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Traits of a extrodinary character

Darkmagiciangirl

OpInIoNaTeD at <3
How to make a good character

Hiya

I don't want a simple 2D character - I want a genuine character
The thing is, I'm not sure where to start. Any advice would be most appreaciated

Edit - Thanks for all who gave me advice
 
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IJuggler

how much words
It depends on what you're looking for. Obviously an extraordinary character is just someone with more than the normal abilities at something, but I don't think that was what you're looking for.

A good character, to me, is made by the writing. I would enjoy reading any character if their point of view and motivation and such is explained well enough. You could be writing about the best character since ever, and nobody would like him/her if there was no plausible reason for them to be this awesome.

I find that a good way to write a character is to imagine how they would react in any situation. Remember that every past action they took, and every action taken against them affects the character.

If Bob was once attacked by a murder of Murkrow, you could write that he either didn't hold it against them (which would imply that he is a nice and forgiving person), or you could write that he attacked every Dark Pokemon he saw after that (which would imply that he is a spiteful, angry man).

Showing a character's reaction without telling the reader is also a good way to tell them about the character. Sure, you know that Alice was once a mass murderer and has a huge bounty for her head; but the reader doesn't and just telling them that outright would spoil it. Drop subtle hints about the character (Does Alice become quiet when the authorities are around? Is she suddenly violent upon occasions?), but remember that you, the author will always know more about the story than the reasers will.

And now I stop rambling.
 

Diddy

Renegade
You know, I've always found it hard to find examples of 3-D, well rounded, believable characters.

Until I tore my eyes away from the internet that was!

To my utter disbelief, there was this person, female I think, in the kitchen. When I realised this wasn't a perfectly rendered human scale model, I surmised that it must be a real, actual, functioning human being. Then the female told me that Tea would be ready in ten minutes and to stay out of the kitchen if I'm not doing anything.

Extraordinary!

What I'm trying to say, in a roundabout, snarky, somewhat condescending, vaguely sarcastic and hopefully humourous way is that a good character seems real.

And real people exist everywhere, unless you live alone on a small pacific island, or are the subject of a Truman Show like thing where only a few moments ago, millions of people watched you log onto a Pokémon fansite and ask a question about character creation.

Oh crap, I forgot we aren't supposed to say anything to you about the show :x



Aaaaaaaanyway...

Look for examples in your real life, I'm sure you've known an arrogant jerk in your time, or a really up-tight person who thinks they're better, or a really nice person, or someone who just doesn't seem to care, or a bully. Need I go on? Think of a character archetype to fit your situation and think about how that character would react in certain situations. If faced with adversity, would they rise to it? Or shrink away? If faced with a romantic situation, would they be confident and cool? Or nervous and awkward?

Stuff like that.

There are no set traits to make a good character, this isn't some kind of RPG where you hope to build a character with perfect stats and powerful equipment. Everybody has flaws, and so would a good character.
 
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Hiya

Well, al I want to know is what are the traits of a character
I don't want a simple 2D character - I want a genuine character
The thing is, I'm not sure where to start. Any advice would be most appreaciated[QUOTE/]
Well, you can start off by recognizing different kinds of personalities. Is your character smart but arrogant? Or is she/he shy and nervous but friendly? To avoid a 2D character, just don't make him or her utterly perfect in every way.


But it is your character. Just know about different personalities and start wherever you like. And there's my two cents.
 

Timetraveler:Pikachu

Servant of Time.....
I don't know what your looking for here without some outline that you want. Next time try to give us a bone to chew on. For me a great trainer trait would be insane. As far as I know no one has ever had an insane pokemon or pokemon trainer before. Have him/her seem to have no strategy what so ever but when you actually look at the details he/she is a skilled trainer.
 
Well, al I want to know is what are the traits of a character
I'm not quite sure what you’re asking. Do you what examples of personality traits? Since I'm not sure I won't answer

I don't want a simple 2D character - I want a genuine character
The thing is, I'm not sure where to start. Any advice would be most appreciated
Making a character dynamic is always a good start to making a believable and interesting character. I have always enjoyed seeing a character change over time even if the changes are subtle. Static characters are usually used to further plot as side/secondary characters but still can be used as main characters and still be interesting. Adding character depth is a given for making a round character. These are obviously necessary: giving a character a past, deciding how they socialize with others, their relationship with other characters, how they react in situations, ect. Deciding this and at least making a mental note about these before writing may help you out a bit so the characters you make flows naturally. Try to keep your characters actions and thoughts sensible for that character unless they have gone through mental/physical changes in the story. If you want an interesting and a non cliché character and want to balance out your character these may help:
http://fyuvix.deviantart.com/art/Character-Balance-Meme-154832353
and
http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.html
Of course you don't need to have a perfect character and may not have a need to use these two tools but you can use it to help you if you care how balanced/ Mary Sueish your character is. (I didn't come here to fight about the legitimacy of Mary Sue litmus test so please spare me I'm only making a recommendation.)

Tvtropes also may help you see what others are doing and perhaps give you some ideas. The place is amusing I highly recommend checking it out. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes

Having a combination of characters affect the plot and plot affecting the characters is another bonus in my mind.

This whole thing is very subjective and because of that there is no definite way a making a character round and interesting. Keep in mind this is just what I believe makes a good character.
 
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Darkmagiciangirl

OpInIoNaTeD at <3
Thanks foreign-eyes.

You answered my question on your second quote :)
 

The Divine Emissary

Hell Has Frozen Over
One thing that you need in a character is dimensionality. If he lacks personality, something that distinguishes himself from another individual, then you have a perfectly round character. I would like to quote a passage from this textbook I read titled Perrine's Structure, Sound, and Sense: "Round characters are complex and many-sided; they have the three-dimensional quality of real people." That's what you need to emphasize: the realism of a character. Ash Ketchum is not a real character; you can see right through him and point out his many personality holes. Though no character is perfect - you need to avoid creating Mary-Sues or Gary-Stus, who, too, are flat characters - you need to make a character believable, imperfect, and - above all - real. What I recommend you do is have an interview with your character. How would he or she respond to the questions? What would she do if put into a situation? It definitely makes them more realistic. As the interview continues, get more specific, dig deeper. If you need help, read a few interviews in magazines. It can definitely show you how to probe a person.

Give it a try!
 

The_Boss_Giygas

I. F.E.E.L. G.O.O.D.
When I was in college I took a story telling class and character development was a big if not the biggest thing. A simple exercise they gave us, basically answer a questionare about your characters. Answer these questions and it would help you know your character better. Some may sound dumb, but that's what they gave me, you don't need to answer them all though.

What is their:

Age: Their age may affect how they act to certain things.
Race/ethnicity: Affects how your character may act.
Sexual Orientation: straight, gay, lesbian, bi.
Intelligence: How smart are they typically.
Personality: Are they joyful, cheerful, cheesy, stressful, annoying, etc.

How do they get along with their:

Family:
Friends:
Boss (if any):
Co-workers or fellow students (if any):
Lover boyfriend/girlfriend:
Kids (if any):
Pets:

What is their favorite & why:
Color:
Food:
Place to hang out:
Hobby:
Clothing/outfit style:
Anything else

How would they react to these situations:

Cat stuck on a tree:
Potential Lover wants to kiss or date them:
A Fight against a best friend or loved family member:
A Fight against a hated enemy:
They've been poisoned or sickened by a disease:
They need to buy something they can't afford:
They just saved some one or something from disaster:
They failed at helping some one:
They made a mistake:
They ran into some one famous they liked:
Had to sacrifice themselves for the good of something:
Got cheated out of something:
Got lucky in something:

You can make up more if you want.

How your characters react to each other. Example:

How does character A react to character B: A dislikes B and acts aggressively towards B sometimes mean.
How does character A react to character C: A is secretly in love with C and acts a bit shy around them often stumbling in words when speaking to them.
How does Character C react to character A: Character C is a bit shy around character A and speaks quietly or scarcely to them.
How does Character B react to character C: B is a bit annoyed by C due to their shyness, B is very impatient with C.
How does Character B react to character A: B treats A like a joke and sees them as a joke. B makes fun of A and puts him down a lot.
How does Character C react to character B: C finds B a bit scary and is often frightened or nervous when they talk to B.

Something like this though you can make it more complex.
 
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Darkmagiciangirl

OpInIoNaTeD at <3
Great! Thnx The Boss Giygas!:)

Q - Where can I post my character ideas?
 
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Sireath

The world's a stage
I'm not sure whether or not there is a thread specifically for character ideas. There was a thread in the cafe that used to be for posting fanfic ideas in general, but I think that's turned into the fanfiction idea adoption thread, so probably not what you're looking for.


You've got an awful lot of good advice here (I especially like how the questionnaire The_Boss_Giygas posted had a section on character relationships). I think I can add one helpful hint that I didn't see on here, and that is to focus on knowing your characters' objectives.

Know the one thing that your character wants at their very center (to be loved, to control, to succeed, etc.). Having that in mind will take the characters that you've built and help ensure that the things they are doing are in line with who you've made them.

In addition to a character's overall objective, they have objectives for each scene that they're in. What are they trying to do specifically in the scene? What is in their way? What are the stakes (how important is it that they get their objective)? What tactics are they going to use to get around the things in their way?


Keeping these things in mind should assist you in keeping your characters real and engaging. Hope this helps!

Good Fortune! ;206;
 
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What I recommend you do is have an interview with your character. How would he or she respond to the questions? What would she do if put into a situation? It definitely makes them more realistic. As the interview continues, get more specific, dig deeper. If you need help, read a few interviews in magazines. It can definitely show you how to probe a person.

Give it a try!

I've tried this myself before. It really helps and I highly recomend it to anyone.

Haha I think this thread is teaching me a thing or two as well.
 
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The Divine Emissary

Hell Has Frozen Over
foreign-eyes, I'm flattered. Thank you. I got the advice, actually, from reading a book entitled The Portable MFA in Creative Writing. It's a very nifty little book, rife with exercises and advice to help better your writing and the way you develop character. So if there's anyone to thank, it's that. Also, if you're still stuck on making a believable character, try interacting with your character one-on-one in ways other than an interview. Engage in dialogue. Study it; be the psychiatrist to the client. Explore the character from all possible angles and make him exactly like someone you'd love or hate to make.

If all else fails, try basing your character on someone you know well and tweaking small aspects of his personality and molding him into a more refined individual. Small aspects of an individual can definitely turn into bigger ones. The anonymous quote, "Watch your thoughts: they become words. Watch your words: they become actions. Watch your actions: they become your character. Watch your character: it becomes your destiny." I could be off by a few words here and there, but the message remains the same. Each individual aspect of a person builds up to something greater than the person.

All the best!
 
foreign-eyes, I'm flattered. Thank you. I got the advice, actually, from reading a book entitled The Portable MFA in Creative Writing. It's a very nifty little book, rife with exercises and advice to help better your writing and the way you develop character. So if there's anyone to thank, it's that.

If I have the time I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks <3
 
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