Castle Paradox

Gizmog1

How do you guys handle it when you really want to write a story or something, but you can't really come up with any kind of characters you like? It's almost a paralyzing feeling for me at the moment, I just can't seem to come up with anything, and I'm wondering how you guys handle it.

Iblis · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:55 pm Post subject:

This is a pretty good article on character creation (and most of the other articles on that site are good as well). Also this character creation workshop can be useful, even though I would disagree with the importance of some of the questions.
_________________
Locked
OHR Piano

Bob the Hamster · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:25 pm Post subject: creating characters

Sometimes I experience character block. Here are a few things I do to solve it.

(1) Name the character. It is weird that this works, but if you give them a name, it becomes easier to think about them. Sometimes I spend hours trying to think of a name I like, but as soon as I decide on a name, suddenly the character's personality comes flowing into my mind as if it was there already, just waiting to be unlocked by the name.

(2) Build backstory. Even if you aren't going to use it, make up a backstory for the character. Where did they come from? Who is their family? Their friends? Where/how did they grow up? Even if none of this information ever gets used at all in your story, it will help you think of the character more like a real person, and the parts of them that actually matter for your story will be easier to invent.

Joe Man · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:07 pm Post subject:

Yeah, starting with a name always makes it easier. Be sure to learn a lot of names and their meanings, also, as that will help.
_________________
"Everyone has 200,000 bad drawings in them, the sooner you get them out the better."
~Charles Martin Jones

Last edited by Joe Man on Fri Dec 13, 1957 1:21 am; edited 2,892 time in total

junahu · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:08 pm Post subject:

whenever I get character block I start doodling on small squares of paper. I keep the sketches I like and use them as inspiration.

James is right though. Thinking of a name first certainly helps determine what kind of character they will be. One of my most endearing characters is named after a cute piece of grafitti I saw in a tunnel.
_________________

Joe Man · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:24 pm Post subject:

Who may this character be?
_________________
"Everyone has 200,000 bad drawings in them, the sooner you get them out the better."
~Charles Martin Jones

Last edited by Joe Man on Fri Dec 13, 1957 1:21 am; edited 2,892 time in total

PK · Joined: 12 Sep 2005 Posts: 11

to come up for the idea i tend to kill off a couple of characters i dont like and by the third chapter i've made some characters i do like

Gizmog1 · Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 12:14 pm Post subject:

That would be useful advice, except I don't really have enough characters to just kill a few off.

Setu_Firestorm · Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject:

Well, I'd say that if you can't come up with any likeable characters, you have a very dysfunctional way of thinking of people. Raspberry!

Best thing for you to do is make them realistic and true to whatever role they play in the story. Not every hero has to be the noble kind; it could always be a hero who is not of good faith and gains it during the course of the story.

Just try to make the characters as though they were living, breathing people, and work their demeanor around the plotline. That's really the only effective way I know of.
_________________

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/georgerpowell
Newgrounds: http://setu-firestorm.newgrounds.com

Uncommon · Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:49 pm Post subject:

Sometimes I'll actually come to a block while writing dialogue because I don't know who the character is yet. One important thing you'll want to figure out is the character's motivations. What s/he after? This is one of the most important details in a character I think.

If it's not a name and the image I imagine fromn it that I start with, it's an idea. Then I'll take out the Baby Name Book (seriously helps here) and find a name might fit that idea (might change over the course of deciding who the character is).

Maybe this'll help?

Eggie · Joined: 12 May 2003 Posts: 904

Try to think of what conflicts these characters will face. After, decide how they'll handle these conflicts, and this will build their personality.

Also, think of some traits you would like to see in your characters. That helps, and you'll enjoy using them more because you will like their personalities.

Plus, remember to let your characters grow. If at the beginning of the story they handle pressure terribly, make them take pressure well (or a little better) at the end.

-Ryan

Joe Man · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:02 pm Post subject:

What I'm doing with one of my projects (Club Mole), is simply thinking of characters with unique and weird traits that have little to do with personality and can completely decide the plot (think The Munsters, Bewitched, Mr. Ed, A Series of Unfortunate Events, etc.). Then I think of all of the neat stories that can come from it. Then I throw all those ideas away and use a totally different plot, because I have a character I like after that.
_________________
"Everyone has 200,000 bad drawings in them, the sooner you get them out the better."
~Charles Martin Jones

Last edited by Joe Man on Fri Dec 13, 1957 1:21 am; edited 2,892 time in total