background preloader

How to Create a Character

How to Create a Character
by Holly Lisle All Rights Reserved No matter what sort of fiction you’re writing, you’re going to have to populate your story with characters, and a lot of them, if not all of them, you’re going to have to create from scratch. Unfortunately — or maybe fortunately — there is no Betty Crocker Instant Character-In-A-Can that you can mix with water and pop into the oven for twenty minutes. There aren’t any quick and easy recipes, and I don’t have one either, but I do have some things that have worked for me when creating my characters, and some things that haven’t. You may find my experiences useful. For what they’re worth, here are my Do’s and Don’ts. Don’t start your character off with a name or a physical description. I know this doesn’t seem logical at first glance — after all, you name a baby before you get to know him very well. There are a couple of reasons. Do start developing your character by giving him a problem, a dramatic need, a compulsion. What does the character want?

102 Resources for Fiction Writing « Here to Create UPDATE 1/10: Dead links removed, new links added, as well as Revision and Tools and Software sections. Are you still stuck for ideas for National Novel Writing Month? Or are you working on a novel at a more leisurely pace? Here are 102 resources on Character, Point of View, Dialogue, Plot, Conflict, Structure, Outlining, Setting, and World Building, plus some links to generate Ideas and Inspiration. Also, I recommend some resources for Revision and some online Tools and Software. Too many links? 10 Days of Character Building Name Generators Name Playground The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test Priming the idea pump (A character checklist shamlessly lifted from acting) How to Create a Character Seven Common Character Types Handling a Cast of Thousands – Part I: Getting to Know Your Characters It’s Not What They Say . . . Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid “Stepping Out of Character” How to Start Writing in the Third Person Web Resources for Developing Characters Speaking of Dialogue

50 Questions to Ask Your Characters It's time for another PEP rally by our guestblogger Sam. Just as a reminder, PEP stands for Productivity, Ego, and Procrastination, the three most important things to a writer after their computer or favorite pen. Even though the Rally was created to start a week off right, it can help combat the dreaded writers block any day of the week. These tips and activities will get you moving towards that word count in no time. Well, maybe not the last one, but who said you have to be all work? Productivity One of my most difficult challenges when writing is trying to get into the mindset of my characters. Today’s productivity task is an interview to help you get a better grasp of your characterization. Name and age? Nickname? What is most noticeable about your character’s appearance/physical presence? Describe his or her voice, verbal ticks, pet phrases etc. Describe a gesture your character makes. Where does he or she now live? Has s/he lived elsewhere? What part of her home is her favourite?

Story Structure & Plot - Novel Writing Tips Conflict and Character within Story Structure The Basic Three Act Structure The simplest building blocks of a good story are found in the Three Act Structure. In the Beginning you introduce the reader to the setting, the characters and the situation (conflict) they find themselves in and their goal. The Sixteen Personality Types - High-Level ISTJ - The Duty Fulfiller Serious and quiet, interested in security and peaceful living. Extremely thorough, responsible, and dependable. Click here for a detailed description of ISTJ. ISTP - The Mechanic Quiet and reserved, interested in how and why things work. Click here for a detailed description of ISTP. ISFJ - The Nurturer Quiet, kind, and conscientious. Click here for a detailed description of ISFJ. ISFP - The Artist Quiet, serious, sensitive and kind. Click here for a detailed description of ISFP. INFJ - The Protector Quietly forceful, original, and sensitive. Click here for a detailed description of INFJ. INFP - The Idealist Quiet, reflective, and idealistic. Click here for a detailed description of INFP. INTJ - The Scientist Independent, original, analytical, and determined. Click here for a detailed description of INTJ. INTP - The Thinker Logical, original, creative thinkers. Click here for a detailed description of INTP. ESTP - The Doer Friendly, adaptable, action-oriented.

How to Create a Fictional Character from Scratch (with Character Descriptions) Edit Article Sample Character DescriptionCreating Your Own Fictional Character Edited by Ben Rubenstein, Brigitta M., Tom Viren, Axiom and 52 others The one thing that virtually every single book, play, movie, novel, and game has in common is that they all have at least one character. Most have two or more, and some—a cast of thousands! Sometimes the "character" is you. Regardless of who the characters are, books and movies and all the rest would be lifeless and boring without them. Ad Steps Sample Character Description Creating Your Own Fictional Character 1Define the setting, or initial scene. Tips The type of character you create determines how the story will arc. Warnings Be careful when observing those around you. Things You'll Need Anything to write with.

Top 10 Tricks to Make your Villain Stand Out Welcome back to the column that breaks down gaming into what’s really important, ten things at a time! Any story arc needs a good villain. The best big bads are more than just another devil or vampire or dragon. These ten suggestions can help take your villain above and beyond the ordinary and give your players a more memorable game. 1. Means to Power. Why do people follow this villain? 2. The villain should have a single overriding goal that drives all his or her actions. 3. Along with the goal, place concrete steps the villain needs to take to reach the goal. 4. The villain should be making progress if nobody is stopping him or her. 5. Give your villain a weakness the adventurers can figure out and exploit. 6. Avoid faceless or generic threats. 7. Make the villain’s presence known in every corner of the campaign. 8. One of the best ways to make the villain’s presence known is by reusing symbols and calling cards. 9. 10. Powered By DT Author Box Written by loganbonner

Random plot points. Every good story is just a test of conflict. What your character will do in a particular situation IS their character. What they do is what they're made of. This means your character is going to have to suffer. A lot. Some ways this might be useful: To help write your story (duh).To get to know your character better. Character Trait Chart Character Trait Chart and Personality Components It can sometimes be helpful to make a Trait Chart for each character. This is especially helpful during the early stages of character development, before the character becomes as real to you as your mother. There are several charts of this sort available, some extremely detailed and some containing only facts and figures. To use this chart, print it out and make a copy for each of your characters. Full name - a character's name is very important. Besides the character's official name, we also need to know what he is called (and, perhaps, what he prefers to be called). Date of Birth/Age - we should carefully consider assigning our character a birthday. Address - this can be as detailed or as vague as you wish, but it should answer a few questions: does the character live in a large city, the suburbs, a small town or deep in the country? Height - this doesn't need to be specific. Smell - everyone has a smell. Questions? Custom Graphics by:

The Role of Colour in Marketing It’s more important than ever for brands to project their value. Marketers in general understand the need for consistency in color and design. But it’s also vital to move beyond the standard logo and tagline and take a holistic approach to evoking emotions among potential customers across all of your marketing channels — including social media sites. You can use color to your advantage. Color is a form of non-verbal communication and an important part of our daily lives. The underlying emotions that colors evoke have been cultivated since birth and vary depending on age, geographic location, and gender (e.g. blue for boys, pink for girls). Why do you feel like clicking and browsing on some websites and not others? Studies have shown that color: Increases brand recognition by up to 80%Improves readership as much as 40%Increases comprehension by 73%Can be up to 85% of the reason people decide to buy What kind of emotion do you want your brand to convey? How do colors affect purchases?

25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters - StumbleUpon As storyteller, you are god. And to be frank, you’re not a particularly nice god — at least, not if you want your story to resonate with readers. A good storyteller is a crass and callous deity who treats the characters under his watchful eye like a series of troubled butt-puppets. Put differently, as a storyteller it’s your job to be a dick. It’s your job to fuck endlessly with the characters twisting beneath your thumb. And here’s 25 ways for you to do just that. 1. Gods have avatars, mortal or semi-mortal beings that exist on earth to embody the deity’s agenda. 2. The audience and the character must know the stakes on the table — “If you don’t win this poker game, your grandmother will lose her beloved pet orangutan, Orange Julius.” 3. Impossible odds are a powerful way to fuck with a character. 4. Drop the character smack dab between two diametrically opposed choices. 5. Give the character an untenable secret life: a forbidden romance, a taboo, a transgression. 6. This one? 7. 8. 9.

Stop the press: half of self-published authors earn less than $500 Despite the splash caused by self-publishing superstars such as Amanda Hocking and EL James, the average amount earned by DIY authors last year was just $10,000 (£6,375) – and half made less than $500. With Hocking raking in sales of $2.5m, Fifty Shades of Grey's James signing up to a mainstream press for a six-figure advance and a slew of deals for other self-published successes, the sector is starting to look like a gold mine for would-be authors. But a survey of 1,007 self-published writers – one of the most comprehensive insights into the growing market to date – found that while a small percentage of authors were bringing in sums of $100,000-plus in 2011, average earnings were just $10,000 a year. Those who want to do best at self-publishing, they found, would be well advised to focus on romantic fiction. Half the respondents failed to reach $500 in royalties in 2011, and a quarter of the books are unlikely to cover the direct costs of production.

10 Days of Character Building: A Day in the Life This is Day 2 of 10 Days of Character Building The day in the life approach to developing a character is focused on describing a normal day in the character’s life before something important happens to change it. Most central characters begin a story in their normal world. At some point, an event happens that takes them out of their normal world and sends them on whatever journey the story has in store for them. The beauty of analyzing a character’s day is that there are always opportunities to delve as deeply into their actions as you want. As you assemble a person’s day you get a good idea of their traits and flaws. When approaching the daily routine, you can go a number of ways.

Related: