and that is okay. It happens. A lot of times it is not the large parts but the finer details that change. Maybe a character ends up with more brazen wit than you initially intended, or they end up with less. All that matters is that they begin to develop into a well-rounded character. The Character is Written
This is actually why I put so much emphasis on part one. While none of it was any actual technique and mostly just to help you build a a solid base for a character I think it makes this part easier to do. It is far easier to develop a character when you have an actual backbone than it is to just throw a blank slate out there. Having something you can build on when you begin the story will very much help with everything because you will be concentrating on fine-tuning the character when the story begins rather than completely building them. Plus, this keeps the character from being very bland at the beginning, because even if the RP/ short story is supposed to help flesh them out, it will be better if they aren't bland at the beginning of the RP/ story. And it will also help for when you are planning what will happen in the RP, already having an idea about the character will give you what you need to actually have ideas for events which will provide your character with a challenge or make them stressed and help develop them and such.
So, here I give you some ideas for technique and actually writing your character. This is going to be a long ramble because I love to talk about things like this, but here we go.
Show Don't Tell
This is one that I really do not need to include. Everyone knows now that show don't tell is a big rule in writing. Although, I must admit that there are times which it can be just as effective to just tell. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Showing instead of telling is not always inherently better, in fact, sometimes it is better to do neither and simply allow the audience to put together what happened. Such is why No Country for Old Men ended up being so critically claimed. There were many points when you were just left to figure it out for yourself why something happened or even what happened based on clues we see around the characters.
There's not much to say here, really. In moments that are supposed to be whimsy and magical, well just saying it is whimsy and magical won't be as effective as showing the whimsy and magical. But then there are people like H. P. Lovecraft that basically had writing that was effective because he didn't show you things. You know it is terrifying, but you've never seen it and in a way that makes it scarier.
This sounds super flippant, but really you just need to read the scene and know what needs to be shown, not shown, told and not told. Sometimes you need to tell what someone's intentions were. Sometimes you need to show them. Sometimes you need to keep it a complete mystery. Sometimes it can improve on a scene:
His words upset her. "Leave. Go." she said.
It could be made more powerful with a little showing instead of telling.
Dahlia's lips parted in silent protest as he spoke. Her eyes widened and swelled with unshed tears as her body recoiled.
"Leave," she whispered, voice shaking. "Go!"
While they both conveyed the same overall message, one gave a more in depth understanding of just how upset she was. But, like I said, it is not better 100% of the time, but there are times when showing can improve on a scene. In all honesty, there are times when you legitimately have to tell the audience what is going on. Sometimes it is necessary to do both show and tell. It all depends, so... really use it at your own discretion.
The introduction
Introducing your character can be one of the most important things you do. The introduction is not as important in a roleplay as it is in something like a novel, but it can still be a huge part of your character entering the battlefield. This is the first time other people are going to see this character in action, so often times you want it to be something they can remember well. While you might not have to go huge, like a battle or a fight, you just need something that would well define them.
As an example, look at the first few pages of Stephen King's Dark Tower series did a very good job in establishing the main character Roland Deschain. The entire series began with one line: "The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed." This line and the first few pages tell you many things about Roland. Actually, they show you many things about Roland rather than tell you. And that is why many people love these opening pages. Not only is the opening sentence a really good hook, you also learn about the setting and characters through it and what follows. I already know Roland is resilient and a gunslinger. He is willing to chase someone across a blistering desert for the chance of getting closer to the dark tower. He must have some survival skills to be able to make it this long, fighting skills as well. He's obviously confident he can catch up with this dude at some point. We know quite a bit about him through this opening shot. Chasing the man in black across the desert is something Roland would do. It is something that is inarguably Roland.
This may not be the best example, but it is a damn good one. In most cases, it is best to start your character off doing something that is inarguably them. Whether it be displaying their heroics or their greed or their evilness, it has to show something about them. Not everything. Everything does not have to be laid bear upon the first few pages. In fact, everything should not be laid bare and there should be twists and turns still to go through to understand the character in their entirety. But at least some aspect of them should be known upon that first scene.
Basically, it is best not to start off with something like them eating breakfast. Well... unless they eat something strange for breakfast, perhaps but... eggs and bacon are the standard so if they do nothing different then... ok, I guess? This could even go for bigger events. Perhaps they had family members killed as an opening scene (which I am going to get to things like this in a moment), well them feeling sad about it is to be expected. At least have them do something which is characteristic of them. How they handle grief could say a lot about a person. What they decide to do now that this has befallen them can say a lot about this person. However, I have read intros where they are established to be sad, and then nothing else. So, I really learned nothing about the character other than that they were sad when normal people are sad.
Of course, an RP might be different, you should try to work with either your partner(s)/GM to have an opening that will fit the people you work with, but you can still have one that really establishes your character's presence. Now I am not going to badger people to do it this way in an RP, because Roleplays are about enjoyment and if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. Do what you like and keep on doing what you like. This is what I like to do, and for those of you out there that prefer to almost be writing a novel in RP form when you RP with someone, this is a good way to really establish and start working with your character. Even if the purpose of the RP is to flesh this character out, you can still get a lot of traction by having such a strong opening post that displays their core characteristics, and who knows? A strong opening might be a great point to spring off into fully fleshing everything out.
The Tragedy v. the Exploitive Writing
This comes up often enough, I am going to give it an individual section. Tragedies happen in everyone's lives, your characters included. I understand wanting to add in a tragedy as it can end up acting as someone's main drive. A huge tragedy that may have affected the character could even drive the story along.
The problem I have recently been seeing with tragedies is that the market is kind of getting oversaturated with them. Most places you look, there are several characters with a tragic backstory, or they try to get away around that by just having the tragedy happen in story. Many authors do it rather well, and understand the elements to at least a decent tragedy.
Oldboy (the original Korean film) and The Revenant both had tragedies happen to their main characters which worked to fuel their spiral into revenge. These tragedies weren't there just to make us feel sympathy for them, but also to act as catalysts for their mental battles and spiral into vengeance filled rages. Perhaps it is like Arlen from the Demon Cycle Series and where he is obsessed with the idea of killing every Coreling in existence after watching his mom get killed by one (sounds like something else I have seen hmmm). I have seen characters grow paranoid because they believe they are cursed. I have seen characters change their identities and make drastic changes in their lives because of a tragedy. One bad day can cause a man to go insane. It may also cause someone to become a hero. It can also be used for story purposes. Just like a plot device. Tragedy, quite frankly, is inherent to human existence. Which is why in some cases, it is used so well.
Tragedies are usually done well. They usually end up being perfectly fine. Many people, I find, they make something which serves both the character and the story well. Not all of them are amazing, but most are serviceable. The best advice I can actually offer is that some people make the mistake of having a tragedy happen too early. Having a tragedy happen early is not, in itself, a bad thing, but if you really want it to have the maximum emotional impact, for there to be empathy and not just pity, then you have to have it happen after the reader gets to know the character. Of course, this also requires properly fleshing out and making a character the audience fell in love with
but I think this lot has that down on lock. I can say with confidence that a character that the audience has already connected to will be the type which will cause the most feels when they reveal their tragedy or experience it.But then I come to what I call Exploitive Writing. I cannot even call this tragedy because it can, quite frankly, be insulting to people who really did go through these tragedies.
I have seen this happen many times with female characters being raped. As someone who has been sexually assaulted and harassed on multiple occasions, even I can say it is a bit... ewwy to see how some female OCs are treated in such cases. There is a reason why I often say that when there is any other choice other than rape, don't use rape. It is not just because rape is such a sensitive topic and if you put it in your story, you have to understand that and know that this is something which will heavily affect the character it happened to in many ways. it is also because it is now one of the most overused plot devices I have ever witnessed in literature. So many people seem to go: "I don't know what to do with this female character... eh, rape."
Exploitive Writing simply means that instead of taking these tragedies with the weight they deserve, instead of actually having the character feel the weight of what has happened, it is used as more of a cheap trick to make the audience feel bad. Many times it affects the character for all of 2 seconds and then comes up every now and again to ensure that people remember it happened and are paying attention to them. While there are times tragedies are not done well, this is the only form of writing that tends to make me legitimately angry. Because it is disrespectful.
Many times that I have seen it done, there was absolutely no consideration put into how the traumatizing event may affect someone, it was really only there to be there.
Writing is a form of art. It is supposed to be an experience and help other people experience. To take such emotional experiences, such personal stories of pain and perseverance and use them as nothing more than a cheap way to make a character look sadder and make more people feel bad for them whenever convenient... that is not alright.
There also comes something which I think is more common, and that is people overdoing the tragedy. What I mean by that is the character... seems to have been made with Murphy's Law in mind. And literally everything possible went wrong. The legit problem is the same as I mentioned earlier and sometimes this just feels like a cheap trick to force an emotion from the audience rather than slowly building them to like and care for the character and genuinely feel for them through the hard times.
In truth, that is the actual line between a decent tragedy and exploitive writing. One relies on the emotion to come from the audience making a close connection to the character and digesting what has happened with them, making for the audience to appreciate and understand the tragedy which happened and the character to be affected by it in whatever way the author chooses. Exploitive writing is simply the author attempting to force the emotion out of the reader through throwing a bunch of: "Look! It is so sad! Look! Look!"
So in the end, go for actual tragedies my dudes.
What is Written vs. What is Projected
I already mentioned this in the character creation section, but it definitely needs to be addressed again. Of course, one way to avoid this early on is to make sure none of the original traits you make earlier do not contradict one another. Now comes making sure the character you are trying to project is not a contradiction of who they really are. This is something I actually see in published media as well as RPs all of the time. For example, perhaps you have a character that others are supposed to think are untrustworthy. Well, if the character has done nothing that is untrustworthy, then there is no reason for the audience to find them untrustworthy, and in fact the audience probably will think the other characters are weird for just... not trusting them for no reason.
There is actually not much advice I can give here other than watch for it when you write. Basically. you may want other people to read it or reread it yourself and see if the character you are trying to project is the same as the one which you have on the page.
This is basically a part of the show don't tell rule. But at the same time, it is saying, if you are going to tell it, at least show it as well. Or at the very least, don't insist one thing through writing but show something completely different. As an example, in the Oldboy American remake, they insist the main leads are in love with one another when we cannot actually see the chemistry or them falling in love.
There have been many times when I was told a character was smart, and everyone around the character was supposed to think they were smart, but they had never done anything which could actually be considered smart. If you are projecting them as some huge suave manly man who gets all the ladies and sleeps with hotties for a hobby, well don't depict them as someone that gets intimidated by one scene with a hottie.
Long story short, make sure you are not insisting a narrative that you never set up. It is not the audience's or partner's fault that they cannot read your mind.
More to be added~ I will update this thread regularly with my little tidbits about writing characters and hope it helps someone
There is a lot to say and I do not feel I will do it justice by doing it all at once. I will regularly be editing this as well as I come up with new ideas to add and learn more about old ones I have already mentioned.
My PMs are always open for questions or comments.
