Questions tagged [characters]
Real questions about imaginary people.
783
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I am trying to write a Shakespearean-style play, but my “ideas” are always something I remember from Hamlet?
How does one come up with original ideas? Hamlet was amazing, but every time I think of a plot point or character, it just is not nearly as good as Hamlet or is a direct copy of the play.
Is there ...
-1
votes
2answers
116 views
A particular case of character creation: the “Inner Conflict” in Luke Skywalker
I don't no if this is a off-topic question but the main doubt, in my opinion, is solid on the character development tag.
So, maybe the concept of Conflict, which I'm comfortable with, will sound ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
How can I steer myself away from using pronouns too often as I write in 3rd person?
I noticed that I use "she", "he", and "they"- and a lot of sentences also begin with the aforementioned pronouns. How can I steer away from doing this so often as I write in 3rd person fiction? HERE ...
0
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3answers
95 views
How to write about characters interacting with family?
In regards specifically if you don't have any positive relationships with relatives yourself to draw from. I'm assuming writing only about characters who have negative familial experiences would ...
0
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1answer
42 views
How do I write a character's name in a short film script?
When introducing a character in a short film script, does a full name have to be used, or is their last name not needed?
0
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1answer
63 views
I need my character to be honest [closed]
What I am writing is a love story. The problem is: I am trying to make my female character tell the truth to her love interest--the truth about herself.
What’s stopping her from telling him is that ...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
Making 2 characters fall on love [duplicate]
So I’ve been working on this story for almost 3 years now but I always start over because my ideas change over time . This time tho , the protagonists changed a lot from the original idea . So here’s ...
1
vote
1answer
105 views
What Drives a Broken man? [closed]
There is this story that I was working on, for an extended period of time. I have scrapped many ideas and drafts but I just could not seem to let go. The idea of this story, in my mind, is simply too ...
3
votes
4answers
210 views
How to portray a character slipping into insanity over time?
The deuteragonist of my trilogy, The Ragnarǫk Sequence is heavily implied to be Jeanne d'Arc (whose characterisation takes many cues from Artoria Pendragon) and serves as the protagonist's moral ...
13
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6answers
2k views
How do I balance immature levity and flaws and character growth?
I am working on a series where one of the intended primary draws is character drama and growth. I have an ensemble cast of five characters who more or less share the role of main character equally, ...
-2
votes
1answer
84 views
How to describe a doctor who is short? [closed]
How to describe a character who is a doctor but short in height without saying he's short?
The character is a doctor who's under 5 feet, and I want the reader to know this without mentioning he is ...
2
votes
5answers
147 views
How to write about a character adversely different to you
So, I am very naturally a nice person. I respect everyone unless they have well and truly wronged me. I go out of my way to help those who need it. Stuff like that. I am naturally a helpful and nice ...
2
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3answers
93 views
I'm having a bit of trouble fleshing out a character
I am having a bit of trouble getting into the head of one of my characters. He isn't one of the main protagonists, but he is allied with them. He is the husband of the leader of the group the ...
0
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0answers
43 views
How to write a character with a bipolar personality?
I need some help. I am already deep into 2 stories that involve composers and in both stories there is a character based on Ludwig van Beethoven. Here is what I have trouble getting across:
Friendly ...
1
vote
4answers
221 views
How to write an autistic character having a meltdown?
Background
I am currently working on a short science fiction story, and need some advice about writing a pivotal scene for the main protagonist.
The main character of the story is a biologist and ...
3
votes
1answer
111 views
Writing Someone Drunk
So I want to write a scene from a teenage girl in 1st-person present tense. She's drunk. I've never been drunk before, so I can't tap into personal experience to make this relatable and/or realistic. ...
0
votes
2answers
198 views
Does it makes sense that my main character is not going to solve the plot's main objective?
First of all, sorry, english is not my mother tongue
My novel runs on a sci-fi universe and my main character (MC) has been infected by a virus that infects others that breathes the same air.
...
1
vote
2answers
280 views
How can I successfully change main character half-way through the story?
I write short stories in Chinese, and give a new page to my teacher to correct every few days. This is the story I'm thinking of writing:
We have a male main character. His wife is devoted to him, ...
0
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6answers
337 views
How do you make a realistic character?
Ok, so I feel like my character is too perfect. I try to make her have flaws but it's not working so well. I reread my story so far and I found that most of them are all kinda typical and the same as ...
1
vote
3answers
142 views
Does including a lot of tropes in a single idea pay off well?
The other day, I was working on a Supernatural Fiction genre and I was stuck in a dilemma. I had two choices, whether I could focus on one trope, that is, just the vampires and their conspiracies or I ...
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2answers
111 views
How to avoid libel when writing a fictional account of a real event
I was a researcher for many years and it is a habit that has its usefulness in writing but also some serious drawbacks.
The usefulness is that it helps create believable plots and functional physics ...
11
votes
14answers
7k views
How can I get 2 characters to bond while standing alternate watches?
Setting is standard space opera.
I am writing a story in which 2 characters are crewing a spaceship. The characters are:
(1) the captain, a female in her early 20s, who has grown up on the ship and ...
1
vote
2answers
101 views
Can you switch point of view very often?
I'm trying out a style where I switch POV very often. It's written in third person, but everything described is things that are visible to the POV character, and you can hear their thoughts.
Now, ...
3
votes
3answers
191 views
Can a useless protagonist be interesting?
So, I was thinking about one of my little worlds, when I stumbled into an interesting problem.
At first, this is a run-of-the-mill isekai (trapped in another world) story. The protagonist, an average ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
Fictional daughter of an historical figure
A secondary character in my historical fiction novel is a Russian concert pianist who married into a 19th century noble family. For various reasons I would very much like to make her the daughter of ...
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3answers
200 views
How to name MC after revealing body change?
The plot of the novel is the following: The villain has body-swapped with the MC and I want to keep this hidden and reveal it as a plot twist in the middle of the story.
If MC real name is John and ...
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4answers
184 views
What are the different types of characters in a fictional story?
I want to be able to correctly categorise and identify different characters in a story, predominantly fiction. I have read a lot about different types of characters--flat, round, static, dynamic, ...
2
votes
3answers
172 views
Will an unrealistic character be out of place among other realistic ones?
Most of the characters in my story are well thought out and have realistic motivations and backstories, as I think most people agree that believable characters are important in writing (if you’re ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
Number of characters : how much is too much? [duplicate]
Will having more than 6 characters bring problems of poor character development, loss of storyline and unending side plots?
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2answers
112 views
Naming characters: Physical v. Personality [closed]
Suppose my fictional character is a plastic penguin which happens to be very pompous. What do you believe is a better way to name a character?
1.A name which describes them physically
Ex. Plastic ...
8
votes
3answers
3k views
How to identify a (personal) Canon Sue?
Sometimes (as an intelligent species, and therefore creative, speculative about reality and so on...) we want to experience some situations which aren't possible at all. Then as a writer you can ...
6
votes
2answers
266 views
Should you write character description points in bulk or spread them out?
I've heard a lot of people saying they skip descriptions if they are written as one bulk list, but others say it's important that we let the reader know what the character looks like and include all ...
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0answers
49 views
Will too many characters be overwhelming? [duplicate]
So I have multiple stories running in the same universe, and I want a Arc that includes all the main people from each of the stories my worry is that this will become to confusing and may overload the ...
3
votes
5answers
232 views
How can I have a character introduce themselves as humble without making them seem arrogant?
Two people are dating, and one of them wants to tell the other they are humble, which they genuinely are. But I don't want it to seem like they're bragging or showing off about it.
In normal ...
7
votes
1answer
100 views
Using third-person character interactions to create a relatable hook for a Character that is unrelatable?
So, I am writing a story based around a character that has the personality of a Computer. Emotionless, logical, does what he is told and if he can't or won't, will state it in the plainest way ...
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votes
4answers
176 views
Intentionally misspelling words in dialogue
I have a piece of dialogue which sounds great in my head, and the way the character says it is important, but it never looks right when I type it out. At first I tried this:
“Looking and looking... ...
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votes
4answers
168 views
I have a name, and no plot [closed]
So I made a name for a character and his name is quite fancy so I have no idea what I should do with him. I named him, ready? Sir Nathaniel Charles III.
Without asking for specific suggestions on "...
4
votes
4answers
287 views
How to hint at an antagonist's identity?
A significant antagonist in my trilogy is an omnicidal alien by the name of Loki, whose characterisation borrows from Griffith, Keizer Ghidorah, Randall Flagg, Saruman and Hastur. Throughout the ...
1
vote
1answer
126 views
I've just found that my character has similar characteristics to another with the same name
I have been developing a story for some months based upon a fictional character that i thought I had invented uniquely ... let's say a half zebra half elephant for example. I named it elezebra. I then ...
3
votes
2answers
216 views
How can you redeem an awful character, who hits close to home?
There is a problem with a redemption arc:
Anon is an incredibly powerful god with powers of mysterious origin. In the story, he starts out as bad but is supposed to be redeemed later. There is a ...
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10answers
6k views
Does my protagonist need to be the most important character?
In my fantasy story that I'm slowly getting into, my MC Sirena is an apprentice witch. Her two fellow apprentices, Aster and Keeva, study alongside her under their High Priestess, and they all ...
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vote
2answers
125 views
Letting a (secondary) antagonist leave mid story - Should it be avoided?
I have a powerful antagonist perform important functions within my story. At the midpoint, he just leaves. Several Plot developments depend on this character.
I tried replacing him with other ...
2
votes
1answer
116 views
What if a dark protagonist doesn't want to change?
Dark protagonists. Heroes who are evil, pure flaws, or exhibiting only weakness or darkness, rather than strength or light. There is one basic assumption I would like to make about such characters: ...
asked Oct 4 '19 at 1:35
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
13.5k5 gold badges41 silver badges99 bronze badges
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7answers
2k views
Giving a character trauma but not “diagnosing” her?
In my post-apocalyptic novel, my MC Eris is severely traumatized by the death of her family at her own hands. Because of this, she has extreme aversion to social interaction and even physical contact....
1
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1answer
133 views
How do I know if my cast is diverse enough or too diverse? [duplicate]
Basically, I am writing a story and I want to know if the characters are diverse enough or too diverse. If I just state the characters' races, sexualities, etc, it might seem forced but I didn't ...
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4answers
184 views
How do I introduce a large cast in an interesting way
I am currently writing a story about eleven college friends and a child.
I don't want to just introduce them as "The Jock" or "The Delinquent," and I don't want to do a dry listing of "this is who ...
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4answers
2k views
Writing about real people - not giving offence
The Spy is a Netflix series about Israeli spy and hero Eli Cohen. In a recent interview, Eli's widow Nadia expresses great dissatisfaction with the series: a lot of changes were made, ostensibly to "...
asked Sep 25 '19 at 23:14
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
55.8k10 gold badges161 silver badges291 bronze badges
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12answers
6k views
What makes a character irredeemable?
Let's look at two characters who are generally considered to be iredeemable:
The Diamond Authority (from Steven Universe): The extremely childish leaders of the race of spacefaring lesbian magical ...
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vote
2answers
174 views
How to convey the anatomy of a humanoid race? [closed]
I am writing a extra-terrestrial high fantasy novel. The story is completely set in an alien world. No visits from Earth and no visits to Earth.
My characters are humanoids, who look like elves, ...
5
votes
1answer
191 views
Basing my protagonist on myself
(I asked another question about this novella here.)
In a novella I'm writing, I explore the lives of a young Hispanic woman, Ramona, and her brother, Rafael, in an Orwellian-esque future America ...
