Writing a Warriors Fanfiction: The Complete Guide

Personality

Creating the personality is even tougher than aesthetic design in writing. The reason why some characters are good can be for a variety of reasons. But in general, good characters are balanced, serve a practical purpose in the story, develop over time, and most importantly, are interesting! There are four key parts to making a character:

1. Stereotype
This is something we went over in the last section, but it still applies here. Having your character fit (or appear to) fit into a stereotype gives the basic idea of this character's role in society and their traits.

Stormclaw is a big gray tom who is the deputy of ThunderClan. He is a skilled fighter and would do anything to protect his Clan.
2. Twist
Now it's time to take that stereotype and put it on its head! By adding a trait that conflicts with what we originally expected, you shock the reader and interest them. It's often this twist that is a main part of the plot.
Stormclaw is a pacifist deep down inside. He is very afraid of battle and war and can barely bring himself to harm another cat, even if they are from a different Clan. He only acts tough to reassure his Clan - especially his mate and kits - that they are safe and have someone to rely on.
3. Flaws
When you add flaws to a character, you make them more balanced. Readers will immediately turn away from characters with no flaws, but you also have to make sure that you don't add so many that your character is dull and/or unlikable. This is where (what I like to call) the Mary Sue Myth comes into play.

The "Mary Sue Myth" is the notion that Mary Sue's actually exist. That's right, they're not real! This is not to say there's no such thing as a perfect, boring character or an overpowered one, but calling it a Mary Sue is definitely wrong. Because people are so quick to call a character a Mary Sue, new writers are often discouraged from making their character interesting at all. Good characters do NOT have to be 'relatable' or have no talent, they just have to have some sort of flaws or struggles.

Stormclaw fails to realize that sometimes there is no peaceful option. Though his pacifism makes him compassionate, his refusal to declare war can actually hurt the Clan.
4. Motivations
What motivates your character? What are their plans? The character's motivations tie in with the/a plot in the story, so you've probably already got most of this laid out. Motives regulate how the character acts subconsciously and the things they value.
Stormclaw continues to remain deputy in the name of protecting the Clan and his family. He doesn't want to see them hurt and feels only he can ensure that they are secure. However, both Stormclaw and StarClan know that he will not be able to lead the ThunderClan. After the leader's death, Stormclaw will officially resign and appoint someone else. He's been keeping tabs to see who that someone else could be. In fact, right now he's training an apprentice who seems fit for the role.
Another thing to add to your character are little quirks and habits. They're not the most prominent traits, but they're still there. Sometimes they are called tertiary character traits. They can be positive or negative. What is something that your character does that most other don't? Quirks and habits help make your character stand out amongst the others.
Stormclaw is a little bit of a control freak. When forced to fight, he leads as many battles to make sure ThunderClan wins. He also tries to lead as many patrols and take as many apprentices.