your characters and you.

[Iysander]

okay, so we all have those little voices in heads that practically beg to be written. or maybe you don't. either way, they're our characters— and something i've learned over the course of time is that everyone treats their characters different, or has a different relationship with them in comparison to others. for me, my characters are both of me and separate from me, if that makes any sense. i suppose they're like family, like real, actual people that have their own dreams, motivations, goals, fears, insecurities. and the best part is that you never really stop learning about your characters. one that i've had for years keeps surprising me with facets of him that i never thought existed.

i've also heard of characters being more like tools; a means to an end, which is all just fine as well, especially if your plot requires very specific things in order to succeed. however, i don't think i could ever personally do that if only because i don't think i'm actually capable of doing so— at least, not without a decrease in writing quality. i have to let a character simmer and sit, even get to know them better over a period of time before i can write them well. others can just start writing theirs within moments of making them, which honestly astounds me.

so does this sound familiar to you? what's your relationship/attitude towards your characters?

[I am The Compendium]

This is probably going to be taken as cruel, but I'm going to post it anyway in hopes someone understands.

To paraphrase the reviewer SFDebris (while a comedy reviewer, be has videos purely on literary tropes and aspects of storytelling), 'The phrase most commonly said to [geeks] is not"This is real" but "get a life". Many may abuse the phrase, but the point is imagination is powerful and important, but in the end must be remembered as not reality.

To paraphrase Dilbert, when you call something your baby, it may be a cherished part of yourself, but others may see it as a useless blob that soiled itself and hasn't been helped along enough to stand on its own.

Just because something is a tool doesn't mean it is not important or a way to endear an audience. But a tool is not a person. One should not expect to be Pygmalion.

[terradi]

It takes me a while to figure out who my characters are. They're not real people to me, but they do have personalities of their own, and trying to put together the full of who they are ... what would make them act the way they do and where they're coming from is an enjoyable exercise to me. I want it to make sense, not just be plot-convenient.

My stories tend to be character-driven, and I like watching them grow and change. I guess ... the best way I can describe it is that it's almost an organic thing to me rather than a mechanical one. I'm not afraid to do terrible things to them, but I like watching them change.

[SebastiansLittleDoll]

My characters... are my tools. It's true that some make me feel warm and fuzzy inside if I write them well and I may feel inspired to draw some random fanart, but at the end of the day they're not real people, they're just figmentsof my imagination come to life when there are words on a page. I wish some of them were real, though. But it'd just hinder my writing if they were.

[Snowblazer]

A good chunk of my characters are based on one aspect of me, my quick temper, love of animals, wanting to help people etc.

Each one of my characters, to me at least, are real people. They may not be flesh and blood, but I love them, even the evil ones (they're fun to pick on). They are my friends and family. They help me get through the bad days and help me enjoy the good days even more. When I get bored I talk to them and they talk back.

[Iysander]

I am The Compendium

This is probably going to be taken as cruel, but I'm going to post it anyway in hopes someone understands.

To paraphrase the reviewer SFDebris (while a comedy reviewer, be has videos purely on literary tropes and aspects of storytelling), 'The phrase most commonly said to [geeks] is not"This is real" but "get a life". Many may abuse the phrase, but the point is imagination is powerful and important, but in the end must be remembered as not reality.

To paraphrase Dilbert, when you call something your baby, it may be a cherished part of yourself, but others may see it as a useless blob that soiled itself and hasn't been helped along enough to stand on its own.

Just because something is a tool doesn't mean it is not important or a way to endear an audience. But a tool is not a person. One should not expect to be Pygmalion.

this is all fine and dandy, but is it meant to be advice for me or your own personal opinion? because i think it should go without saying that characters =/= real people.

[Jin_of_the_thunder]

Iysander

and the best part is that you never really stop learning about your characters. one that i've had for years keeps surprising me with facets of him that i never thought existed.

How can you be learning things about them, you invent everything about them. They can't have facets you never knew existed because until you know, they can't exist. by definition facets of a creation can't exist until they are created.

[Iysander]

Jin_of_the_thunder

Iysander

and the best part is that you never really stop learning about your characters. one that i've had for years keeps surprising me with facets of him that i never thought existed.

How can you be learning things about them, you invent everything about them. They can't have facets you never knew existed because until you know, they can't exist. by definition facets of a creation can't exist until they are created.

don't you ever get those little "aha" moments when you finally come up with an explanation for why a character does x, or perhaps when they are put in a new situation and you write them in a way you didn't necessarily expect? you're taking my wording too literally. of course those parts don't exist until you write them or create them, but character development isn't necessarily something you will to happen. and i'm not just talking about moral growth within the context of a plot, or maturity, coming of age, etc. but becoming a fully fleshed personality.

[Jin_of_the_thunder]

Iysander

Jin_of_the_thunder

Iysander

and the best part is that you never really stop learning about your characters. one that i've had for years keeps surprising me with facets of him that i never thought existed.

How can you be learning things about them, you invent everything about them. They can't have facets you never knew existed because until you know, they can't exist. by definition facets of a creation can't exist until they are created.

don't you ever get those little "aha" moments when you finally come up with an explanation for why a character does x, or perhaps when they are put in a new situation and you write them in a way you didn't necessarily expect? you're taking my wording too literally. of course those parts don't exist until you write them or create them, but character development isn't necessarily something you will to happen. and i'm not just talking about moral growth within the context of a plot, or maturity, coming of age, etc. but becoming a fully fleshed personality.

If I need a character to do X and I need to give him a reason for doing it I'll come up with one and give it to him. sometimes I might come up with an explanation but the 'aha' is that I just came up with an idea, not that I just discovered something about the character.
Character development is something you will to happen, you actively develop a character.

[Iysander]

Jin_of_the_thunder

Iysander

Jin_of_the_thunder

Iysander

and the best part is that you never really stop learning about your characters. one that i've had for years keeps surprising me with facets of him that i never thought existed.

How can you be learning things about them, you invent everything about them. They can't have facets you never knew existed because until you know, they can't exist. by definition facets of a creation can't exist until they are created.

don't you ever get those little "aha" moments when you finally come up with an explanation for why a character does x, or perhaps when they are put in a new situation and you write them in a way you didn't necessarily expect? you're taking my wording too literally. of course those parts don't exist until you write them or create them, but character development isn't necessarily something you will to happen. and i'm not just talking about moral growth within the context of a plot, or maturity, coming of age, etc. but becoming a fully fleshed personality.

If I need a character to do X and I need to give him a reason for doing it I'll come up with one and give it to him. sometimes I might come up with an explanation but the 'aha' is that I just came up with an idea, not that I just discovered something about the character.
Character development is something you will to happen, you actively develop a character.

alright, so we're talking about the same process happening in different perspectives. we're of different mindsets and this is such a trivial part of the original post to nitpick on. sorry i'm doing things in an unorthodox manner, but the end result is basically the same and i can't help but think you're trying to correct me where there isn't a problem to begin with. however a person writes and develops a character is fine as long as it works for them.

[Jin_of_the_thunder]

Iysander

Jin_of_the_thunder

Iysander

Jin_of_the_thunder

Iysander

and the best part is that you never really stop learning about your characters. one that i've had for years keeps surprising me with facets of him that i never thought existed.

How can you be learning things about them, you invent everything about them. They can't have facets you never knew existed because until you know, they can't exist. by definition facets of a creation can't exist until they are created.

don't you ever get those little "aha" moments when you finally come up with an explanation for why a character does x, or perhaps when they are put in a new situation and you write them in a way you didn't necessarily expect? you're taking my wording too literally. of course those parts don't exist until you write them or create them, but character development isn't necessarily something you will to happen. and i'm not just talking about moral growth within the context of a plot, or maturity, coming of age, etc. but becoming a fully fleshed personality.

If I need a character to do X and I need to give him a reason for doing it I'll come up with one and give it to him. sometimes I might come up with an explanation but the 'aha' is that I just came up with an idea, not that I just discovered something about the character.
Character development is something you will to happen, you actively develop a character.

alright, so we're talking about the same process happening in different perspectives. we're of different mindsets and this is such a trivial part of the original post to nitpick on. sorry i'm doing things in an unorthodox manner, but the end result is basically the same and i can't help but think you're trying to correct me where there isn't a problem to begin with. however a person writes and develops a character is fine as long as it works for them.

its just that what your describing sounds (and I'm no doctor here) but a little unhealthy. it just has an air of schizophrenia about it.

[Iysander]

Jin_of_the_thunder

its just that what your describing sounds (and I'm no doctor here) but a little unhealthy. it just has an air of schizophrenia about it.

i am pretty sure i'm sane and i definitely don't seem to be displaying other symptoms of schizophrenia, but i guess your concern is appreciated.

[terradi]

Jin_of_the_thunder

its just that what your describing sounds (and I'm no doctor here) but a little unhealthy. it just has an air of schizophrenia about it.

I think that's an over-extension. It's a form of exercising the imagination, and a slightly different perspective from yours, but schizophrenia is much more serious and unhealthy than a little unorthodox character development.

[I am The Compendium]

Iysander

I am The Compendium

This is probably going to be taken as cruel, but I'm going to post it anyway in hopes someone understands.

To paraphrase the reviewer SFDebris (while a comedy reviewer, be has videos purely on literary tropes and aspects of storytelling), 'The phrase most commonly said to [geeks] is not"This is real" but "get a life". Many may abuse the phrase, but the point is imagination is powerful and important, but in the end must be remembered as not reality.

To paraphrase Dilbert, when you call something your baby, it may be a cherished part of yourself, but others may see it as a useless blob that soiled itself and hasn't been helped along enough to stand on its own.

Just because something is a tool doesn't mean it is not important or a way to endear an audience. But a tool is not a person. One should not expect to be Pygmalion.

this is all fine and dandy, but is it meant to be advice for me or your own personal opinion? because i think it should go without saying that characters =/= real people.

It's fact, but many people forget it. We get young people here all the time, and sometimes lofty dreams and personal care are mistaken for real work and professional understanding.

The fact is more than they aren't real, it's that, as others have pointed out, is that balance is important. A tool does not love you, but that's no reason to half-a** something with them, dump it on the floor and leave it out in the rain. Caring for a tool is not the same as caring for a person, or even pet, but it is important, just as using the tool well.

[Jin_of_the_thunder]

Iysander

i am pretty sure i'm sane and i definitely don't seem to be displaying other symptoms of schizophrenia, but i guess your concern is appreciated.

terradi

I think that's an over-extension. It's a form of exercising the imagination, and a slightly different perspective from yours, but schizophrenia is much more serious and unhealthy than a little unorthodox character development.

okay I take back the whole schizophrenia remark, I didn't mean for it to come out has harsh as it did. I understand schizophrenia is a serious illness and I don't want to make light of it.