Any kind of tip is welcome! Writing, art, etc. Any kind of character as well-OC, fan character, for a profession, or for a TTRPG!
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This is, I think, the most difficult thing to swallow when creating a character. They shouldn’t be perfect. Part of their story should be overcoming their flaws, since that is most reflective of real life and almost anyone no matter who they are. Resolving their flaws provides a great character arch, and makes everything more realistic.
YES! i hate when characters have no flaws other than "they're too nice." like what does that mean?! that could mean they're a pushover who needs to find their strength to say no. or they could be sweet but very gullible, not knowing when something's fishy and helping people no matter what.
So for me, it's all about the meaning of the word 'Character'.
noun: 1. the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
So, what do I want the person to be like in relation to their role in the piece?
I shy away from physical descriptions unless it is something that directly relates to their character or a plot point (I like to let my readers decide what the character looks like).
I start with a moral compass and take it from there. Then I make a point to adhere to that compass.
I try to steer away from tropes and think about the realism of the role.
Soldiers are disciplined, sure. But they also have great difficulty breaking that discipline, so try to remember if, in any given situation would they be able to break that discipline if necessary?
Not all intelligent people are meek, geeky weaklings. In fact, many of them are strong willed and assertive. But making them rude is a step too far. You'll find most experts are passionate about their expertise and are assertive when they hear factually incorrect information, but warm and helpful with people that don't know the subject. They often don't use techno-babble either, they are usually great at explaining thing is a way a lay-person could understand.
I'm not a fan of a character personality or redemption arch. People rarely (if ever) change who they are at their core, only their opinion on things. So the bad guy doing the right thing in the end annoys me. That's not say people cannot learn and grow, but their personality and morals tend to stay the same.
My last tip: If you cannot think of how to describe someone, just use a vague simile. 'She was the kind of girl that could see both sides of the glass', 'He was the kind of guy that would give you a ham sandwich when it was raining'. People seem to read a lot into those sort of things, like looking for meaning in the Lyrics of 'Smells like teen spirit'.
Just make sure your character isn’t a Mary Sue and you’ll be fine. Don’t make them over the top and don’t make them a boring character. Compromise somewhere between so that your character is interesting enough for people to get attached to. This may apply only to me but I do not hate any character I’ve created even if they’re the antagonist, I love them all because of how they are. I also usually just place them in a random setting/situation and sort of imagine what they would do based on their personalities and write it down
For TTRPGs, specifically DnD and pathfinder, why did they go out adventuring? Why did they become the class they did? Why are they their particular subclass?
In order to make sure your character isn't a cliche or a stereotype, first make them into a stereotype or find all the possible stereotypes they could fit into, then alter them slightly to avoid the stereotype you created. Not sure if that made sense or not.
Pull out part of your personality, and make that into a person, otherwise, plagarize your dreams.
Have u heard about (not sure exact name I forget) character shadow process? It's basically where you choose and reverse the most powerful aspects of ur character to be their weaknesses and what they have to overcome. I'd suggest searching it up tho
I usually give my character a name I like. It doesn't have to be the one I end up using in the end, just one that might inspire me or that I like. Then I write. In the first go, creativity flowing, I write either dialogue between them and another character or a situatipn that shows what they’d do or how they would react to situations. I end up putting a little bit of myself in the characters one way or another, but none so far have been my clones. Sometimes I just get inspired and make a story with people. THEN later, I iron out the details of who they are. I have whole notes dedicated to two characters and their personalities and who they are. It helps me see them as real people. It's really simple to know how your character would act if you categorize them into a Myers-briggs personality type also. But that's just me ^^
Go wild with it. Most of my characters come from my *endless* daydreaming. Use inspiration as well, and jot ideas down when they come so you don't lose them.
More tips:
Give your character 1-3 strengths and 1-3 flaws. A character without flaws is a boring character.
Give them a few hobbies! What do they do outside of their job? Does their job affect their hobbies in any way? Why do they like the hobbies they like?
Try some exercises to make them feel real! What do they like to wear? Why? What would they do in a particular situation? Why?
Do those memey charts, like the cinnamon roll-kill you one!
You can get ideas for a character from wherever you want: Daydreaming, Other Franchises or OC's, gijinkas, Doodling, Dreams and Nightmares, anything. Characters can be based on people, objects, abstract concepts, tropes, and even other characters
Your character's design and personality should be reasonable and in line with their background, culture and what they do. Their nature should be evident in their instinctive actions. Their surface can also differ from their core.
I started with some magic powers idea that became my first character. I literally made my second character like "Okay, so if this thing were to have a human form, I feel it would look like this character from another franchise". I have no clue how I came up with my next three characters, though. Now I've created a whole world with a magic system and mythological lore.
My specialty in creating characters is creatures, and this tip has been very useful, but I think it works just as well for people characters: Give them a few small extra details or "fun facts" about them, Like my frog dragon who has acidic urine. It makes the charcters seem more realistic and interesting.
