Order Of The Magic Scroll : Forum : How do you create characters?


How do you create characters?

16 Years Ago


What is the process you go through in creating your unique characters?

[no subject]

16 Years Ago


Personally I like to start with a personality and then form everything else around it. This isn’t a recommended approach but I like to form my character’s personalities after people I know in daily life…it makes the entire character more realistic to me if I have someone to base him/her off of. My main character, biased or not, is based off my own personality…its easier to relate a main character’s emotions and disciplines if I already know my own. After I decide who a character is relating after I decide what kind of character that person would be. What kind of character that person would be if they were in a fantasy world is what I ask myself usually. Then when I establish that I then establish the race. Once the race is established I can start visualizing the character and creating its physical profile. The last step and one of the most entertaining in my opinion is creating the character’s flaws and/or abnormalities. The things that make the character different from every other character in creation is like taking an image from blurred to focus. Well that’s pretty much the nitty gritty details on how I create characters. Hope you all enjoy!

[no subject]

16 Years Ago


How to create characters? I usually have a pretty vivid image in my head about a type of person... and in my case, the characters usually make the story. I don't like to say that I make my characters DO anything, but they tend to act within that personality which defined them in the first place. Not sure if that was much help... I don't actively think up characters. They just happen.

[no subject]

16 Years Ago


Let me see, I'm very similar to Zoejane.  I come up with a concept which include sex and appearance, maybe a name.  This concept as basic traits in mind and then I get a feel for the present day personae, IE are they married, children, schooling, job.

Then the story developes around them, and as they come to life the story writes itself.  I like to say I don't write my characters, they write the story.  My plot and outline for any tale are very general, point A (Start) Point B (Catalystic event) Point C (Story driven event) and Point D (Conclusion)....The characters fill in the blanks...Sometimes my thoughts of the tale are one thing, the out come is another.

Take Tiffany in my tale When Hell Freezes, she was to be a nobody, dies early by the hand of her demonic father, but hell no, she came alive on the page, her personality lit up and she took control, now she's a major character and some one I can use again and again.

Scary huh....

[no subject]

16 Years Ago


Creating characters comes in two stages for me.  First, I have a clear physical picture of them with a few characteristics.  Then they write themselves.  I usually start by sticking them in an unusual situation and see how they cope.  That will determine their personality for the rest of the story.

[no subject]

15 Years Ago


Personally, when I create a new character, I look at the people around me.  I take their personalities, such as outgoing or secretive, and I mix them up and set them aside for my characters.  I also take color combonations for my characters.

An example would be Daedra Smith, from my fantasy Mourntyde.  I loved the combonation of black hair and green eyes, so I used that for her.  I also took the outgoing personalities and the more serious personalities from around me, and mushed them into her.

When it comes to names, I have a small, pocket composition notebook that I carry around with me.  Whenever I hear a cool sounding name, or if I end up looking at an interesting Latin word, then I will write it down for later.  Then, whenever I need a name, I'll take a peek inside, and have a cool name for any character.