So, You Wanna Bring a Character to Life?
Hey guys! It's thegreatonesapprentice here!
So this is my first official post on this blog, and I sat and wondered just what to write about for the longest time! So. I called a conference in my head and sat everyone (all MY characters) down and asked what I should do. And after much debate and hearing out each person present, I decided to talk a bit about characters in general!
psychogiggles already touched on the subject of listening to your characters in her post "Listening to the Voices in Your Head". But! What about bringing the dears into existence in the first place? Well, that can be a trick, or easy as pie, depending on who the character is (in my personal experience).
So I'm just going to tell you guys how I usually bring characters to life, okay? (And keep in mind. Sometimes I don't do it like this)
1. Start them out with something small or insignificant.
Now again, this is just how I do it most of the time! I've found that most of my favorite people that have come out of my head have started out on a random fact. For example, Sammy, from Apocalypse (written by me and psychogiggles). All I knew about him at first was that we needed a little boy to follow Archie around. Some kind of apprentice or something.That was it! After that, I figured out his gender, approximate age, what he looked like, and saw his sweet little smile in my head. And he just blossomed beautifully from there! (I think he's one of my all time favorite characters I've ever brought to life)
Another example is Jack, also from "Apocalypse". When psychogiggles and I were talking about him, I didn't know anything about him other then he was a young man (which was what we needed, so I didn't even really have a choice on that). After thinking only for a little while, I just told her.
"I don't know who this guy is, or what he does. All I know is that he really likes peaches..." (which that trait has stuck with him from then, clear till now.)
So yeah. Then after MUCH more thought, Jack was born!
2. Make them unique to themselves.
Everyone wants their character to be special, right? (No, I am not about to rant about Mary Sues, thanks for asking) Characters are people, and people are all special in their own ways. So how do you make your character unique and original?
Well, first off, lets face it. Originality is pretty much dead at this point. But! That doesn't mean it's impossible! Because how I see it, is that a lot of people can produce great art in the world, right? But they are all at different skill levels, aren't they? So just cause two characters both are good at drawing, doesn't mean that both of them aren't unique! They're just at different levels! (like say one is good at watercolors and the other is good at still life with charcoal) It's the same thing with characters I think.
Like personalities! Don't just have your poor character be the stereotypical "Hero", or "Villain", or something like that. Everyone has their place and specialties in the story. Going back (again) to Apocalypse. psychogiggles and I both took a lot of time to think through who would be nessisary for the exploration crew that Archie would need throughout the story. But there are multiple people of the same skills, like guards, mechanics, and workman. So what makes them special if all the guards are all doing the same general things and on the general same skill level? Personalities and interests!! One likes hunting/tracking, another likes guns, and another likes studying animals and their behaviors. See? Everyone had a purpose and role to play! :) So use all of your creative powers that are at your disposal! Use them all! Let the plot bunnies run free too! Who knows what crazies will come out of that?! XD
And don't just make their personalities special either! Make their physical appearance special too! Scars! Facial (or bodily) deformities! A lazy eye! Missing teeth! The possibilities are endless, seriously! Even with just hair and general description! Go crazy guys! :D (but remember to avoid Mary Sue-ness! Don't get caught in that trap!)
3. Don't be afraid of change.
It's just what it says. You remember that random small fact that we started out with? Well it just might fall by the wayside at some point. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing! If there's anything I've learned from writing, is that if you're doing it right by your characters, they will nine times out of ten change A LOT. Sammy is (again) one great example of this. And many many more (if not EVEY) of my characters in my writing career as well. So don't be afraid, or try to fight it (too much) if your person wants to make some adjustments to there perceived persona that is in your head. If it's changing your story completely, obviously think deeply if it's really nessisary. But if your character wants it, it's usually where it should go (in my opinion).
So there you have it guys! My first post! I really hope this was helpful at all to someone out there, or just an interesting read! :) So thanks for taking the time to read this (if you made it this far) and I'll talk to you guys soon!
Go! Write something wonderful, and create some amazing characters! Have fun!
~thegreatonesapprentice
So this is my first official post on this blog, and I sat and wondered just what to write about for the longest time! So. I called a conference in my head and sat everyone (all MY characters) down and asked what I should do. And after much debate and hearing out each person present, I decided to talk a bit about characters in general!
psychogiggles already touched on the subject of listening to your characters in her post "Listening to the Voices in Your Head". But! What about bringing the dears into existence in the first place? Well, that can be a trick, or easy as pie, depending on who the character is (in my personal experience).
So I'm just going to tell you guys how I usually bring characters to life, okay? (And keep in mind. Sometimes I don't do it like this)
1. Start them out with something small or insignificant.
Now again, this is just how I do it most of the time! I've found that most of my favorite people that have come out of my head have started out on a random fact. For example, Sammy, from Apocalypse (written by me and psychogiggles). All I knew about him at first was that we needed a little boy to follow Archie around. Some kind of apprentice or something.That was it! After that, I figured out his gender, approximate age, what he looked like, and saw his sweet little smile in my head. And he just blossomed beautifully from there! (I think he's one of my all time favorite characters I've ever brought to life)
Another example is Jack, also from "Apocalypse". When psychogiggles and I were talking about him, I didn't know anything about him other then he was a young man (which was what we needed, so I didn't even really have a choice on that). After thinking only for a little while, I just told her.
"I don't know who this guy is, or what he does. All I know is that he really likes peaches..." (which that trait has stuck with him from then, clear till now.)
So yeah. Then after MUCH more thought, Jack was born!
2. Make them unique to themselves.
Everyone wants their character to be special, right? (No, I am not about to rant about Mary Sues, thanks for asking) Characters are people, and people are all special in their own ways. So how do you make your character unique and original?
Well, first off, lets face it. Originality is pretty much dead at this point. But! That doesn't mean it's impossible! Because how I see it, is that a lot of people can produce great art in the world, right? But they are all at different skill levels, aren't they? So just cause two characters both are good at drawing, doesn't mean that both of them aren't unique! They're just at different levels! (like say one is good at watercolors and the other is good at still life with charcoal) It's the same thing with characters I think.
Like personalities! Don't just have your poor character be the stereotypical "Hero", or "Villain", or something like that. Everyone has their place and specialties in the story. Going back (again) to Apocalypse. psychogiggles and I both took a lot of time to think through who would be nessisary for the exploration crew that Archie would need throughout the story. But there are multiple people of the same skills, like guards, mechanics, and workman. So what makes them special if all the guards are all doing the same general things and on the general same skill level? Personalities and interests!! One likes hunting/tracking, another likes guns, and another likes studying animals and their behaviors. See? Everyone had a purpose and role to play! :) So use all of your creative powers that are at your disposal! Use them all! Let the plot bunnies run free too! Who knows what crazies will come out of that?! XD
And don't just make their personalities special either! Make their physical appearance special too! Scars! Facial (or bodily) deformities! A lazy eye! Missing teeth! The possibilities are endless, seriously! Even with just hair and general description! Go crazy guys! :D (but remember to avoid Mary Sue-ness! Don't get caught in that trap!)
3. Don't be afraid of change.
It's just what it says. You remember that random small fact that we started out with? Well it just might fall by the wayside at some point. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing! If there's anything I've learned from writing, is that if you're doing it right by your characters, they will nine times out of ten change A LOT. Sammy is (again) one great example of this. And many many more (if not EVEY) of my characters in my writing career as well. So don't be afraid, or try to fight it (too much) if your person wants to make some adjustments to there perceived persona that is in your head. If it's changing your story completely, obviously think deeply if it's really nessisary. But if your character wants it, it's usually where it should go (in my opinion).
So there you have it guys! My first post! I really hope this was helpful at all to someone out there, or just an interesting read! :) So thanks for taking the time to read this (if you made it this far) and I'll talk to you guys soon!
Go! Write something wonderful, and create some amazing characters! Have fun!
~thegreatonesapprentice
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