All Questions
Tagged with characterization or characters
1,239 questions
6
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3
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How do I make a possibly offensive stereotype less so?
One of my main characters' family is Asian (specifically Korean-American). The oldest sister, Chelsea, is a child prodigy. When her toxic and shitty parents found out, they exploited the hell out of ...
1
vote
4
answers
295
views
Is it wise to start a story with a character that never appears again?
I plan to write the prologue with a limited third person view of a man delivering a 5 year old girl to a secluded city.
His reason for doing this, even though he's not related to her, is because he's ...
- 308
4
votes
3
answers
298
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Pronouns for a character that body hops?
I'm currently writing a paranormal thriller novel where people can inhabit other peoples' bodies -- regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexuality. I'm currently in moral turmoil over how to use ...
- 43
0
votes
2
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141
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Is it possible to turn a seemingly evil woman who is also obnoxious into the protagonist main love interest?
Is it possible to turn a seemingly evil woman who is also obnoxious into the protagonist main love interest? I was thinking about a story where there's this woman and she is extremely obnoxious and ...
user36239
10
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4
answers
3k
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Can a character death sometimes be unnecessary?
Is there a time where a character's death in a story would be unnecessary? Not the main character, but someone really important to the protagonist like a caretaker/parent to advance the plot?
Deaths ...
- 308
4
votes
2
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337
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How to write an occupation/career that I don't know?
English is not my first language.
I feel the obvious answer is just research, but I'm talking about very specific jobs in a different timeline.
My main character is from Colombia 1950s and is an ...
- 308
2
votes
3
answers
126
views
Out of character behavior for a character I own?
I might phrase this post wrong. Forgive me, for English is not my first language.
I don't know how else to describe it. But why do it felt like my very own character that I made felt very different ...
- 308
1
vote
1
answer
136
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What are some guidelines on writing the filler scenes after you lay out the plot using a beat sheet?
After writing the beat sheet, you end up realizing you need to put a lot of filler scenes and make your characters make some small talk and say things like "How is it going?", "How are ...
user36239
6
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3
answers
3k
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How do I know if my character is a self insert and how do I avoid it or overcome it?
When I was making my characters, I was a little picky and had trouble, for I am not the best at decision making. However, when I do come up with characters, I usually get some of their concepts from ...
- 1,143
0
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0
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65
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What character type is a slandered hero?
I am painting the hero of my major conflict with undeserved slander for most of the novel, then exposing the source of the slander. In effect, the reader experiences the villain becoming the hero.
I ...
- 1,122
3
votes
1
answer
228
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What doesn't count as character development?
What doesn't count as character development?
I think most people assume by character development, you mean that a character becomes more mature, generally speaking, so let's say the character becomes ...
user36239
0
votes
1
answer
69
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How to write a character that lost his passion , his purpose that he had for his goal after he achives it and how to revive his passion?
So that character is like any typical sports anime character who loved to play cricket a lot and fortunately was gifted and lucky enough to become a big name in world of cricket but with time during ...
0
votes
1
answer
52
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Questions about deciding place settings in a story
I'm currently... in this quite conflicting situation that I have put myself into.
I'm gonna try and explain everything.
For my story, I initially (what I have in mind right now) want the place ...
- 15
2
votes
2
answers
198
views
What should I do when I keep thinking that a concept of a character is boring?
The thing I usually focus on in my story are the characters. They are the ones I can do, but at the same time not. I had a concept of a character but I sometimes think that they are too generic. ...
- 1,143
2
votes
2
answers
505
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How can I write a character who inherits armour/clothing that doesn't fit because they are plus-sized, while respecting my audience's own experiences?
Context: I'm writing a short story that serves as some background for a roleplaying character who is a fantasy dwarf called Fin, and as such I'm not expecting it to ever be published in its current ...
- 945
0
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1
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113
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Is the saving sidekick ever used outside of comedy?
I am writing a literary fiction, so it's not bound to genre tropes. Just the same, it has one a sidekick who may also be a foil. I'm not writing comedy although I have elements of humor, which life ...
- 1,122
2
votes
2
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163
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How do I decide my characters' relationships?
When I want to make character relationships, I include the theme of family/siblings, be it in a good or bad relationship. I want to use it to help deepen the characters and the plot.
I have trouble ...
- 1,143
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0
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713
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Dramatic Irony but when one character knows more than another character
Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the character. But what is it called when character 2 knows more than character 1? and doesn't reveal that information (to the audience either) ...
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1
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2
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115
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Criteria for determining if a character did indeed act out of character
I remember watching a criticism of The Last of Us 2, and there was this guy who said that Tommy acted out of character and it was a bad thing.
In the game, I think (spoiler alert) Tommy initially ...
user36239
-1
votes
1
answer
133
views
how do I describe magic in a fictional story? [closed]
In my writing I need to describe a character being enchanted by a spell and pulled towards a house.
2
votes
1
answer
778
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How do I describe a character tripping but regaining their balance?
In the story, my protagonist is walking in a part of town that is not taken care of. My character, at this point in time, is super tired and trips over a clump of grass growing from the sidewalk.
5
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8
answers
3k
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Do you need to explain why your character acted out of character?
Do you need to explain why your character acted out of character? I heard that to write complex characters you need to write them so that they're believable, they feel like a living character and they'...
user36239
0
votes
1
answer
87
views
How do I know if my cast contains too many characters?
I have one MC that will discover more about themselves, and in that, they will discover the different parts of themselves — their psychology and their hidden desires. The deeper the person, the more ...
- 1,143
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2
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Show don't tell in the paragraph
How do I make this paragraph from telling to show?
How could I describe a memory of him trying to make a friend even though he is disliked by others on his planet?
Here is the paragraph for these two ...
- 9
1
vote
1
answer
266
views
How can you foreshadow a plot twist so that it makes sense, without spoiling it entirely?
How can you foreshadow a plot twist so that it makes sense, without spoiling it entirely?
In my story, there's a commander talking down to a soldier and the soldier talk up to the general in private ...
user36239
0
votes
1
answer
95
views
What should I do if I have similar concepts for characters but different roles?
In one of my previous questions, I asked about how to get solid concepts. This one is similar but I'm asking what to do if I have two characters with similar concepts but whose differences make it ...
- 1,143
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0
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33
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What is the term meaning calling a character by a described trait? [duplicate]
What is the technique called when a writer describes a character and from there forward refers to that character by one of their salient traits? For example, "The man across from her took in the ...
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5
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4
answers
4k
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When do you have to kill a character?
We all know that a character dying is very common in the world of fiction. I'm struggling to find reasons to kill a character. One reason I know of is killing a character, when their whole potential ...
- 1,143
1
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1
answer
125
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How do you decide to include a character if you have other characters similar to them? Or when they feel not complete or appropriate for the story?
I had an idea for 2 siblings, an older brother and a younger sibling. The older one is a somewhat arrogant man, but loves his younger sibling. The younger sibling has a puppet that talks to them or ...
- 1,143
3
votes
3
answers
174
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How can I determine if my characters' motivation is good or not?
For some time now, I have been trying to figure out my characters' motivation is good or not. My goal is not to have a complex motivation, but rather something people can empathize with.
My main ...
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17
votes
11
answers
8k
views
How do you make characters sound like non-native English speakers without using any grammar error in their dialogues?
How do you make characters sound like non-native English speakers without using any grammar error in their dialogues? I don't want to make people uncomfortable by having a character speak like an ...
user36239
4
votes
4
answers
1k
views
How to give a main character a (believable) goal
I've been working on a story for close to two years, and have (almost) everything fleshed out — the world, the background, the characters and most scenes. I recently gave it to a friend to read, who ...
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4
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2
answers
198
views
How do I motivate myself to write when I have been focusing on worldbuilding first?
I had been planning a story/novel for a short while and started by focusing on worldbuilding. After I got the basics down, created a character (with flaws, motivations and hooks into the world I build ...
- 945
0
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0
answers
54
views
How to make a fight scene that is not bland? [duplicate]
I am a novice writer. Recently, I decided to write an action fantasy story but I just realized how bad I am when it comes to fighting scenes. I was struggling to create a good fighting scene that won'...
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0
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1
answer
721
views
Good character personality types to balance a group dynamic?
I’m working on a story involving a central quartet of characters. Though I have a concept for the fourth of these, they don’t have a set personality and I would like to have them balance out the ...
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1
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2
answers
160
views
What are some tricks you can use to write a good story if you don't know how people talk and behave?
What are some tricks you can use to write a good story if you don't know how people talk and behave? Are there some tips and tricks on how to be able to still write a good story if you try to avoid ...
user36239
2
votes
1
answer
103
views
How can the relationship between two characters develop or heal if one is obstinate in refusing to talk?
How can the relationship between two characters develop or heal if one is obstinate in refusing to talk? Trying to find a reason why a girl who refuses to talk to anyone or socialize, might go back to ...
user36239
2
votes
3
answers
142
views
How do you write a character with goes from A to Z and back to A realistically?
How do you write a character with goes from A to Z and back to A realistically? Let's say the characters is extremely in love, then wants to murder the person she was in love with and then go back to ...
user36239
2
votes
2
answers
609
views
Name for characters not physically in a story
Is there a technical name for a character that is mentioned by name but is never present in a story?
For example, a parent who is discussed by their children and still alive but has no screen time ...
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3
votes
3
answers
273
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How to write a character as vulnerable yet capable?
So I have a character who is often very vulnerable. She's easily scared, put down, and often fails at what she's trying to do. But there are a lot of times when she gets serious (particularly in ...
- 2,643
1
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3
answers
158
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How do you make a character feel real?
how do you make a character feel like an actual person and not just a character that you're reading on a page? I'm aware that they should have likes/dislikes, flaws, a dialect, etc. But what else ...
- 58
0
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0
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25
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Is adding too many people/characters to a story bad? [duplicate]
im building a world for a screenplay and i would like to have some main characters I have already made some character profiles for some of them but i was wondering whether or not if adding too many ...
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1
vote
4
answers
286
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Is adding too many people/characters to a story bad?
im building a world for a screenplay and i would like to have some main characters I have already made some character profiles for some of them but i was wondering whether or not if adding too many ...
- 58
2
votes
3
answers
1k
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How to make human characters turned into monsters devolve and abandon their humanity?
TL;DR: How can I psychologically justify why relatively normal (i.e., non-sociopathic) human beings that have turned into monsters (like vampires or werewolves) devolve into feral beasts or vicious ...
- 4,664
4
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1
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Skin Tone Spectrum Glossary
I have a number of folks who aren't beige in my current novel and I'm trying to come up with more precise yet poetic names for the skin tones.
Is there a glossary of the skin tone spectrum ranging ...
- 469
0
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2
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193
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How do I accurately write a prologue, which also works as a character introduction chapter?
I'm in the process of writing my prologue for my book, but it's going to also introduce the main characters. Long story short, the main Character, Devoss, goes into a magical forest to prove himself, ...
2
votes
1
answer
85
views
Can I have three main characters, each with their own love interest, in the same book?
I am plotting a book which has three main characters. And I want each one of these characters to have a love interest so the focus won't be on just one of them. So can I do that or is it too much and ...
5
votes
2
answers
223
views
What makes a character’s death meaningful?
With my book reaching a climax, there’s always a evil idea circulating through my head: Time to butcher up one of the characters.
But something is preventing me getting the right words and feeling in ...
- 865
7
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4
answers
2k
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How do I describe an accent from our world in a non-Earth fictional world?
In my writing, I feel it can give a character distinction if they have an accent; our main character(s) have an American accent, but the newly-introduced one of them has an Irish accent.
My problem, ...
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1
vote
1
answer
783
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How do I describe a transformation? [closed]
In my story, my main character, a young man named Irian in an industrial human society, is captured, and transformed by merfolk into one of their kind (very standard merfolk, his legs are replaced ...
- 747