I have this real problem with finding motivations for the characters I make. I often make characters that I think would look neat if someone talented drew them, which I guess is a dumb thing to do, but my writing is mostly just daydreams after consuming or recalling comics, movies, games etc.
I'm sort of apathetic, I guess, which tends to get into my protagonists. Paranoid psychic pilot dude crash lands onto a planet full of things trying to kill him, has to look for parts for his spaceship-- I get bored. Pilot dude realizes he can finally, finally chill the hell out because there are no people around, and he just dedicates himself to living all primitive style. Drifter cyborg space biker dirtbag guy gets kicked out a gang he started hundreds of years ago, marooned on a shit hole of a planet, finds happiness as a mechanic, leaves the biker raider whatever nonsense behind. My characters abandon their dreams.
And then that shit depresses the damn hell out of me.
every reason people are giving for having failed/not attempting this aside from Geebs' is missing the point
it doesn't matter how shitty your shit is
just
just write it
I never once went back and reread what I'd done during NaNo last year when I was writing it, other than like the last sentence I'd written to make sure I wasn't repeating myself
just sit your ass down every day
+4
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
I have this real problem with finding motivations for the characters I make. I often make characters that I think would look neat if someone talented drew them, which I guess is a dumb thing to do, but my writing is mostly just daydreams after consuming or recalling comics, movies, games etc.
I'm sort of apathetic, I guess, which tends to get into my protagonists. Paranoid psychic pilot dude crash lands onto a planet full of things trying to kill him, has to look for parts for his spaceship-- I get bored. Pilot dude realizes he can finally, finally chill the hell out because there are no people around, and he just dedicates himself to living all primitive style. Drifter cyborg space biker dirtbag guy gets kicked out a gang he started hundreds of years ago, marooned on a shit hole of a planet, finds happiness as a mechanic, leaves the biker raider whatever nonsense behind. My characters abandon their dreams.
And then that shit depresses the damn hell out of me.
I have this problem too. I can do (what I think is) excellent worldbuilding, and come up with characters who have interesting backgrounds. But when I put them into the story I struggle a lot with their motivation and it ends up feeling like they are just going through a series of events with no agency. And then I get deflated and bored and stop.
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
edited October 2013
I have decided to try and warm up before NaNo starts this year by attempting to write 1,667 words a day from now until the end of October. So hopefully I can build up the stamina and not fall behind and lose hope and quit like I have done every time previously. I am calling it Preptober.
It's hard. I just sat down and wrote about 450 words of a short story before my brain went noooope and started trying to do literally anything else except write.
Brovid Hasselsmof on
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Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
I have written about characters, if anyone wants to read something super long
Character
Character and premise are the foundations for any story. Most of the time, the argument goes that character yields premise, but it’s sort of a “chicken or the egg” question: you can start with a character and then craft a premise, or you can start with a premise and then craft a character. Either way, there are important questions to answer about both your character and premise.
Your protagonist, or main character, is the motivator of your story. Why? Because he is the one making the decisions that lead to the events in the story. If the character isn’t developed, then the actions don’t seem motivated, and the characters become puppets going through the motions at the whims of their master. It’s tough to relate to a character that has no control whatsoever over what’s going on around him or seems to make inconsistent decisions. It’s even tougher to relate to a character that has no depth, no past, no defined personality and quirks. The more you develop your main character, the more the reader will sympathize with him and become concerned for the outcome of his story.
So what do you need to know about the character? If you know nothing else, you need to know:
* What he WANTS
* What he NEEDS
* What his MAJOR FLAW is
Those three things will create the premise for you. Unfortunately, those three things are not always immediately apparent, so it’s usually easier to do some other work first. Let’s try to answer some basic questions about the character, stuff that won’t necessarily be included in the story but can be helpful for creating a realistic, compelling character. Try these questions on the protagonist first, then move on to the antagonist, then to secondary characters and so on.
1) What is the character’s name?
I’m terrible about picking names. I always want them to be significant, but not cheesy; cool, but not so cool that they sound unrealistic; unique, but not ridiculous. Baby name websites can be a good place to start, because they’ll often give you information about what names are currently popular and what weird names celebrities are using for their kids and so on. They also let you search by various criteria such as country of origin or meaning. Or you can try my new favorite method: random name generator. I don’t stick with exactly what is produced here, but it is an excellent jumping off point.
Sometimes it’s best to pick the name of one of your friends or family or coworkers just so you have something to call the character until you answer more questions. You can always go back and change it later, no charge.
2) When was your character born?
Every year, Beloit College puts together a list they call the Mindset List, which includes a number of factoids regarding the students who enter college that year. For example, this year’s introduction states, “Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990 when headlines sounded oddly familiar to those of today: Rising fuel costs were causing airlines to cut staff and flight schedules; Big Three car companies were facing declining sales and profits; and a president named Bush was increasing the number of troops in the Middle East in the hopes of securing peace.”
When your character was born can affect his outlook on the world, his knowledge of history and culture, his tastes in clothing and food, and many other important aspects of his personality. The good news is, you get to decide when he was born so you can pick a time frame that’s convenient to you.
You might also want to consider the astrological significance of your chosen birthday. This can help you focus on specific character traits if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want your character to be like. Scan the horoscopes and see if you’d rather your character be an Aries or a Libra, a Pig or a Dragon. Not only is this a useful tool, but if you get rich and famous and people become obsessed with your character, this kind of thing will become important and significant to them and you don’t want to get caught with your pants down, figuratively speaking.
If you’re writing fantasy or sci-fi of some kind, this is still important but you’ll be operating within a historical framework of your own invention.
3) Where was the character born?
See above regarding outlook, tastes, etc. You can always make your character a rebel in his hometown, but be sure you know what he was rebelling against in the first place.
It’s probably best to have the character come from a place you are familiar with. I am reminded of an episode of CSI: Miami, in which the main character visits a house in Coral Gables. To anyone who lives in or near Coral Gables, there was no doubt that this house and its neighborhood were most definitely NOT in Coral Gables. If people in your audience can tell that you don’t know what you’re talking about, you’ve lost them. However, if you’re willing to expend the time and energy to properly familiarize yourself with a specific location, go nuts.
Also, you can make your character from a specific place, but set it up so that the character moved at such a young age that he doesn’t remember anything about said location. It’s cheap, but it works if you absolutely must have him come from a place you haven’t visited. I don’t see why you’d do that, but to each his own.
4) Where does the character live now?
See above. This may or may not be where the story takes place; if it is, see above harder.
5) What is your character’s race/ethnicity/heritage?
This may or may not relate to both #3 and #4, but see both for details. Don’t pick a heritage unless you are familiar with it, because again, you’ll just end up looking like an idiot to people in the know.
Each culture has a different set of norms and moral imperatives, so keep those in mind when you decide what ethnicity to choose. In addition, race can be a volatile issue depending on the setting of your story; don’t set a story in the Deep South and make the character Hispanic unless you intend for sparks to fly.
Again, if you’re making up your own world, you set the rules for how cultures interact. Just be sure you don’t whitewash everyone and make culture insignificant; it would be lovely if such a society existed, but the likelihood is low.
6) What does your character look like?
Write at least the basics: height, weight, eye color, hair color and skin color. Consider race when making your choices, as certain traits are more common to certain ethnicities/races. Try to avoid really strange options if you’re going for a realistic character, even if you’re writing fantasy or science fiction. Exceptions are characters that are deliberately trying to be strange or rebellious, i.e. a teenager who dyes her hair purple and gets yellow contacts that make her eyes look like a cat’s. Keep in mind, however, that the “normal” people in the story will not be overly accepting of an abnormal appearance, whatever your definition of normalcy might be.
The height and weight of a character will affect how he acts and moves. How muscular or athletic is your character? Don’t create an overweight middle-aged character and then have him sprint after bad guys unless you intend for him to die of a heart attack during the chase. Likewise, don’t create a tall swimmer-type and then have him collapse in exhaustion after minimal exertion.
Decide whether your character is attractive or not so much. Most main characters are above average in the looks department, but whether that is true for your character is up to you. This can also affect the character’s personality; good-looking people usually have more self-confidence and are less introverted than not-so-good-looking people. Another popular trend is for a character to be good-looking but not know it; this is bordering on trite at this point but is still an option if you so choose.
Does your character have any tattoos or piercings? Again, this affects how other characters will react, and it can be a telling factor with regards to your character’s personality.
7) What does your character do for a living?
The broader question here is one of lifestyle. Does your character make a lot of money or not so much? Does he like his job? Does he have a dream job that he idly lusts after or is actively pursuing?
A character’s job can say a lot about him, or it can stand in contrast to his personality. Imagine an accountant who secretly wants to paint nude models, or a janitor who can do advanced mathematical proofs in his head. Or, perhaps consider an engineer obsessed with making everything perfectly straight, or an actress who immerses herself in her roles to the point of losing contact with herself. Whichever you decide, make sure it’s realistic given your character’s age, location and physique.
8 ) What is your character’s major strength?
This could either be a virtue that your character possesses–wisdom, courage, prudence, mercy, honesty, etc.–or it could be a source of strength for the character, such as love for his children or a sense of justice and fairness. This is the thing that keeps the character from giving up when the odds are stacked against him and failure appears to be imminent (or it has already happened). Usually, this is something that the antagonist lacks, causing him to underestimate the protagonist’s will to succeed.
Be very careful with this question; a trap that many burgeoning writers fall into is that they load their protagonist down with strengths and go light on the weaknesses. This kind of character is called a “Mary Sue” or “Gary Stu” and is typically an idealized version of the author, created to allow the author a fictional realm in which to be awesome and revered. All of us have fantasized about something like this at one time or another, but it doesn’t make for good reading to everyone else. Try to pick one central strength, or a few complementary ones, and leave it at that.
9) What is your character’s major weakness?
See above. This could either be a vice–lust, cowardice, greed, indifference, etc.–or it can be something that weakens the character like an emotional Kryptonite, perhaps a phobia that paralyzes him or the sound of his father’s voice that makes him feel like a helpless little kid again.
This is the thing that makes the character fail, the thing that he must overcome in order to succeed. Typically, the events of the story will cause this flaw to be exposed, acknowledged, then squashed like a bug. Unless you’re writing a tragedy, the character must change between the beginning and the end, and this is where the bulk of the change is focused.
For example, a proud person might not want other people to help him reach his goal (what he WANTS). By the end of the second half of your story, this character would understand that he is flawed and can’t do everything himself, and that he needs his friends/family/whoever to help him reach that goal. He overcomes his pride and succeeds. Roll credits.
Remember those three things I mentioned in the beginning? The ones you MUST know about your character? This is one of them. Give this considerable thought before you commit, because it will be used to create your plot, if not your premise and theme as well.
10) What does your character want?
This is a pretty heavy question. People visit psychiatrists for years trying to figure this one out for themselves, and now you have to do it for your protagonist. The answer to this question will determine at least the first half of your plot, during which your character will spend his time trying to get what he wants. Think of it has his driving goal, the motivation for the story. It can be an object–Dude, where’s my car?–or it can be a person, or it can be some outcome of events–revenge, workplace success, learning to use the Force, etc. Whatever it is, you must be able to clearly identify it in, say, five words or less. Yes, five is an arbitrary number, but the point is to keep it short and sweet.
Will your character get what he wants? That’s for you to decide. As the Rolling Stones say:
“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need”
Which leads us to the next question…
11) What does your character need?
This is even more important than what your character wants. Think of a toddler screaming at his parents in the middle of a grocery store: what he WANTS is candy, but what he NEEDS is a good spanking. It’s like that with your character as well. He may know what he wants, but rarely does he realize what he needs until the second half of your story, if he ever realizes it at all. Your job is to figure out what he needs and see that he gets it. Maybe he wants to learn to use the Force, but he NEEDS to gain the maturity and discipline to use it properly. Maybe he wants to get the girl, but he NEEDS to learn to respect women instead of treating them like objects. Maybe he wants to win the big game, but he NEEDS to discover that winning isn’t everything.
There are near-infinite possibilities, but as with determining the character’s want, you must be able to define the character’s need very succinctly and specifically. The two can be complementary, in that your character can achieve both in the end, or the need can surpass the want. Whatever you decide will influence both the premise and the plot, so don’t go changing one unless you’re prepared to topple a whole house of cards in the process.
There are many other questions you can answer about your character–Does he like coffee or tea? How often does he brush his teeth? Is he allergic to anything?–but these will give you the solid foundation you need to start thinking about the next step in crafting the novel: Premise.
Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
Here is a truncated version
Characters (and how they make plot)
Your character needs three things: a WANT, a NEED, and a FLAW. What your character wants is his goal. It is the thing he is trying to accomplish that moves the plot forward. His flaw is the part of him that keeps getting in the way of his achieving that goal. It is the thing that affects his actions and choices and causes him to screw up. His need is complicated; at least partly, he needs to overcome his flaw if he’s ever going to attain his goal. Sometimes he needs to realize that his want is not really worth having, or that what he wanted isn’t what he really needs. So a need can also be a sort of shadow goal, or real goal, however you want to look at it.
In the beginning of your story, you set up the want, the goal, and the character starts working toward it. Like I said, he’s got a flaw that keeps screwing him up. He’s too proud to accept help. He’s too stubborn to admit when he’s wrong. He’s too timid to go after the girl. Whatever it is, his flaw influences his decisions negatively and makes his situation worse somehow. This happens throughout the first third or so of the book.
Then, you have a change. The stakes are upped. The character realizes that going about things in the same old way is not going to get him anywhere, so he tries another tactic that is still flawed. He’ll accept help, but he wants to be in control. He’ll admit he was wrong in the first place to get someone on his side, but he still doesn’t really believe it. He grows a pair and gets super macho and goes after a BUNCH of girls instead of the one he wanted in the first place, but inside he’s still the same timid guy putting up a front. This goes on for another third or so of the book.
Finally, the character realizes he’s flawed. By now, he may have actually achieved his goal, his original want, but he may have figured out it’s not what he really needed. Or he still hasn’t gotten there and he knows that he won’t until he truly changes. So, he either has a new goal or he’s ready to change so he can achieve the original one. He learns to collaborate and listen instead of being stuck up. He recognizes that everything is his fault and it’s his job to fix it all. He gains enough self-respect to stop playing games and be honest with the girl he likes. Final plan is implemented, climax ensues, denouement unfurls, FIN.
What else do you need? How about an antagonist! Some stories don’t have one, or they have more than one, but here’s a basic approach: treat your antagonist like another protagonist. He also has a want, a need and a flaw. Generally, he needs to get his butt kicked, and his flaw is what the hero will exploit to make that happen. Whatever the protagonist wants somehow conflicts with what the antagonist wants. They could both want the same thing, like a job promotion, or they could want mutually exclusive things, like freedom versus slavery for some country’s people. Regardless, the antagonist gets in the hero’s way whenever possible.
It can be cool if both the protagonist and antagonist have essentially the same flaw, but one overcomes it while the other either thinks it’s a strength or denies its existence to the end. A lot of stories take this sort of mirrored approach (see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as one example) but it might be getting a bit old at this point. It’s also up to you whether there is more than one antagonist and maybe one is redeemed while the other isn’t; see Star Wars for details.
Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Up to 1,132 words on that (ridiculous) short story. I'm going out soon so I don't know if I'll get it finished but I feel like that's an ok result for my first day.
+1
Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
Here is a list of outline types for your perusal:
Snowflake method - start with a sentence and expand (http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/)
Standard outline - bullet points with hierarchy, Roman numerals, etc.
Reverse outline - start at the end and work backwards to the beginning
Tentpole moments - note vital big events and connect them
Beginning, middle, end - one paragraph each
Series of sequences - groups of related scenes
Chronological - what happens, in order, timeline style
Chapter by chapter - how the reader will see it
Beat sheet - every scene and what it's meant to do, very detailed
Mind-map - central hub connected to other spokes, aka Spider
As you go - one scene or chapter at a time as you write, plan for next day
Character arcs - how characters change from start to middle to end
Synopsis first - write it like your novel is finished and you're trying to land an agent
Index cards - one card per scene, chapter, plot point, etc.
Whiteboard - any format, like collage or notebook or floating index cards
Notebook - notes, scraps, pictures, etc.
Collage - like notebook but more visual
Spreadsheets - track plots and beats (see http://www.slashfilm.com/potd-jk-rowlings-plot-spreadsheet-for-harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix/ as example)
Story bible - everything about world and characters, in detail (maybe try a wiki like http://pbworks.com/)
Templates - hero's journey, Lester Dent master plot, etc.
Stream of consciousness - blank page, just go, write whatever comes to mind
Storyboard - like a comic book, draw a picture for each scene or "shot" to visualize everything
Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
tried to get a buddy of mine to do this with my last year so as to egg each other on, but he didn't really want to go for it
For once, I've finally been reminded of NaNoWriMo neither too early nor too late to plan an attempt. Writing's been one of those things that too often gets pushed off for reasons, but maybe I can at least get some of these story fragments out of my head. Time to plot, literally.
"I will participate in the game. It's a wonderful, wonderful opera, except that it hurts." - Joseph Campbell
I fully intend to do this again this year, pump out 10-15k words in a day then totally stall out and get overwhelmed with school work like usual. Should be good times.
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Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
I propose SE++ nano team name: The Hucklebuddies
go team
+6
Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
tried to get a buddy of mine to do this with my last year so as to egg each other on, but he didn't really want to go for it
m-maybe this thread can b-be my buddy
I would offer to be your buddy but your avatars are getting progressively more disturbing so I'm not sure I want to.
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Theodore Flooseveltproud parent of eight beautiful girls and shalmelodorne (which is currently being ruled by a woman (awesome role model for my daughters)) #dornedadRegistered Userregular
I keep saying to myself that I want to do this, and then I don't. I want to do this. I'm going to Hawaii for a week in November so maybe I'll use the flights and down time there to bang out a few thousand words.
not only do I have the time, but I also feel like I have the skills to rock it
time to dig up some of my older story ideas and see what sticks
and to reiterate what Lockout said: you're not going to be pumping out high quality material with your mad rush to slap words down on the page
that's raw thought being recorded, and once the month is over your next job is to refine what you have and turn it into a killer story
Miss me? Find me on:
Twitch (I stream most days of the week) Twitter (mean leftist discourse)
This thread made me go back to something i had started writing a while back. I need a scientific question answered.
If the earth was suddenly stripped of its atmosphere, would the oceans boil, or freeze? how long would it take?
Now what do you mean when you say "atmosphere" here
Does that include the water in the atmosphere, the ionosphere, the ozone layer, just the breathable bits, what?
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Just spent the evening round the house of the friend who is doing this. He really wants a writing buddy so I guess I definitely gotta do it now.
We're going to meet up for brainstorming and writing sessions which should be cool. I've never had a person to collaborate with on creative stuff before.
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FishmanPut your goddamned hand in the goddamned Box of Pain.Registered Userregular
A brainstorming session sounds cool. I really want to try and get an idea of what and who I'm writing before I start. I hate a blank page in front of me and no idea where to start.
Fishman, the thought is occurring to me that you should novelise your XCom Let's Play.
The idea had occurred to me, and my wife suggested something similar with the epic D&D campaign I ran a couple years ago, but I think I'd have an easier time being motivated to write something new, rather than something I've visited before. I've already busted a gut telling that story once already, I'm not sure trying to do it all over again in a different format is going to keep me focussed and on-task.
I'm sad that I won't be able to do this this year. I'm changing jobs in about a week and I think it's one too many things to juggle next month.
Maybe I'll spend some time outlining or brainstorming instead, just to do something creative. Nano's great for exercising brain muscles that I don't get to develop much the rest of the year.
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
lying awake at 1am with too many ideas running around in my head for me to sleep.
Can't decide which of three stories to go with. My brain has decided to dump equal amounts of ideas for each into my consciousness simultaneously.
This thread made me go back to something i had started writing a while back. I need a scientific question answered.
If the earth was suddenly stripped of its atmosphere, would the oceans boil, or freeze? how long would it take?
Now what do you mean when you say "atmosphere" here
Does that include the water in the atmosphere, the ionosphere, the ozone layer, just the breathable bits, what?
Hum....I think all of the above would do. The story im working on doesnt have to be real life science fact as far as why or how it happened, i just want to describe say what someone in space would see if the earth lost its atmosphere and became a dead rock.
The science can be pop-corny / television show serious, i just want to get a few details right.
Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
My brain obviously feels like all those words I wrote yesterday earned it a vacation because I can't write a thing today.
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Quoththe RavenMiami, FL FOR REALRegistered Userregular
Posts
I'm sort of apathetic, I guess, which tends to get into my protagonists. Paranoid psychic pilot dude crash lands onto a planet full of things trying to kill him, has to look for parts for his spaceship-- I get bored. Pilot dude realizes he can finally, finally chill the hell out because there are no people around, and he just dedicates himself to living all primitive style. Drifter cyborg space biker dirtbag guy gets kicked out a gang he started hundreds of years ago, marooned on a shit hole of a planet, finds happiness as a mechanic, leaves the biker raider whatever nonsense behind. My characters abandon their dreams.
And then that shit depresses the damn hell out of me.
it doesn't matter how shitty your shit is
just
just write it
I never once went back and reread what I'd done during NaNo last year when I was writing it, other than like the last sentence I'd written to make sure I wasn't repeating myself
just sit your ass down every day
I have this problem too. I can do (what I think is) excellent worldbuilding, and come up with characters who have interesting backgrounds. But when I put them into the story I struggle a lot with their motivation and it ends up feeling like they are just going through a series of events with no agency. And then I get deflated and bored and stop.
It's hard. I just sat down and wrote about 450 words of a short story before my brain went noooope and started trying to do literally anything else except write.
Character and premise are the foundations for any story. Most of the time, the argument goes that character yields premise, but it’s sort of a “chicken or the egg” question: you can start with a character and then craft a premise, or you can start with a premise and then craft a character. Either way, there are important questions to answer about both your character and premise.
Your protagonist, or main character, is the motivator of your story. Why? Because he is the one making the decisions that lead to the events in the story. If the character isn’t developed, then the actions don’t seem motivated, and the characters become puppets going through the motions at the whims of their master. It’s tough to relate to a character that has no control whatsoever over what’s going on around him or seems to make inconsistent decisions. It’s even tougher to relate to a character that has no depth, no past, no defined personality and quirks. The more you develop your main character, the more the reader will sympathize with him and become concerned for the outcome of his story.
So what do you need to know about the character? If you know nothing else, you need to know:
* What he WANTS
* What he NEEDS
* What his MAJOR FLAW is
Those three things will create the premise for you. Unfortunately, those three things are not always immediately apparent, so it’s usually easier to do some other work first. Let’s try to answer some basic questions about the character, stuff that won’t necessarily be included in the story but can be helpful for creating a realistic, compelling character. Try these questions on the protagonist first, then move on to the antagonist, then to secondary characters and so on.
1) What is the character’s name?
I’m terrible about picking names. I always want them to be significant, but not cheesy; cool, but not so cool that they sound unrealistic; unique, but not ridiculous. Baby name websites can be a good place to start, because they’ll often give you information about what names are currently popular and what weird names celebrities are using for their kids and so on. They also let you search by various criteria such as country of origin or meaning. Or you can try my new favorite method: random name generator. I don’t stick with exactly what is produced here, but it is an excellent jumping off point.
Sometimes it’s best to pick the name of one of your friends or family or coworkers just so you have something to call the character until you answer more questions. You can always go back and change it later, no charge.
2) When was your character born?
Every year, Beloit College puts together a list they call the Mindset List, which includes a number of factoids regarding the students who enter college that year. For example, this year’s introduction states, “Most of them will be about 18 years old, born in 1990 when headlines sounded oddly familiar to those of today: Rising fuel costs were causing airlines to cut staff and flight schedules; Big Three car companies were facing declining sales and profits; and a president named Bush was increasing the number of troops in the Middle East in the hopes of securing peace.”
When your character was born can affect his outlook on the world, his knowledge of history and culture, his tastes in clothing and food, and many other important aspects of his personality. The good news is, you get to decide when he was born so you can pick a time frame that’s convenient to you.
You might also want to consider the astrological significance of your chosen birthday. This can help you focus on specific character traits if you don’t have a clear idea of what you want your character to be like. Scan the horoscopes and see if you’d rather your character be an Aries or a Libra, a Pig or a Dragon. Not only is this a useful tool, but if you get rich and famous and people become obsessed with your character, this kind of thing will become important and significant to them and you don’t want to get caught with your pants down, figuratively speaking.
If you’re writing fantasy or sci-fi of some kind, this is still important but you’ll be operating within a historical framework of your own invention.
3) Where was the character born?
See above regarding outlook, tastes, etc. You can always make your character a rebel in his hometown, but be sure you know what he was rebelling against in the first place.
It’s probably best to have the character come from a place you are familiar with. I am reminded of an episode of CSI: Miami, in which the main character visits a house in Coral Gables. To anyone who lives in or near Coral Gables, there was no doubt that this house and its neighborhood were most definitely NOT in Coral Gables. If people in your audience can tell that you don’t know what you’re talking about, you’ve lost them. However, if you’re willing to expend the time and energy to properly familiarize yourself with a specific location, go nuts.
Also, you can make your character from a specific place, but set it up so that the character moved at such a young age that he doesn’t remember anything about said location. It’s cheap, but it works if you absolutely must have him come from a place you haven’t visited. I don’t see why you’d do that, but to each his own.
4) Where does the character live now?
See above. This may or may not be where the story takes place; if it is, see above harder.
5) What is your character’s race/ethnicity/heritage?
This may or may not relate to both #3 and #4, but see both for details. Don’t pick a heritage unless you are familiar with it, because again, you’ll just end up looking like an idiot to people in the know.
Each culture has a different set of norms and moral imperatives, so keep those in mind when you decide what ethnicity to choose. In addition, race can be a volatile issue depending on the setting of your story; don’t set a story in the Deep South and make the character Hispanic unless you intend for sparks to fly.
Again, if you’re making up your own world, you set the rules for how cultures interact. Just be sure you don’t whitewash everyone and make culture insignificant; it would be lovely if such a society existed, but the likelihood is low.
6) What does your character look like?
Write at least the basics: height, weight, eye color, hair color and skin color. Consider race when making your choices, as certain traits are more common to certain ethnicities/races. Try to avoid really strange options if you’re going for a realistic character, even if you’re writing fantasy or science fiction. Exceptions are characters that are deliberately trying to be strange or rebellious, i.e. a teenager who dyes her hair purple and gets yellow contacts that make her eyes look like a cat’s. Keep in mind, however, that the “normal” people in the story will not be overly accepting of an abnormal appearance, whatever your definition of normalcy might be.
The height and weight of a character will affect how he acts and moves. How muscular or athletic is your character? Don’t create an overweight middle-aged character and then have him sprint after bad guys unless you intend for him to die of a heart attack during the chase. Likewise, don’t create a tall swimmer-type and then have him collapse in exhaustion after minimal exertion.
Decide whether your character is attractive or not so much. Most main characters are above average in the looks department, but whether that is true for your character is up to you. This can also affect the character’s personality; good-looking people usually have more self-confidence and are less introverted than not-so-good-looking people. Another popular trend is for a character to be good-looking but not know it; this is bordering on trite at this point but is still an option if you so choose.
Does your character have any tattoos or piercings? Again, this affects how other characters will react, and it can be a telling factor with regards to your character’s personality.
7) What does your character do for a living?
The broader question here is one of lifestyle. Does your character make a lot of money or not so much? Does he like his job? Does he have a dream job that he idly lusts after or is actively pursuing?
A character’s job can say a lot about him, or it can stand in contrast to his personality. Imagine an accountant who secretly wants to paint nude models, or a janitor who can do advanced mathematical proofs in his head. Or, perhaps consider an engineer obsessed with making everything perfectly straight, or an actress who immerses herself in her roles to the point of losing contact with herself. Whichever you decide, make sure it’s realistic given your character’s age, location and physique.
8 ) What is your character’s major strength?
This could either be a virtue that your character possesses–wisdom, courage, prudence, mercy, honesty, etc.–or it could be a source of strength for the character, such as love for his children or a sense of justice and fairness. This is the thing that keeps the character from giving up when the odds are stacked against him and failure appears to be imminent (or it has already happened). Usually, this is something that the antagonist lacks, causing him to underestimate the protagonist’s will to succeed.
Be very careful with this question; a trap that many burgeoning writers fall into is that they load their protagonist down with strengths and go light on the weaknesses. This kind of character is called a “Mary Sue” or “Gary Stu” and is typically an idealized version of the author, created to allow the author a fictional realm in which to be awesome and revered. All of us have fantasized about something like this at one time or another, but it doesn’t make for good reading to everyone else. Try to pick one central strength, or a few complementary ones, and leave it at that.
9) What is your character’s major weakness?
See above. This could either be a vice–lust, cowardice, greed, indifference, etc.–or it can be something that weakens the character like an emotional Kryptonite, perhaps a phobia that paralyzes him or the sound of his father’s voice that makes him feel like a helpless little kid again.
This is the thing that makes the character fail, the thing that he must overcome in order to succeed. Typically, the events of the story will cause this flaw to be exposed, acknowledged, then squashed like a bug. Unless you’re writing a tragedy, the character must change between the beginning and the end, and this is where the bulk of the change is focused.
For example, a proud person might not want other people to help him reach his goal (what he WANTS). By the end of the second half of your story, this character would understand that he is flawed and can’t do everything himself, and that he needs his friends/family/whoever to help him reach that goal. He overcomes his pride and succeeds. Roll credits.
Remember those three things I mentioned in the beginning? The ones you MUST know about your character? This is one of them. Give this considerable thought before you commit, because it will be used to create your plot, if not your premise and theme as well.
10) What does your character want?
This is a pretty heavy question. People visit psychiatrists for years trying to figure this one out for themselves, and now you have to do it for your protagonist. The answer to this question will determine at least the first half of your plot, during which your character will spend his time trying to get what he wants. Think of it has his driving goal, the motivation for the story. It can be an object–Dude, where’s my car?–or it can be a person, or it can be some outcome of events–revenge, workplace success, learning to use the Force, etc. Whatever it is, you must be able to clearly identify it in, say, five words or less. Yes, five is an arbitrary number, but the point is to keep it short and sweet.
Will your character get what he wants? That’s for you to decide. As the Rolling Stones say:
“You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need”
Which leads us to the next question…
11) What does your character need?
This is even more important than what your character wants. Think of a toddler screaming at his parents in the middle of a grocery store: what he WANTS is candy, but what he NEEDS is a good spanking. It’s like that with your character as well. He may know what he wants, but rarely does he realize what he needs until the second half of your story, if he ever realizes it at all. Your job is to figure out what he needs and see that he gets it. Maybe he wants to learn to use the Force, but he NEEDS to gain the maturity and discipline to use it properly. Maybe he wants to get the girl, but he NEEDS to learn to respect women instead of treating them like objects. Maybe he wants to win the big game, but he NEEDS to discover that winning isn’t everything.
There are near-infinite possibilities, but as with determining the character’s want, you must be able to define the character’s need very succinctly and specifically. The two can be complementary, in that your character can achieve both in the end, or the need can surpass the want. Whatever you decide will influence both the premise and the plot, so don’t go changing one unless you’re prepared to topple a whole house of cards in the process.
There are many other questions you can answer about your character–Does he like coffee or tea? How often does he brush his teeth? Is he allergic to anything?–but these will give you the solid foundation you need to start thinking about the next step in crafting the novel: Premise.
Your character needs three things: a WANT, a NEED, and a FLAW. What your character wants is his goal. It is the thing he is trying to accomplish that moves the plot forward. His flaw is the part of him that keeps getting in the way of his achieving that goal. It is the thing that affects his actions and choices and causes him to screw up. His need is complicated; at least partly, he needs to overcome his flaw if he’s ever going to attain his goal. Sometimes he needs to realize that his want is not really worth having, or that what he wanted isn’t what he really needs. So a need can also be a sort of shadow goal, or real goal, however you want to look at it.
In the beginning of your story, you set up the want, the goal, and the character starts working toward it. Like I said, he’s got a flaw that keeps screwing him up. He’s too proud to accept help. He’s too stubborn to admit when he’s wrong. He’s too timid to go after the girl. Whatever it is, his flaw influences his decisions negatively and makes his situation worse somehow. This happens throughout the first third or so of the book.
Then, you have a change. The stakes are upped. The character realizes that going about things in the same old way is not going to get him anywhere, so he tries another tactic that is still flawed. He’ll accept help, but he wants to be in control. He’ll admit he was wrong in the first place to get someone on his side, but he still doesn’t really believe it. He grows a pair and gets super macho and goes after a BUNCH of girls instead of the one he wanted in the first place, but inside he’s still the same timid guy putting up a front. This goes on for another third or so of the book.
Finally, the character realizes he’s flawed. By now, he may have actually achieved his goal, his original want, but he may have figured out it’s not what he really needed. Or he still hasn’t gotten there and he knows that he won’t until he truly changes. So, he either has a new goal or he’s ready to change so he can achieve the original one. He learns to collaborate and listen instead of being stuck up. He recognizes that everything is his fault and it’s his job to fix it all. He gains enough self-respect to stop playing games and be honest with the girl he likes. Final plan is implemented, climax ensues, denouement unfurls, FIN.
What else do you need? How about an antagonist! Some stories don’t have one, or they have more than one, but here’s a basic approach: treat your antagonist like another protagonist. He also has a want, a need and a flaw. Generally, he needs to get his butt kicked, and his flaw is what the hero will exploit to make that happen. Whatever the protagonist wants somehow conflicts with what the antagonist wants. They could both want the same thing, like a job promotion, or they could want mutually exclusive things, like freedom versus slavery for some country’s people. Regardless, the antagonist gets in the hero’s way whenever possible.
It can be cool if both the protagonist and antagonist have essentially the same flaw, but one overcomes it while the other either thinks it’s a strength or denies its existence to the end. A lot of stories take this sort of mirrored approach (see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as one example) but it might be getting a bit old at this point. It’s also up to you whether there is more than one antagonist and maybe one is redeemed while the other isn’t; see Star Wars for details.
Sometimes when people get stuck they like to add a character to spice things up, so that's one option
You may want at least a protagonist and an antagonist, maybe one extra character as a buddy or foil, depends on your plot and genre and such
Snowflake method - start with a sentence and expand (http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/)
Standard outline - bullet points with hierarchy, Roman numerals, etc.
Reverse outline - start at the end and work backwards to the beginning
Tentpole moments - note vital big events and connect them
Beginning, middle, end - one paragraph each
Series of sequences - groups of related scenes
Chronological - what happens, in order, timeline style
Chapter by chapter - how the reader will see it
Beat sheet - every scene and what it's meant to do, very detailed
Mind-map - central hub connected to other spokes, aka Spider
As you go - one scene or chapter at a time as you write, plan for next day
Character arcs - how characters change from start to middle to end
Synopsis first - write it like your novel is finished and you're trying to land an agent
Index cards - one card per scene, chapter, plot point, etc.
Whiteboard - any format, like collage or notebook or floating index cards
Notebook - notes, scraps, pictures, etc.
Collage - like notebook but more visual
Spreadsheets - track plots and beats (see http://www.slashfilm.com/potd-jk-rowlings-plot-spreadsheet-for-harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix/ as example)
Story bible - everything about world and characters, in detail (maybe try a wiki like http://pbworks.com/)
Templates - hero's journey, Lester Dent master plot, etc.
Stream of consciousness - blank page, just go, write whatever comes to mind
Storyboard - like a comic book, draw a picture for each scene or "shot" to visualize everything
It is dumb as hell. I like it.
ohai, it is me, I am here to be that person who also says "just fucking write the story" all the time
Uncanny Magazine!
The Mad Writers Union
m-maybe this thread can b-be my buddy
@Hullis is a big bully tryin' to get me to do this
we'll see
ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
All my problems are actually just the universe's way of saying, "This year you're winning NaNoWriMo, motherfucker." Let's do this.
go team
do it betman
get hucklebullied
I would offer to be your buddy but your avatars are getting progressively more disturbing so I'm not sure I want to.
i am not sure what you mean, smof
it's the same avatar
i've always had
not only do I have the time, but I also feel like I have the skills to rock it
time to dig up some of my older story ideas and see what sticks
and to reiterate what Lockout said: you're not going to be pumping out high quality material with your mad rush to slap words down on the page
that's raw thought being recorded, and once the month is over your next job is to refine what you have and turn it into a killer story
Twitch (I stream most days of the week)
Twitter (mean leftist discourse)
If the earth was suddenly stripped of its atmosphere, would the oceans boil, or freeze? how long would it take?
Boil
The atmosphere/magnetic field protects the Earth from cosmic radiations that would pretty easily boil/melt anything on the planet
As for speed... Probably fast? I doubt it'd be instant, unless the atmosphere was like vaporized by a real close star going supernova or something
I'd like to change from my usual works of required school papers into something different.
Now what do you mean when you say "atmosphere" here
Does that include the water in the atmosphere, the ionosphere, the ozone layer, just the breathable bits, what?
We're going to meet up for brainstorming and writing sessions which should be cool. I've never had a person to collaborate with on creative stuff before.
The idea had occurred to me, and my wife suggested something similar with the epic D&D campaign I ran a couple years ago, but I think I'd have an easier time being motivated to write something new, rather than something I've visited before. I've already busted a gut telling that story once already, I'm not sure trying to do it all over again in a different format is going to keep me focussed and on-task.
Maybe I'll spend some time outlining or brainstorming instead, just to do something creative. Nano's great for exercising brain muscles that I don't get to develop much the rest of the year.
Can't decide which of three stories to go with. My brain has decided to dump equal amounts of ideas for each into my consciousness simultaneously.
Hum....I think all of the above would do. The story im working on doesnt have to be real life science fact as far as why or how it happened, i just want to describe say what someone in space would see if the earth lost its atmosphere and became a dead rock.
The science can be pop-corny / television show serious, i just want to get a few details right.
I am going to give this thing a go this year. I'm going to build on the stuff I wrote a few months ago on vacation.