homesteadhorner:

fightingforwriting:

s-graves-writes:

Character Tip

Realistic characters have contradictions. Exceptions to rules. Maybe they’re mostly nonviolent, but they’ll punch you if you insult their friend. Maybe they’re afraid of spiders, but aren’t afraid to kill a spider for their younger sibling.

In short, don’t be afraid to have characters who can’t be defined by a character fact sheet. 

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately- there’s a reason so many people describe themselves as ambiverts (spoiler alert, most people aren’t). It’s because people recognize a lot of contradictions in themselves. I’m a calm and easy going, but I get very talkative and excited when discussing a topic I’m into. I’m super competitive, except when I’m going to lose. I get weirdly impatient about things I don’t like doing. People don’t really make sense- that level of nuance is what’s going to make your character so compelling AND ALSO why it’s so important to know them as people, and not as a character fact sheet, like op says

This is just as important for us as readers and critics or critique partners to remember as well!

It’s easy to make a snap judgment that someone acted “out of character” for them in that moment. Instead of scrutinizing the creator’s choice, ask them about it. Why did they have the character react that way? Let them be honest. Sure, sometimes it really was just a cheap way for them to move the plot along or force an event along the way they wanted it to move. But maybe not. Maybe we see a side to a character we haven’t known about before! Maybe, by analyzing instead of assuming, we come to understand an unforeseen depth to this character.

And if the author admits that it was a sincerely out-of-character moment? That is not the time to flaunt that you were right and they were wrong. Allow them to learn from their mistake and fix it if they so choose so that correction and critique can become positive processes for them instead of causing them to flinch at the sight of a red pen or an open mouth.

This is important to remember as writers, readers, roleplayers, and editors. Before we presume to know more than another creator, consider their character, their convictions, and the inexplicable yet undeniable contradictory nature of humanity.