#it's not specific to kf but it's you know how we process character creation and dialogue which was the crux of the question!

[blank-house]

Hi! How does the writing team come up with actions and dialogue for the characters? All of the characters- even the npcs like Rory and Nikki seem so fleshed out. They all have different and distinct personalities and it shows in their dialogue and actions. I struggle with my characters seeming the same or kinda falling bland even if I give them all different personalities. I really look up to the writers of this game so I wanted to ask how they do it and maybe get some advice if they don’t mind!

hi! and that's so sweet that you look up to us! happy to answer some questions about the craft.

i've asked our editor to weigh in and i'll include their answer below, but for me: i find it pretty helpful to think about the little things. it's important to know the backgrounds and personalities of the characters, but is that all a person is? what are the kinds of things you remember about people when you talk about them? is it about their family life? their name, their age?

i'll bet it's more likely the things that they do and thinking about why it is that they do them or why they like or dislike things.

dialogue-wise, i think about verbal tics and diction choices. it helps to watch movies to map speech patterns, but honestly i habitually (and unintentionally) listen to people's conversations. people speak in very specific ways that convey their personalities, haha. nikki picked up habits from the way his family speaks, so he habitually drops certain syllables or phrases things the way camilla does. he's thoughtful, so sometimes he pauses before he answers (though not quite that often compared to other characters).

from floss:

thank you for your kind words! sometimes it's helpful to start with a trait or idiosyncrasy in mind. personally, i think of characters as loosely connected webs of behaviors and habits. that helps me avoid using the exact same adjectives, flavor words, or turns of phrase too often.

imo characterization benefits from knowing the core of a character and letting their responses, biases, reactions, etc. stem from that. so starting with a set of different personalities is a fine strategy! what might also help is considering your scene as an environment of "pushes" and "pulls". some of the energy of a scene can come from how the given situation supports or conflicts with the personalities of the characters in it. who's comfortable here, and who isn't? what radiating effects are those supports or conflicts having on their speech, body language, energy levels, and so on?