#character development
So my take on character “flaws” is that there’s actually kind of two categories.
One is the type of “flaws” that ~hinder~ a character in their goals, in a sense. It could be poor social skills, a bad memory, being too gullible or too impulsive or too passive or whatever. A lack of talent in a needed area. Idk. this is probably what we normally think of when we think of flaws. The key is that things would be easier in some way for the character if they didn’t have this flaw. They can be aware of it or not, but if they are aware of it, they probably wish that they didn’t have that trait.
The other type of “flaw” is more of a flawed motivation. And this is where it gets kind of abstract, because a “flawed motivation” doesn’t have to be inherently bad. In many cases they can be pretty worthy goals. The key question here is “what does the character want more than they want to do the ‘right’ thing?” (”right” being subjective according to the story you want to tell.) For example, a character could be so ambitious that they won’t risk helping anyone else. Or they could be so bent on revenge that they won’t help with a more important task. They could love their family so much they save them at the cost of an entire city. They could be so intent on keeping a secret that they let it destroy all of their relationships.
Ideally, a character should have both kinds of flaws. My point is that the second type of “flaw” is a simple way to create really strong character arcs, especially in the model of a character giving up their “flawed motivation” for something better. Working with the second type of “flaw” can give you a lot more emotional resonance than just making your character clumsy or bad at math and calling it a day.
question prompts for oc/character development
These are questions that are really silly and the kind of stuff nobody really asks or thinks about lol!!
- What kind of clothes do they usual wear?
- What is their criteria for the ideal platonic/romantic partner?
- What is their aesthetic/style?
- What does their handwriting look like?
- Which celebrity do they absolutely despise?
- What kind of music makes them hyper? What kind of music makes them cry??
- Do they have any nervous habits? If so, what are they??
- How tall are they? What is their body type?
- What is their favorite food?
- Where do they love to hang out?
- Do they have a TikTok account? A Tumblr account? A Wattpad account?
- What kind of memes make them laugh the hardest?
- What do they smell like?
- Who always manages to make them smile?
- Which clique did they belong to in highschool?
- What are their biggest pet peeves in another person?
- What is their favorite book/movie? By extension, what is their least favorite book/movie?
- Do they have any specific texting quirks? Do they have any specific speaking patterns??
- What does their voice sound like? Do they have a speech impediment, an accent, etc??
- What dream job did they want to have as a kid? What job do they have now?
- What shenanigans do they indulge in when with their friends?
- Which time of day do they look forward to most and why?
- What is their blood type?
- What is their favorite fantasy/scenario to daydream about?
- What’s their favorite videogame?
- What does their bedroom look like?
- How sincere are their hugs?
- How cringey are they???
- How good is their posture?
- Do they prefer chocolate or fruity candy?
- What is their favorite holiday? What is their favorite type of weather??
There is one particular ship dynamic that never fails to wreck me, and I’ll call it Soulmates, But Not Like That. Not in a “some higher power has decided that we are destined to be together” way, but something that is almost the opposite of that. It’s that character who has been alone for a long time, and has maybe convinced themselves that they will be alone forever, and who has a lot of barriers to intimacy with most of the people around them, for whatever the relevant narrative reasons are. And then they just happen to cross paths with this ONE FUCKING PERSON who works for them, through some very specific combination of personality and circumstance and life experience and mutually compatible damage. And there is always the shock of what are the fucking odds, and underneath everything the terror of what if this doesn’t last. what if there’s no one else. I would just go back to being alone. I don’t know if I could do that after knowing this. Because when you finally let down that wall of emotional self-sufficiency the thought of having to put it back up again is painful. And in real life I don’t at all believe that there is only One Designated Person for anyone, but in fiction I do tend to gravitate toward characters who believe themselves to be The Only One in some way, and I will always be emotionally compromised by that dawning sense of oh. You are like me.
Does your OC have a hidden talent (big or small) that rarely gets talked about or revealed in canon? What is it?
Is your OC afraid of anything common like spiders, snakes, the dark, etc.?
If you had to make a rainbow out of your OCs who would be Red,Orange,Yellow,Green,Blue,Indigo, and Violet?
You can only say one thing about your (current favourite) OC to get someone else interested, what is it?
Who would your OC obsess over or who would your OC be with if there was a happy ending?
Does your OC have something (or someone) they obsess over?
What would your OC’s happy end look like? What kind of life do they dream of living?
Which of your OCs would be most likely to invent the knife-wielding tentacle? What about Stabby the Roomba? Or that one guy’s very first, somewhat useless invention? Or Basically any of the funny, stupid and/or dangerous viral inventions.
Your #1, #50, and #100 songs on Spotify Wrapped are the inspiration for your next OC or plot. What are the titles?
Come up with something on the spot!
In a dire situation, which OC would choose to sacrifice themselves? Which OC would choose to sacrifice someone else?
What would your OC’s ideal gift be?
What is the setting for your OCs like?
Which OC is the unspoken leader who never chose that role but it was chosen for them along the way?
Let’s say someone wants to make your OC cry. What would be the most effective thing to say?
How fast does your OC eat?
Does your OC know how to braid?
How long does it take your OC to wake up?
