Throwing this thread up again.
What is it for? WELL. I think it'd be a good idea for the writers of Charms to be able to collaborate and talk with each other. Sharing experiences and sharing skills with less experienced writers.
Also I will be putting up some good guidelines for new writers to follow to help them along in their literary journeys; since I am the best writer in Charms |D *coughs* Hardly >_> But I'll go as far as to say that I'm fairly decent. xP And of course tips from other writers are certainly welcome, and will be added into this main post if deemed needed.
The Charms' Crash Course Guide for a Good Fic:
1. Your plot.
Plot, plot, plot. It is the most essential part of any story, for without a good plot, how is it to attract any attention?
Plots can be fun things at first. You get a burst of inspiration and you go all @_____________@ and start writing. You're excited, you're pumped. It's sometimes all you can think about and you're twitchy whenever you're not doing something related to writing. You're posting, waiting impatiently for those replies. Getting all happy inside over the good comments and sorta meh-I'll-work-on-it over the critical ones, or pull a flat out, "Screw you, skank-bag." in your head as you read it.
Anyway, you go good like this for a while, furthering your story around. Some of the initial excitement goes down and you think about your fic in a leisurely manner. And slooooooowly it declines until you're looking at it like =| The passion's been hideously murdered and you suddenly think your story's a piece of reeking dinosaur-cack. And then you abandon it, hide it under a rug, and feel bad thinking you're no good a writer.
Well guess what? You're right! =D Wait... oops. >->;
...
NO.
YOU WERE WRONG.
Plots are the hardest thing to get straight. Most of the time we get the vision of some superspecialawesome ending and then a beginning as your launch pad. Sadly, we usually lack what it takes to bring us from point A, the start, to point B, the end. We're missing the middle.
See plots, take some careful planning usually. You can't just rush off writing as soon as you get an idea. You'll be so busy running full speed, looking at the horizon, that you won't see what you have to go through to even get there. So you will trip, fall on your face, roll over a cliff, into a river, over a waterfall, wash-up on some god-forsaken piece of rocky land, and have head bashed open by some kid with a rock and your brainz consumed by some unattractive and smelly beast while your body is slowly being eaten by some nasty lake-creature and you drown. And then you die. Yes you frickin' die. And it was all your fault because you're such an obscene failure. Gods. >>
...
You can avoid this by planning. =D Sitting down and going, "Ok, I can has an idea, but I need to know how I'm going to get there." You can do this aaaanyway you want, writing out an outline, doing something visual, ect. Know your story before you write it and the hard part's over. Sorta. Also, know the world in which your world is set too. Know as much as you can about it. From the major things to really silly things. And know your characters. Know what they look like, know how they act, know their pasts, their skills, ect. I sometimes do this by setting up little profiles for my characters.
Name
Age
Sex
Height
Weight
Personality
History
ect...
Anyway. Like I said. Know your story before you rush off like headless chicken. Outlines. Charts. Whatever works.
2. Your writing.
K. How you write makes or breaks your story.
Even if you have the most amazing plot ever conceived, if u type liek this whith crapy spelign and no grammer ur fic wil never be raed. Srsly. No one will pay any attention to it, and God will hate you. =)
PLEASE. Please
OH GODS, PLEASE... Write in English. D: Spell words correctly, know what a sentence is, use commas, use periods/dots/points/whateveryouwanttocallthem.
NOTE: While spelling is awesome, don't think that you can't use slang in character dialogue or narration, since how a person talks can very much bring them alive.
ALSO NOTE: Typos are fine. Don't freak out over them. You could spell check and proof read your chapters twice before posting and there will still most likely be a typo or two somewhere. Don't fret. They'll usually be pointed out to you by your readers, and know everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure you've seen books with typos in them. So chill. (Is sure he'll find plenty in this big-arse post for months to come)
Use paragraphs. Because if you type without making any paragraphs at all, your readers will be sitting looking at an ungodly wall of text, and will click the Back button before they even see the first word. And they will write mean things about you. =( Or I will, anyway.
Now paragraphs can be funny things, and it can be confusing to know when you should start a new one.
One thing you should always do is make a new paragraph whenever a different person starts speaking.
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Bob asked. "Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Bobbette replied.
No.
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Bob asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Bobbette replied.
Yes. Because, if you keep doing that in the same paragraph, it can get VERY confusing as to who is saying what. Now, real professional paragraphing looks like this:
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Bob asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Bobbette replied.
Professionally, there are only spaces between paragraphs when a length of time has passed, and new paragraphs are indented to mark the start of a new one. However, on this forum we space each paragraph and typically mark a passage of time with an extra hit of the Enter key or a line.
-------
I use seven dashes to mark a passage of time in my stories. But other people do ~*~*~*~ or _____________, ect... whatever works.
As for the other times to start a new paragraph. Really it's sorta up to you. Paragraphs can be super short one liners or they can be pretty long. It's something you get the hang of as you progress your writing talent.
So where were we... spelling, grammar, paragraphs. That's it for structure, but there's more to that. There's also the dreaded details. Usually we find ourselves not using enough, (sometimes too much.)
God is in the details.
Your story depends on your ability to write, but not only in spelling, grammar. Details are what bring your story to life. They're what makes it real to everyone else. Details are what put the images in your reader's heads. Using them well means you can allow your readers to see your story exactly like you want them to.
"Use Flamethrower, Growlithe!" the trainer ordered. His Growlithe nodded and shot flames at its enemy.
"Block it with Protect, Bellsprout!" the other trainer said. Bellsprout obeyed the command and blocked the attack.
:| No. You're doing it wrong.
"Growlithe, get that plant with a good ol' Flamethrower!" the trainer commanded haughtily as he looked condescendingly upon the foe with passionate eyes, confident that the match would be his in no time. The Growlithe barked in reply, the fluffy hair on its body stood on end as the dog-Pokémon blew forth a blazing hot line of fire from its maw.
"Hmph, it won't be that easy!" The second trainer said with a grin, brushing a hand through his semi-long hair as he told his Bellsprout to use Protect. The thin grass-type reacted quickly, thrusting its own roots into the ground and calling up dozens more of all sizes. The vines formed themselves into a thick wall directly between the flower Pokémon and the incoming attack.
The vines took the hit of the super-effective attack, leaving Bellsprout with enough time to counter the attack. "Follow it up with Acid," the Bellsprout's trainer smirked. The Grass-type dashed around its burning wall of roots, mouth gurgling with a purple liquid. It vomited the substance through the air, catching the canine off guard. The acid landed on the Growlithe's back and began sizzling at once, causing the fire-type to howl in pain.
That's much more fun to read. It's easier to imagine what's going on in the second version than it the first, which leaves it wide open. You'll also notice that my Protect was pretty different. Don't be afraid to think out of the box.
Attacks don't have to be exactly how you see them in the anime or the games. I personally don't like to think that any Pokémon can throw up a big green ball of energy for a shield. You may think that it's fine and that's ok. Pokémon certainly have a magical aspect to them. I personally like to be more creative than that though.
Other things about details.
Good to know are three W's. Who, Where, and When.
Who? Who's around? Is it just your character all by themselves? Are they in a crowd? Is there someone off in the distance? Make sure everyone is accounted for.
Where? Where is your current setting? What city, what country, what region, what planet. What's it like. Trees? Plants? Busy city? How's the weather? Is it hot? Cold? Rainy?
When? Present? Past? Future? What time is it?
Keep a note of those as you go through your writing. Also you should incorporate these into the Where.
Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste.
You have five senses, and so should your characters. What do they see? What do they hear? What can they smell? What's that object feel like? What does that pigeon-spotted cement taste like? ... Ok no. But yeah XD you get the idea.
Also make sure that you're conveying your characters thoughts and feelings. You have feelings and so should they.
3. Comments and criticism.
Ooooh, the much wanted comments and the detestable criticism.
Don't give up if there're no comments for starters. That's silly. I'm sure you'd love to know what people think of your amazing story, but don't stop when you don't get any feedback. Half the fun of writing is finishing the story yourself and knowing you did it.
Don't lose heart at criticism, even if it seems harsh. You can determine for yourself whether or not to listen to it. You can accept that they're right on what they're saying and decide you'll work on improving that area, or you could totally disagree with them and keep doing what you're doing, but be smart about it and know that you're not perfect.
Don't let good comments get to your head, or it'll blow up with pride and you'll float high up into the air until being killed by a jet plane. ^______^ Or if you're really unlucky, you'll simply deflate and you'll fall into a river at the bottom of a canyon and go over a waterfall, wash-up on some god-forsaken piece of rocky land, and have head bashed open by some kid with a rock, and your brainz consumed by some unattractive and smelly beast while your body is slowly being eaten by some nasty lake-creature and you drown. And then you die. Yes you frickin' die. And it was all your fault because you're such an obsce-
...
Anyway.
Yeah, comments. That's about it on those.
4. Inspiration.
Inspiration, it's how all stories start. It's also how they keep going and the source of your ideas.
Inspiration comes from everywhere. Movies, TV, video games, music, art, people, other stories/books, dreams, nature (pfft), ect...
Good way to keep yourself fresh and moving is to immerse yourself in inspiration. Things that'll get your mind moving. It's also a way to bash through pesky writer's blocks.
If you're writing some action-packed fic it's a good idea to keep yourself immersed in corresponding inspiration. Action movies, suspenseful books, stuff like that.
ANGRY NOTE >:0 There's a difference between using something as inspiration and downright stealing it. That's called plagiarism, and it's a bannable offense here on Charms. If there's a new movie out about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them, and then I see a fic by you about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them.... yeah, you're getting banned.
5. Your characters.
Name: Vincent Von Violta
Race: Vampire
Sex: Male
Age: 43893
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 130
Appearance: Pure white skin, deepest black hair that is semi-long. Red eyes that can change color based on mood. Black trench coat, black leather boots. Black pants. Is super attractive and has fangirls. "OH, EDWA-... I mean. OH, VINCENT!~"
Personality: Cold, prone to anger. Super smart and wise. Can be violent, but totally loyal to friends.
Abilities: Immortal/quick healing. Blinding reflexes, beast-like strength and inhuman speed. Knows all forms of martial arts and knows how to use many weapons. Can turn invisible, fly, transform. Shines in sunlight.
History: Orphaned at birth because of a werewolf attack. Was saved when a coven came to kill the werewolf. Was adopted by the vampires and was turned into one. Trained super-hard his whole life to be the best and to hunt down werewolves because they killed his wife too. Has a big reputation in the vampire world and is respected by many and hated by a few of the noble clans. Currently a free-lancer, takes on jobs that require his amazing skills.
K. Sounds cool right? Mm-hm, mm-hm. *nods*
...
WRONG.
WHAT? D: BUT HE'S SO COOL.
Nope, he's not. He's too much of a Gary Stu. What's a Gary Stu? The male equivalent of a Mary Sue. Who's she? She is the person who's perfect in every imaginable way. Gary’s her brother… with a different last name, shut up D:
See, none of us are perfect. And if none of us are perfect, how the heck are we supposed to relate to someone who is? We can't. We can't really understand the character well enough because of how perfect they are. There's nothing to relate to, making the character stale really fast.
So while tempting, god-like characters such as these are usually not the best thing to have, not right off the bat anyway. And I'm not saying that having them is a huge nono; I have my share of over-powered characters, which a few of you very well know
But there's a difference between over-powered and perfect.
See, any good character is someone who causes the reader to have an emotional reaction to. "Oh gods! D: NO! DON'T DO THAT!" or "Don't cry! (hugs)" or "AHAHAHA ILU, INSERTCHARACTERNAMEHERE" Doesn't always have to be good either. The reader could boil with rage at one of your characters. Some characters you love to hate, ect.
Any, any, sort of emotional reaction causes the reader to see the character as a person instead of words. They feel something for them, humanizing them. This is hard to do if a character is a god.
Now, this also can make it more difficult to make a character; Someone who you are pleased with as well as someone who the readers will like/dislike.
An easy way to do this is to perhaps base them off of yourself. This could be personality-wise, appearance-wise, or both. They're a bit easier to write for because all you have to do is ask yourself what you would do in whatever situation they're in.
Other ways are to base characters off of people you know, which is pretty common. A friend, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, ect.
A third way is to base them off an existing character. This character could be from a tv show, cartoon, movie, book, or even another fic. This ties into inspiration/plagiarism, so be careful.
Lastly is for you to create a completely new person from scratch which isn't quite so easy.
Also good is to make sure your characters have some diversity. Variety is the spice of life, and if all your characters are liek, frickin' the same, your fic gets pretty bland.
Careful planning and thought make your characters three dimensional, and whatever you're drawing them from, it's good to spend some time on them. Characters are the meat and cheese of your fic, and the better they taste and go together, the better off your fic is.
In short. Down to earth characters that can be felt for like actual people is what you need.
Click here to take a test that can help you determine if your character is a Mary or a Gary.
-------
That's it for now, I got the basics I think. Basically, just keep working on whatever it is you're working on. If it doesn't work out, don't be afraid to ditch it and work on something new.
One last thing. If you like writing then you better have a good appetite for reading Reading books and other fics are a great way to improve your skill.
Feel free to post questions about writing here, though please don't post here asking people to read your fic. Anything like that will result in a warning.
If you post a question I will be happy to answer it to the best of my ability. This isn't just for me, though: anyone should feel free to pop in with an answer to a question, or a tip or two to share. We have some nice writers here so I'm sure you'll get some sort of answer you're happy with.
Anyway, go forth and... ask questions and stuff... and discuss... :|
What is it for? WELL. I think it'd be a good idea for the writers of Charms to be able to collaborate and talk with each other. Sharing experiences and sharing skills with less experienced writers.
Also I will be putting up some good guidelines for new writers to follow to help them along in their literary journeys; since I am the best writer in Charms |D *coughs* Hardly >_> But I'll go as far as to say that I'm fairly decent. xP And of course tips from other writers are certainly welcome, and will be added into this main post if deemed needed.
The Charms' Crash Course Guide for a Good Fic:
1. Your plot.
Plot, plot, plot. It is the most essential part of any story, for without a good plot, how is it to attract any attention?
Plots can be fun things at first. You get a burst of inspiration and you go all @_____________@ and start writing. You're excited, you're pumped. It's sometimes all you can think about and you're twitchy whenever you're not doing something related to writing. You're posting, waiting impatiently for those replies. Getting all happy inside over the good comments and sorta meh-I'll-work-on-it over the critical ones, or pull a flat out, "Screw you, skank-bag." in your head as you read it.
Anyway, you go good like this for a while, furthering your story around. Some of the initial excitement goes down and you think about your fic in a leisurely manner. And slooooooowly it declines until you're looking at it like =| The passion's been hideously murdered and you suddenly think your story's a piece of reeking dinosaur-cack. And then you abandon it, hide it under a rug, and feel bad thinking you're no good a writer.
Well guess what? You're right! =D Wait... oops. >->;
...
NO.
YOU WERE WRONG.
Plots are the hardest thing to get straight. Most of the time we get the vision of some superspecialawesome ending and then a beginning as your launch pad. Sadly, we usually lack what it takes to bring us from point A, the start, to point B, the end. We're missing the middle.
See plots, take some careful planning usually. You can't just rush off writing as soon as you get an idea. You'll be so busy running full speed, looking at the horizon, that you won't see what you have to go through to even get there. So you will trip, fall on your face, roll over a cliff, into a river, over a waterfall, wash-up on some god-forsaken piece of rocky land, and have head bashed open by some kid with a rock and your brainz consumed by some unattractive and smelly beast while your body is slowly being eaten by some nasty lake-creature and you drown. And then you die. Yes you frickin' die. And it was all your fault because you're such an obscene failure. Gods. >>
...
You can avoid this by planning. =D Sitting down and going, "Ok, I can has an idea, but I need to know how I'm going to get there." You can do this aaaanyway you want, writing out an outline, doing something visual, ect. Know your story before you write it and the hard part's over. Sorta. Also, know the world in which your world is set too. Know as much as you can about it. From the major things to really silly things. And know your characters. Know what they look like, know how they act, know their pasts, their skills, ect. I sometimes do this by setting up little profiles for my characters.
Name
Age
Sex
Height
Weight
Personality
History
ect...
Anyway. Like I said. Know your story before you rush off like headless chicken. Outlines. Charts. Whatever works.
2. Your writing.
K. How you write makes or breaks your story.
Even if you have the most amazing plot ever conceived, if u type liek this whith crapy spelign and no grammer ur fic wil never be raed. Srsly. No one will pay any attention to it, and God will hate you. =)
PLEASE. Please
OH GODS, PLEASE... Write in English. D: Spell words correctly, know what a sentence is, use commas, use periods/dots/points/whateveryouwanttocallthem.NOTE: While spelling is awesome, don't think that you can't use slang in character dialogue or narration, since how a person talks can very much bring them alive.
ALSO NOTE: Typos are fine. Don't freak out over them. You could spell check and proof read your chapters twice before posting and there will still most likely be a typo or two somewhere. Don't fret. They'll usually be pointed out to you by your readers, and know everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure you've seen books with typos in them. So chill. (Is sure he'll find plenty in this big-arse post for months to come)
Use paragraphs. Because if you type without making any paragraphs at all, your readers will be sitting looking at an ungodly wall of text, and will click the Back button before they even see the first word. And they will write mean things about you. =( Or I will, anyway.
Now paragraphs can be funny things, and it can be confusing to know when you should start a new one.
One thing you should always do is make a new paragraph whenever a different person starts speaking.
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Bob asked. "Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Bobbette replied.
No.
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Bob asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Bobbette replied.
Yes. Because, if you keep doing that in the same paragraph, it can get VERY confusing as to who is saying what. Now, real professional paragraphing looks like this:
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Bob asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Bobbette replied.
Professionally, there are only spaces between paragraphs when a length of time has passed, and new paragraphs are indented to mark the start of a new one. However, on this forum we space each paragraph and typically mark a passage of time with an extra hit of the Enter key or a line.
-------
I use seven dashes to mark a passage of time in my stories. But other people do ~*~*~*~ or _____________, ect... whatever works.
As for the other times to start a new paragraph. Really it's sorta up to you. Paragraphs can be super short one liners or they can be pretty long. It's something you get the hang of as you progress your writing talent.
So where were we... spelling, grammar, paragraphs. That's it for structure, but there's more to that. There's also the dreaded details. Usually we find ourselves not using enough, (sometimes too much.)
God is in the details.
Your story depends on your ability to write, but not only in spelling, grammar. Details are what bring your story to life. They're what makes it real to everyone else. Details are what put the images in your reader's heads. Using them well means you can allow your readers to see your story exactly like you want them to.
"Use Flamethrower, Growlithe!" the trainer ordered. His Growlithe nodded and shot flames at its enemy.
"Block it with Protect, Bellsprout!" the other trainer said. Bellsprout obeyed the command and blocked the attack.
:| No. You're doing it wrong.
"Growlithe, get that plant with a good ol' Flamethrower!" the trainer commanded haughtily as he looked condescendingly upon the foe with passionate eyes, confident that the match would be his in no time. The Growlithe barked in reply, the fluffy hair on its body stood on end as the dog-Pokémon blew forth a blazing hot line of fire from its maw.
"Hmph, it won't be that easy!" The second trainer said with a grin, brushing a hand through his semi-long hair as he told his Bellsprout to use Protect. The thin grass-type reacted quickly, thrusting its own roots into the ground and calling up dozens more of all sizes. The vines formed themselves into a thick wall directly between the flower Pokémon and the incoming attack.
The vines took the hit of the super-effective attack, leaving Bellsprout with enough time to counter the attack. "Follow it up with Acid," the Bellsprout's trainer smirked. The Grass-type dashed around its burning wall of roots, mouth gurgling with a purple liquid. It vomited the substance through the air, catching the canine off guard. The acid landed on the Growlithe's back and began sizzling at once, causing the fire-type to howl in pain.
That's much more fun to read. It's easier to imagine what's going on in the second version than it the first, which leaves it wide open. You'll also notice that my Protect was pretty different. Don't be afraid to think out of the box.
Attacks don't have to be exactly how you see them in the anime or the games. I personally don't like to think that any Pokémon can throw up a big green ball of energy for a shield. You may think that it's fine and that's ok. Pokémon certainly have a magical aspect to them. I personally like to be more creative than that though.
Other things about details.
Good to know are three W's. Who, Where, and When.
Who? Who's around? Is it just your character all by themselves? Are they in a crowd? Is there someone off in the distance? Make sure everyone is accounted for.
Where? Where is your current setting? What city, what country, what region, what planet. What's it like. Trees? Plants? Busy city? How's the weather? Is it hot? Cold? Rainy?
When? Present? Past? Future? What time is it?
Keep a note of those as you go through your writing. Also you should incorporate these into the Where.
Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste.
You have five senses, and so should your characters. What do they see? What do they hear? What can they smell? What's that object feel like? What does that pigeon-spotted cement taste like? ... Ok no. But yeah XD you get the idea.
Also make sure that you're conveying your characters thoughts and feelings. You have feelings and so should they.
3. Comments and criticism.
Ooooh, the much wanted comments and the detestable criticism.
Don't give up if there're no comments for starters. That's silly. I'm sure you'd love to know what people think of your amazing story, but don't stop when you don't get any feedback. Half the fun of writing is finishing the story yourself and knowing you did it.
Don't lose heart at criticism, even if it seems harsh. You can determine for yourself whether or not to listen to it. You can accept that they're right on what they're saying and decide you'll work on improving that area, or you could totally disagree with them and keep doing what you're doing, but be smart about it and know that you're not perfect.
Don't let good comments get to your head, or it'll blow up with pride and you'll float high up into the air until being killed by a jet plane. ^______^ Or if you're really unlucky, you'll simply deflate and you'll fall into a river at the bottom of a canyon and go over a waterfall, wash-up on some god-forsaken piece of rocky land, and have head bashed open by some kid with a rock, and your brainz consumed by some unattractive and smelly beast while your body is slowly being eaten by some nasty lake-creature and you drown. And then you die. Yes you frickin' die. And it was all your fault because you're such an obsce-
...
Anyway.
Yeah, comments. That's about it on those.
4. Inspiration.
Inspiration, it's how all stories start. It's also how they keep going and the source of your ideas.
Inspiration comes from everywhere. Movies, TV, video games, music, art, people, other stories/books, dreams, nature (pfft), ect...
Good way to keep yourself fresh and moving is to immerse yourself in inspiration. Things that'll get your mind moving. It's also a way to bash through pesky writer's blocks.
If you're writing some action-packed fic it's a good idea to keep yourself immersed in corresponding inspiration. Action movies, suspenseful books, stuff like that.
ANGRY NOTE >:0 There's a difference between using something as inspiration and downright stealing it. That's called plagiarism, and it's a bannable offense here on Charms. If there's a new movie out about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them, and then I see a fic by you about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them.... yeah, you're getting banned.
5. Your characters.
Name: Vincent Von Violta
Race: Vampire
Sex: Male
Age: 43893
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 130
Appearance: Pure white skin, deepest black hair that is semi-long. Red eyes that can change color based on mood. Black trench coat, black leather boots. Black pants. Is super attractive and has fangirls. "OH, EDWA-... I mean. OH, VINCENT!~"
Personality: Cold, prone to anger. Super smart and wise. Can be violent, but totally loyal to friends.
Abilities: Immortal/quick healing. Blinding reflexes, beast-like strength and inhuman speed. Knows all forms of martial arts and knows how to use many weapons. Can turn invisible, fly, transform. Shines in sunlight.
History: Orphaned at birth because of a werewolf attack. Was saved when a coven came to kill the werewolf. Was adopted by the vampires and was turned into one. Trained super-hard his whole life to be the best and to hunt down werewolves because they killed his wife too. Has a big reputation in the vampire world and is respected by many and hated by a few of the noble clans. Currently a free-lancer, takes on jobs that require his amazing skills.
K. Sounds cool right? Mm-hm, mm-hm. *nods*
...
WRONG.
WHAT? D: BUT HE'S SO COOL.
Nope, he's not. He's too much of a Gary Stu. What's a Gary Stu? The male equivalent of a Mary Sue. Who's she? She is the person who's perfect in every imaginable way. Gary’s her brother… with a different last name, shut up D:
See, none of us are perfect. And if none of us are perfect, how the heck are we supposed to relate to someone who is? We can't. We can't really understand the character well enough because of how perfect they are. There's nothing to relate to, making the character stale really fast.
So while tempting, god-like characters such as these are usually not the best thing to have, not right off the bat anyway. And I'm not saying that having them is a huge nono; I have my share of over-powered characters, which a few of you very well know
But there's a difference between over-powered and perfect.See, any good character is someone who causes the reader to have an emotional reaction to. "Oh gods! D: NO! DON'T DO THAT!" or "Don't cry! (hugs)" or "AHAHAHA ILU, INSERTCHARACTERNAMEHERE" Doesn't always have to be good either. The reader could boil with rage at one of your characters. Some characters you love to hate, ect.
Any, any, sort of emotional reaction causes the reader to see the character as a person instead of words. They feel something for them, humanizing them. This is hard to do if a character is a god.
Now, this also can make it more difficult to make a character; Someone who you are pleased with as well as someone who the readers will like/dislike.
An easy way to do this is to perhaps base them off of yourself. This could be personality-wise, appearance-wise, or both. They're a bit easier to write for because all you have to do is ask yourself what you would do in whatever situation they're in.
Other ways are to base characters off of people you know, which is pretty common. A friend, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, ect.
A third way is to base them off an existing character. This character could be from a tv show, cartoon, movie, book, or even another fic. This ties into inspiration/plagiarism, so be careful.
Lastly is for you to create a completely new person from scratch which isn't quite so easy.
Also good is to make sure your characters have some diversity. Variety is the spice of life, and if all your characters are liek, frickin' the same, your fic gets pretty bland.
Careful planning and thought make your characters three dimensional, and whatever you're drawing them from, it's good to spend some time on them. Characters are the meat and cheese of your fic, and the better they taste and go together, the better off your fic is.
In short. Down to earth characters that can be felt for like actual people is what you need.
Click here to take a test that can help you determine if your character is a Mary or a Gary.
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That's it for now, I got the basics I think. Basically, just keep working on whatever it is you're working on. If it doesn't work out, don't be afraid to ditch it and work on something new.
One last thing. If you like writing then you better have a good appetite for reading
Reading books and other fics are a great way to improve your skill.Feel free to post questions about writing here, though please don't post here asking people to read your fic. Anything like that will result in a warning.
If you post a question I will be happy to answer it to the best of my ability. This isn't just for me, though: anyone should feel free to pop in with an answer to a question, or a tip or two to share. We have some nice writers here so I'm sure you'll get some sort of answer you're happy with.
Anyway, go forth and... ask questions and stuff... and discuss... :|
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