How to Make an [DETAILED] OC! + Roleplaying Tips and Advice

Backstory and Personality

You might be wondering, "why is the backstory and personality part in the same chapter?" It's because the two can be very closely tied if you write a good character. It's not like someone can just pull an entirely new personality out of their ass that totally doesn't make sense for the past they had. And no, the past doesn't mean you get to make your character the edgiest thing in existence that must grab all attention with their pain and agony and blah blah blah. But the past is what changes who we are, it's how we develop. It can be hard to figure out an OC's backstory, but it's alright to look for ideas from already existing works! Try to stay away from making copies, however. 

To make a much more layered character, have a list of important events that had occurred within their life. Just having a rough childhood and being clumsy doesn't make them a decent character. But think more on their past. How would they have changed that person? What was their biggest formative experience? The past determines quite a few traits on the character. For example, I have a character that was more of a joke on Mary Sues, specifically the "personality type" Sue. Think of a character like Kokomi Teruhashi from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. But I can still humanize them with flaws, and have avoided making them the very center of the world around them. They still face problems and conflict.

If a character has something good about them, think about the bad to balance it out. You can't just have something good without the consequences, it just makes everything feel off. And remember to stay away from having the story itself revolve around the character, to have reality bending to fit the character's needs and desires. 

The backstory plays an important role in how they end up behaving in the current day. And even if things were rough, they still could have someone that was there to give them the motivation to do good. An idol or an extremely influential figure in the character's life is good if you want them to still walk on the path of the light, or whatever path you want them on. 

Another thing to note, stay within the laws of the world that you're writing this character for. Try to stay away from piles upon piles of unrealistic events, maybe only one or two is enough. But make sure that having those events are important and impactful on the person from experiencing them. You wouldn't see someone that survived a terrorist attack go, "Oh well, at least I'm alive! That was totally nothing!" It's something upsetting, or completely disrupting the peace of what is to be considered an 'ordinary' life in whatever world they live in. A shock to them that differs from normal, every day life. That is what's memorable, and that is what affects people the most.

But to put it short, there are always consequences to come with things. Cause and effect. They can have a positive impact, but remember that not EVERYTHING can leave a positive impact on them. For example, someone who lives with a large family that comes to quarrel so often could leave them just so easily irritable and sick of life. Or if you do want a positive impact for something, how about someone who finally makes a friend after being in isolation so long can finally give someone that they can open up to and stop holding their true feelings back? Yeah, that was a long sentence. 

Their behaviors in a way would somewhat be like a reaction to their past by how it affects them. The best way to figure out their behavior is through the question of "why?" Why are they [blah blah blah], why are they this or that? Or simply just through questions themselves. Ask questions about them for yourself to answer to the best of your ability, or even put yourself in the shoes of the character themself while you do so. But stick with the most important ones, because those are the foundations. And asking questions that are just too unnecessary or can be figured out later on will only just waste your time when you could be getting the most important, the core pieces of the character put together. Really, that's it. And now, onto the next chapter! We'll still be dealing on the subject of backstories, but it's a certain type that a lot of people seem to write poorly...