Writing Tips &Tricks

Individuality

  I have gotten a request for help with writing characters with individuality.

  Being a writer, I understand that it is easy to put yourself into your story. Everyone does it. The problem is ehen the parts of you overwhelms your character. You gotta back off.

  They don't like everything you do. They don't always think the way you do. They don't have the same needs, political view, worldview, taste, goals, or skills that you do. They are their own person.

  You have have to learn how to separate them from you. Start with what is canon, if it is a fanfic, or your goal if it is original. That is always a great place to start.

  What do you want from this character? What stereotype do they fit in? What traits do you want to make sure they have? Make a list. Make a list. Stick to that list.

  You get an idea of what you thinkbyou want your character to be like, then you write scenes that involve that character. Write a lot of different scenes with them doing a lot of different things. Write AUs. Write scenes you want in your story. Write road trips. Write shopping trips. Write a crazy spy thriller. Write anything you want. The goal is to keep the character's identity.

As you write, you should be able to tell if the character is part of you or it's own person. If you are thinking 'what would I do' then you're doing it wrong.

  If you have to, base it off a character that already exists and ask yourself what that character would do. As you go, tweak the things that you need to and keep writing. This won't be a quick fix but it isn't hard.

  Don't be afraid to scrap an idea. If you hate it, scrap it. If it isn't what you wanted, scrap it. Not everything will be gold the first time around.

  Write actively. Be aware. Be present. Practice practice practice.

  There are a lot of great character development apps out there. Find one that you like and use it to develope your character.

  I like to start out with an entirely unknown character (even to me) and just write a scene with them in it. After I write the scene, I kind of have an idea of what I want that character to be like. Then I answer a lot of questions about that character. I write the question and the anser down so that I stay consistent.

Name:
Nickname:
Gender:
Age:
Birthday:
Birth place:
Family:
Defining features:
Goals:

Worst memory:
Best memory:
Favorite family member:
Favorite place:
Conflict/problem:
Friends:
Pets:

Biggest failure:
Regrets:
Deficiencies:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Skills/abilities:
Traits:
Aesthetic:

Values:
Religion:
Moral code:
Motto:
Insecurities:
Pet peeves:

Etc. You can list as much as you want. You need to do this for every character. They might not play a big part in your story, but they are still a person with a life of their own. They have their own problems, regrets, etc. Just because your reader doesn't see much of them doesn't make them less important. Everybody is somebody's somebody.

  You will feel like you know that character. It will show. You will be abke to see them as their own person who has all of these feelings and emotions. It will make them feel real. Your world and story will feel more real if every person your character comes into contact with has depth. They aren't there as a plot device, they just crossed paths with your character. After your character leaves, the reader should feel like that person's meaningful life will go on.

   It needs to feel like you are writing a biography of someone else's life. Everyone else is just as real and important, but not as relevant.