WRITING HELP. TIPS

⋆ character development

however, just having a phobia for the sake of it doesn't help develop your character at all. if you give them a terrible phobia of snakes and they come across a snake and suddenly within moments are able to get over their fear just like that, it's not a phobia. it's more of a mild inconvenience than anything else. the reader needs to feel convinced by their fears, they would feel more dissatisfied with your writing if they felt the character could dismiss anything and everything than knowing them being confronted by their fears could be a possible problem.

besides, it would give them no reason to motivate or encourage the character if they knew it was impossible for them to be defeated by anything. still, this does not mean that your character has to be destroyed by their fear. there is a very big difference between simply dismissing your character's fear and perhaps overcoming it in the future.

an EASY way to write your character possibly overcoming their fear in the future is that when they first encounter that fear, add an element of chance or fate into it.

for example, if a character were to move to get away from the creature which may be coming towards them; in the process of getting up, they could slip which could cause their legs to lash out towards the creature. the sudden movement may just be enough to scare the creature away, this way it does not appear to the reader as ridiculous or uncharacteristic courage but instead accidental bravery.

this sudden revelation that the character's horrible fear may not be as all powerful as they first thought could be the first step for them to slowly overcome that fear.

don't believe me? let's think about this for a moment.

imagine your character, let's call them the protagonist™, is stuck in a terrible situation. it doesn't matter what the situation is but let's say it's something which involves them being trapped in a room with a snake. i'm going to give you two examples, both involving the same situation.

EXAMPLE #1

protagonist watched with wide eyes as the snake slowly slithered towards them. the snake paused for a moment, it hissed lowly as it waited for protagonist to move, waiting for the right moment to strike. not hesitating for a single moment, they suddenly realised how dire the situation was and jumped to their feet. their heart pumping wildly as their body was filled with adrenaline, they were terrified yet they had to do something. protagonist grabbed the nearest thing to them and stepped towards the snake.

"get away!" they threatened, "get away!"

EXAMPLE #2:

protagonist watched with wide eyes as the snake slowly slithered towards them. the snake paused for a moment, it hissed lowly as it waited for protagonist to move, waiting for the right moment to strike. the blood in protagonist's veins ran cold as the snake grew closer and closer, protagonist couldn't move. they begged and screamed on the inside to move away, to get away as far as possible. they had lost all control of their movement, their fear had consumed them. they were frozen to the spot and could only watch as the snake widened it's jaw, ready to bite down on it's prey. it widened it's jaw once, twice - suddenly, protagonist gained back their instincts. fleeing seemed like the only realistic option and seconds before the snake could chomp down on their ankle, protagonist stumbled to their feet. they stumbled backwards into a puddle of water which had pooled behind them and their ankle rolled as they slipped, their legs accidentally lashing out towards the predator. the snake recoiled backwards in shock before deciding that the risk wasn't worth it: it quickly retreated back to it's nest, disappearing from protagonist's view.

now, hopefully you see what i mean. i think we can all agree that the second example is a lot better than the first one.

4. CREATE THEIR FLAWS/BAD HABITS

no one is perfect, this includes your characters.

if you're finding it challenging to think of any flaws, try to think of some bad habits. it doesn't have to be anything so terribly bad that's it's illegal. think simple when it comes to this exercise. it can range from anything between chewing their nails to swearing.

it might help to try and develop these bad habits into possible flaws or weaknesses. if your character keeps biting their nails that might be a sign of nervousness or anxiety. so, creating bad habits might be a good way to show a certain trait your character may possess.

flaws are important as well. let's be realistic, if no character had any flaws then every single book we read would be filled with a bunch of characters which are exactly the same. besides, what's a hero without it's villain?

so, to give you a few ideas, let's go back to superheroes. maybe a hero is so set on doing the right thing that they lose sight of what they want? perhaps it gets to a certain point where they can't handle that hollow feeling inside of them that they grow arrogant, selfish or even stubborn? there's a story for you right there.

not only that, by giving your characters flaws it is possible that you could work that into your story somehow. this way, not only will you get to show off your amazing character development, but it could also be an exciting point in your storyline.

write down some ideas, think of flawed personality traits and just write them down! try to write down at least five straight off the bat, for each one you don't like you should think about why it doesn't suit your character. you're bound to find one flaw you're happy with!

5. WRITE SOME SCENARIOS

now that you've developed your characters, go ahead and write them in your story! if you think you still need a bit of practice, try writing something about them being in a certain scenario. it could be anything from ordering their favourite coffee to being trapped in a prison: just write it! try not to think about it too much, just do whatever feels write (i unintentionally made that pun but i'm not deleting it).

it doesn't have to be long either, just a couple paragraphs would be fine. try to focus on body movements and interior thoughts, it would be ideal if your character was on their own in the situation: that way you can get to know the character on their own a lot better. no other characters means no distractions. it's just you, the wonderful author, and your character - there is an endless amount of possibilities for you!

source tumblr