hiii, i just found your blog and i love your content! i was wondering if you had any advice/posts on deciding the basics about your ocs? (like clothing, skin tone, appearance) i write fantasy and i can’t seem to get a solid visual on my ocs despite knowing their backstory and personalities x
Hello! I’m so glad you’re enjoying your time here! I wish you the best of luck on your writing project! :D
I don’t have many posts on the subject but I’d love to try to help you. What always helps me is the use of Pinterest!
Especially through the use of their boards feature so that you can organize anything important about the character, from appearance to personality to outfits and race. It’s an excellent resource for keeping your thoughts organized.
Faceclaims, are always key! It’s important to have a visual, and finding one, just by browsing Pinterest or google images of people can be really helpful! It can be anyone from celebrities to stock photos, even your own friends, and family. Moodboards/Aesthetic Boards are also very helpful!
It’s always easier to put a name to a face. And it’s cool you already have the personality part all worked out!
The basics of OCs is always the author’s choice. There’s not much I can say about it, but always go with the first image you get when you think of them!
It’s important to note details like skin color, age, gender, etc. Make sure you’re writing these basics down in a journal or notebook, they’ll help you a lot in the long run! As you start to think more about their appearance, you’ll begin to think more about what they might wear.
Always, always, always try to know what your character is holding! If they’re an assassin, they’ll have weapons, correct? Know their weapons. Does this assassin have anything important to them? Maybe they stuff a picture of a loved one in their coat pocket to look at because they miss them. Take into account things like climate and weather. If your character lives in a cold wintery place, they might have a thick jacket made of furs. If your character hunts in the forest, they may need some sort of camouflage. Question everything, and provide answers for it. Your readers will certainly want explanations. Leave out anything that may be unnecessary and doesn’t move the plot forward.
Important details like these define the character! Knowing about where they live and their environment can help with outfits/design!
In fantasy especially, it’s important to research the mythical races you want to use (ex. elves, demons, etc.) so that you can craft your characters around them. Diversity is also very important, especially if your characters are human! Drawing from real life is also very important as well.
Here are a few articles/posts I found that might also be helpful.
Pinterest for Authors: A Beginners Guide
Getting to Know Your Characters
How to Capture Your Character’s Appearance
How to Resist Writing Stereotypical Fantasy Races
Character 101: Building Complex, Interesting, Memorable Characters
5 Most Common Fantasy Character Types
How to Bring Your Characters Into Focus
7 Tips for Choosing Your Character’s Appearance
99 Fantasy Cliches in Epic Fantasy
5 Tips for Cultural Diversity in Writing
High Fantasy Book Writing Tips and Tricks
Writing a Unique Fantasy Tips and Tricks from Professionals
Creating Fantasy Character Protagonists Interview/Blank
Cliches to Avoid in Fantasy
Five Traps and Tips for Character Development
I hope this helped! If anyone has any more, please feel free to add on to this list!
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