Character Creation

Woo, back from vacation! I spent a week in Colorado, it was lovely. But I'm not here to talk about that, I'm here to talk about creating fictional characters. It's not exactly a "crafty" topic, but let's face it, this blog is more about me babbling on about my interests than a dedicated craft guide. And character design makes use of many of the same creative skills that you use to get crafty!

First off, it's important to consider what you are designing a character for. Are you writing an original story? Planning on a fanfiction with OC's? Looking to join an RPG? I usually fall into the latter group, though I dabble in the former from time to time. Next, consider the implications that this has on your character. If you're writing fanfiction or joining an RPG, you probably don't have complete control over the setting. Therefore, your character has to work within the established setting. For example, an elf mage would fit right in to a high fantasy Dungeons and Dragons setting, but would feel out of place in a Steven Universe fic. A sentient rock being turned warrior, on the other hand, could fit into either story! If you're writing original fiction then you have control over the setting, but you still should consider whether or not your character fits. Part of building up a believable world is making the characters seems like they belong there (unless they're not supposed to belong!).

Now that you've figured out what is/isn't an appropriate character for the setting, start building up details about them. Start with the big picture first: their name, gender/pronouns, species (if there's more than one option in your story), basic personality traits, etc. If you're playing an RPG, go ahead and figure out all the relevant stats too. You don't need to go into a huge amount of detail about their appearance/clothing, unless it's imminently relevant to the story you want to tell. Of course, if you already have a lot of ideas in that area, write them down. I like to draw a sketch of the character, in a dynamic pose that informs their personality, as a reference for how they look on a day-to-day basis.

This is the point where a lot of writing advice will tell you to work out as many details of your character as you possibly can. Write an extensive backstory, list their favorite foods, colors, animals, historical figures, their every goal for the future and all their values. Honestly, I don't think you need to do this, at least not in one go. Whenever I would try to list all the traits of a character before writing/playing them, I forgot about them within five minutes of starting to use the character. Either my predetermined traits didn't actually mesh together as well as I thought they did, or the course of the story would be more logical or funny or interesting if my character acted differently. By the end of a day, half the list could be scribbled out and replaced with new information, which kind of defeats the purpose of listing everything at the start.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't plan. And it's not to say that you shouldn't know intimate details about your character. But I find it better to plan the big picture stuff, and let the details form as I go. Major personality traits and backstory elements will determine a majority of the character's actions, after all, so you can get away with planning those and little else. In a oneshot RPG I participated in recently, I was very minimalist with my preparations. A name (Cici) and a few character traits (short temper, loyal, self conscious about her height) were really all I decided up front. As the game progressed, Cici grew into a fierce, almost gruff figure who didn't want to admit that she cared about her teammates, and who was more than willing to rip apart anyone who stood in their way. She was also surprisingly caring and gentle when her friends got hurt, having an enhanced skill in medicine discovered partway through the game that informed another aspect of her character. Had I planned every detail out from the beginning, it would have been very difficult to fit the unexpected medical skill in without toppling the whole pile! Cici ended up being a fun, volatile character to play, in part because my minimalistic planning allowed her to be.

If you decide to take my route of figuring out character details as you go, I have one more suggestion. Keep a list of what you learn about your character as you play/write. If at some point they say their favorite ice cream flavor is cherry, make a note of it, and keep all of your notes in one place. This will help prevent your character from being inconsistent and may stop plotholes before they form. And check to make sure you're not contradicting yourself before you commit to a particular trait!

Using this system, I've found a nice balance between staying consistent and being free to explore a character's potential. It's an excellent way to play an RPG, and it works for writing fiction just as well. Do you like to plan every single detail of a character before you start? Or would you like to try my way and fly by the seat of your pants a little bit? Let me know!