Writing Tips and Reviews

Actions Over Words

Actions over words kiddies. What speaks more? If a character says they'll do something, or if they do it. Words are meaningless, actions are everything. Kingdom Hearts knows this, Roxas and Axel's relationship.

And since dark edgy characters are "cool" and used by way too many kids who think they know how to write, we'll use this as an example.

What these kids are going for, is what we call a "sociopath". A person like this is manipulative, lacking of emotions and empathy, cunning, distant, just look it up really. Here's the big part that stops these kids from writing a good sociopathic character, they add the whiny part. Adding a backstory that's pretty pathetic and making the personality whiny destroys the entire tension the character once had.

I know the Sonic games and only started looking more into it recently. Infinite from Forces is literally what these kids make: a whiny dark wannabe who can only talk while never actually living up to their words. "I can't die" ("I'm immortal") and "I can kill anything" are more excuses and words, excuses to why the character can't be hurt and just words to say "look how awesome I am".

Mephiles, a character from Sonic 2006,  a pretty hated game with a pretty beloved villain. This did it better, despite being a horrid game, the story of Mephiles is better done than Infinite's. He's creepy, he's manipulative, he's a liar, he's downright terrifying and his actions speak more for being a sociopath than his words. His words are only there to help in shaping him as a sociopath, not the full reason.

A character shown committing mass genocide is worth more than saying "I'm a serial killer". A character who you can see is mentally out of it is worth more than saying "I'm mentally broken", also catch 22. (What I am supposed to say about "my soul is shattered"? That the character is non existent? I'm going to say that.) A character shown to have skills in fighting and train for long periods of time is worth more than "I can defeat you". Egotism points for that one if it's words only. The actions of a character show who they are, their words are a part of that, but not the whole thing. What they do and say make up they type of person they are.

Sociopaths are defined by their actions more than their words. Bragging about being one isn't a show they are one. Mephiles is one because of his actions, he tricks the characters into playing his game and because of his distance, he's able to avoid suspicion and continue. The motions he does are slow and bring him to be a terrifying character. He mocks and insults others for his own entertainment, he's never stated he's a sociopath because then he'd lose trust. He keeps to himself, which only makes him more mysterious. There has never been an instant when he says he's a killer, he's going to kill another character, or that he's immortal. All of things he is. Because he doesn't need to say it for it to be believable.

Words are just words, which is why many characters in franchises will start saying things like "your words are meaningless", if the words aren't backed up, they are meaningless. Trust between characters is gained by actions, hatred is formed through actions, actions mean more than words. People will forget words, but they don't forget actions. They don't forget how they felt because of those actions.

Words hurt, don't get me wrong, they really hurt when insults come from those you thought you trusted, but in those scenarios, the other is usually forgiven. Unless you're like me and two chances and that person is out of my life. In series, words are forgiven while actions have consequences. The act of literally trying to destroy the world, consequences, just saying it, whatever. It's like the American law, it's not illegal to say it, but it is illegal to do it. Like stealing.

Words can bother people, they leave a mark. Actions are just much more powerful, because it shows that the person was willing to hurt you and did it. Threats only have power if they are backed up, both in real life and in writing. "I'll kill you" is just as powerful as "let's go to the beach" unless backed up. A character saying that only to not do it when given the opportunity is just pathetic. A character saying that then doing it when given the opportunity, that's how to do it.

Power to actions and power to words when backed up with actions. There's no threat if only words are given. If you're only adding something to a character because it's "cool", then besides that being a subjective opinion, if it's not backed up, it's just words. Words are easier to use than actions, in real life. In stories you can do whatever you want, so why waste time making the character only talk while you can make them do it?

I don't want to hear about being "soul shattered" and "dead eyes" in the description, it's not interesting. It's a waste of time for the character to do nothing while the creator thinks they're doing everything. A character is a fighter? Show them actually fighting, show them win and lose, show them grow. Just saying that they're the best fighter with little experience (Mary Sue) and can kill anyone is worthless. Show they can do it and give them a reason. Child prodigy, memories of a past life, amnesia works for why they took so little time. And even then, those things are shown to us through the story by both dialogue and actions.

It's like drama, without evidence that it happened, it might as well never happened. Words are meaningless, I'll say it until you get it. Show the character doing what they're saying they can do or it becomes empty. Two characters like one another? Show them going on dates, hanging out, if they're fighting, show them play around or if it's done by force, show that they may have trouble fighting one another. Characters have a problem? Make the reader feel that through both dialogue and action. Dialogue is powerful when it's backed up.

If you're having trouble look up what you're trying to do. Really understand the concept before you dive head first. Sociopaths aren't words only, that's just being a loser, they're actions and words. Words only over words backed up with action, what's more powerful?