Writing 101 (with rotXinXpieces)

Unit 2: Character Design-- Chapter One: Personalities.

Chapter One: Personalities

Now, I don't know if you guys do this in the same order as me. If not, feel free to jump ahead. If so, keep reading!

You're heading to your fridge for another late night snack, emerging from the cavern that is your room. You open the fridge, take out some yogurt and start to grab a spoon when it hits you. Or rather, he hits you. You're suddenly seeing a male character in your mind. You can't quite figure out what he looks out at this time, but you have a feeling you know what he acts like.

Ladies and gentlmen, allow me to present the personality portion of creating a character.

Now, personalities can sometimes be based on something that's around you, or maybe even yourself or a friend. So, as of now, I will be creating a character as an example. We'll leave name and physical appearance for another chapter. For now, we'll focus on his personality.

I want a character that's cool. He's so awesome! He's confident and proud. He's full of charisma and he seems friendly too. He smiles and enjoys listening to other people talk.

At least, that's how everyone else would see him. And yes, maybe he does have some of the traits that people see in him, but I also see something else. He's lonely. He may seem like an "everyone's best friend" sorta guy, but he doesn't trust anyone fully enough to be able to spill all his secrets. Those secrets even I don't know for sure yet.

He's a little wistful on the inside and always daydreaming about what it would be like to have one person in the world to trust.

Lovely readers, we now have a main character... Oh, but wait! What is this?! Another character just sprang free from your yogurt container as you sit down to write! Quick! It's a female character who's somehow related to the first!

She's spunky. She's smart, witty, and silly. She's carefree and loves people. She's looking for the one guy that'll make her life an adventure. She does get bullied for being opininated, but that won't stop her! She's invinicible!

Or so she portrays herself. Inside, she feels like she's constantly in a wrestling match. The worst part? She's always being pinned by the five other wrestlers in the ring. Even her parents beat her down once in a while. She's want someone who'll treat her right. Who doesn't, right?

Woo! Congrats! We now have two main characters!

Personalities come in all different shapes, sizes, forms, versions, etc. Any of you play Sims? Well, in the game, you can design your own character, including their personalities! Ain't it a hoot?! So, anyway, it gives you the basics that you can mix and match. There are endless possilibities.

You can make your Sim neat, neurotic, shy, couch potato, and a hopeless romantic.

Like a Sim, your character is yours. You can add whatever you like and make it whoever you like.

HOWEVER. You MUST keep this personality consistent. You can't just suddenly make our first guy into a macho bad guy who doesn't give a shit about what you think or what anyone else thinks. That ruins the character and makes them a completely different character. If you want to add a macho bad ass guy, then make him friends with one of the characters, or related, or even the antagonist.

Say our main character guy is in love with the main character girl, but macho bad guy ALSO likes our main character girl!

OH NO, IT'S A PLOT!

But that's for another chapter, kiddies.

So.

Remember!

Personalities are very different. Yours, mine, ours, theirs, his, hers. All of them are unique and make us who we are. Your character's personality doesn't necessarily have to match your own. In fact, your character can have a personality that you really don't like. They may have habits that you absolutely hate. However, that's what makes your character unique. Your character is your character. If they pick up a bad habit while you're writing and you don't like it, it's there.

Yes, you can go back and change it, but that also adds a significant change to your character.

Next: Unit 2: Character Design-- Chapter Two: Sexy, Ugly, Average!