Attack on Titan: Creative Process

Part 1: The Character Checklist: Creating my Character

If you have been following my works for any amount of time, then you should know it is a widely known fact that when I create a story the first step always begins with the character. Though I tend to write primarily reader insert fanfictions, the principles within this chapter can be applied to any character, whether that be a reader insert, original character, or an already existing character. Regardless, the process is generally very much the same. To start, I first go through a checklist of questions that I must answer to ensure I fully understand my character. The failure to understand one's own character is often a fatal flaw I see in many fanfictions, so ensure you know them inside and out.

How does my character fit into the story?

Or rather, where does my character belong in this universe? What is their role? It is common knowledge that every story has main characters and side characters. Which category does my character fall into? For example, in my Reader x Yang series, the reader's character is very much a main character. They are on a team with the main characters of the series and are often in the middle of the action, taking place in major events that have heavy repercussion on the story. Even though their actions don't fundamentally change the story, they are considered a main character. In contrast, the reader character in my My Hero Academia series is a side character, though this may be difficult to see. Though one could say that all of Class 1A are main characters, it is undeniably evident that some characters take more precedent in the story than others. Midoriya, Bakugou, Iida, Todoroki, and Ururaka are often at the forefront of the story, whereas characters such as Oijiro, Sero, Kaminari and others take a back seat. In this regard, the reader's character is not a main character. They did not have a major role during the USJ fight in regard to the source material (ie; they did not confront Nomu), nor did they play a role in the driving arc of season two (Hero Killer Stain).

Understand this: Just because your character is the main character of your story, does not mean they are the main character of the story.

For my Attack on Titan story, I have decided that the reader character will not be a main character. In this universe, that would mean taking as much importance in the story (not my story) as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. Instead, he will be a secondary character, grouped in with the other cadets.

What drives my character?

What is their motive? Their goal? Their flaws? These are important questions to consider because without them your character does not truly exist. They have to have a driving purpose that dictates their actions throughout the story. It is during this phase that I also flush out my characters origins. See, some authors create an origin for their character and use that to dictate their motive, but I work backwards. I want to know what drives my character and knowing that allows me to create an appropriate backstory.

For this story however, things are a little tricky because this character will not have a real goal, per se (we'll touch more on this later). At a basic level of understanding though, we know that most of the characters are driven by a desire to kill Titans or a carnal survival instinct that drives them to join the Military Police where they will be safe from the carnage.

For a good example though, look at my My Hero Academia story. The character's desire is to control his quirk. This is what drives him. But this reason alone may not be enough. The most well written characters are those with multiple layers, and to create those types of characters you have to ask several layers of questions, the most prominent of which being why. What is the characters motive? What drives him? He wants to control his power. Why? That is the big question that will greatly determine the depth of your character. Why? Why does he want to control his power? Because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. Again, why? Because of the guilt? Or is it something else entirely? For that character, his true defining motive for everything he does, the reason why he wants to control his power and why he doesn't want to hurt anyone is because he doesn't want to be alone. Because he doesn't want anyone to leave him ever again.