Questions tagged [character-development]
Anything pertaining to developing the details associated with characters in your writing.
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How do I emphasize a sentence without making it seem like the character is shouting?
In my story, there's one scene where character A talks to character B in a stern tone. I want to emphasize a specific sentence without making it seem like character A is shouting.
For example, ...
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Character is called by their initials. Do I spell it out?
I have a character who is referred to by another character by their initials TP, do I spell it out (teepee/tepee/tipi) or just use the initials TP. It is supposed to add humour and show their fun ...
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Tips on writing a transgender character?
I have a transgender oc, Rocky, born Rochelle. He's like eight. He doesn't know anything about LGBTQ+ people or that his twin sister Rosamie (Rosie) is a lesbian and has her own struggles and will ...
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Showing that a character is unsentimental and arrogant
How do I make my protagonist appear unsentimental and arrogant in a matter of showing rather than telling?
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Misleading readers on the motives/true personality of a character
My protagonist meets a Queen who is incredibly beautiful, acts very flirtatiously and is naive on most topics despite the fact she is a young adult. In short, she fulfils every stereotype of what a ...
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Tropes to prove a character loyalty and make them in a position to become a leader
I have a problem bridging two parts of the book. I need to make a character some kind of hero that has admiration of the country.
In my story, the character is a "wizard". Wizards are meant ...
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Would it count as a story if nothing bad happens to the character anywhere in the story?
Most stories follow this simple rule: Hardship occurs to main character and main character attempts to get through hardship. Character either gets through hardship or other hardship happens and plot ...
user64012
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Can I write a character that does not technically exist? They are an alter identity(?) of another character
I’m currently planning my characters, and wanted to grab some opinions.
I’m planning to have three main-ish characters, where the third character is more of an alternate identity of the second ...
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How can I fit a protagonist and his character arc to an existing world and plot?
I began my project with world-building. Afterward, I decided on the overarching plot, and now I'm trying to populate it with characters, starting with my protagonist. I've figured out his core driving ...
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How to describe a character dealing with a betrayal from one of their closest friends?
The character who gets betrayed is my main character, who is practically left to die by her closest childhood friend. My MC is the type of character to wholeheartedly believes and trusts in her ...
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How do I write a major character from scratch?
I've designed loads of characters, most remaining in my head, some being written down on paper and others even having the honor of being in a book/short story. I'd like to pride myself by saying I'm ...
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How do I keep a villain's menace after they've suffered so many defeats?
I've noticed in many long-running stories that it's common to have a villain who's a genuine menace to the heroes become impossible to take seriously after they've gotten defeated or died so many ...
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Order publishing/reading book series
I am writing a series of 9 stories.
The main characters of all the stories are long time friends. The timelines for the stories overlap. Many of the characters will have parts in all the stories.
...
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Nonbinary character who is gender fluid, changing pronouns smoothly?
I have a character that's nonbinary. I'm more looking into a good mechanical way to change the pronouns for the character every time they change their presentation.
The (fictional) language they speak ...
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Is this a a crazy enough reaction for someone who isn’t the most sane person, yet normal enough to be considered a human reaction? [closed]
In the beginning of my story, my character wakes up in an unfamiliar apartment. Although they’re scared for their safety, they were sure nothing bad had happened to them that night. At first they were ...
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How can I write a character with an alcohol addiction without sounding too repetitive?
This is my first time writing a book and I have been noticing that a lot of my scenes are quite similar to each other. The main character has an alcohol addiction and constantly gets drunk to the ...
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Is there a way to make text feel like an unhinged rant while still being readable?
I want to write a passage of text that makes the reader feel like the person writing it is deranged or otherwise not in the right state of mind.
It seems relatively easy to write incoherent, ...
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Using the stages of grief to fall in love
I would love to utilize the stages of grief in a way to show the progression of a character's resistance to fall in love. I have some ideas for each. What are some other ideas?
I have a vigilante ...
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Should I change my character's name if it's a variation of mine?
I'm trying to name a character, and I found one that fits him perfectly. It makes sense for the setting, it supports the theme and his character arc, and it supports his parents' characters (mainly ...
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Looking to include hijabi character in children's book about magic, would that go against muslim customs?
A friend and I have written and illustrated a children's story about a group of kid witches that includes a girl with a hijab. I have read that magic and witchcraft are taboo in Muslim faith, should ...
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How to find or create a mantra or guiding quote for a character?
I'm in the process of developing a character for a story right now, and I want to come up with some sort of mantra or repeatable quote the character can repeat to themselves over the course of the ...
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Should I write the 'after'?
Alright, so I just finished a really beautiful scene in my manuscript that happened during an event. Let's say it was a party.
So the beautiful scene happened rather in the beginning of the event, ...
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How to slow down plot in slowburn romance?
My current work in progress is a slow burn romance between two characters who do not believe in love in their own way. MC simply does not believe in it due to bad experiences being proven, and LI (...
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What is necessary to hide your antagonist’s dirty deeds in plain sight before the big unmasking in 1POV?
This could be essentially the opposite of the question here, about introducing evil characters before they’ve done anything evil. I’m showing the “questionable” activities of a character before ...
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How to safely pose this Mary Sue character?
I'm writing a science fantasy, and I'm afraid that the protagonist has too many superpowers.
Here's the concept: The protagonist is Berta Newton, an isekai counterpart of Issac Newton. She is the ...
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Keeping your audience after you've guilted them - what's the secret sauce?
Consider that your story has a moral that points to the simple fact that we all have committed and contributed to your protagonist's crisis. The protagonist walks through life desperately needing help,...
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Tough female character softening
I'm writing a tough, capable young female character who is savvy and can survive well in an unfamiliar society. However, she has no patience for stupidity and is quick to shoot barbed remarks. I want ...
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How do you write a succesful character development without changing your character?
In dystopias, you can't avoid the fact that your protagonist is going to be changed from their experience. Not only this, but it's important for them to change for good character development to happen....
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How can I make my character motivations drive the story forward and not the other way around?
I'm having trouble writing my first real novel. The first three chapters in my story are dedicated to set up, introducing the main characters, and providing character motivations.
However, I have ...
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I'm trying to find enough sensory description for my book
How do I describe when a person falls unconscious with enough sensory details?
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