#blank characters

[blankskada]

P3 is still getting character names from crew...

Bonus SKAM editor name, now a lovable/annoying character in Blank:

Characters:

Ragnar Henrikhaugen (Plantasjen co-worker)

Mira ? (Plantasjen co-worker)

Louise Bettvik (Plantasjen co-worker)

Guro Nordlie

Susanne Gressum

[mythcreantsblog]

How do I avoid writing a female protagonist that is an “ordinary girl who is super special”?

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As someone who examines every sentence from books, in hopes of avoiding bad writing problems in my own, your posts about "Lessons from (insert book title)" are probably my favorite.

In the one on The City of Bones, you mention that Clary gives "just an ordinary girl who is also super special" vibes. You also mention that "the ordinary girl type always thinks she’s not good-looking because her “eyes are too big” or she’s “too shapely”.

It seems that when you say "super special" you mean some sort of special powers which is generally why your protagonist is the protagonist, right? They have something that makes them special. An ability/skill. You want them to have a skill so she is involved in the fighting unlike Twilight's Bella.

As a writer, I want my readers to relate to my characters but I definitely don't want to fall into the ordinary girl who is super special. How does one do this? How is an ordinary girl who is super special defined? What are the markers?

One way I've thought about this is for my female MC to have always been told she is beautiful. She knows it but she dislikes the attention her beauty results in.

TBH male characters aren't sitting around complaining about their looks based on the stories that I can think off. So perhaps writers should stop writing female characters who do? Yet, I don't think Clary is ever talking to herself about her looks? The pressure on looks is something that many women can relate to. Would you say its a weak point on character empathy to rely on the thinking of "Bella isn't pretty & my readers may feel they aren't, so they'll relate"?

How can a writer avoid writing this type of female protagonist?

~ Anonymous

Hi there,

"An ordinary girl who is also super special" is just one example of the formula where you start with an "every person" type protagonist, in other words, a blank protagonist the audience can relate to. Then, once they are in the shoes of your relatable character, you give them some wish fulfillment - generally in the form of revealing the main character is actually very special. While these characters are often young women in YA stories, there are more likely to be boys or men in stories in general. Think of the farm boy chosen one that appears in so many fantasy stories. Mainstream movies very frequently feature an adult "every man" character.

I can tell you how to avoid it if that's not what you want for your story, but first, I just want to be clear that though I have criticisms of how many of these characters are implemented, there's actually nothing wrong with the convention itself. It's really easy to hate on feminine character archetypes just because they are feminine, so I just want to avoid that.

My issue is how often the physical descriptions of these young women are disingenuous. The writer wants them to feel relateable and ordinary, but isn't willing to actually depict them as less physically attractive than a runway model (and they always look this way without makeup). That's why Bella physical appearance is supposedly marred by being too pale and Anastasia's physical flaw, I wish I was kidding, is that her eyes are too big and blue. It's totally reasonable for young women characters, particularly in real world settings, to worry about how they look - the pressure is real and relateable. But when those protagonists always end up looking perfect, it only increases that very same pressure in real life. If you want to avoid this particular problem, just be clear about the physical flaws your character has, and stick with them. Don't make your protagonist the fairest of them all. If you want your protagonist to be super attractive, you can at least be upfront about it, like you suggested.

If an "ordinary but special" character isn't right for your story, the easiest way to avoid it is to give your character some distinctive personality traits. That way they are no longer blank. For instance, Hermione Granger falls well outside being an "ordinary girl." She's depicted as being slightly bossy, bookish to the extreme, and much too smart for a blank character. Give your character some memorable quirks that sets her apart from most people. Just don't make a big deal about how she's "not like other girls." That's the internalized misogyny speaking. There's nothing wrong with being like other girls.

Further reading:

The Six Traits of Strong Characters

Five Ways to Make Your Character Stand Out

(Have a question? Submit it on our website.)

[junk-stories-blog]

Story # 1

From afar one would think that the school located on a private island was another excuses for the rich to show off their wealth by having their sons and daughters go to the same school for business relations. Those who actually had permission knew that the school wasn't created for that reason alone but so the young Master and Misses can train using a special weapons that they create by defying the laws of science. That was what _ was told when her mother when she asked her daughter to come with her to _ .The only perk was she could get away from the chaos of her old school once and for all and start over as a whole new person, plus tuition was free as for each shop owner child for as long as they stay. Even though going to such a school comes with cool bonuses then only thing that nearly caused her not to come was that the shop keeper's children outfit varied from the rest of the students. Then again she could care less about if they judged or even picked at her for being poor. It wasn't her fault her mother didn't have nine zeros in her bank account. She was only going willingly was because of the free things she would get and the expansive library that she can hold herself up in after she goes through a few tests that will finally grant her access to the school. Which she should be taking any minute if they would hurry up, because her mom will burn down their place if she's not watching. Still she felt slightly uneasy when her mom dropped her off and ran off like she wanted to say something. "You look ready for the surgery Ms._", an older man who looked no older than her mother who barely looked over thirty at her age, but she should've known by the way she acted that something was up. The look on my face made him smile in a reassuring way seeing how he probably dealt with this many times before since the school houses over nine hundred aristocrats in training. "Would you mind following me this way Ms. _?" I wanted to retort that I wasn't going through with the surgery, but my mother's face popped up and so did our recently burned down apartments that she destroyed on her own. "Let's finish this already" We walked into a blindingly sterile room where he asked me to change into a patient gown and my underwear. When made it down the hall where the surgery should take place which very bland like the rest of the place. When the actual process started she could barely stay conscience when she felt something get placed inside my back multiple times before she passed out from dizziness. The next time _ awoke from slumber she found she was in a tube where she could oddly breathe inside. It wasn't something she expected to happen afterwards at all, but at least it was something to tell her children. "Ah, Ms. _ it seems you woke up just in time for the final part of your admittance." The same man from earlier said as he pressed a few buttons and then she was rolling- the tube was rolling well following the man as he went to another overly bland room. We waited in silence until she heard a carts being rolled in one by one. The held an array of weapons some more menacing than the other, but she still didn't know why. "This school was made to give many prestigious families a break so their heirs can be able to protect themselves" he walked around hold a few heavy weaponry towards the glass before continuing. "Here we teach them different forms of combat as well as magic which is why we she needed you to undergo some surgery. "What about Magic?" He held up a heavy looking Long Blade look he was struggling to hold up; what made him think she could hold that metal monstrosity. "I was just getting to that we have found a way to enhance the body Physical as well as mental strength by imbedding stones what were scientifically made on your vertebral column or at least we tried but it seem we had to place them elsewhere for you." I honestly was thinking of giving my mom the boot when she got home, but the ferryboats only comes every three months. Knowing that even if she tried to leave this place she already knows that her life will always be under their thumb since it was too late for her to turn back time. "Now you're an Réalta with no special or formal training so I'll advise for you to choose a weapon in case trouble follows your, but so far you haven't once showed interest in any of the one I showed you." "They're too heavy for one and I like blades better", He seemed relieve when he pushed out half of carts out the door leaving barely half of them to showcase. It felt like forever when she came across a pair or retractable Tekko Kagi which I made me tap the glass for the first time. "That's the one I want", she couldn't tell why but I her back buzzed slightly when she first laid eyes on them. They looked simple enough to wield and were used for close quarter combat; he showed her the basics on extending the claws as well as retracting them so they looked like gloves. "Were nearly done here, now we need to class you dear but that won't be until after the opening ceremony with the rest of your year." I nodded my head as we rolled out of the apartment into one that was filled with various textile. Never have I seen so much at one time since my mom got us banned from the fabric store when it nearly burned to the ground, but this place made the one back home look like a closet. "We need to get you an outfit that screams you from _ who is-" "Can I make it myself?" he seemed bewildered for a second before agreeing to let her make her own. She was bouncing excitedly on the inside while she scanned the aisle. She followed him all the way back to room where she first changed some time ago. It took her a while to get out of the tube thingy by herself but nearly threw herself back in when she felt how cold it was inside of the room. At least in the tube it adjusted to her normal body temperature but this room was plain cold. Rushing quickly to get dressed back in her black baggy sweats and purple hoodie as fast as she could before walking out into the colder hall way. "I worked out all the details with _, our tailor and you can come tomorrow around 5 is the earliest and leave when he does and here you might want these" with a nod of my head I hurried on outside which was pitch black meaning she was in there longer than what she expected. She just hope that her house was still in one piece when she got there so she can at least yell at her mom without witnesses to watch. Reaching inside her hoodie pocket she pulled out Tekko Kagi and slipped them on which fit easily on her slim hand. The feeling of being invincible showed slightly on her face before she squashed the feeling all together because she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself than needed being a shop keeper daughter with a bunch of prestigious _. When she finally reached her house she did yell at her mom for not telling which ended up with her crying as usual. After telling her mom that she will be setting up shop early this morning so she can open later this afternoon before she went back to the ward. That sent her mom in another fit of tears until she explained herself and tucked her in before going to bed herself that night. While she slept she could only dream about the feeling of soaring high into the sky like a bird, but she knew deep down she was something that even a bird wouldn't want flying near them.

[rosexknight]

@ The anon that was asking about blank characters this afternoon.

Here they are:

Corn Cob. My 10th Doctor who doesn’t remember he’s the Doctor living a normal life in a particular port town~ Also he’s a pegasus and he usually has a corn-cob bubble pipe.

Blank Canvas, a unicorn that is part donkey and wears blue-tinted glasses. His special talent is transformation magic (It has a specific name but I forgot it) and has to wear a concentration ring on his horn so he can hone his skill.

Unnamed Halloween OC. He’s a dog pony that also grooms animals.

Unnamed Zebra mare. She’s a zony and her eyes are orange and green.

Candy Floss. Currently incomplete. A paint stallion that loves cake and is allergic to peanuts.

Unnamed Pegasus Mare. Currently Incomplete. She has a wooden leg due to a magical mishap with Blank Canvas’s magic.

None of these are as complete as they could be, so if you guys want to continue this or even start a new one we totally can!