Draconic 101: Lesson One: Characters
So, let us begin with a question.
What exactly is a character?
Well, a character is many different things. In roleplay, a character is who you are. Whether you're writing first or third person, a character is your representation of yourself! In writing, characters are the central point of interest.
What exactly is a character?
Well, a character is many different things. In roleplay, a character is who you are. Whether you're writing first or third person, a character is your representation of yourself! In writing, characters are the central point of interest.
Part One: Character Sheets
Whether you're roleplaying or writing solo, it's always a good idea to make a character sheet! These sheets tell you about your character. You don't have to save them, you can memorize them, but always remember them! So, what exactly should a good character sheet have? Well, I'll tell you!
- Character Name: Your character's name is important. It signifies who they are, it makes them individual, it makes them special, and it gives you something to connect with. You can't truly have a character unless they have a name. Even in first person, it is a good idea to give the character a name, no matter what! Names are important, and be sure to pick one you like. If you like different names, you can try a naming site such as BabyHold. If you want something a little more exotic, I suggest you try selecting a language and translating words with FreeTranslation.
- Character Age: Your character must act his/her age, no? You should have a character age. Sure, it can change dramatically during a story, but it doesn't matter. Age is still important, be it only a number!
- Character Appearance: It's always good to have an image in your head of who you're writing for. Make this as thorough as possible! What is their hair color, what about their eye color, and what about their height, build, skin tone, and general attire!? It's all essential, even if you don't believe so.
- Character Likes: What does your character like? Do they have anything in particular?
- Character Dislikes/Fears: Every great character is well-rounded, and has fears as well.
- Character Talents and Hobbies: Every character has a hobby. Face it. Even if you don't know what it is, at least know that you should fill the blank in eventually. It's important to know their strengths.
- Character Weaknesses: Characters, even fake, are never perfect. Perfect characters are known as Mary Sues, and are frowned upon by many; writers and roleplayers included! Don't be a Mary Sue. give your character weaknesses.
- Character Personality: The hardest to write, but I'll give you tips for this later on.
Part Two: Character Development
Your character is boring if he/she just stays the same throughout the story! You need some character development going on, people! Be interesting! Be creative! Your character will learn from things in the story, just like you would! According to their personalities, something will come out of events! For example, if Bob was to go on a mission will three friends and only come out with himself alive, he would probably be much more cautious (depending on Bob's personality). Character development is important. Now, this is where personality comes in. I suggest that for your Character Personality field in your character profiles, you leave it blank until you've worked it out. Mess around with your character. Get a feel of your character, and don't be afraid to change things around. My top choice for this would be through roleplay, as it provides you with an array of different situations one normally wouldn't think of alone.
