4:40 My characters personalities usually conflict with mine. Being in the same room with any of them for a short period of time would result in my death. Haha
Thats actually a really good sign that youve got a unique individual in front of you. A trap most writers fall into (Ive been guilty of this myself in times past!) is creating a character that is very similar to themselves or their friend group. If you wouldn’t exactly get along with your character then you’re definitely on the road to challenging yourself as a writer which is super healthy! Nicely done!
Some of my characters might need for me to sit them down so I can properly talk to them about where they come from. Unfortunately, they sometimes like to keep their secrets.
This is actually insanely helpful for being a snippet! I found myself screenshotting the important points down that I need to remember for my stories. This is really selling me on buying this book, this is already so helpful! Great job, Tay!
Hey forge, i've been writing a story for 4 years and have been creating characters throughout. I just gotta say that these last two years i've been here, these videos have helped immensely. Can't put everything into words how appreciative i am with the consistancy of these very, i mean VERY, informational pieces. Thank you and keeep up the great work! This goes to other writers and storytellers out there. Anyways, stay safe out there in these crazy times we're living in, and never forget to have fun.
Brookes, the Tay toon is so great! Tay, thanks for coming in front of the camera! This was some of the most cogent and useful story advice I've heard. I hope we get more storyhearth soon!
4:39 Me: “Chester,today I brought you here to talk about.... Well, you!” Chester: “Who are you?!” Me: “I am-“ Chester: ****Throws table at me**** Me: *Not stonks*
I really like this topic! I've save up this video and some of the last video, so I can binge now! (I can also binge the last last video on how to draw bodies, I think.)
I had already made my story and character and I started watching your videos and I found out how to improve my characteristics and origins. I also tried to make it not depressing, and just have Sad and Traumatizing moments, and Happy and Cheery moments.
I’ve just found your channel and I’ve been struggling with character design for so long, so now I’m binge watching all of your character design videos :)
Heck yeah Tay with the good tips 🙌 Thinking of my characters as people helped so much when developing them tbh, asking questions about them is so important
I hate to be that person but- y’all are so cute together. ❤️ And, as always, thank you for such a helpful video! I wouldn’t mind some more ‘guest speakers’~~
I tried to relate my character to me. As a kid he'd be in the middle of everything. He wouldn't be popular, he wouldn't be a smart nerd, or a bully. He'd make small mistakes and make it through things. But still pass his classes well.
very very nice. Good suggestions, all of them! I like this gal, and i wouldn't mind hearing from her again. :) Heh... my problem is I started out with my character basically full comic character who didn't need a backstory. but the more questions people asked, the more I started thinking and creating. And now he is a fully fleshed out character and has just as much backstory as regular story......which...might also be a problem.
my notes for this video fit exactly two pages of notes and it was perfect... then that fourth p appeared... talk about plot twists. ANYWAY great tips!! I've been eyeing that book for a couple of days and if it's filled with tips like these then it's exactly what I need.
When I make characters I give them a personality that reflects their past. Like in my comic I'm making on webtoons I made the mc honorable, easygoing, and cautious since she has a mysterious past that I'm gonna reveal far later, but slowly.
So do what Charles Dickens did in The Man Who Invented Christmas? I was goin say C, especially how it was a draw, the dragon's fire still made casualty, and demand rematch with vengeance.
4:40 mind blown I never thought of this i love that idea Ok so I replaced “wealthy or poor” with “whats a hobby you have” and found out phazmo (one of my characters) likes to make snow sculptures 😁
7:27 I sorta did this with one of my characters but with wolves and dogs. I decided that since he got attacked from wolves, one of his fears was dogs and wolves. He also has a recurring nightmare of him being attacked by wolves, and in the first chapter he was introduced he had that nightmare. Although I feel like maybe it was a bad idea because of how early on I did it
Let me share the origin story of a character that inspired me: “An athlete football player and his potential love interest, are briefly kidnapped by a mad scientist, who built a rocket which launches all 3 of them into space and lands on an alien planet.” In case you’re wondering, this is the origin story of the 1980 movie version of Flash Gordon, but I do think that this could make a good template for the origin story of my protagonist, with a few tweaks and modifications. What do you think?
I have an important question. I really want to get the book, but I don’t know what currency your website uses. Does it change depending on where I am, or does it use a specific one? I just wanna know the exact price before I buy it.
(Put for reference to come back to) 3 Purposes of an Origin Story 1) To tell your audience why they should invest in your character. 2) To explain just how high the stakes are when your character is facing conflict. 3) To explain your character's current fears, flaw, or worldview.
This is gonna be hard, because I want to make a black person in the 1900's.. and I'm white in the 21st century. Don't really know the struggles of a black person during that time, and heck, even now.
Watching this to compare my original series story to it, let’s see how Salt & Pepper does! XD Edit: interview time baby I think i’ll interview the protagonist first. - who were your best friends growing up? I didn’t really have any. I remember a brown tabby who i think lived next door when i was 3 or so but we.. had to leave pretty soon after that. - were you popular, a nerd, a bully, or something else? N/A, doesnt apply bc he never really had any relationships other than with his parents. - did you have a mentor or a hero you looked up to? My dad. My mom always said i looked like him, i was smart like him, strong like him. I always wished i’d met him before he died. - what was home life like? Mom was always a bit fragile after my dad died, but she stayed strong for me. She homeschooled me, i guess so Pepper couldn’t hear about me somewhere and find us. I remember she’d watch kids movies with me. I always wondered why i never got to play with other children like the ones in the movies but i never asked. Maybe deep down i knew, - where do you (or did you) consider a safe place? Under my bed. Most kids think the monsters hide under the bed, but i thought monsters were too big to fit there. - what did you want to be when you grew up? Nothing really, i never thought about it. Alive i guess. - did you grow up rich or poor? Definitely on the poor side after the move.. But we had enough to get by relatively easily. My mother was an editor for novels and stuff, and i remember whenever she got a good book she’d read it to me while she revised it. Pepper time! my poor depressed murder boy - who were your best friends growing up? My parents. And when i moved to the castle, my wife. When we were young she was my first friend. She was also my last. - were you popular, a nerd, a bully, or something else? I was the prince. I never went to the school with other children but I suspect I wouldn’t have liked the attention. - did you have a mentor or a hero you looked up to? My adoptive father, the king. People praised him genuinely even when they believed he wasn’t around. - what was home life like? My parents were just like any family. They decided to homeschool me until 10, but they never made it that far. When the king and queen adopted me, they were doting and almost obsessed. I expect it was the result of them losing their biological son. - where do you (or did you) consider a safe place? My bedroom. And when i couldn’t be there, i had my dolphin. (Note to reader, it’s a plush but he doesn’t want to say that lmao. Grown man, a king, still loves his dolphin plushie) - what did you want to be when you grew up? King. And i am. Before i was adopted, I believe i nursed a desire to become a police dog. - did you grow up wealthy or poor? I assume you mean.. before i became the prince. My parents had enough money to be comfortable, but they weren’t quite rich. Anyways that was pretty fun. I might do it again sometime, who knows?
Question: What if the entire backstory is necessary, for example a guy who is quiet and being an introvert goes along his life, about to start a journey before a raid happens in his village, forcing him to see his life dying by fire and then was forced to retreat to the cliff of a mountain and fell. Then during his journey when he and his companions saw a raid happening in the companion's village, he has flashbacks of it and got scared. Would it be good in terms of stakes and his fears?
Ngl this is interesting because I have many OC's but the mist interesting part about them is the origin stories. Yeah there's the main story they live in but I often find myself thinking of the evil side's point of view such as why they are the way they are... Often I think of an even better story and completely forget about the previous which I like It's why many if mine are from the POV of who we would be against in any other perspective and instead feel attached to the unexpectingly victim of the whole story from before the story even took place who then grew into the "villain" or "monster" we all fear in the main story That's why this video is interesting... Because I have so many amazing stories from my OC's origins... But my aim is to change the POV and get people to see the hidden side of the enemies we once hated and now feel bad for how misunderstood they were
One of my ideas was for a black guy nicknamed Slippy who ends up dying in a car crash with his family. A few years later however Silppy along with his other family mebers are revived as Cyborgs with Purple blood (95& robot 5% human) and discovers that they have strange super powers. Anothet detail is that the person who rebuilt the messed up their skin colors and Painted Slippy Pale white.
Sure, it’s not always needed in a story. However character development always involves the character’s response to change or conflict. And often their response to conflict stems from a personal viewpoint, something that is developed over time. An origin story is simply a great opportunity to showcase where that response comes from. And whether we share it in our story or not is up to us as writers. But it’s good to have it as a reference point when creating a strong story nonetheless.
I actually agree that it isn't necessary to show every characters origin story. However, l would recommend showing a characters motivation and goals or characterizing them by showing their personality and traits to help them feel more real. Though l was thinking that depending on how the story is written sometimes it may be necessary to show parts of their backstory like when Batman adopts Dick Grayson it will be kind of important to show us bits of how he grew up and what inspires him to become Robin.
Mecha Zord Yes agree with many of your points. Also just to be clear, I never did say you must show every character’s origin story. This is more if you DO decide to share a character origin story, what should be considered.
A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Hello there, fellow prequel memer!
Idk why but I read it backwards and it sounds like a poem.
4:40
My characters personalities usually conflict with mine. Being in the same room with any of them for a short period of time would result in my death. Haha
😂
I can relate
Oh! Fortunately, mine just tease me continuously.
Thats actually a really good sign that youve got a unique individual in front of you. A trap most writers fall into (Ive been guilty of this myself in times past!) is creating a character that is very similar to themselves or their friend group. If you wouldn’t exactly get along with your character then you’re definitely on the road to challenging yourself as a writer which is super healthy! Nicely done!
It's difficult to create characters that don't share a personality of your own. At least not convincing ones. How do you do it?
That pizza analogy tho 👌🏽
10/10 I’m so pumped to see more writing/development aspects being covered on this channel!
Some of my characters might need for me to sit them down so I can properly talk to them about where they come from. Unfortunately, they sometimes like to keep their secrets.
why do you always upload on the topic i’m struggling with ? it’s like you’re a psychic lmao
Hold up, this Thursday Tay upload thing (ThursTay if you will) is continuing?
"A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."
Definitely am gonna need to watch this so my characters’ origin stories don’t sound and look bland
Who was that guy at the beginning? I don't remember him.
you mean brookles?
@@Roule_n_Scratche Yeah, that's the guy.
@@a.j.morrow5533 Wut
He’s the guy who did my stage make up
Taylor Eggleston dang, what a man
This is actually insanely helpful for being a snippet! I found myself screenshotting the important points down that I need to remember for my stories.
This is really selling me on buying this book, this is already so helpful! Great job, Tay!
Thank you so much!
Perfect fit and addition to this channel! Double the expertise, double the eye candy 😁
Hey forge, i've been writing a story for 4 years and have been creating characters throughout. I just gotta say that these last two years i've been here, these videos have helped immensely. Can't put everything into words how appreciative i am with the consistancy of these very, i mean VERY, informational pieces. Thank you and keeep up the great work! This goes to other writers and storytellers out there. Anyways, stay safe out there in these crazy times we're living in, and never forget to have fun.
Thank you so much, your words mean a lot! Keep creating great characters!
@@tayloreggleston9360 Ma man!!!
Brookes, the Tay toon is so great!
Tay, thanks for coming in front of the camera! This was some of the most cogent and useful story advice I've heard. I hope we get more storyhearth soon!
Aw thank you so much! Im all aflutter with the support!
This was well put together and very informative. Awesome job Tay.
Thank you ! 😄
Origin story? More like BACKSTORY! (I'm referencing the story salad...)
Thanks for this Tay! Ah I love her. You two are a storytelling power couple, hey.
Aw thank you so much!
Taylor Eggleston you’re so welcome! This is a great video. Thanks for sharing.
“You provide the food; I’ll provide the perspective”
Ah yes
Well, I’m sold. Just pre-ordered, and looking forward to the next video!
You're the best! Hope you enjoy it!
Thank you so much!
It’s good placement to have mentioned her a couple times and get us curious about her before having her do her own video
4:39
Me: “Chester,today I brought you here to talk about.... Well, you!”
Chester: “Who are you?!”
Me: “I am-“
Chester: ****Throws table at me****
Me: *Not stonks*
I really like this topic! I've save up this video and some of the last video, so I can binge now! (I can also binge the last last video on how to draw bodies, I think.)
Your channel is SO UNDERRATED!! Thank you for always providing excellent information
Tay this turned out great and is really helpful! Thanks, its great to see you spreading some writing tips on the channel.
Thank you so much!
I had already made my story and character and I started watching your videos and I found out how to improve my characteristics and origins. I also tried to make it not depressing, and just have Sad and Traumatizing moments, and Happy and Cheery moments.
Absolutely amazing tips this video!
I’ve just found your channel and I’ve been struggling with character design for so long, so now I’m binge watching all of your character design videos :)
Maybe Tay should go out more often and teach this to us🤣
Love this Brookes!! YAY, TAY THURSDAY!!!
Thanks girl!!😘
These are probably the best tips I've heard about the subject. Thank you sm!
You're so welcome!
Heck yeah Tay with the good tips 🙌
Thinking of my characters as people helped so much when developing them tbh, asking questions about them is so important
I hate to be that person but- y’all are so cute together. ❤️
And, as always, thank you for such a helpful video! I wouldn’t mind some more ‘guest speakers’~~
Aw thank you so much!
This is very helpful. Thank you!
This is a great video and now it looks like I'm going to need to sit down and talk to a lot of my characters😅
Well.. time to think about my characters' origin stories again...
I tried to relate my character to me. As a kid he'd be in the middle of everything. He wouldn't be popular, he wouldn't be a smart nerd, or a bully. He'd make small mistakes and make it through things. But still pass his classes well.
Another great video! I'm also very interested in that Character Design Book. :O
Character Forge, Story Hearth............. World Anvil?
I needed this, thank you!
Helpful
Very well done. These are very helpful.
This!! Is! So! GOOD!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
very very nice. Good suggestions, all of them! I like this gal, and i wouldn't mind hearing from her again. :) Heh... my problem is I started out with my character basically full comic character who didn't need a backstory. but the more questions people asked, the more I started thinking and creating. And now he is a fully fleshed out character and has just as much backstory as regular story......which...might also be a problem.
my notes for this video fit exactly two pages of notes and it was perfect... then that fourth p appeared... talk about plot twists.
ANYWAY great tips!! I've been eyeing that book for a couple of days and if it's filled with tips like these then it's exactly what I need.
When I make characters I give them a personality that reflects their past. Like in my comic I'm making on webtoons I made the mc honorable, easygoing, and cautious since she has a mysterious past that I'm gonna reveal far later, but slowly.
Sounds interesting! What is the name of your webtoon so I could read it?
So do what Charles Dickens did in The Man Who Invented Christmas?
I was goin say C, especially how it was a draw, the dragon's fire still made casualty, and demand rematch with vengeance.
These videos were great! I hope Tay makes more videos in the future :o
...perhaps I'm biased because I'm more writer than illustrator...
Underrated
Great video but even greater heroes crossing shirt!
Next Thursday!! @o@
Good news everybody, new video!
4:40 mind blown I never thought of this i love that idea
Ok so I replaced “wealthy or poor” with “whats a hobby you have” and found out phazmo (one of my characters) likes to make snow sculptures 😁
Super helpful thank you!
awesome video!
7:27 I sorta did this with one of my characters but with wolves and dogs. I decided that since he got attacked from wolves, one of his fears was dogs and wolves. He also has a recurring nightmare of him being attacked by wolves, and in the first chapter he was introduced he had that nightmare. Although I feel like maybe it was a bad idea because of how early on I did it
Will there be a digital version of your book?
Yep! It's only available digitally, with no current plans for a physical version
@@CharacterDesignForge Ok, thank you.
Man...this would reaaaaally help my fanfiction i almost made a stereotypical backstory
First 30 sec. Hooked me exactly.
this was nice
I like this.
Another problem I see is when the backstory drags on for so long that you ask yourself, 'why isn't this the actual story instead?🤔'
3:17 so he must allow a killer clown to murder countless parents so that their orphaned children can feel the pain XP
Let me share the origin story of a character that inspired me:
“An athlete football player and his potential love interest, are briefly kidnapped by a mad scientist, who built a rocket which launches all 3 of them into space and lands on an alien planet.”
In case you’re wondering, this is the origin story of the 1980 movie version of Flash Gordon, but I do think that this could make a good template for the origin story of my protagonist, with a few tweaks and modifications.
What do you think?
I have an important question. I really want to get the book, but I don’t know what currency your website uses. Does it change depending on where I am, or does it use a specific one? I just wanna know the exact price before I buy it.
For sure! The book price is in $, US Dollars
@@CharacterDesignForge Thank you!
I just noticed that her shirt has Animal Crossing and Legend of Zelda. *Where. can i buy. this shirt?*
iS THAT RAVIOLI ON HER SHIRT
RAVIOLI THE MEAN BIRD MAN???
Hehe aw sorry but that was a Yetee shirt last year!
Last time I was so early, I couldn’t draw a circle. *I still can’t properly*
What if my character doesn’t know who they are?
(Put for reference to come back to)
3 Purposes of an Origin Story
1) To tell your audience why they should invest in your character.
2) To explain just how high the stakes are when your character is facing conflict.
3) To explain your character's current fears, flaw, or worldview.
Can we all just be honest for a second and admit that Dr Heinz doofenshmirtz has the best backstory and the one we care the most about
Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well.
12:09 Wait a minute where did the new guy go what is he up to now
😂 long story involving 4K and 1080p versions of the outro
the origin stories of my characters are barely origin stories- they're hard to separate from the actual plot.
Huh. I guess I’m the 10,000th view!
Great video, but I mostly just want to know where I can get that "Heroes Crossing" tee shirt.
This is gonna be hard, because I want to make a black person in the 1900's.. and I'm white in the 21st century. Don't really know the struggles of a black person during that time, and heck, even now.
"5 hours ago"
Watching this to compare my original series story to it, let’s see how Salt & Pepper does! XD
Edit: interview time baby
I think i’ll interview the protagonist first.
- who were your best friends growing up?
I didn’t really have any. I remember a brown tabby who i think lived next door when i was 3 or so but we.. had to leave pretty soon after that.
- were you popular, a nerd, a bully, or something else?
N/A, doesnt apply bc he never really had any relationships other than with his parents.
- did you have a mentor or a hero you looked up to?
My dad. My mom always said i looked like him, i was smart like him, strong like him. I always wished i’d met him before he died.
- what was home life like?
Mom was always a bit fragile after my dad died, but she stayed strong for me. She homeschooled me, i guess so Pepper couldn’t hear about me somewhere and find us. I remember she’d watch kids movies with me. I always wondered why i never got to play with other children like the ones in the movies but i never asked. Maybe deep down i knew,
- where do you (or did you) consider a safe place?
Under my bed. Most kids think the monsters hide under the bed, but i thought monsters were too big to fit there.
- what did you want to be when you grew up?
Nothing really, i never thought about it. Alive i guess.
- did you grow up rich or poor?
Definitely on the poor side after the move.. But we had enough to get by relatively easily. My mother was an editor for novels and stuff, and i remember whenever she got a good book she’d read it to me while she revised it.
Pepper time! my poor depressed murder boy
- who were your best friends growing up?
My parents. And when i moved to the castle, my wife. When we were young she was my first friend. She was also my last.
- were you popular, a nerd, a bully, or something else?
I was the prince. I never went to the school with other children but I suspect I wouldn’t have liked the attention.
- did you have a mentor or a hero you looked up to?
My adoptive father, the king. People praised him genuinely even when they believed he wasn’t around.
- what was home life like?
My parents were just like any family. They decided to homeschool me until 10, but they never made it that far. When the king and queen adopted me, they were doting and almost obsessed. I expect it was the result of them losing their biological son.
- where do you (or did you) consider a safe place?
My bedroom. And when i couldn’t be there, i had my dolphin. (Note to reader, it’s a plush but he doesn’t want to say that lmao. Grown man, a king, still loves his dolphin plushie)
- what did you want to be when you grew up?
King. And i am. Before i was adopted, I believe i nursed a desire to become a police dog.
- did you grow up wealthy or poor?
I assume you mean.. before i became the prince. My parents had enough money to be comfortable, but they weren’t quite rich.
Anyways that was pretty fun. I might do it again sometime, who knows?
Question:
What if the entire backstory is necessary, for example a guy who is quiet and being an introvert goes along his life, about to start a journey before a raid happens in his village, forcing him to see his life dying by fire and then was forced to retreat to the cliff of a mountain and fell. Then during his journey when he and his companions saw a raid happening in the companion's village, he has flashbacks of it and got scared.
Would it be good in terms of stakes and his fears?
Ngl this is interesting because I have many OC's but the mist interesting part about them is the origin stories.
Yeah there's the main story they live in but I often find myself thinking of the evil side's point of view such as why they are the way they are...
Often I think of an even better story and completely forget about the previous which I like
It's why many if mine are from the POV of who we would be against in any other perspective and instead feel attached to the unexpectingly victim of the whole story from before the story even took place who then grew into the "villain" or "monster" we all fear in the main story
That's why this video is interesting...
Because I have so many amazing stories from my OC's origins...
But my aim is to change the POV and get people to see the hidden side of the enemies we once hated and now feel bad for how misunderstood they were
One of my ideas was for a black guy nicknamed Slippy who ends up dying in a car crash with his family. A few years later however Silppy along with his other family mebers are revived as Cyborgs with Purple blood (95& robot 5% human) and discovers that they have strange super powers. Anothet detail is that the person who rebuilt the messed up their skin colors and Painted Slippy Pale white.
Hi, just wanted to say that an origin story isn't necessary, case in point : the Joker, Hisoka or Kuroro
Sure, it’s not always needed in a story. However character development always involves the character’s response to change or conflict. And often their response to conflict stems from a personal viewpoint, something that is developed over time. An origin story is simply a great opportunity to showcase where that response comes from. And whether we share it in our story or not is up to us as writers. But it’s good to have it as a reference point when creating a strong story nonetheless.
@@tayloreggleston9360 ok, thx 4 responding... not everyone would've done the same
I actually agree that it isn't necessary to show every characters origin story. However, l would recommend showing a characters motivation and goals or characterizing them by showing their personality and traits to help them feel more real. Though l was thinking that depending on how the story is written sometimes it may be necessary to show parts of their backstory like when Batman adopts Dick Grayson it will be kind of important to show us bits of how he grew up and what inspires him to become Robin.
Mecha Zord Yes agree with many of your points. Also just to be clear, I never did say you must show every character’s origin story. This is more if you DO decide to share a character origin story, what should be considered.
Perfect, I'm trying to figure this out for my Khajiit character!
Jesus loves you :)
@@zondwhomlovesjesus8444 Thank you, I needed that reminder right now 😊
*Am... Am I uncreative for not making a whole story and just making one character with a backstory?*