She/her | 22 | Queer. I haven’t been on here in like four years but I’m ‘bout to gaslight myself into thinking people care about my WIP as motivation 👍🏻
honestly, this phrase has been on my mind more times than i can count. i've kidnapped it, taken it as a hostage with no ransom money because i need it to live permanently in my head.
Being a writer is so stupid. Yes!!! I have an idea for a book, I'm writing it right now!!! What is it about? Um... HEY can I tell you about this silly guy instead? The silly guy from my book, the one I'm writing, remember? Don't worry about the castle that's on fire and the horrible, horrible events that will soon descend upon an entire village of innocents, just look at my silly little guy!
you think writing is mostly making up rich worlds and complex characters and devising their interactions, but really it's mostly double-checking the meanings of incredibly basic words just in case you have been using them wrong your entire life. and that's ok
Some examples of challenging obstacles for characters to face
Personal Tragedy: The sudden loss of a loved one throws the protagonist into a state of grief and despair, forcing them to navigate the complex emotions of mourning while still grappling with their responsibilities and goals.
Betrayal: A trusted friend or ally betrays the protagonist, revealing hidden agendas or turning against them at a critical moment, leaving the protagonist feeling betrayed and alone, and forcing them to reevaluate their relationships and alliances.
Physical Limitations: The protagonist suffers a debilitating injury or illness that threatens to derail their plans and ambitions, leaving them physically weakened and vulnerable, and forcing them to find new ways to adapt and overcome their limitations.
Social Prejudice: The protagonist faces discrimination or prejudice based on their race, gender, sexuality, or social class, making it difficult for them to achieve their goals and forcing them to confront systemic injustice and inequality.
Impossible Choices: The protagonist is faced with a series of impossible choices, each with its own moral or ethical consequences, forcing them to weigh the lesser of two evils and grapple with the fallout of their decisions.
Internal Conflict: The protagonist battles with their own inner demons, such as addiction, trauma, or mental illness, which threaten to sabotage their efforts and undermine their sense of self-worth and purpose.
Rivalry: The protagonist finds themselves locked in a bitter rivalry with a formidable adversary, such as a rival athlete, business competitor, or romantic rival, pushing them to their limits as they strive to outmaneuver and outwit their opponent.
Existential Crisis: The protagonist wrestles with profound existential questions about the meaning of life, the nature of reality, and their place in the universe, confronting their own mortality and searching for purpose and meaning amidst the chaos and uncertainty of existence.
Want to know how to hook you reader from the first moment??
(✨ Easy and quick tips to make your first chapter memorable✨)
There have been endless the number of times that I have wondered about the correct formula of starting an history, and although I've learned that in writing there is no one correct way around it, I have gathered some of the tips that helped me the most. That being said, let's get to the tips!!
Introduce them to the mc. Show the reader who they are and what they are facing (can be internal conflict or something instant). Don't start from the pov of a character they won't see again.
Show what the readers are going to feel through the book, the "vibe" that you spent countless Pinterest boards crafting. Do you want them to feel afraid? Happy? Hopeless? Perhaps cozy?
Don't introduce more than three characters at once, and try not to be confusing. Your readers are already lost when your story begins, so try to guide them gently. A confused mind always says no.
Start with something that will later affect the story and move your characters forward. Ask yourself: does this first scene have an impact on the characters or the plot? If no, you can try making it more impactful or starting somewhere else.
Get your readers' curiosity triggered. At the end of the scene, there must be something they want to know to continue reading. It doesn't have to be a cliffhanger, but something like "will the protagonist go on the quest?" or "what are they gonna do now that they don't have any shelter?". The "now that they ..." formula always works for me!
That's all for now, and thank you for reading! As always, happy writing :)
Not all consequences in storytelling must be negative
A consequence is simply something that happens because of an action or event.
So long as an action or event means something within the story, then there is no reason a consequence can’t be something good for your characters. As much as it can be tempting, we don't always need to torture them.
Fated Mates: Characters are destined to be together by supernatural or magical forces.
Magical Bond: Characters share a mystical connection that binds them together, often influencing their emotions and actions.
Creature and Human Romance: A romantic relationship between a mythical creature (such as a vampire, werewolf, or fae) and a human.
Royal Romance: Characters from different social classes or kingdoms fall in love, navigating the complexities of power and duty.
Forbidden Love in a Magical Realm: Romance between characters of different magical species or factions, facing prejudice and persecution.
Rescuer and Rescued Romance: One character rescues the other, leading to a deep bond forged through shared experiences.
Magic-induced Love: Characters fall under the influence of a love spell or potion, complicating their romantic feelings.
Immortal and Mortal Romance: A romance between an immortal being and a mortal, grappling with the challenges of mortality and eternity.
Elemental Romance: Characters representing different elements (fire, water, air, earth) find love, symbolizing balance and harmony.
Shape-shifter Romance: A character with the ability to change form falls in love, exploring themes of identity and acceptance.
Guardian and Ward Romance: A romantic relationship between a guardian figure (such as a mentor or protector) and their charge, built on trust and loyalty.
Cursed Love: Characters cursed to be apart or cursed to love each other, seeking a way to break the curse and be together.
Ancient Prophecy Romance: Characters fulfill an ancient prophecy together, their love playing a crucial role in the fate of the world.
Character development is absolutely CRUCIAL to a story, but having spent more time thinking about this topic, I came to the realization that I misunderstood a lot of points other people have made when teaching how to write character development.
There are a lot of factors that play into character development, but in this post, I'll cover some overall, but the main thing concerns any change to your character! (Which is also a huge part in development, really.)
So with this post, I'll be teaching you MY personal tips regarding this subject!
*The Basics*
Before we really get into the developmental stage, there are some things you want to establish, in which I'll explain later!
A couple of flaws.
How your character views themselves at first.
Your character's morals/ideals and how they think.
These things may vary, but you want your readers to be able to at least roughly predict how your character will act during specific events!
*Change*
Character development is just about how your character changes throughout the story. I like to say that there are several different ways one may change, (we'll get into that later on) but your character should NOT stay the same as the same person during the exposition and during the resolution!
"During character development, your character should grow."
This is a common piece of advice; your character needs to grow. And while I've assumed for the longest time that I understood what it meant, it never truly clicked.
While they will use words such as grow, what they really mean is that your character should mature. By the end of your story, your character may not always end up as a better person. When I say mature, I mean that they have reflected back on their life and have understood the consequences that came with their actions (if any) or how they could've done things differently.
Your character will not always end up as a better, fixed person, but they should understand their world and themselves better.
*Negative/Passive Change*
Alright then, so how does a character develop if they don't necessarily change for the better? Well, I'll get into that!
No matter what, your character should have learned a lesson through their experience. Even if they haven't exactly improved as a person, there should be a moral they can learn from what they have gone through.
If not, then did they really grow?
Additionally, how did their qualities negatively impact themselves? If they are bad traits, then it needs to be clear. And the best way to achieve this is by demonstrating how it hurts your character! However, it is rather uncommon for a character to undergo little to no change after a story!
*Positive Change*
Let's circle back to the basics, real quick. Remember how I said that before any development takes place, your character should be anything but perfect? That same thing applies to after the change.
Do NOT create a flawless character by the end of your story. Instead, focus on one or two flaws that get fixed as the story continues. These don't have to be huge, life-changing imperfections, but they can be minor ones that still shape their life in one way or another.
"Fixing" too many shortcomings can make your character seem, well, out of character, producing a character development that's more forced. The same thing applies if you're attempting to FULLY alter a fault that's just too big. The change will be too noticeable.
What am I talking about? Here's an example!
Imagine a character who's incredibly closed off to other people, wanting to ensure that he never gets too close to others.
That's a pretty sizable flaw, no? By the end of your story, you do not want to completely change because you need to preserve character, but you can change it a bit. Does he have a few friends now? Does he understand that there are some people worth trusting?
He may still be closed off to majority of people, but at least it's not everyone, and that's a realistic change.
*Different Changes*
As I continue to read more stories and watch more shows, I have realized that character development is not always about fixing flaws or personality, but it can extend far past that line.
So listen up, because I feel like no one really talks about this.
Your character can change their IDEALS, MORALS, and how they VIEW THEMSELVES.
Hear that? If your character has strong morals, they will hardly stay the same as they reach the end. Remember the requirements I mentioned at the beginning?
See how it connects now? There is SO much more to character development than changing a few imperfections. Like I said in the start, your character needs to grow and mature. Things like new morals or ideals assist with that!
*SUMMARY*
In order to start character development, you need a couple of flaws, an idea of how your character looks at themselves, and their morals. This is because those are the main parts of you character that may change through time.
Growth = Maturing (gaining a better sense of who they are and the world they live in.)
NOT ALL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS POSITIVE!
For negative or passive change, make sure to clarify how their imperfections affected or hurt them and have some sort of moral that follows.
YOUR CHARACTER SHOULD NOT BE PERFECT!
They should not be perfect in the beginning, and not perfect in the end! Do not 'fix' too many traits because you want to preserve character.
I think that's all! It's quite the post for something so simple, eh? But hey, character development is absolutely PIVOTAL to a story so I hope I at least explained the 'change' part of that well!
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