One of my favorite ways to learn more about a character is to take the troublesome character and place them in a situation that they would never willingly be in. I had a similar character (all rules and responsibilities) that was not easy to write, so I wrote out scenes that had nothing to do with the story but allowed me to play with how he would react, which in turn helped me explore why he reacted that way. One scene - he had to unexpectedly babysit his best friend’s toddler daughter who is obsessed with unicorns, is great at getting into trouble, and refuses to nap. Another was to have him sit down with this elderly woman who wanted to hire him to kill the mailman who she believed was actually a vampire but in reality was an overworked new father. They are ridiculous, fun ways to explore the deeper values and beliefs that drive a character to act and think how they do.
Relationships are so important to characters. It's why I can rarely read romance. The heroine is completly isolated. Yeah, she sometimes has a Token best friend (tm) but is either secretly jealous, bitter or demeaning or the friend could just be a potted plant that spews encouragement and it wouldn't make a difference...
This is a really good point, and as a wanna be new writer I am now going to go back over my romance series and make sure they have strong friend bonds etc before I dream of publishing! Thank you.
Yes, I feel like having those real friends and family fixes SO many problems with a lackluster book. The friendships kept me going with the Broken Queen when the romance wasn't clicking yet.
I love this discussion. I have been reading more lately than I usually do, and it's got me thinking about characters. I enjoyed characters in one recent book I read quite a bit, but this current book I'm reading, though, is pretty much full of characters I hate. Maybe hate is better than just flat and boring, but unfortunately, I find the book boring, too, so it made me wonder if it was the characters, the plot, or both...lol
Yes, and there is also the Cursed Soul trilogy if you didn't know, which gives you Sorla's background as well as Velsa and Grau's story. I really need to get a lil' website up with all of this. It's on my to-do list but oh man, that to-do list never seems to get knocked down.
Fixing a character by adding another character is so interesting! Seems hard to feel out a whole missing character (and not have them then also have the blah character problem) but I'm gonna give it a go. I usually do completely the opposite and see if there's another character I could merge into the blah one.
In my experience one character being blah has no bearing on the next character...like, the next character has just as good of a chance of being really interesting! If the whole crew is blah, then...maybe time to leave that manuscript in the folder. (But this might just be me.)
It's funny that I read the Sweat and Soap manga with a sweaty MC shortly after I wrote the anecdote about Tashaya's sweaty mom. It's like...reverse inspiration
Great tips, definitely coming back to this video multiple times for these exercises. I picked up some Magic Mind bc of you! It does have a bit of caffeine in it (55mg -- about as much as a cup of black tea) from the matcha powder. Lots of different mushrooms in it, too! I keep a careful health journal, so i will see how it helps me out! I was a little disappointed it comes in plastic and not glass -- I've been reducing my plastic consumption. If anything, maybe i can reverse engineer it by eating a lot of mushrooms and ashgawanda supplements 😆
Yes, I should note, it does have a little caffeine if that bothers anyone watching, but in my case, caffeine does nothing discernable at lower levels, but it makes me feel like I'm about to have a heart attack if I drink an espresso...so I definitely think it's the combination of all the things working for me. I also wish it came in glass or honestly just one bottle for a month's supply, and I could pour my own shots to save materials. But if you like it, suggest it to them! I will too! I'm glad the video was helpful too!
I just don't have the bandwidth or the storage space to sell directly at the moment. I seriously don't know how some of these authors do all the things! I appreciate the thought, though!
I know you may not be as big as some other creators, but please don't tell the internet where you live! Especially since it's such a small town it would be easy to find you. You don't know what nasty people are out there... you may get bigger in the future and all it takes is one nutjob to ruin your life.
One of my favorite ways to learn more about a character is to take the troublesome character and place them in a situation that they would never willingly be in. I had a similar character (all rules and responsibilities) that was not easy to write, so I wrote out scenes that had nothing to do with the story but allowed me to play with how he would react, which in turn helped me explore why he reacted that way. One scene - he had to unexpectedly babysit his best friend’s toddler daughter who is obsessed with unicorns, is great at getting into trouble, and refuses to nap. Another was to have him sit down with this elderly woman who wanted to hire him to kill the mailman who she believed was actually a vampire but in reality was an overworked new father. They are ridiculous, fun ways to explore the deeper values and beliefs that drive a character to act and think how they do.
Great idea! Artists also use this technique when making comics/storyboards as well 😊
This is an excellent tip and also sounds like a really fun method! You might even be able to use these as bonus shorts for a mailing list etc.
I like the way you think. The old woman trying to hire a hitman to take out the mailman, whom she believes to be a vampire? I love it!
I love this so much!! Great tip!
"That character that says things that are just smarter than you are capable of thinking" ❤ best author quote!
Going into a character's childhood always helps me see who they really are, even if little of it actually ends up in the finished work. Great video!
I second this. Writing childhood scenes really helps me get to know my characters.
Relationships are so important to characters. It's why I can rarely read romance. The heroine is completly isolated. Yeah, she sometimes has a Token best friend (tm) but is either secretly jealous, bitter or demeaning or the friend could just be a potted plant that spews encouragement and it wouldn't make a difference...
This is a really good point, and as a wanna be new writer I am now going to go back over my romance series and make sure they have strong friend bonds etc before I dream of publishing! Thank you.
Yes, I feel like having those real friends and family fixes SO many problems with a lackluster book. The friendships kept me going with the Broken Queen when the romance wasn't clicking yet.
A potted plant that spews encouragement, you say? 🤔Don't give me ideas! 🤪😂
My characters almost always take on a life of their own -- sometimes to the detriment of the plot haha. They are such an important part of the story.
@@ComedorDelrico No I have the Feed Me song from little shop of Horrors in my ear ...
I love this discussion. I have been reading more lately than I usually do, and it's got me thinking about characters. I enjoyed characters in one recent book I read quite a bit, but this current book I'm reading, though, is pretty much full of characters I hate. Maybe hate is better than just flat and boring, but unfortunately, I find the book boring, too, so it made me wonder if it was the characters, the plot, or both...lol
this video made me so excited to read the Broken Queen!! I loved Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy, I didn't realize they were set in the same universe.
Yes, and there is also the Cursed Soul trilogy if you didn't know, which gives you Sorla's background as well as Velsa and Grau's story. I really need to get a lil' website up with all of this. It's on my to-do list but oh man, that to-do list never seems to get knocked down.
I liked all these ideas and your example from your own story. And nice cat bonus at the end. 🐈🐈⬛
Fixing a character by adding another character is so interesting! Seems hard to feel out a whole missing character (and not have them then also have the blah character problem) but I'm gonna give it a go. I usually do completely the opposite and see if there's another character I could merge into the blah one.
In my experience one character being blah has no bearing on the next character...like, the next character has just as good of a chance of being really interesting! If the whole crew is blah, then...maybe time to leave that manuscript in the folder. (But this might just be me.)
Thank you so much, I'm eternally grateful for sharing your wisdom and experience!!
A sweaty fun woman sounds like a lot of fun. 😂 it’s good to see you.
It's funny that I read the Sweat and Soap manga with a sweaty MC shortly after I wrote the anecdote about Tashaya's sweaty mom. It's like...reverse inspiration
Thank you for the information.
Arthur Dent has joined the chat.
Great tips, definitely coming back to this video multiple times for these exercises.
I picked up some Magic Mind bc of you! It does have a bit of caffeine in it (55mg -- about as much as a cup of black tea) from the matcha powder. Lots of different mushrooms in it, too!
I keep a careful health journal, so i will see how it helps me out! I was a little disappointed it comes in plastic and not glass -- I've been reducing my plastic consumption. If anything, maybe i can reverse engineer it by eating a lot of mushrooms and ashgawanda supplements 😆
Yes, I should note, it does have a little caffeine if that bothers anyone watching, but in my case, caffeine does nothing discernable at lower levels, but it makes me feel like I'm about to have a heart attack if I drink an espresso...so I definitely think it's the combination of all the things working for me. I also wish it came in glass or honestly just one bottle for a month's supply, and I could pour my own shots to save materials. But if you like it, suggest it to them! I will too!
I'm glad the video was helpful too!
Question, is there anywhere for us to buy books from you directly? I want paperbacks but I'd rather my money went straight to you
I just don't have the bandwidth or the storage space to sell directly at the moment. I seriously don't know how some of these authors do all the things! I appreciate the thought, though!
I know you may not be as big as some other creators, but please don't tell the internet where you live! Especially since it's such a small town it would be easy to find you. You don't know what nasty people are out there... you may get bigger in the future and all it takes is one nutjob to ruin your life.