Writing Advice

How to Create a Cold Character in Your Story

A/N: Hello Lovelies! I'm finally back and writing again! Lately, my life has been extremely busy and my mental health was really not at its best, so I was having a hard time getting enough motivation to write. Anyway, during the last couple of months some amazing people have messaged me to tell me how much they have gotten help from my Life Hacks! Those messages definitely made my day, so thank you! Some others have asked for advice, so I just decided that I would publish chapters for my advice/answers on their writing or life.

Question: Do you have any advice on how to create a cold character or any stories that could give me ideas?

My answer: Cold or distant characters can be extremely difficult, especially if you want to make them more unique. Unfortunately, in the world of wattpad the word 'cliché' is overlooked. Loads of writer's on this website do overuse clichés and it makes it hard for the rest of us who want our stories to be eye catching or unique.

     Here is my advice for creating a cold character in any writing situation:

When the main character is cold or is meeting a cold person:

Truthfully, people in real life that are cold, do not want to meet new people. They aren't an open book and frankly, greeting someone is not their first instinct. Key things to keep this type of character are distant and unwelcoming. When someone meets this person make sure they immediately seem unattached and 'not really there'. It's crucial to let your readers know right off the bat that this person doesn't want to be there or isn't thrilled to meet new people.

When this character is meeting someone cold or is the cold person, important things to write about are how they shake hands (loose grip, cold hands, etc.), how they make eye contact, if/how they introduce themselves, and there are many others.

Relationships with cold people:

Usually people that are stuck in relationships with cold people aren't happy. Relationships are about love, trust, and connection, but when your significant other isn't willing to participate or really be there at all, it isn't enjoyable. Cold people will not want to engage in most contact. They could possibly distance themselves when their partner and them are in bed together or lightly push them away when being hugged or kissed. There's also a good chance they will not text back or answer their calls. When having to talk out issues, they won't want to or they will try to avoid emotional talks as much as they can. Most likely, typical 'cold' people won't even have a relationship.

Overall Characteristics:

Cold individuals are not always anti-social. Sometimes they've been through so much in their life, that they are almost empty. For instance, a good example of this is Effy Stonem from the British series Skins (its on Netflix). She does have a mental illness, but she uses drugs and other people to fill the gap she has in her life. Be sure to explain their back-stories. Maybe they have a severe mental illness, or their family is messed up. Also, cold people do not always have to be cold all the time. Sometime's this is just a flaw in their personality. An example of this is when you're in a relationship with someone and when you break up, they turn away from you when you want to reconnect or if you need help. This also works with when someone has done them wrong. If you've hurt a person, sometimes they are so cold about it they barely acknowledge your existence afterward which is works just as well. Explaining this emptiness or their method of coping is crucial. With cold people, things like cigarettes or drugs are sometimes aesthetically pleasing if that makes any sense at all. A way for them to become extremely unique and interesting is when they have a perfectly happy life, but they've turned out to be cold. It gives you way more to write about and your readers will wonder more about this character.

Good Wattpad Stories to Give You Ideas:

The only book that comes to mind for a really cold or distant character is the One Direction fanfiction After. I believe it is a trilogy and even though I strongly disagree with some of the ideas in this book, the writer does provide a very cold character and her writing skills are pretty exceptional. Please do not copy from her though. I may be confusing abusive with cold, but I am pretty sure the main character is a good example for you. When I find more good stories, I promise to post them.

A/N: That's all I can think of at the moment, but I do hope this helped some of you! If you need any advice on anything (writing ore life related) please feel free to message me! I will do the best I can to help you! J