#developing characters

[moshieee]

Fun fact!

Moshie was originally going to communicate similar to how the floffis do, which is mainly through emotions

That couldn't work for the mafia au however sense m!moshie is going in and out of apathy due to... Certain factors...

And I wanted to keep their two stories similar, sort of like a branching of paths instead of an entirely new character

[lunacreativeacademy]

Experimenting with Voice

This week I’ve been experimenting with voice.💻

One of the ways to define your character’s voice is to list their hobbies 🖊

Firstly it helps you as a writer define who they are and secondly, it helps you work out how they see the world and how this alters the language they use and the way they think.🧐

An artist is more likely to describe their life through colour, paint and canvas.🖌

A photographer sees the world through a lens, possibly indicating they prefer to be slightly removed from it. 📸

My character Nik is a CIA operative but at heart he’s a musician, he plays guitar to unwind. His creative side is constantly at war with the practical necessities of his job, and it creates some interesting conflicts for him. It also made me consider how the work he does effects his current life and stops him from pursuing the things he loves 🎸

As a creative Nik more emotional than his colleagues, and this skews their view of him and his ability to do the job.

In terms of voice, Nik is a songwriter at heart so he speaks in long sentences. The language he uses is almost lyrical, another thing that sets him apart from the people he works with.

Already by doing this small exercise I’ve learned so much already about Nik, his environment, mindset and perspective.

Why don’t you give it a try?

Let me know in the comments below what you discover about your character!

[mariannedonley]

Using Your Characters' Emotional Wounds for Character Development

Presented by: Deborah Bailey Date: June 12 – 23, 2023 (two weeks)Registration Closes: June 20, 2023 Pricing:  A2P Member fee: $15Non-A2P Member fee: $25  About the Workshop: Develop your characters and create backstory using emotional wounds and inner conflicts. Discover the inner conflicts that might be inspiring protagonists and antagonists in your story. We’ll cover topics such as: how to…

[delsheree]

Villains and Secondary Characters: Altering the Focus

Determining how much page time a secondary character should get can be tricky. Check out these tips on how and when to put the focus on a secondary character.

When you begin plotting or developing a story idea, the main characters are necessarily the focus, however, once you are into the details of the story it’s important to alter the focus occasionally to better develop the secondary characters. If a secondary character seems to be falling to the wayside or not sticking in the reader’s mind, that can be a good time to turn the focus toward that…

[thehorrortree]

Developing A Believable Character

Developing a believable character is one of the most important aspects of writing a good story. If the reader cannot believe or empathize with the character, then the story will not be as enjoyable. In order to develop a believable character, it is important to be aware of the individual’s motivations and how they got that way. The protagonist must be someone the reader can understand and root…

[ettawritesnstudies]

January is Characterization month on my website so today's blog post talks about how I personally go about developing my characters in the outline stage. This isn't a How To Guide, since everyone's methods will be different, but sometimes seeing how another writer goes about some aspect of the creative process can be useful for learning new tools to adapt and use in your own writing. I hope you find it useful :)

Which of your characters has changed the most since you first started writing them? For me, it's Alric. He's one of the villains in Laoche, and he went from being a very one dimensional evil wizard who sat atop his tower going "muahahahaha" to being a desperate student with a complex motivation and a redemption arc.

[whocaresgobuckwild]

That moment when you have more notes on a side character than a main character

[waterfallwritings]

YES YOU KNEW I WAS GONNA ASK FOR VELIA :3

Coming right up!

Time to figure out the answer to a bunch of these, lol. Good good.

B A S I C S

full name: Velia Curran

gender: cis female

sexuality: lesbian/bisexual (she’s unsure)

pronouns: she/her

O T H E R S

family: None

birthplace: Canada. Well, the fantasy version of a small portion of world/Canada that ASH takes place in, really. She’s from the area.

job: unemployed...  okay fine, thievery.

phobias: astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning)

guilty pleasures: knitting

M O R A L S

morality alignment: chaotic good

sins - lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath

virtues - chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice

T H I S - O R - T H A T

introvert/extrovert:

organized/disorganized:

close minded/open-minded:

calm/anxious:

disagreeable/agreeable:

cautious/reckless:

patient/impatient:

outspoken/reserved:

leader/follower: independent

empathetic/unemphatic:

optimistic/pessimistic:

traditional/modern:

hard-working/lazy:

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

otp: Definitely Lorelai

ot3: Tbh she’d love to adopt a big, scary dog thats actually super sweet-- with Lorelai. Can that count as three? oh god all my characters in this book are such loners cause I can’t be bothered to create unimportant friend ocs

brotp: dogs. Animals. I could see her being friends with Miles and Adrian one day.

notp: ...... The Ward

[gottaenjoythelittlethingzz]

Schuyler unironically, ironically listens to Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy and sings every single word.

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

I have a problem; I'm so attached to other peoples characters, and I think ... it's because they're fully formed and stuff. I don't know what to do with my cute, inchoate characters. But I so want to fall in love with my own characters - and I do love them! - but I want to be enamored with them like I am with characters from my favorite fandoms. Plus, I'm an infj so this is even harder. Can you give me any advice?

As someone who’s an INTJ, I’m honestly liable to believe that the problem isn’t going to lie with your characters so much as your perception of them. These are works that you’ve created, so it’s quite likely that you’re going to find flaws and problems within them that you wouldn’t notice/mind with those of your friends! It’s a creative challenge most people tend to go through without even consciously realizing it; your works are going to be lesser unless you can see them with a kinder eye.

What about them doesn’t feel fully formed to you? If you can’t seem to find a specific thing, it’s not a problem with the character. If you can find a specific thing, then by all means, go on and remedy it! Chances are, you’re never going to feel the same way that you do about someone else’s characters that you do about your own. And that isn’t a bad thing! One is a product you enjoy, a creation you admire. That feeling is wildly different than a satisfaction of creation, the pride of growth, and maybe even some lingering embarrassment at prior iterations.

[mariannedonley]

Why Do I Love Ranger? by Jenny Jensen

Why Do I Love Ranger? by Jenny Jensen ~ Currently working with a writer on the development of a new series. Book One has to really grip the audience if the series stands a chance.

Currently working with a writer on the development of a new series. Book One has to really grip the audience if the series stands a chance. This is a great first draft with solid premise, good action, clever mystery, really likeable secondary characters and a perfectly creepy villain. The problem is the MC. Because the author is writing in 1st PPOV the narrator – that 1st person person – needs to…

[kidcataldo]

Jacqueline Hilling, daughter of Virginia Hilling

I had a really vivid dream about this character... She’s a trans woman who’s just transitioning and, like, it’s discovered that her supportive mom actually stole her from her birth parents as a baby and she knows and she’s cool with it. It’s really weird. I haven’t really been able to develop anything else for it, though, so there’s not a strong plot

Jac looked at herself in the mirror. There wasn’t a single womanly curve on her body. Her mother bought some new clothes for her, including some pretty lingerie, to help Jac’s self esteem. It all felt wrong to Jac, almost scandalous, because some part of her still felt she wasn’t deserving. She didn’t want to say it out loud, for her mother’s ears to hear, but she felt like she looked terrible. Not right at all.

“It looks nice,” said her mother sweetly as she tightened the straps on Jac’s bra.

“I don’t need it,” said Jac. She wanted to rip the stupid thing off her body. Instead, she used her big bony hands to hide the soft fabric.

“Nonsense, every woman needs at least one set of pretty lingerie in her drawers,” said her mother. She looked in the mirror, beaming at her daughter and her beauty.

“I thought it’d be different,” confessed Jac. She stroked the hair on her arms. “But I still feel—“

“It’s only been a month, Rabbit. This stuff takes time, you know.”

“I know.”

With a sigh, she walked to her bed and sat down while her mother went to her closet. “I was thinking you could wear the red dress. It would go great with your hair—you’d look like a regular Marilyn Monroe.” She pulled out the dress. It really did look like something out of old Hollywood. It was pretty, but it was too revealing. She’d spend half the night standing in a dark corner if she wore it, hiding all her arm and chest hairs.

“That’s a little too flashy for a house party, don’t you think?”

“And flashy’s a bad thing?”

“Maybe just a t-shirt and some pants.”

Defeated, her mother placed the red dress back in the closet. “Oh, all right, have it your way. But you should keep the bra and undies on—it’d be good for you.”

“I guess.”

“And some makeup.”

“Okay,” Jac agreed, “but... but nothing too flashy.”

***

“Wait a minute... you—you knew you were stolen and you didn’t do anything about it?”

Jac sighed. “I was sixteen when I found out... or when she told me. I felt a lot like how you’re feeling now. I even threatened to call the police on her. Eventually, she told me where she lived—she had been keeping tabs on her for a while. I stormed out of there, ready to never step foot in that house again. And then I met her.”

“Your birth mother?”

“Yeah...” said Jac. “She was living in some apartment in the city... with a couple of other people—it was a crack house, I think. Some guy answered the door. I asked to see her and took a minute to convince him I wasn’t a narc. She was over at some supermarket, begging shoppers for money. I thought she’d recognize me the moment I we met, but...”

“But?”

“I don’t think she cared who I was,” she said. “I think she was high. I tried talking to her, but she didn’t seem too interested in me once she realized I wasn’t giving her money.”

“So, what happened?”

“I went home,” said Jac. “Mom was still there... I guess hoping I’d come back. She seemed a little unsure. Maybe worried I had come back with the police. But I just sat down and asked her what we were having for dinner. We haven’t really talked about it since.”

[delsheree]

Villains and Secondary Characters: Determining Role

If you're secondary character feel too dependent on the Main Character's actions and needs, here are some tips for developing them into more unique individuals within the story.

Secondary character should have a distinct role in the story in order to avoid becoming filler and getting lost in the greater plot. The role of a secondary character should NOT exist only in relation to the main character. This creates flat characters who are difficult to develop into more meaningful elements in a story. Consider why a secondary character is involved with a hero/villain and why…

[supernatural-broke-it]

Aye,

Can anyone give me advice on how to write Orochimaru’s character and develop him realistically?

[daringthepen]

When developing your characters, one of the things you do is try to figure out some dislikes.  And often times, we try to rationalize why.

But it doesn't always work like that with real people.  Sometimes there are things that some people dislike just because.  Their reasoning for it might be nonsensical to the majority of people, or maybe they have a hard time describing why they dislike something.

So when developing your characters, remember that you don't always have to give a “why” to something.  An example of this is Dr. Perry Cox in the Scrubs TV show.  One of his dislikes is Hugh Jackman.  Well, why does he hate Hugh Jackman?  The show never gives an explanation, but it's just one of those things that everyone knows he dislikes.  Another real life example is of a Japanese manga artist who has admitted to having a dislike for strawberries.  Her reasoning?  It seems wrong that there is a fruit so readily and perfectly made for dessert without having to do anything to it.  Kind of a weird reasoning to dislike strawberries, but there it is.

In the same way, one of your characters could have that thing they really dislike. Maybe there isn't really an explanation for it.  Maybe they have a reasoning that just seems weird.  And that's okay.  Does every character have to be this way?  No.  Variety is a good thing.  It also might come off a little formulated if every character has that one thing they dislike and can't be explained.  But if you're struggling to figure out a reason why a character doesn't like something, just consider the possibility that there isn't a reason. Or at least, not a rational one.

[gottaenjoythelittlethingzz]

Just because one doesn’t have a solid plan to use a character in a project doesn’t mean one shouldn’t take time to develop traits and a back story for said character, right?