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I need help creating characters!



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Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:06 am
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shulchan says...



I really have no idea how to create a good character. When I write I usually wind up making the character up as I go along. This works... for the first page or so.
Everyone says the character has to be really detailed in order for it to be good, but how detailed? And how do I start?
  





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Wed Sep 05, 2012 2:53 am
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Rosendorn says...



How you create a character depends completely on you.

Some people go out and fill in character development forms (age, gender, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses), but I find those tend to be a bit too boxy. If I fill in any sort of checklist, it's usually as simple as their age, gender, motives, and traits.

And I sometimes don't know these at the start of the story.

To be honest, the way I develop characters is writing them. For lots and lots of words. And rewrites. Figuring out if their actions feel right or not; if any behaviour I've established previously lines up with what they're doing now (and if not, what's making them change their reaction)

No matter how much detail you put in before you write, characters will surprise you. And you should let them, because that's how characters become their own people. They aren't you, and letting them go off on their own tangents often makes the work better because you find out what they want, instead of what you want.

Just write and make it up. If that works for you, that works for you. Don't listen to "they"s because there is no right or wrong in writing.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Wed Sep 05, 2012 3:11 am
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RacheDrache says...



How do you create a character, you ask?

Well, how to you get to know a person? He or she is introduced to you, or you introduce yourself to him or her. Sometimes he or she introduces him or herself whether you want to be introduced or not.

You take in information. Height, weight, complexion, amount of make-up, posture, body-language, amount of eye-contact, the way she or he talks, the words he or she says.

You have your initial impression. Time goes on. For whatever reason, you continue to get to know each other. You trade inconsequentalities, what this character is doing in the scene in your story, her relation to others in the room. More time passes and you know why she's in that scene, and what her goals are. You know who she likes and who she hates. You know about her family and her childhood, as long as that isn't too touchy a subject.

More time passes, and you know her inside out. You can finish her sentences, feel her heartbreak.

And that, in my experience, is generally how it goes.

As Rosen said, there's not really wrongs or rights in writing. But, if you're open to trying things, I'd say asking questions to figure out who your characters are is about as surefire a method as there ever was.
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Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:21 pm
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shulchan says...



Thanks! I'll try that. Hopefully it'll work :)
  





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Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:34 am
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SamanthaSchumer says...



You could try making the character like you! give him/her the same emotions, or reactions you would do in that situation! Like if someone punched your character do what you would do, or make them a little different and have them do the opposite. Make out your story line (even how it will end) before adding on the main things about your character. Like their hair or eyes color, what type of person they are (Goth, Scene, Jock, Nerd, etc.), even who they want to become! It's not that hard once you get the ball rolling, but it is a good idea to get every little thing about your character out because it makes the reader feel like the story is more real!

~HoPe I HeLpEd~
“Keep in mind that people change, but the past doesn't.”
{<3}
  





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Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:21 pm
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Tenyo says...



I think the most important thing to note here is the difference between knowing a lot about someone and actually knowing someone.

You've got to ask the right questions.


Basics:
Name, age, profession, height, race, all that stuff.

This is important purely for consistencies sake. It's so easy for a child playing with dolls at the beginning of the story to be going out to parties by the end because somewhere in your mind they grew up without you noticing.

Things like a job or family commitments give you a basic day-to-day framework for you to move your character around.



Hobbies and Favourites:
Food, Colour, Passtime, Place, this is where it gets harder.

People change a lot. Every day we decide we like a different food most. Sometimes it's a biological thing like our hormones or nutricional needs. Sometimes it's because we associate different foods with different events. Mince pies and fruit logs simply don't taste as good in june as they do in december.

With these you could either be vague and say that your character likes pastries, or meat, in the event that he/she ever ends up in a restaurant, or you can give a reason to their favourite food, like if it's their comfort food or if it reminds them of something.

Choosing favourites that compliment their personality is boring, so try to pick the ones out of the ordinary.



Family and Friends:
Parents names, professsions, place of birth, e.c.t

It's not the parents profession that matters, it's the impact it had on your character. Again, choosing something that conflicts with personality is more interesting than something that compliments. A man who is an alcoholic and grew up in the slums is boring. A man who used to be a billionaire and now lives in the slums is much more interesting.

Remember that questionaires are about developing character, not just figuring them out, so don't have your heart set on an evil character so much that he/she becomes bland. Explore the posibilities and let their past change their present.



Memories:
Favourite, worst, scariest, happiest, e.c.t Also, fears, childhood... I think I could drop almost anything into this catagory.

When I'm designing characters I do it all based on memories. Rather than asking what they're scared of, I write a short piece about the time when they were most scared.

I think this is important because this is where you really get to know a character, not just know about them. You don't just learn what they're afraid of, but why, and how they react when they're scared. It's whether they seek protection or stand on their own, and it's always interesting when they don't do the thing you expect.

When something bad happens the impact of loss or triumph has a massive effect on us.

You can have a very timid-looking person who can suddenly be strong because in their childhood nobody protected them, and so when they sense real danger they react completely different to expected.

You can have someone who acts all tough and yet cowers at danger because being so big and tough, they're not really used to things going wrong.

You never really know which way your character will react until you start sticking needles in them and see where they bleed most.



Why is it important?

The difference between knowing about your character and knowing your character is crucial in Showing and not Telling, and in making your character believable and three dimensional.

Find out not only what he/she enjoys most, but how they act after they've had fun compared to when they're stressed. You'll have all this in your head so that when you write your story rather than saying 'he lay down, happy for the first time in ages' you can say 'he lay down unusually content as they gathered, invading the precious 'personal space' that in the midst of laughter he seemed to have forgotten all about.'
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Adventure is worthwhile.
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