#character building

How does your OC feel about boats?

tjswritingstuff:

When it comes to assigning personality types to characters there are a lot of methods to choose from. There’s Briggs Myers 16 personality types. There are the character archetypes that are found across all genre’s of literature.  This is about a different scale. It’s less about assigning a name or role to the characters personality and more about developing the characters personality based on a handful of traits in varying degrees.

 Robert McCrae and Paul Costa later developed the Five factor mode for personality study. They summarized that there are 5 basic aspects of personality.  The aspects fall on a sliding scale rather than a binary, and the character’s reaction to events and other characters can change their scale when dealing with that specific character.

Each character in a story will have its own personality made of the same traits in differing amounts. You can create the same “Character” and utterly change their personality by adjusting where they fall on each scale.

Extroversion

The more extroverted a character is the more focused they are on the world outside of themselves. Most main characters are extroverted because they must be to move the story forward. That doesn’t mean your character can’t be an introvert. It just means the stakes of the catalyst event will have to personally affect them to pull them into the story.

Agreeableness

An agreeable character will get along with others easily. They are more willing to do things to help others and have a sunnier disposition. The more likely a character is to do someone a favor just because they ask the more agreeable that character may be.

Openness

How many secrets is your character keeping? Who do they let into their inner life? Who do they trust? An open character has few secrets. A secretive character doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s keeping a lot of secrets. Secretive characters can be perceived as mysterious, when they may have no secrets other than they don’t talk about themselves much.

Conscientiousness

How careful is your character? How much attention do they pay to what they are doing? How impulsive are they? Conscientiousness is a trait that is broad, there’s a lot about the trait that still needs to be studied, but for the sake of writing characters the more conscientious a character is the more they are aware of how their actions affect other.  A conscientious character is unlikely to do something illegal simply because it would benefit them.

Neuroticism

The more neurotic a character is the more emotionally unstable they are. Highly Neurotic characters are more likely to be anxious and afraid, to have unpredictable mood swings and to react off emotion driven impulses.

creativichee:

Here’s some considerations for the tiny little details that can add a lot to a character. Figuring out these mannerisms can do a lot for conveying character traits through their normal actions rather than just their thoughts, dialogue, etc.

• How’s their posture? There are more options than just sitting up straight or slouching a lot. What’s their most comfortable sitting position? Do they have a consistent posture or does it change depending on situation / present company? 
  
• How’s their etiquette? Do they hold the door for people behind them? How do they handle handshakes and other kinds of typical contact? Does their language change or become more formal when speaking to strangers? To their elders? To their superiors? 
• In a crowded space, do they get out of people’s way, or do people get out of THEIR way? 
• How do they point something out? Pointing their finger? Nodding their head? A flippant wave of the hand?
• What are their comfort gestures or self-touch gestures? Common comfort gestures include rubbing the back of the neck or gripping their own arms. Can they suppress these gestures or do they do them often?
• Also consider the character’s common reactions to common emotions. Do they whoop when they’re excited? Do they tremble when angry? 
• What parts of the body are the most expressive? Do they shuffle and stomp their feet a lot when agitated or excited? Are they a hand talker? Do they have an impressive range of motion with their eyebrows?
• How do they sound? Do their car keys jingle as they walk? Do they drag their feet? Do their heels clack resoundingly on hard floors? Do they breathe loudly? Do they fidget in ways that make a lot of noise?
• How do they handle eye contact?
• Any behaviors they reserve for moments when they’re alone? (Or possibly among family/friends that don’t care?) Do they pick their nose? Do they bite their toenails? Do they sniff their armpits? Or do they not care if people see behavior like this?
• Apart from comfort gestures, what else do they do to comfort themselves in trying times? What’s their go-to self care? What’s their comfort food? Where’s their safe space?
• What are they doing with themselves as they’re suppressing emotion? Lip biting, fist clenching, and avoiding eye contact are common methods of coping with strong emotions.

katy-l-wood:

theredscreech:

helenasurvives:

i have just stumbled upon the most beautiful public document i have ever laid eyes on. this also goes for anyone whose pastimes include any sort of character creation. may i present, the HOLY GRAIL:

https://www.fbiic.gov/public/2008/nov/Naming_practice_guide_UK_2006.pdf

this wonderful 88-page piece has step by step breakdowns of how names work in different cultures! i needed to know how to name a Muslim character it has already helped me SO MUCH and i’ve known about it for all of 15 minutes!! i am thoroughly amazed and i just needed to share with you guys 

Cultures include Yoruba, Sikh, Vietnamese, Polish, and dozens more!

Oh snap, this is AWESOME.

Anonymous asked you:

i’m sorry if you answered a question like this before, but i couldn’t really find anything, so i apologize. i’m writing a scene where one character beats up another character in front of a large group of people, and the one getting attacked can’t fight back (which is part of the plot but it’s long and detailed so i won’t go into that). she had no idea about this plan to attack her beforehand, and i’m not really sure how i should write her humiliation or how she deals with the pain.

Firstly, in order to most effectively and honestly portray a character, you’ve gotta climb deep into that character’s brain. Take their psychological makeup and spread it out in front of you. If you’re a visual person, create a chart.

Let’s take the feeling of “humiliation”. What led to this humiliation? Any or all of these things might be it:

• Being forced into a compromising position.
• Weaknesses (both physical and mental) shoved under public display and dissection.
• Being treated like a “lower” or “lesser” human being.
• Physical trauma generating a sense of fear.

Secondly, find out what the feeling of humiliation causes your character to do. Really dig deep, find out what’s realistic for this particular character. Here’s a list of examples:

• Anger sets in and causes violent reactions or thoughts.
• Depression turns character completely numb or off to everyone around.
• Anxiety causes fear of others, surroundings, or even what might happen the next day.

When expressing these emotions, think in terms of showing, not telling. “Tendons swelled in my arms, and veins bulged between my knuckles as my fists shook,” versus, “I was angry and I thought of punching something.”

Of course, “telling” does have its appropriate times when used effectively. The two example sentences might even form a greater combination than they would singly if phrased like this: “Tendons swelled in my arms, and veins bulged between my knuckles as my fists shook. I wanted to punch something. Anything. I didn’t care what.”

Inner reflection is a good thing, as it conveys some things (like character voice) that simply showing through actions can’t. Just make sure to practice finding the right balance.

Thirdly, figure out how these emotions dictate their actions.

• Anger: Thoughts of revenge or retaliation. Character might plan something to humiliate their abuser in turn. Character might try to get into better shape and become stronger so they’re never put in that position again, and/or character might gather up materials to do something dangerous.
• Depression: Character pushes others away from helping, shuts door, cries out of thoughts of hopelessness. Character tries to find outlets to escape depression, anything from reading to drinking, or even more dangerous things. Can’t focus on daily chores or maintaining relationships.
• Anxiety: Panic attacks cause character to lose control of breathing or go into shock. A constant sense of fear drives character to check locks all the time and keep curtains drawn on every window, maybe keep a weapon of some sort handy or 911 on speed dial. Too scared to leave home or sleep at night.

Depression, anxiety, and anger problems are always best researched so that the character is portrayed realistically and respectfully, but these are some basic examples of how the character might react. A character might even react in a combination of ways, perhaps even contrastingly. Contrast and inner conflict build a stronger dynamic.

Also, in terms of traumatizing events, make sure to check out shock, and when considering wounds/physical damage, research the heck out of that. (As an example, one type of physical trauma that I see portrayed inaccurately the most is concussions. Make sure to always get facts straight on wounds.)

Think not only in terms of instant after effects, but also long-term effects. Reveal these things physiologically, through inner reflection, and also through action. Each of these things adds depth and conveys a sense of humanness that characters should portray.

Remember that characters aren’t cardboard cut-outs, but reflections of real, complex people. If you keep this in mind and focus on bringing this human element forward, a lot of things should fall into place on their own. Or, you can try checking when characters aren’t standing out.

Good luck!

my new character building question is “how would I queer eye them?”