I was wondering if you had any advice on how to make a character more realistic and less like a watered down version of yourself. No matter how different I try to make my characters they always seem like a cheap copy of myself, even when they talk or behave in a way I never would it still just sounds like me on paper.
I think that all of our characters are a version of ourselves. Not copies or replicas, but we give a good portion of who we are to these fictional characters as we pour our hearts and souls onto the page.
So, anon, my advice is to spend less time worrying about seeing yourself. I don’t know you. If I read your book I’d have no idea it’s you. My characters in my book are definitely versions of me, but my friends who have read the manuscript had no idea. So, maybe my character is not as like me as I originally thought.
Now, if you think your characters are no realistic. You have to ask yourself why? What are they doing that is not real? When you mean real..do you mean real to the world you have created or real to the real world? Because, remember, your characters do not need to be real in the real world. They need to make sense and be authentic and real in the world you created in the book.
What I think makes a character real is authenticity and sense. Does it make sense for your characters to kiss each other at that moment? Or are you pushing the kiss, because of plot and story?
You know? You have to do writing exercises. You have to sit and put your story aside for awhile and actually work on your characters.
When I think of my favorite books it’s all about how much I love the characters. I LOVE Percy Jackson, I love Hermione Granger, I love Lizzie Bennett, I love Rachel and I love Mercy. What happens in the book is important, but my love for the characters is what makes the plot, stories, actions, drama, etc important.
Here are some hopefully helpful tips. :-)
#5: CHARACTER OUTLINE#12:CASSANDRA CLARE’S TWO THINGS TO ASK YOURSELF ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS.#30: CREATING CHARACTERS THAT JUMP OFF THE PAGE#37: TOP NINE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TIPS#38: TWELVE CHARACTER WRITING TIPS FOR FICTION WRITERS#45:HOW TO AVOID CREATING PLASTIC CHARACTERS#46: THREE TIPS FOR DEVELOPING ENTHRALLING CHARACTERS #48: FIFTEEN STOCK CHARACTERS - AND HOW TO RESTOCK THEM.#59: HOW TO CREATE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER’S BACKSTORY#64: FIFTEEN FIGURES OF SPEECH TO COLOR YOUR CHARACTERS#73: TOP TEN TIPS TO CREATE A CHARACTER ARC#79:HOW TO WRITE BETTER VILLAINS#80: QUICK & DIRTY CHARACTERIZATION TIPS & “CHEATS”#81: SO YOU WANNA WRITE/PLAY A POWERFUL CHARACTER THAT PROBABLY WON’T BE PERCEIVED AS A MARY SUE?#82: BASIC TIPS TO WRITE BETTER CHOSEN ONES#85: NINE KICK-ASS EXCERCISES TO FIND YOUR CHARACTER’S VOICE#93: USE ARCHETYPES TO CREATE LITERARY CHARACTERS#94: FIVE QUALITIES TO CONSIDER DURING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT#95: FAST AND EASY GUIDE TO WRITING CHARACTERS OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER#103: DEALING WITH A CHARACTER’S INTERNAL THOUGHTS#104: CREATING COMPELLING CHARACTERS#105:WRITING RACE #110:DO TOO MANY CHARACTERS SPOIL THE STORY?#111:FOUR TIPS FOR WRITING SCENES WITH MANY CHARACTERS#112:DOES MY NOVEL HAVE TOO MANY CHARACTERS?#113:ANNE TYLER’S TIPS ON WRITING STRONG (YET FLAWED) CHARACTERS#114:LOVING YOUR CHARACTERS TOO MUCH#115:HOW MANY CHARACTERS ARE TOO MANY?#122: DEALING WITH CHARACTER TRAUMA
turnnoffyourmind
dededos
theartofmadeline
titsay
2087
