Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #122: Dealing with Character Trauma. Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing tips 115:How Many Characters Are Too Many? Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #111:Four Tips for Writing Scenes... Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips 110:Do too many characters spoil the... Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #93: Use Archetypes to Create... Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #94: Five Qualities to Consider... Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #64: Fifteen Figures of Speech to... Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #59: How To Create Your Main...
Creating Bitchy Characters: How to Write a Mean Character. If you’re interested in breaking the mold with your character, there is no single criterion for a bitch.
However, you might want to consider making several of her dominant traits negative or what society has typically not expected of females. For example, her traits might include being manipulating, selfish, cunning, power-seeking, or vengeful. Or, perhaps your bitch character cannot connect to others emotionally, or she is sexually insatiable. Or maybe she’s simply a nonconformist who is opinionated, mouthy, aggressive, ambitious, or confident.
How to Create a Bitchy Character The juxtaposition of what women are supposed to be—sweet, feminine, compliant, and vulnerable—and what they are truly capable of being—tough, athletic, powerful, and violent—creates a natural friction that can yield fascinating results in fiction. Why Nice Characters Are Boring. We’ve all done it – fallen in love with the characters we’ve created.
Then comes the temptation to make them ‘nice’, to make sure that the audience will love them as much as we do. After all, what’s the point in creating a character that no one wants to watch? Writing Characters Using Conflict & Backstory. Seven Steps To Creating Characters That Write Themselves Creating characters that are believable takes time and discipline.
Creating dynamically real individuals and not imposing your own thoughts and impressions upon them is not easy to do, and is often the difference between a novel or screenplay that sits in a closet and one that finds its way around town and into the hands of audiences. Rules for Being a Bitch. There are a lot of different character types out there.
One of the ones that’s currently popular is the Bitch. Especially for antagonists, and especially in YA. (Though other major characters and other genres can work with a Bitch as well.) In this post, I’m going to look at why Bitches are so popular, and what exactly it takes for a character to be a Bitch–rather than a bitch. To start us off, here’s the #1 Rule for Being a Bitch: “If being a bitch doesn’t work, be a bigger bitch.” For example, “Redemption” is a good theme, but it can be hard to pull it off, and sometimes when you just Love to Hate someone, “redeeming” them can ruin that great character-reader dynamic. Also keep in kind that good Bitch is clever, manipulative, and just downright self-absorbed. Heartless Bitches International Rants - Mike's Heartless Bitch Testimonial. By M.N.
In late October 2005, The Tyra Banks Show contacted Natalie, the Head Bitch, (on very short notice) to appear on an episode about women who are called or who call themselves “bitches.” Natalie would have been unable to appear herself, so they asked her to suggest a couple of members of HBI who would do a good job standing up for the views expressed in the Heartless Manifesto. I was one of the members she urged to answer the call. W R I T E W O R L D. Anthony-fucking-stark asked: Hello, I’ve been following this blog for months and it has helped me very much.
But now I have a question: do you have anything on how to write/roleplay a crazy -or insane- character? You are gonna be so proud of me. I found you some awesome links! WriteWorld is inexplicably deficient on articles by our admins on mental disorders (a term which, for the purposes of this article, will encompass personality disorders and all other serious mental illnesses), but I do have a few general words of advice for you regarding writing characters with disorders of this kind: Mental disorders are not for funsies.
I really strongly recommend that your check out our tips on writing depression and amnesia (below) as well, since much of the advice we give in those articles carries over into every other type of mental condition. Bitchy Characters. How to Write Intriguing Male and Female Characters. Men and women are different.
There, I said it. Now let me go even further out on a limb. Chances are, if you’re female, you write like a girl, and if you’re male, you write like a guy. Not that there’s anything wrong with that … unless, that is, you’d like your writing to be read by members of another gender, or you’re trying to create characters of the opposite sex. If so, it might just help to have a better understanding about how the other half thinks, acts, reads and writes. For Men: How to Write Female Characters.
This post was originally intended to be a satirical comment on the state of female characters in screenplays written by men.
But, ironically enough, after talking to a handful of male screenwriters, I realized that there is a legitimate, long-standing issue amongst male writers when it comes to writing female characters. Rebellious Characters. Der Buchwald: Writing male characters if you're female. Firstly, let me direct you to a recent post by agent Mary Kole on reactions.
She says that reactions are the MOST important part of interiority--they tell the reader how they are supposed to react to a situation, and pull them into what the character is experiencing. I love this advice, because it's something concrete. You can go through your manuscript and make sure you have the appropriate reactions for each significant exchange or event, and noticeably strengthen your book.
I love love love this post, and have notes all over my draft to revise for this specificially. Secondly, I'm finally starting to look at some of the material from this summer's Writeoncon.com. Writing Characters with Mental Illness « Larissa N. Niec. Writing Characters with Mental Illness Mental illness is generally poorly understood.
Many stereotypes about people who experience mental illness show up repeatedly in literature and film. How many times, for example, is madness used to explain an antagonist’s cruelty? Using clichés and stereotypes is not only lazy writing, but can perpetuate harmful and inaccurate perceptions. Indifferent, Distant Characters. Fiction Writing: Conflicts and Characters. Almost all good stories need conflict – and not the epic battle-style of conflict. The conflicts that bring characters alive are the smaller conflicts that occur between two people, a small group and the internal conflicts we deal with on a daily basis.
Conflict adds an incredible amount of depth to characters. How to Use Mental Illness in Your Writing. Sunday, April 8, 2012 Mental illness is always a tricky topic to discuss, especially in the politically correct society of the present. I can tell you though, I work in a psychiatric hospital, and the patients there are often more than happy to discuss their illnesses, whether you would like them to or not. This is how I came to meet Jim Bob, the recovering-alcoholic duckling who likes nothing more than to chill out with his issue of Cosmo. It is all part of their character, and as we readers and writers of fiction know, character is a huge part of the story world. Making Your Characters Likeable.
Characters You Need to Stop Writing (Or Reinvent) Introducing Your Characters. Describing your characters through their actions. Jasmine was a nervous young woman who tended to fidget when she was under pressure. Even her clothes seemed to be on edge: they shifted and slid and drooped and were never still. Tony, on the other hand, was too sure of himself. But the more adamant he was about anything, the more Jasmine fluttered. The more she fluttered, the more irritated Tony got, until he was barking orders and she was near tears. That certainly tells the reader what they need to know about Jasmine and Tony. Let's look at the passage again. "Why--why Tony, I didn't think you'd really, you know, want me to go... " It's easy to reveal character when you can combine action with dialogue.
Tony stood in the middle of the room, watching Jasmine shift around its edges, tweaking a cushion, fiddling with the curtains. Even without the preceding dialogue, you would have understood the dynamics between the two characters. Eddy, Jack and Herman slipped down into the ditch, Mike following with the rope. Creating Characters In Novels.
Creating characters is arguably the single-most important part of novel writing. At the very least, knowing how to create a character is as important as plotting a novel. Without a page-turning plot, your readers will soon be - well, not turning the pages. But even with a compelling story, the audience will only be interested in "what happens next" if it cares about the fictional characters at the heart of the action. That is what creating characters boils down to, ultimately: making the audience care... In my humble opinion. Blind Characters: A Process of Awareness (Stefff Green) I don't read many books about blind characters. This is in part because there aren't that many around, but also because the ones I have read just weren't terribly good.
I have enough problems dealing with misinformed opinions and well intentioned 'help' in real life that reading about them in my leisure time makes me angry. I know these authors don't intend to make me - or other vision impaired readers - angry. Many of them read the books that came before theirs and thought they'd done their research. Many of them observed colleagues or relatives who are blind, and thought they understood blindness. While researching for this essay and my own writing ebook I searched writing forums all over the internet, where amateurs and professionals converge to support and inspire each other.
Not one of these writers intended to lead the others astray. Lion Princess : Photo. 4 Things Politicians Will Never Understand About Poor People. Off the top of your head, how many of your friends can you think of make less than $11,000 a year? Maybe they work some mind-numbing part-time job, taking cover charges and stamping hands at a strip club. Or if you're a bit older, how many families do you know of who have one person working, bringing in less than $23,000 to support a spouse and a couple of kids? There's nothing wrong with either of those things ... but those numbers are the poverty threshold in the U.S., and in my area of the country, it encompasses a fudging poopload of people (sorry, I'm trying to cut down on my cursing). Poverty is a hot topic for politicians, but it seems like every time they open their mouths about the subject, stupid falls out. There's a huge part of me that wants to grab them by their orphan skin lapels and scream reason into their preciously oblivious brains, but the logical side of me knows it won't matter.
The 4 Types of People on Welfare Nobody Talks About. What do you imagine when you hear the word "welfare"? Why don't you talk to dia about it? How Not to Create a Villain. By Anne Marble Villains aren't as important to the romance novel as the hero and heroine, but in many stories, they are crucial. The villain's actions can drive the hero and heroine to succeed against all odds, force them to make difficult decisions, even drive them apart for a while. However, romance writers walk a delicate tightrope when creating villains. If your villain is dull, the readers won't be all that interested in your story, even if your hero and heroine are wonderful. Creating Great Heroes and Heroines. By Anne Marble. 4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions. Fiction once began with the face, with the act of observation of the faces of others.
Does it still? Welcome to Fuck Yeah Character Development. The Writers Helpers. Writing with Color. Writing Questions Answered. Writing Questions Answered. Writing Questions Answered. Writing Questions Answered. Writing Questions Answered. Writing Questions Answered. The worst scars are in the mind: psychological torture. Torture often includes methods that entail severe psychological distress and profoundly disrupt the senses and personality. This article describes how psychological methods which do not amount to ill-treatment when considered in isolation can amount to torture through their accumulation over time and their integration into the whole torture process. Dr Hernán Reyes, MD, of the ICRC’s Assistance Division, is a specialist on medical aspects of detention and has visited numerous detention centres around the world. Abstract Torture during interrogation often includes methods that do not physically assault the body or cause actual physical pain – and yet entail severe psychological pain and suffering and profoundly disrupt the senses and personality.
Solitary confinement and prolonged sleep deprivation are just two examples of these psychological torture methods. Using Dialogue to Reveal Character. Not All Trans People Feel "Trapped In The Wrong Body" Okayophelia: (made rebloggable by request) I’m... - RP and Writing. Why don't you talk to dia about it? W R I T E W O R L D. Anonymous asked: I think you can give a villain a motive and still have them be truly evil. Some good evil motives would be greed or thirst for power. (I believe this message is in response to thewritershelpers' article titled Truly Evil Villains.) Yes. However, I think there is something doubly terrifying in villains who have no motive, who, like the Joker in The Dark Knight, just want to watch the world burn. We can’t understand them because we have reasons and excuses and rationalizations for our actions.
But to ask, “Why?” Villains who know they’re evil and relish it are also frightening. Aaron has a few quotes that drive home the “I’m evil and I know it” character arc. Fuck Yeah Roleplay Advice - How To Play An Evil Character. Characters With Eyeglasses - The Life and Mind of Ghost. Essay: Self-Insertion and Mary-Sue-ism. I have heard time and again that self-insertion is the scourge of fan fiction and that any tale containing traces of it must be bad by definition. I used to believe that, too - for almost half a year. Main/Common Mary Sue Traits. Main/Mary Sue. Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek - Writing Tips #48: Fifteen Stock Characters — and...
That one rp blog. Writing Dialect. Things To Know If Your Character Will Be Augmented Or Experimented Upon. On Writing & Roleplaying Characters Who Are Good Leader Material. Describing Your Character: Tips & Advice. How Good People & Well-Intentioned Groups Can Go Bad. Changing Alignments, Allegiances, & Loyalties More Believably. Of Character Voices & Slang. Exercises To Improve Your Character Writing & Roleplaying Skills.
Plotting, Conniving, & Manipulating - What It Isn't, And What It Is. Basic Tips To Write Better Ensemble Casts. Basic Tips To Write Better (And More Likeable) Badasses. Tips For Writing More "Masculine" Characters. Basic Tips To Write Better Chosen Ones. Tips For Writing And Roleplaying Canon Characters Better. Before You Go Declaring Other Peoples' Characters Mary Sues... Mary Sue Subtypes. What is a Mary Sue? Tips To End Canon Ships Better & More Believably. Notes & Musings On Writing Cute Characters. Wonder-Baby Syndrome - Or, How To Make Your Audience Hate Your Character's Crotchfruit. Writing Children. Tips 'N Stuff To Create, Write, & Draw Better Female Action Heroes. Tips For Making Better Sailor Moon OCs. Tips To Create Better OC Relatives of Canon Characters.
Basic Tips To Improve Your OCs & Fan Characters. Reasons Your Character Might Be Boring. On Giving Your Characters Flaws & Weaknesses. Things We Need More In Female Characters & Their Stories. On Writing Mentally Ill & Insane Characters. On Writing Sympathetic Morally-Ambiguous Characters. Tips To Create & Write Better Non-Protagonist Characters (NPCs)
Basic Tips To Create Better Characters With Tragic & Traumatic Backstories. Common, Yet Terrible Character Descriptors - And How To Fix Them. Basic Tips To Get More Racial Diversity In Your Writing. Quick & Dirty Characterization Tips & "Cheats" 7 Offensive Mistakes Well-Intentioned Writers Make. The Other Side of the Story: How Much Do You Need to Describe Your Characters? Seven Keys To Unforgettable Characters. 4 Things a Character List Reveals about Your Novel.