Tuesday's Panel ~ WFF Beach Bash ~ Character Development

Gooooooooood evening, and welcome to the late night edition of Tuesday News. I'm your host, Tuesday, and-

Wait, this isn't the news? It's a panel for character development questions?

Well!

I'm still Tuesday and I'm still here, so let's do this! Ask me any questions you like about character development, and I'll do everything in my power to answer them. You can ask about general tips, specific examples, etc., etc., as much as you like, and this will officially run until the 21st.

Fire away!

EDIT: You can tell I'm being serious. This post even has capital letters. Astounding!

BACK TO THE BASICS, OFF WE GO

but really, a great question, because you can't do the rest of your character building unless you have a character to begin with. personally, i have a couple different approaches.

approach a: my god, i wish i was writing this show instead
this approach is the one that actually spawns some of my favorite characters. typically, when watching a show, at some point, i'll think "how cool would it be to write this! how cool would it be to have a character in this universe!" or, if the show is wearing me out, i think, "how cool would it be to fire the writers and take matters into my own hands!" either way, i start by getting excited about a show (or a book), and create a character who could fit seamlessly into the world. i've made up characters for a whole host of shows, books, and games, like doctor who, voltron, pokemon, korra, and so on. of course, that's all well and good for fic, but i inevitably want to give these characters their own original life. as a result, they get plucked from their universe of origin and slapped down into whatever project i may be working on. a prime example of this is actually stonetail, from how the mighty fall. my darling protagonist was brought to life after being peeled from her original universe as a young metalbender thief from the korra universe. the transition required a name change, a new appearance description, etc, and because of the htmf plot and its other characters, she wasn't exactly the same as a cat, but her start came from. well. fanfic. just the unwritten kind.


approach b: this character is my son/daughter/adopted child in some manner or another
the approach in which i shamelessly adore a canon character and consider their key traits before slapping them on my own character. use with caution. do not outright steal someone's character, EVER. very basic similarities are fine as long as their overall character and plot arcs are not the same. the trick is to choose the traits (flaws and positives alike) that make you love a character, place them on a character in your project, and then let the project shape them further. by this, i mean let the circumstances of the plot and the influence of other characters mold your character into something unique. coal, clay, and greystar from htmf all fall under this category in their basic traits (inspired by mako, bolin, and lin beifong from korra, in that order), and the plot and supporting cast of htmf have made them ultimately very different.


approach c: what a nice trope, i like that trope
in which i like a certain archetype and use it. the bad boy. the class clown. the mean old lady across the street. these are the bare bones framework for characters that can give you something to start with. usually, i use this in stories where i know i need a certain sort of personality to fuel to plot. is this a story good for a vibrant young character? maybe start with a troublemaker and have them mature with time. sorrelpaw from sentinel is one of these characters, since she started off as the vague sense of young trouble, and i built on her to add insecurity, curiosity, and other traits that make her more than a cookie cutter character, no difference than any other young troublemaker. always use this method as a framework and not a finished product.

approach d: you would not believe this really cool superpower/plot point/very specific thing
sometimes, i design a character around a superpower they have, or a plot point i know i want! give a character control over fire, but then what? then think about their relationship to their powers, or that key plot point you want to put them through. do they embrace it? fear it? have a willingness to explore it? and so on. very exploratory, and typically doesn't yield finished results until a plot is in place as well.


approach e: i have spent eighteen hours researching pirate ships and do not have a plot
for those times when you have all your worldbuilding beautiful and lined up, but you haven't got a clue what to do with it. populate that world with characters that follow the parameters it exists within! typically good for minor characters (had to fill that pirate ship with a crew somehow!), but may be good for major characters, especially if something about the major characters challenges the laws of the land. not necessarily the literal laws, mind you, but maybe they have magic in a world that hasn't seen magic for years, or something like that. using this method for main characters usually goes hand in hand with the incident that sets off your plot.


approach f: none of us know what we're doing
when you spend all day fiddling with name generators, skill generators, and other generators, usually intending to find something perfect for another character. then, you spot something amazing. and it doesn't suit the character you were using these generators for, so you make a totally new character so the idea doesn't go to waste. totally haphazard, but actually a very good time. highly recommended for funsies, and it regularly produces characters you may sit on for months before starting a new project and shouting "this is it! this is where they belong!"


those seem to be my favorite ways to jumpstart the creation process! full creation always works in tandem with your plot and setting and other characters, but these are my favorite ways of just getting started.

Alrighty!
I should just bookmark everything in the WFF and save my time of searching out all the good topics because they are all good. ;-;

Tuesday! Tuesday! (this is very fun to chant, maybe I should try it out loud sometime)

What do you find developes a character in your mind the most? In your opinion, does 1st, 2nd, 3rd ect. POVs have different effects when you are trying to further a character's development? By actions or by words? For example, does hearing about how a character feels about something or seeing how they deal with something have more impact?

dingo - that unwritten fanfiction is a killer. it'll get ya when you least expect it.

and oof, do i relate! sometimes, you end up with more characters than settings to put them in, and then you have to gently stuff them into storage and promise to take them out one day, but you're sweating the whole time, going "oh no what if i can't fit them in"

mint - i heard if you say tuesday three times fast in front of a mirror, she shows up and tells you to go write.

but in all serious, your questions!

what develops a character the most
there's only so much you can do in the planning stage, and i think sitting down and actually writing a character's scenes is going to ultimately give you the best, clearest idea of who your character is. you have to commit and actually write about them. before that stage, though, i find that it's helpful to consider their desires, their fears, their likes/dislikes, and of course, their hogwarts house. a classic tool, that sorting hat. but if you're not a harry potter person, any other type of fiction you enjoy that sorts characters into groups based on personality is great for early development! it helps you get a sense of where their moral compass points, and what kinds of personality traits are important to them both to see in others and to display themselves.

does a different pov affect development?
YES. A THOUSAND TIMES OVER, YES. granted, you should know your character well enough that you can write them in any pov. however, the pov you choose will affect how your audience views their development. a first person narrator is always telling their own story, and might be biased. they're in their own head a lot, and their feelings, especially towards immediate events, take precedence over a lot of other things, like setting description and other things. they may also be unreliable in showing how other characters are. a first person narrator may be biased towards another character, worshiping them or hating them or what have you, and it affects how the reader perceives that other character. meanwhile, a third person narrator may do the same thing, but with somewhat less bias because third person doesn't get immediately inside a character's head at all times. third person affords a bit of a bird's eye view so the reader can see a little bit beyond the main character's personal feelings toward others, and can also see where the main character is making mistakes or growing in ways they wouldn't directly acknowledge.\

second person, however, is probably not the best for character development since it usually has its applications in short works only. it's very difficult to do second person at length, and because the reader is expected to step into the shoes of "you," overdeveloping a second person character may turn readers away as they find the main character more and more difficult to relate to. second person really is just good for short work that lets the reader feel deeply involved.

are actions or words more helpful?
use both. writing is all about finding balance and this is no exception, not at all. words are good when you have little emotions to mention and bigger problems to focus on, and in dialogue, if one character is trying to express themselves to another. they're also good when one character is describing another, especially their perceptions of a character they're meeting for the first time (ex: "he seems cocky, like he has nothing to lose. already, i don't like him."). on the other hand, when the feeling is the key point (especially during those scenes where emotions are running high), action is hugely important. a character close to your main character dies. do they mourn loudly, with lots of crying, or in almost complete silence? do they close themselves off from others or seek support? does the death paralyze them into inaction, or does it spur them? putting your characters in stressful situations and paying attention to their actions in response to those situations is a good way to learn about who your character is at the core, when they have no extra time to put on a mask for anyone. i'm very fond of using actions for development.

it may seem weird, but it's very helpful!

and remember. not all slytherins are evil, and not all gryffindors are good.