The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Creative Writing => Topic started by: Ravvij on April 14, 2012, 11:25:06 PM
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Okay so I'm working on a story that I've had in my head for close to ten years, but I'm not sure how many more characters I need to make it work.
I have the main character, the love interest, the parents, two friends, nine gods, one angel, a fairy, a dragon, an alien, and two villains.
I know I need more but I'm not sure how many more or how/what to make their personalities.
Could someone help me a little?
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That's a lot of characters :P
I think that list is enough for protagonists, for general support characters and extras like a shopkeepers or civilians, you can just brain storm, you don't need to be too specific for character stories.
Remember, a good story is not necessarily a complex story, as complex stories can tend to be confusing for readers XD
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Haha! I guess I should be more specific. I don't need main characters. I need supporting and background characters...and how should I set them up? Like, on a sheet of paper what should I write down for that character so I can remember their attitudes and viewpoints and such?
Nothing complicated, just enough to keep the character's actions and dialog in check.
I don't want every character I make to think like I do, which is how the main characters tends to be some times.
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Character development can be quite hard, there was a tactic where you kind of close your eyes and you imagine that character in your surroundings, then you slowly get closer to him/her/it as the surroundings get more vivid and you notice more detail until you eventually step into the character.
Backstories of Support characters don't have to be too specific or emotionally wrenching, they don't even have to be mentioned but only hinted at. I wouldn't worry too much about supporting characters unless they are seen frequently within the text
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In my opinion backstories, personality analysis etc. for each (important) character should be written anyway. A short (1 sentence?) summary should be written for every single one, even the ones you use once in case you want to reuse them. You don't have to put it into the story, but it helps you a lot to feel the character while writing. And it's a lot of characters... I don't add any if it's not necessary. It's a story, not Facebook. ^.^
How the summary should look... well, it depends on the story, but for example speech manners, attitude towards specific characters, general personality type (MBTI?), a couple of most fitting adjectives, job... It's nothing firm.
It is sometimes recommended to write down everything like height, eye color, income, hobbies, dreams, hopes, political views, people to look up to, health, most hurting experience, attitude towards death etc., but of course this is mostly useless (note: just mostly, not always).
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In my opinion backstories, personality analysis etc. for each (important) character should be written anyway. A short (1 sentence?) summary should be written for every single one, even the ones you use once in case you want to reuse them. You don't have to put it into the story, but it helps you a lot to feel the character while writing. And it's a lot of characters... I don't add any if it's not necessary. It's a story, not Facebook. ^.^
How the summary should look... well, it depends on the story, but for example speech manners, attitude towards specific characters, general personality type (MBTI?), a couple of most fitting adjectives, job... It's nothing firm.
It is sometimes recommended to write down everything like height, eye color, income, hobbies, dreams, hopes, political views, people to look up to, health, most hurting experience, attitude towards death etc., but of course this is mostly useless (note: just mostly, not always).
This is actually quite helpful! Thanks.