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 Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:24 pm
How to breathe life into your characters: Emotions.
Give your characters life by showing emotions in the way you write. If you’re going to do this, then don’t just point out the rivers of tears that your character is crying because they were sad over something, or the blood on the nasty wound that they have. Show emotions by description, and keep that thought in mind as you type out the certain emotion that you’re aiming for.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:29 pm
→ ‘Why should I ‘breathe life’ into my character, they’re fine now!’:
• Well, why shouldn’t you? If they’re fine now, you can always make them better. Nothing in life is perfect so you have to keep trying and keep improving, and yes, that applies to your characterization skills here. Remember, I am here to help, not to criticize or laugh at your probably amazing writing skills :]
→ ‘Ugh, okay, fine, what do I have to do?’:
• Hehe, thank you for giving me a chance. Okay, so first things first is choosing the emotion that you want to show on your character– and make sure that they have a good reason too! Nobody likes to RP with someone who has some unpredictable, bi-polar character who switches from rage to happy in a matter of seconds. It may be fun to watch in movies and anime, but it ain’t fun to deal with– trust me.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:34 pm
→ ‘So… what are you trying to say here?’:
• What I’m trying to say is to choose an emotion and make sure you have a good reason behind it. If your character gets pissed off because some dude ate his spaghetti-o’s or something and goes in a rage destroying buildings and towns, no one will like you. If your character starts crying violently because they missed their TV show or whatever, your character will be seen as some kind of weak a** wimp, oh and no one will like you. You get what I’m trying to say here?
→ ‘Yeah yeah, no need to get all smart assed on me. What next?’:
• Well, let’s start with the emotions and examples to show you how a pro does it. Haha, just kidding! I’m hardly a pro, BUT I am here to help you so I will try my best! Please don’t criticize me TOO harshly >.<
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:00 pm
→ Anger ← • Anger may just be the easiest emotion to show when it comes to characters in an RP. There are so many things you could do like, screaming bloody murder, or punching the wall or something haha. Keep in mind to not just state that your character is angry though, because that makes for a boring reply– let me tell you that. Instead of having your character just be like, “I’m angry,” show it more in their emotions.
Some types of body expressions would help also, so go ahead and describe your character. Thoughts, at this point, may also help your audience get a grip on your character’s emotions so add those in too if you so wish it. Remember, the tip here is to be a realistic as possible. If you’ve succeeded in making your audience feel the emotions your character is feeling, then man, you totally win as a writer.• Example
He couldn’t find the words to describe his rage at that point so he seethed in his place as he watched his girlfriend make out with his best friend. ‘How could they do this to me?’ were the thoughts that ran rampant through his mind, ‘I trusted them and this…’ He didn’t know what to do anymore, as he stood there, unable to control his clenching fists. He was breathing hard, as if he had just run a mile without stopping, but he continued watching, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene. When they broke apart smiling, something just snapped inside of him and his clenching fist went flying into the rough wall. Pain shot up his arm, but not even the pain could affect him in the fog that his anger had caused as he turned and walked away, body shaking and tense like a coiled spring on the verge of releasing.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:07 pm
→ Angst ← • This emotion, which is also known is sadness, is near the lines of anger. It’s easy to describe sadness because everyone has been sad some time or another in their lives. Now, all you have to do is take that empty feeling and pull it out of your heart. Pour it onto your character, and you have instant angst.
With sadness, it isn’t necessary for tears. I know that some may think that, but it’s absolutely not necessary for your character to turn into a mushy gushy thing for the sake of some angst. With this particular emotion, pay attention to your character’s inner thoughts. Their eyes, too. When they talk about the eyes being the window to your soul, they weren’t kidding haha, so use them!• Example
Trudging down the hallway, he didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t even know where he was going, but he kept walking as his hand clenched at his pounding heart. After the fog of anger had subsided, the pain from his fist had come back before numbing along with everything else in his body. He had loved her and he made sure that she was happy, so what went wrong? Was he not good enough? An odd feeling crept into his chest and he choked, hand flying up to his mouth as he leaned heavily on the wall. I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry, he chanted in his mind. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he clenched them shut as if he were trying to block off the world beyond the darkness of his eyelids. Underneath the fist that clenched at the shirt, his heart burned and throbbed and he swore that he could almost feel it falling apart.
(( Ah, how I love me my angst, haha. ))
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:25 pm
→ Suspense (& Fear) ← • Suspense and fear shouldn’t be too hard either, but with this one, I think that it’s more of a ‘setting equals emotion’ kind of thing. These particular emotions really take ‘giving a reason behind the emotion’ thing that I mentioned earlier, to a whole new level.
…Okay, well, not really, but I’m sure you guys get what I’m trying to say, haha.
With this one, when it pertains to your character, I think you have to pay attention to their inner emotions. Thoughts may be a good idea also, but I personally find it awkward when someone writes the character’s thoughts on every single thing so I tend not to use it very much. What do you mean by that, you ask. Well, like… ya know? People who would be like:
‘I wonder what would be around the corner,’ she thought to herself as she walked, ‘maybe an ice cream cone, or a hot dog! Wow, if I find that stuff lying on the ground! Lucky~’ Turning the corner, she found nothing and sighed to herself. ‘Aw, bummer,’ she thought to herself, ‘there was nothing there and now I’m hungry.’ She sighed and turned around, heading back toward the kitchen, ‘I guess I’ll just go see what mom’s making then.’
Ya get me? Haha, I’ve never been much for excess thoughts like that and, to be honest, it sort of turns me off from reading the rest of the story– BUT anyways, continuing on to suspense. Aside from your character’s inner thoughts, use their body language too! It makes for a much better scene if you describe what they’re feeling with the use of their body instead of their words.• Example
She stepped lightly on the dusty floorboards, wincing as they creaked underneath her weight. Looking around the dark room, she wished desperately to herself for someone to be there with her. The only thing that greeted her wishes was dark emptiness, though, along with her handy flashlight that was about to die sometime soon.
Everything around her was covered in white sheets and dust. It was an old house, so she understood its needs, but she never understood the sounds that she would hear reverberate through the empty halls of the once well-kept mansion. She had a goal in mind, of course, but when doors creaked open with no wind to help it, and footsteps resounded upstairs when she knew for a fact that nobody was in the house, she suddenly found that the three-hundred dollars she was being offered for doing this wasn’t worth the heart attack.
Shaking her head, she clenched her sweaty fists in determination. She would do this and she would come out triumphant. Nothing could stop her–
BANG!
A door slammed shut violently behind her and she turned, squinting in the dim light. “W-who’s there?” she shouted out, voice shaky. Her heartbeat pounded in her chest, loud and violent as she pointed the light of her flashlight forwards. There was nothing there, but the sounds of footsteps were growing louder and louder as she backed up until her back pressed against the dusty wall. Her breathing became rapid as she swung her flashlight to and fro, trying to find the source of the footsteps that seemed to fill the room, coming closer and closer.
“I-I’m warning you!” She stuttered, “I-I have p-pepper spray and I-I’m not afraid to u-use it!” She clenched on the little canister attached to her bag, but the footsteps sounded without falter, closer and closer until the sound was deafening to her ears. Her body was shaking then, her fear overcoming her senses as she squinted at the dark. Another bang sounded and she jumped with a loud gasp, heart pounding faster and faster before a force slapped on her hands. The flashlight dropped to the ground, flickering on and off before she was drenched in darkness.
Her rapid breathing filled the silence then, her chest heaving with each breath she took as she leaned against the wall, staring wildly at the darkness around her. A touch against her arm was all it took then and she screamed as loud as she could, thrashing violently as she ran for it.
(( I got carried away with this one, I’m sorry, haha. & I forgot to add that sound effects could be very useful as well ;D ))
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:35 pm
→ Happiness ← • This one’s the same as all the other ones, people. Remember to describe with actions, not words. For this one though, describing a smile will get you far so learn how to take advantage of emotions shown through facial features!
Also! Please, please, please don’t be like ‘He was happy and his face looked like this: ^0^’
NO. WE ARE NOT USING EMOTICONS PEOPLE. EITHER LEARN HOW TO DESCRIBE s**t, OR GTFO.
Just kidding xD don’t leave! But seriously people, please don’t use emoticons. That’s just… no. Don’t do it. At all. Ya gets what I’m saying, home dawg? xD lawl
Not only is using emoticons to show your character’s emotions GHETTO, it is also childish and stupid. For me, if someone uses an emoticon to describe a character’s emotions, then their story or RP reply is just not worth my time to read. Please don’t do it, I’m seriously begging here.
Instead, learn how to describe people. If you cannot or you do not know how, my best advice is to watch people. Go stalker for an hour during lunch or something, just sit there and watch people’s emotions and the way that they carry themselves during said emotions. It’s pretty interesting to see some people’s expressions– it really is haha, so try it. Just don’t get caught xD if you do, wave or something haha, their bewildered expressions as they wave back (or their freaked out looks as they flip you off) are very amusing to see.
Remember: Keep the emoticons IN the forum replies/OOC talk & OUT of the storyboard/rp’s.• Example
She just couldn’t describe the elation that she felt when she saw him looking for her in a sea of students leaving school. Her heart was light and she felt as if she could tackle the world or anything else if she put her mind to it. When she got closer, he smiled his crooked little smile, dimples showing as his eyes lit up at the sight of her alone. He held out his hand and she took it, both appendages fitting almost perfectly together. Her answering smile faced him then, her white teeth peeking out from underneath pink lips. Eyes that crinkled in the corner told him things that she needn’t say in words and together they turned, walking home for the day.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:46 pm
→ ‘So, that’s it?’:Uhm, yeah… Didya want more or something? O.o → ‘Mmm, no… I was just wondering. This was pretty long, you know? Like, seriously. Very wordy too…’:I’m sorry, haha, I get carried away sometimes and yeah… sweatdrop As long as you get something from it though, I’m happy that I was at least a bit helpful :] Down below I will reserve some spots, so if you guys want something else, or if you want some other emotions for me to do, all you gotta do is comment & request it below. → ‘That’s it?’:Well, if you guys didn't like this approach to breathing life into your character, head on over to finquest's tutorial HERE biggrin & that's all for me x] Until next time! HAPPY ROLEPLAYING~
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:54 pm
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:28 pm
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