Post by Admin on Jul 1, 2012 13:06:17 GMT -8
This was taken from an awesome writer named Malamyn. Thank you so much for making this article! It helps out lots of other admins and role players alike!
Introduction
There are several different approaches to creating a character and they’ll vary depending on what it is you would like to do with him or her. There are certain ‘stock’ characters that are based entirely in stereotypes and play on extremes. The classic whore or womanizer is an excellent example of this. However playing such a simple character grows very boring very quickly since they’re only useful in certain situations. There is the ‘inner self’ character who is essentially the rper’s better half or imagined personality or is in some other way directly intertwined with the creator. It is deceivingly simple to create such a being, one need only ask, “What would I do?” in order to find inspiration for posts. However time and time again these characters attempt to be either too perfect, are too self involved, or are just downright boring. Think of character creation as an adventure, a chance to meet an entirely different individual. Free writing a scene is what I have found to be the easiest method of doing this. Begin with a vivacious atmosphere, a crowded tavern for example and find an individual in that room who is peculiar in some way. Perhaps it is the barmaid behind the counter, a traveler in a weather-beaten coat or the man by the fireplace telling stories that enthrall the others around him. Examine him carefully, his appearance, the way he talks. Look at the way she interacts with the customers. Listen to the stories he’s telling.
History
When an application asks for a character’s history, they’re not trying to be mean, they’re trying to help you. Experiences in childhood dictate how an individual will react to certain situations. To simply dismiss it and say ‘typical childhood’ is cheating yourself out of a great deal of possible plots. History is also a continually evolving process, it may benefit a scene to suddenly decide that your character nearly drowned as a child and is therefore afraid of water, however you do run the risk of contradicting yourself ‘But your character went swimming last week!’. As I mentioned before, sometimes the history comes after the personality so as to explain why a person is the way he is.
A quick word about mental illness…
I am guilty of creating a manic depressive with masochistic tendencies. Looking back on it, it was a mistake since it makes it impossible to let them normal out. Occasionally it may work for a minor character if it serves a purpose in a plot, but for the most part it’s a crutch, and you should be better than that.
Physical Appearance
Height, hair and eye color, and other noticeable features are all you really need. Try to stick to normal depictions (don’t make up hair colors just for the sake of making them up) since unless you’ve got a picture, every person who reads what you’ve written is going to imagine something different. If you excel at description, here’s your chance to shine in character lookups. However unless your character is so drop dead gorgeous that it hurts to look at her, I don’t want to hear that she’s pretty. Unless he’s so ugly that he turns people to stone, I don’t want to hear he’s unattractive. Tangible things are what people want to read. I want to know that one eye is slightly larger than the other giving her a disconcerting stare. I want to know that his ears wiggle when he laughs, that he walks with a limp, that she has three scars running parallel down her left calf. Clothing is also important but only if it says something about their character. I don’t care if he wears leather breeches unless they’re made from the first cow he ever killed. I don’t care if she wears skirts unless it’s because her mother doesn’t want her to look too manly.
Introduction
There are several different approaches to creating a character and they’ll vary depending on what it is you would like to do with him or her. There are certain ‘stock’ characters that are based entirely in stereotypes and play on extremes. The classic whore or womanizer is an excellent example of this. However playing such a simple character grows very boring very quickly since they’re only useful in certain situations. There is the ‘inner self’ character who is essentially the rper’s better half or imagined personality or is in some other way directly intertwined with the creator. It is deceivingly simple to create such a being, one need only ask, “What would I do?” in order to find inspiration for posts. However time and time again these characters attempt to be either too perfect, are too self involved, or are just downright boring. Think of character creation as an adventure, a chance to meet an entirely different individual. Free writing a scene is what I have found to be the easiest method of doing this. Begin with a vivacious atmosphere, a crowded tavern for example and find an individual in that room who is peculiar in some way. Perhaps it is the barmaid behind the counter, a traveler in a weather-beaten coat or the man by the fireplace telling stories that enthrall the others around him. Examine him carefully, his appearance, the way he talks. Look at the way she interacts with the customers. Listen to the stories he’s telling.
History
When an application asks for a character’s history, they’re not trying to be mean, they’re trying to help you. Experiences in childhood dictate how an individual will react to certain situations. To simply dismiss it and say ‘typical childhood’ is cheating yourself out of a great deal of possible plots. History is also a continually evolving process, it may benefit a scene to suddenly decide that your character nearly drowned as a child and is therefore afraid of water, however you do run the risk of contradicting yourself ‘But your character went swimming last week!’. As I mentioned before, sometimes the history comes after the personality so as to explain why a person is the way he is.
A quick word about mental illness…
I am guilty of creating a manic depressive with masochistic tendencies. Looking back on it, it was a mistake since it makes it impossible to let them normal out. Occasionally it may work for a minor character if it serves a purpose in a plot, but for the most part it’s a crutch, and you should be better than that.
Physical Appearance
Height, hair and eye color, and other noticeable features are all you really need. Try to stick to normal depictions (don’t make up hair colors just for the sake of making them up) since unless you’ve got a picture, every person who reads what you’ve written is going to imagine something different. If you excel at description, here’s your chance to shine in character lookups. However unless your character is so drop dead gorgeous that it hurts to look at her, I don’t want to hear that she’s pretty. Unless he’s so ugly that he turns people to stone, I don’t want to hear he’s unattractive. Tangible things are what people want to read. I want to know that one eye is slightly larger than the other giving her a disconcerting stare. I want to know that his ears wiggle when he laughs, that he walks with a limp, that she has three scars running parallel down her left calf. Clothing is also important but only if it says something about their character. I don’t care if he wears leather breeches unless they’re made from the first cow he ever killed. I don’t care if she wears skirts unless it’s because her mother doesn’t want her to look too manly.