Questions tagged [characters]
Questions that involve people in a work of fiction, including character development, motivations, design, points of view, and representation.
970
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How would you describe a character that is ‘dogmatic’ without referring to religion or politics?
I am trying to develop a character who has a very rigid world view but I want to use more than just a single adjective to bring out this character’s “quality”. I also do not want to inject any ...
2
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2answers
110 views
Should you avoid introducing characters that talk one time and never talk again?
Should you avoid introducing characters that talk one time and never talk again? I wrote a scene in a chapter where the main characters talks to a technician, and then the technician is never seen ...
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3answers
86 views
How best to write an anxious character?
First of all; there’s another question at the top of the “similar questions” but for the life of me my VPN won’t let me access it and I can’t figure out what to do. But this isn’t about my VPN being ...
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3answers
100 views
Should I jump right into the story without MC introduction?
I'm writing a crime story. Basically it begins with a friend of the main character asking him for a meeting and then introducing the case to him.
What I would like to do is to show something about the ...
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2answers
154 views
How do I create OC's that I don't hate?
Before I start with writing my story, I would of course like to have some OC's (original characters --ones not taken from an existing work). I am struggling to make OC's that I don't hate. I somehow ...
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3answers
1k views
How to decide how far my antagonist is willing to go?
in my short story the antagonist is someone confident and street-smart who is hiding their gambling addiction from a friend staying with them, as they are looking to take advantage of their friend (...
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0answers
75 views
Should I give a character POV scenes just to establish that they are cheating on a main character?
I have a character that is a love interest that cheats on one of the main characters (3rd-person POV). Should I write his POV for the cheating scenes to show the reader what is happening? It is the ...
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4answers
123 views
How can I keep a spy character portrayed as competent and yet have interactions between protagonist and antagonist?
I have a character that is a spy, and part of their job is sneaking around and getting into places without being noticed. However, in order to have conflict in the plot, have characters interacting to ...
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85 views
Deciding potential scenes and keeping the tension in my short story
To give some background, my short story is written from the perspective of person K. His school friend A (they are both in their mid-twenties now) invites him to stay in Vegas for a short time, and K ...
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2answers
122 views
Could my character avoid going crazy?
I wasn’t sure where to put this question so forgive me if it isn’t in the right place. Anyway, I have a character who might go crazy, the thing is, I don’t want her to. She is arrested for treason and ...
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3answers
108 views
How do you write character development in later entries of a series after relationships become established?
When starting a series there is initially a lot of fertile ground for storytelling because the characters don't know each other very well and are still establishing an equilibrium. As a result, there ...
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2answers
113 views
How would authorities handle a disappearance caused by paranormal means?
A story of mine starts with a character disappearing in his radio studio while on air.
Nobody else was in the building with him.
A pair of sunglasses that he always kept in his shirt pocket was the ...
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1answer
81 views
In a canon divergent fanfiction should tertiary characters be OC or cannon?
I am thinking of writing an X-Men fanfiction, but I believe my query could apply to fanfiction set in any long running work with a large number of characters.
My fanfiction will concentrate on the New ...
2
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1answer
90 views
How do you introduce a new character in later entries of a series?
I had an outline for a book series in which I introduce a new character in one of the later volume to act as an introductory viewpoint character for people who are just picking up the series for the ...
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1answer
79 views
Does having some same characteristics invoke copyright?
I want to make a manga. The complex story uses characters from toys that I played with as a child. These characters were Legos and not rendered in 2D.
And, I mixed some parts of their body so they ...
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3answers
92 views
How do I convey my character is of mixed European-Asian ancestry through description?
I have a protagonist who is biracial (mixed-race Caucasian-east Asian ancestry) living in the United States. I have a good idea of what their face and appearance looks like; they’re the kind of person ...
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5answers
732 views
How do I show that my character is intelligent?
I have a fantasy story in which the lead character is designed as your typical bland everyman protagonist whose purpose is to give the reader someone to relate to and ask questions about the ...
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1answer
75 views
When should one of my four main characters die?
I'm writing a book series (I may or may not publish it, not sure) that I'd like to have as 5 books long. I have four main characters, and I want part of the story to be three of them dealing with the ...
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2answers
119 views
How do I write a fight scene between two characters when one is strong but slow and the other is strong, tough, and fast?
I am writing a fight scene between two monsters. One is heavily armored but comparatively slower, whereas the other is a Lightning Bruiser: fast, tough, and powerful but compared to the first ...
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5answers
153 views
How late is too late to describe a character?
I haven’t supplied much description of my main character, mainly because it didn’t come up naturally. Her parents are described, so you can get a basic idea, fair skin, light eyes—but I never list any ...
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3answers
155 views
What works fine in a movie but doesn't in a book?
As a writer I'm not only looking up to great books, but I take many inspirations from movies as well.
I wonder though if there are any techniques that don't translate well between those mediums. Are ...
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7answers
3k views
How can I diversify the personalities of supernatural predators?
I'm working on an urban fantasy story that has a species of monsters that regularly prey on human beings, as in many, many other settings (e.g., various monsters in Buffy/Supernatural/The Dresden ...
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3answers
217 views
What are readers ACTUALLY interested in when it comes to character?
I am writing fantasy.
When I look up "what authors should know about their characters" I get advice like "know what you character fears", "know your character's central ...
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3answers
194 views
When writing a YA novel, how necessary is it to include LGBT characters?
I am attempting to write a YA novel, and I keep wondering if it is important these days to include at least one LGBT character. So far, no LGBT character has 'organically' come up in the story, and ...
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2answers
113 views
What are non-obvious ways to make the reader sympathize with the protagonist?
I was thinking of ways to make my audience like my characters.
I always try to figure out my target audience and make the main hero as relatable as possible.
Quite often do I embrace their integrity. ...
2
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1answer
37 views
What word could describe a person with integrity or the difference between a person with integrity and one without? [closed]
I am trying to get the perfect word to separate those having integrity and those who lack it. I am trying to describe someone who accepts full ownership for their choices even the more regrettable ...
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3answers
146 views
How do you create lies that contains truth inside?
There is one thing I did not like to admit: I don't know how to lie.
I could make up some random excuses but it wouldn't be convincing enough. And there is always a saying that I can't manage to get ...
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1answer
84 views
How do you realistically create a breakup/betrayal scene?
This happens in a war setting.
I have a female protagonist who, in her childhood, met a prince who was banished and felt betrayed. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the female lead decided to help the ...
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0answers
53 views
How To Write a Heel Realization
Can someone teach me how to write both a heel realization and mental breakdown at the same time? I’m trying to write a highly emotional and heartbreaking scene where the central antagonist both ...
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1answer
42 views
My story is a mythological fantasy set in England in the 1700's. I have two characters, and my main one, dies. I don't know how to continue writing it
As I mentioned in the title, my main character dies. I don't want to write it from my secondary character, because I feel as if that would feel weird for the readers, as they are used to my main ...
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2answers
127 views
Halfway done with outline with no climax
I'm currently outlining a YA dystopian/science fiction novel, with two alternating POV's, but I realized I don't really have a solid climax--which I've always known as a turning point for the ...
0
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1answer
104 views
Killing off main characters in an ensemble cast
I'm trying to plan a very long-form meta-story with multiple shifts in tone and scope, the first part of which consists of a very small-scale character story with an ensemble cast of 4 main characters....
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4answers
138 views
How should I go about writing a character that is a goth?
I have a character in my story who openly identifies as part of the goth subculture. I've taken pains to make sure they have a three-dimensional personality and aspects to their character beyond just ...
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2answers
79 views
How to integrate a unique world setting in the main story?
I'm writing my first novel which is set in an alternate universe, a place which is set on Earth but in a different ecosystem where story can get affected by nature and might take the reader to ...
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16answers
5k views
Is there any point where an overpowered main character could be an interesting one?
I just read a novel where the main character is overpowered: he has unbeatable superpowers, many girls that are interested in him, enemies that get scared just by facing him, etc. I find it annoying ...
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3answers
113 views
Free Gallery of Human Faces [closed]
I am working on a comic book script right now. Nothing of my draft (except dialogues) will be read by readers; the only purpose of my draft is to narrate the story to my friend, the illustrator.
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4answers
137 views
How to write dialogue with a large group of characters
My story has a cast of 59 characters, 25 of which are either protagonists or antagonists. Nine of these characters are very well-rounded and important, and most make an appearance at least once in ...
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6answers
229 views
Does This Geopolitical Power Balance in my Setting Make it Look Like I am Promoting Colonialism?
Background
The book series I'm working on can basically be summed up as a science-fantasy series that starts out leaning much more on the fantasy end of the spectrum but moves more and more towards ...
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3answers
120 views
How would a character with a certain personality react in a certain situation? [closed]
I'm at a point in my story where the main character(M17) was in a huge car crash. He'd been in an overturned vehicle for about 10 minutes and had sustained heavy damage. A few of his friends had come ...
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2answers
157 views
How to convey a character's race/ethnicity clearly but appropriately?
When describing a character I usually provide some indication of their race/ethnicity since a lot of my work has multiracial characters and I tend to use elements of ethnicity in characterization. ...
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2answers
124 views
Is it okay to write short adjacent story of a second lead in the main story?
I am writing a story of a slice of life of a teenager girl who seeks her forgotten past and run away from her forced marriage to follow her dreams. I want to add another story of her cousin and her ...
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3answers
182 views
Can you write a story without a protagonist?
Is it possible for there to be a story of a villain on a rampage only told in his perspective and his victims? Near the beginning, he defeats the only characters brave enough to stand up against him. ...
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1answer
117 views
Is this character too cliche?
So I'm writing a story and my main antagonist is Death (At least from my MCs point of view). Is he as a antagonist too cliche? He owns a casino, his headquarters, and the setting is in 1700, London ...
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2answers
113 views
Novellas: How To Engage the Reader in a Character in Under 40,000 Words?
Perhaps one of the more difficult parts of writing is making the reader invested in the characters. It's really easy to make your character somebody boring and not interesting to follow in novels. ...
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2answers
143 views
How do I have my protagonist learn their lesson without pausing the plot?
I am writing a fantasy series where the protagonist's main flaw is that she feels she doesn't deserve happiness. In the mid point, the protagonist and the antagonist come face-to-face and the ...
0
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0answers
86 views
Is it possible to have a likable racist character? [duplicate]
My story is set in the modern world, and it's based on two POVs: a young teenage boy's POV and his great-grandmother's POV. His grandmother was born and raised in the 30s and therefore has different ...
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1answer
50 views
Character's point of view when using empathic powers
I am writing my first novel in the third person semi-omniscient. I am aware that I ought to still structure passages from a primary character’s point of view, as in, if two or more characters are ...
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3answers
112 views
How can I show that my character is not good with people?
My protagonist isn't very good with people. It's not because she is timid or an introvert but because she hasn't known anyone besides her grandmother and cousin for as long as she can remember. She ...
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10answers
5k views
How to make a story entertaining with an almost invincible character?
I'm writing this fantasy story with the MC slowly transforming into a non-human being. Which makes him invulnerable... Or at least quite resistant. The problem is that I'm still not fully sure which ...
16
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6answers
5k views
How should my protagonist refer to my male character who is 18?
I am writing a part where the sixteen-year-old protagonist meets a male character who is eighteen-years-old. I am not sure how to refer to him - boy or man.
The male character is legally an adult, he ...
