All Questions
Tagged with planning character-development
26 questions
1
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4
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164
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How do I write a major character from scratch?
I've designed loads of characters, most remaining in my head, some being written down on paper and others even having the honor of being in a book/short story. I'd like to pride myself by saying I'm ...
- 902
3
votes
4
answers
259
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Are filler chapters/episodes unnecessary?
I was considering the use of filler chapters in my story, to flesh out the character's problems and daily life. These don't necessary progress the plot, but they do help the characters' relationships ...
- 1,143
2
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2
answers
198
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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
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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
0
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1
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95
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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
5
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4
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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
8
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4
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2k
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How do you get solid concepts and stop scrapping ideas?
As a young writer, I usually write when I have the time; after I finish my homework or school. I find it difficult to get a solid idea. For starters, the first thing you need for a story is concept or ...
- 1,143
-1
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1
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190
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How far is too far with escalating sexual content?
I am writing about a main character who begins the story as a virgin, and over the course of the story escalates her sexual behavior from 1 on 1 heterosexual sex to prostitution and then to what might ...
- 593
2
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1
answer
378
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Software to track multiple protagonists, bios, and timelines
This will probably be hard to explain so I'll list off what I'm looking for.
Software that allows me to have more than one main protagonist. My story has five main characters and the POV switches ...
4
votes
2
answers
186
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Help! I have a strong concept, but a million decisions to make! How do I finish my first draft?
During the lockdown, I wrote 60,000 words of my children's fiction book. It wasn't a consistent process and as such, it has many inconsistencies and obsolete scenes.
At the moment, the draft looks ...
- 41
7
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2
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807
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When should the protagonist have a self-revelation?
So far, I've been learning rules and guidelines for plotting a good story from John Truby's excellent "The Anatomy of Story".
Truby structures plot using 22 steps (a summary here). Among them, the ...
- 93
6
votes
7
answers
358
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What should I do if I can't properly formulate the personality of one of my characters in my novel?
In my novel, my protagonist joins a team with four other characters to go on a quest. Each character in the team is supposed to contribute to the journey in someway and all are mentioned in a prophecy....
- 353
0
votes
4
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249
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How would I be mean to my character? [closed]
My book is about a boy who wants to run away from home, and while writing a plan to run away from home he discovers all the reasons that he should stay, his best friend, his lover, and he discovers ...
- 516
1
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3
answers
2k
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How can I defeat a 'force of nature villain' without killing him? [closed]
In my story, I have found myself in somewhat of a pickle: Although the hero is more than powerful enough to defeat a villain (which is your typical 'Dark Lord’) I don't think my protagonist is ready ...
14
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6
answers
725
views
Why is character lifetime proportional to character development so often?
Hollywood movies are a good example of this, but also many books feature the rule.
When the plot revolves around life and death situations, the first to die are the characters with least development. ...
- 285
9
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5
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2k
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Do I have to show my characters making up after an argument, or can it be implied when we see them on good terms again?
Is it okay to have two characters who had an argument to patch things up offscreen, or do readers explicitly need to see how they made up?
None of the two characters in question are the protagonist, ...
- 2,404
3
votes
5
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920
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Slow buildup vs sudden introduction
Let's say you're writing super hero fiction. The hero of your story is struggling against the villain, but suddenly awakens a power that allows him to best the bad guy!
Problem: you're unsure of how ...
user23083
7
votes
9
answers
2k
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When do I successfully kill off an important secondary main character... in a series of five books?
TL;DR: How much time and development is necessary for a character I intend to kill off and replace with a second character so that both feel important to the narrative?
I've looked over this a bit, ...
- 79
4
votes
4
answers
289
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Can I use prominent people in history to as characters in my fiction?
I am a little puzzled. I want to set my story in a real era that happened; like say, the American civil wars during Lincoln's time, and involve the then prominent figures like Lincoln and McClellan as ...
- 41
2
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5
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1k
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Writing psychopathic characters (I)
How psychopathic should a character be especially if they are one of the "good guys"?
So, due to some vicious trauma in the past, the character has developed some pretty sadistic merciless tendencies ...
- 365
3
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2
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3k
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How useful are stock characters in fiction?
I am writing a realistic-fiction novel set in the USA during the Great Depression. I intend to use some stock characters to make the story colorful and to flesh out the culture of the period.
Stock ...
- 1,337
5
votes
2
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888
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Arch Hero and Arch Nemesis in one book
I am standing before a problem.
For my story I largely developed the background and the world for two main characters: the hero of my stories and a villain. I started with the story of my hero, his ...
- 573
1
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3
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879
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Building new species. How deep and how complex?
In my latest project i developed new species not far different from humanoids. I am making whole history, gender interaction, abilities, their psychology and trying to discribe their life and ...
- 573
6
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3
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4k
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How detailed should I be when writing a character bio?
Basically, I have about 7 or 8 characters (excluding the antagonist) who each have important roles in the story. My problem is that my characters tend to develop themselves, so to speak. I have no ...
- 523
1
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5
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883
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When developing a stage play, whose gender matters more? The characters' or the actors'?
When striving for gender balance in a play: What is more important, balance among the characters or among the actors? (Given that all characters are written as individuals, and not as stereotypes.)
...
- 113
12
votes
4
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823
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How do I decide if writing expository scenes that won't be in my finished novel is useful, or procrastination?
I tend to burn out developing my stories before they even reach the page, so I'm taking some advice to plan a novel. I didn't quite follow the advice to the letter; I used an idea that had been ...
- 559