Little help please?

[moonlightwolf111]

Hey guys, I've run into a bit of a common problem I've been having with my RPs recently. My characters seem like robots in emotion. Any tips on how I can break that bit of habit?  

[Lady Bern]

Give us an example of a character and how you feel that their emotions are robotic it might help a bit.  

[moonlightwolf111]

I guess it's just with this new character... Trying to play with a more quiet type, but one person said that he sounded a bit robotic. ^^;; Example of a recent post with him.

Quote:

Grey eyes opened to the light from the windows. Seanán was fairly new to the house, and originally from a lab somewhere in England. He stretched his wings that looked similar to a red tailed hawk's and moved from his bed to get dressed in an old t-shirt, wind breaker, and comfortable jeans. Pulling on a pair of worn running shoes the blond moved out of his room to go outside and stretch his wings before breakfast.

Sean was mildly surprised to see another up this early and took a moment to recognize him as William and moved to fly next to the sixteen year old. "Never expected to see you up at this hour." He said, a light accent clear in his voice. It almost sounded British, but still pleasant to hear. The boy wasn't much of a fighter, though flying was where he belonged and just could stay up for hours and almost forget the whitecoats for once. Smiling Sean looked to where a group of trees were, gesturing to head over to them. He wasn't very outspoken, but got across what he needed to.

I'm trying to go for the personality that doesn't say much, but still isn't a wall flower. -shrug- I just confused myself I think there.  

[Lady Bern]

You are explaining a bit more than need be at times but then again this isn't what you're asking about.

But that is the problem with more silent characters they are seen as robotic unless you show more emotion with them. I think people tend to compare them to the silent butler or whatever.

Hmm if you are going for the quiet type then perhaps try to convey as much as you can without speaking through actions facial expressions. You know like a mime can do. But if his personality isn't that chipper then a more cheerful persona will have to slowly develop through time and interactions. It's not as if your character is going to act the same and remain unchanged throughout the entire RP.  

[moonlightwolf111]

I've been told that more than a few times. xD My older and I both have the issue of over explaining. Mom calls it like Stephen King... xD I don't over explain on purpose... And it doesn't help to have the creative writing teacher say... show every detail!

Anyway thanks, and yeah, I figure with time more than half of my shy or quiet types warm up to speak a bit more than they did at first. -shrug- Thanks Bern~  

[Lady Bern]

Honestly I'm a quiet type. If I don't know you I don't speak. I'd rather observe and get to know you by what I see. If I see that you are pleasant then I'll warm up to you. If not then I don't deem you worthy of the effort.

Starting off with a small hello is a basic for most quiet types or just a wave to acknowledge someone. Then it's warming up to causal conversations.

As for the over elaboration, nothing is wrong with giving details as long as it's fitting. To say that I'm wearing a red shirt is simple. To say that it's a red shirt that hugs to my curves in a way that the a golden Chinese dragon gracing the front seems to be wrapping protectively about me is a nice elaboration. To say go on to say that I got the shirt on sale in a store in the mall and I lucked out because it was the last one in my size is a bit too much information.

*Hugs* Think nothing of it. We're here to help one another right?  

[Mezri]

Being aware of body language is key. Watch people. See what little things they do when they talk and create a character with similar traits. One of the hardest challenges you'll ever encounter while writing is amount of detail. What's too much and what's not enough? Reading it back will really help you see whats missing.

I commonly write about body language: ... he crossed his arms as he closed the distance between them. He stood menacingly close and remained there ... Or of course, I just outright tell the reader what they would be seeing or hearing: ... there was a hint of anger in his voice when he spoke ...

Finding the line between portraying your character as an introvert or extrovert is really challenging. Personally I believe that less is more. And a neat and small phrase can often mean more than a long explanation. But be sure to write it. Don't make your writing a stark list of things, imagine the scene in full and then describe that.

At the end of the day, you should be trying to explain extremely complicated things in the most concise way. So don't try to over state things. People are intelligent. And if they're not you don't want them reading your work!

What you need to know about all is: if you don't know it, your characters don't know it. And if you can't see it, you can't explain it. So you might just need to apply more thought to it.  

[Feral Knight]

Shot in the dark, Moon, but if you want to portray the character as the silent type but still want/need to humanize them then try writing about what's going on in their head. The character doesn't necessarily have to talk about what they are feeling or thinking, and they don't have to wear it on their sleeve. But you can still tell the reader.