Now that I've technically been writing for more than half of my life, I should probably know how to write a decent character. At the very least, something at least somewhat mediocre. Well with that, you'd be wrong.
I have no idea how to write a good believable character. Sure, I could probably write a dry, generic one, but characters drive the story. Or so I've been told. And a bland character will make even the most exciting plot fall flat on it's face.
And it's not like I haven't tried. I've searched and watched and read so many things about characters, I could probably write a book about writing them. But I can't actually write them.
I've been told that you should place your character in a situation and watch them. Have a sleepover with them. Try to get to know them. Find their flaws. Okay. Then what?
Once you have a character, how do you put them in your story? Say you have a character named Carla. She's outgoing and bubbly, but she can be a little rude. She wants a close friend; a best friend, as all of hers don't really know her. She's afraid of being alone. Alright, now she has a goal and a fear, and a basic personality. You get to know her a little better, and bam!, meet Carla Peterson. Now that you have your MC, you try to keep her from getting what she wants, right? But how are you supposed to do that?
You could write a scene at school where she tries to get closer to a friend, but the person ends up leaving. It's not Carla's fault, but she feels hurt and she doesn't understand what she should've done.
"Did you see the new Disney movie yesterday?" Carla asked, trying to keep her voice cheery despite the fact that she didn't know what she was talking about. She hadn't watched anything from Disney since she was a kid, and she wasn't even sure a new movie had come out.
Isa, on the other hand, was a Disney expert.
"New movie? What are you talking about?" Isa adjusted her glasses as she watched Carla curiously.
Carla faltered. She had been hoping Isa would tell her all about some random movie she knew nothing about. She might be bored, but the awkward silence from before was worse.
"Never mind," Carla muttered. She looked down at her feet and her blond hair fell on to her lap.
"Hey, look, I'll see you later, okay?" said Isa.
Carla hesitates before nodding. "Yeah, see you."
But then the question: Is this even good? Is Carla an interesting character? Or, if you found this in a library, would you set the book down after reading this? Okay, I mean, you don't have to make the character so interesting that the reader is hooked enough to keep reading, but is it good at all?
And what if you have an idea for a plot, but no character? As an example for a (cliche) story I'd like to write, there's a kingdom where magic is forbidden. And of course, my MC is magic. She wants to leave, sure, so she doesn't have to worry. But what else? How do you create an interesting character out of a plot?
And in general, how do you make and interesting and complex characters? What makes them interesting and what makes them dull, and how are they complex and how are they two-dimensional?
Sorry for making this so long, but if anyone could answer any of my questions (even one), that'd be enough.
Thanks!
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