How To Write Unique Voices For Characters In Fiction

Calendario del Desván

CALENDARIO DEL DESVAN

Marco A. Romero

La historia de todo ser humano se puede resumir en un historia de amor.... 

Amor desviado, amor contradictorio; amor malsano, amor malvado; amor renegado, amor irreverente; amor odiado... amor suplicado.

Las venas y las arterias contaminadas de pasiones y dolores que brotan y fluyen entre las partes, para generar acciones en otros -las que fueran- que hicieran sentir el cuerpo vivo y sentirse también querido en el dolor; y amado, en relación igualmente a la infringida por el dolor.

Agresión y Amor. Agreder lo que se ama, agrederlo para sentirlo tuyo, de tu propiedad, para arrojarlo o pisotearlo, para infamiarlo o crucificarlo, para bendecirlo o maldecirlo porque después del infierno viene el cielo, después del golpe la sanidad, después del sufrimiento la armonía. 

Los polos opuestos, los polos que no se pueden reconciliar pues si se reconcilian no funcionan y algo anda mal...

Es mío y nada más que mío; para besarlo o crucificarlo, para amarlo o bendecirlo, para sangrarlo o sanarlo... pero mío, sólo mío... sólo mío...

La historia de amor se puede resumir como una guerra, en una lucha constante y prolongada por conquistar amores; amores que se dieron, amores que no se dieron.

Los unos y los otros empantanados en batallas campales que generan actos de locura en ambos lados, y a las cicatrices y heridas infringidas le suceden también la ruptura en el funcionamiento normal -equilibrado, diríamos- de la estructura.

Guerras empecinadas, sin tregua y a morir, por conquistar el amor de otros cuando normal debiera fluir… 

Quién quebrará el embrujo, quién, quién, quién?

En el aspecto personal, de interrelación de uno a otro amigo, cada uno buscaba en el otro lo que uno deseaba para sí, y nunca se dieron cuenta de las bondades que su misma persona tenía, al estar mirando frecuentemente -y de soslayo- las actuaciones ajenas del vecino. 

Y así pasaron los días, los días se convirtieron en años, las quejas se fueron convirtiendo en ruidos cotidianos como las hojarascas en el otoño al ser arrastradas por el viento, hasta que los años menguaron la piel, marchitaron la juventud, sin que los antigüos patrones se sustituyeran por otros nuevos de armonía, fraternidad y felicidad...

Y éstas son sólo visiones, 

no constituyen juicios de verdad, 

sino sentires personales, 

pensamientos... 

que salen del desván..

TRAS BAMBALINAS

La escena; la escena de transición capitulo 4:  It is just the fucking rain! No, it is not!.

Primero que nada, me gusto el cambio de escena. 

1.- Venia de una escena digamos “tradicional” a una escena de “aventura”. Teníamos que inventar algo que pasara suave de una escena a otra, a  partir de dónde nos habíamos quedado para dar continuidad. La continuidad era importante, para conectar una escena con la otra, y darle seguimiento a la historia.

2.- Después, se pensó en el diálogo que necesitaba para entrar en el capítulo nuevo, y se pensó en algo elocuente, que llamara la atención, como el concepto del beso. Y teníamos que darlo inmediatamente a la entrada del capítulo, porque siempre las primeras líneas tenemos que atrapar al lector entre la trama.  

Entonces parte de ello, era voltear los papeles tradicionales de las mujeres (femeninas, unas pintadas, zapatos) a otro mas agresivo, más masculino, y los ejemplos estaban en los otros personajes femeninos tipo Lara Croft, con instintos de valentía masculina, o la otra personaje de Katniss Everdeen en “Hunger Games”. Es decir, queríamos pasar de una escena tradicional con una mujer tradicional, a otra de aventura con un personaje femenino de aventura.

El propósito era copiar personajes femeninos con características masculinas (poder, fuerza, destreza, cáracter, empuje), y la jugada, en esta escena, fue mas bien, desmitificar el ser femenino y ponerlo en un carácter masculino. Tener la cara de la mujer, pero el carácter del hombre, y por eso el juego del beso, y las otras escenas de “Quedate aquí, no salgas”, mientras su amigo está en la escena atrás, y ella está dispuesta a enfrentarse a los villanos. 

3.- En críticas que he escuchado acerca de estos cambios (y mire que no es solamente en linea, sino con otros amigos que han leído la historia) se menciona que no van muy de acuerdo en el sentido de que sea la mujer la que se aproxime a un beso, y tenga la libertad de hacerlo. Parece ser que esa idea que presentamos en los primeros párrafos del beso, no tuvo mucha aceptación no fue mucho de agrado, pues se dice que traspasa la cultura, ideas y valores de la mujer en el sentido de ser ella la que es seguida y cortejada. 

4.- El voltear la historia de una tradicional a otra de aventura, también exigía voltear los conceptos de los personajes.

5.- Será el beso considerado como una osadía al género femenino en un ambiente de aventura?” Usted me besó primero!”  “Quédese aquí atrás”, serán conceptos trastocados de la cabeza en una escena de aventura femenina?

Usted qué piensa?

6.- Y es cierto! Le falta trabajar más los caracteres y la ambientación para que no suene el pasaje como flojo. Le falta todavía más trabajo de soporte a ambientaciones y caracteres

How to create “complex” characters

– Introduction

I wanted to make a post about creating complex and multifaceted characters, since character creation is something I'm very passionate about from both a craft and storytelling perspective. Specifically, I remember I had this tendency to apply flaws as an afterthought to my characters in hopes of making them balanced and seem more complex, and this could often make the characters feel a bit artificial to me. I'm obviously not any sort of authority figure on the subject, but I do have one tip that really simplified the process of making characters more intricate, and I wanted to share it! This is probably more helpful for people who might still be at the very beginning of their writing journey, but hopefully others can get something out of this as well! It's a bit lengthy, but I hope it's somewhat enjoyable to read ^^; Enjoy!

For a bit of background, back in the early internet days, there was this trend of judging various OCs on youtube, deviant art, etc. where people would essentially evaluate your character and determine whether or not a character was well written. During this time, the term "Mary Sue" would get thrown around a lot (which is a whole can of worms I won't be touching on here). For simplicity though, Mary Sue generally means a character who's "perfect" (again, heavy oversimplification here). To counter this, people began creating these lists of character traits where they'd list off a character's good and bad traits, and people who didn't have equal amounts in each category would often be scrutinised for it.

And I see this advice all the time. If you want complex characters, people will usually tell you to just throw on a bunch of flaws, but I think this can be a bit misleading, because most traits exist on a spectrum, and aren't a perfect dichotomy of good and bad.

Thinking of character traits as neutral

My biggest advice is honestly to just think of all character traits as neutral. Because what really is a character flaw? A flaw is a very ambiguous and subjective term after all. What might be considered a flaw in one character could be considered another character's greatest attribute, and vice versa. Functionally, a character flaw should be a trait that creates conflict within the context of the story. Any trait a person has could be good or bad, it just depends on how it shows up in practice and how it's applied in daily life. It might be tempting to think that certain traits are inherently good or bad, but again, flaws aren't really about good or bad. They're about conflict and tension, and just about any trait can work to a character's detriment or in their favour.

I'm going to list off two examples of hypothetical characters below; one who most would consider to have a lot of "good" character traits, and one that would be considered to have "bad" character traits. Then I'll show you how you can easily flip those traits to create nuance. (And again, I really don't think good or bad are relevant terms here, but it's just to exemplify what I mean more easily!)

The "Good" Character

This character is empathetic, creative and incredibly supportive of others. They always do the right thing, and are a very responsible individual. They're approachable and friendly, funny, and generally enjoyable to be around.

The "Bad" Character

This character is cunning, manipulative, and don't care if their words hurt other people's feelings. They're largely apathetic and unreceptive, don't care about rules, and don't go out of their way to get to know people.

Their flaws & how it can affect the story

For the "good" character, you can look at what the downsides of empathy can be; very reactive emotionally, perhaps even a bit emotionally impulsive. Maybe they have a difficult time recognising their own needs, especially since supportive is also a trait listed above. Maybe they even use this empathy to figure out other people's needs and use it to their own benefit. Someone who's creative can often have a difficult time committing to their passions and ideas because there's always something new. Maybe they feel out of place or easily stifled by rules, but because they always want to do the right thing, they're hesitant in outright breaking rules and social norms. If they use their empathy and approachability to manipulate, perhaps this is their way of subtly regaining a sense of control because they're too afraid to explicitly go after what they want in life. Maybe they care a lot about how they're perceived, etc. Or maybe they really are a compassionate and kind person, but they're often a doormat to others because they don't know how to set boundaries or even how to recognise what they want. Maybe they don't trust their own judgment because they're so used to doing the right thing "just because it's the right thing to do", and don't actually reflect on their actions beyond that. There's a lot you can do with these traits!

For the "bad" character, which might seem a bit more tricky at first, the easiest way to figure out what the nuance of "bad" traits can be is to break down the why. Maybe this character became cunning because they've had to think long term a lot. They're good at waging the odds, they're good at reading the room, they're good at putting things together and seeing how the dominos will fall. Maybe they're even the person responsible for setting up the dominos, because they don't trust anyone else to make sure that there's a desirable outcome. If they're manipulative then it likely means that they're good at reading people, and they must know how to appeal to other people to some degree, otherwise they wouldn't really be able to manipulate anyone. They're likely used to having to look out for themselves, and they might even be good at spotting their own kind and knowing just when to avoid them. They don't care much for rules so they might not be as harsh in judging others, maybe they even have an easier time getting along with people who dare to defy social norms. Maybe they're even supportive of other people breaking the rules, because why the hell not?

Creating nuance

If you look at the two characters above, you'll quickly realise that they could hypothetical be the same character, because... They are. The "good" character is the "bad" character when they were younger. The "bad" character is the "good" character's future. An empathetic character can easily turn that empathy and their social skills into cunning manipulation. A character who previously felt stifled by the rules might choose to defy them. A character who got sick of caring how others perceive and judge them might choose to stop caring about what others think, and might even go out of their way to seem off-putting and un-approachable, because they refuse to ever allow themselves to care about others and be treated like a doormat again.

Or you can treat them as two separate characters that function as foils to one another. They both overlap in a lot of traits despite it not seeming so at first glance. My point is, I find that if you treat all traits as neutral, you don't really have to manually "add" flaws. Most traits have both upsides and downsides, and which side of those traits create conflict in the story is often what determines whether something is a flaw or not.

– Outro

Sorry for the lengthy and possibly rambly post, I just thought it might be advice worth sharing as it's something that really helped me flesh out my own characters more when I was still very new! Plus, as mentioned before, character creation and analysis is one of my favourite aspects of storytelling, and I'm also very passionate about psychology and philosophy and such. And again, this is all in good fun and 100% not a rule on how to write characters! There's exceptions to everything and everyone's process is different, and while this advice might be helpful to some, it might not be helpful whatsoever to others, and that's completely fine!

I'd love to make more posts on topics like this in the future if people enjoy it, or if anyone has any specific requests on anything! :,)

Writing Tips

Maintaining Motivation to Write

❀

➼ if you’re bored writing a part & want to move on to another scene… imagine how bored your readers must be

➝ keep it interesting and meaningful ; write every scene like it will be your favorite

➼ if you’re stuck on a scene — skip it

➝ use placeholders and come back to it when motivation strikes

➝ personally, I do something like: {ENTER: battle scene} and then I’ll list details, lines, or dialogue I want to include so I don’t lose my ideas

➼ if you’re stuck on where to go with a scene — delete the last line and reroute

➝ keep your last line saved somewhere or in brackets — never actually delete anything, but this can help broaden your perspective and encourage creativity

➼ if you’re stuck on a character name — use placeholders

➝ I love to research my names intensely; I’ll spend way too long researching that I’ll forget what I wanted to start writing ; plus once I get attached to a name I am reluctant to change it, even if I think of a better one

➝ so I’ll temporarily replace the name with something like: [A] or [Villain] or [King]

➼ if you don’t have motivation to write an entire excerpt, write a sentence for each of the five senses in the scene

➝ touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell

➝ having these details can help immerse yourself back into the scene when you’re ready to write it

Write your book STEP BY STEP

hello hello, it's me again!

today i'm bringing you a step-by-step / checklist to finally get your book done. i know it can be a bit complicated to put everything together to make your idea come to life (you're definitely not alone!)

that's why i compiled some tips and made this post, in hopes to help some author out there :D

let's get started.

PREMISE

assuming you already have a good idea in mind, you should start by writing a premise. to help you with that, try to answer these questions:

who is the main character?

what are their goals?

which troubles will they face / what's stopping them from achieving their goals?

do they have an opponent? if so, who?

now that you know the answers to these questions, it's time to write the premise. the premise consists in a sentence that summarizes your whole idea.

PLOT OUTLINE

there are infinite ways to plot your story. you can do it by writing down ideas and linking them together, following a scheme, or any other method.

the most common plot outlines are these:

synopsis outline: one to two pages, where you hit all the major beats of the story

in-depth outline: outline each chapter/scene

snowflake method: develop the premise into a bigger paragraph, and that paragraph into a page (etc.) until you have the whole outline of your story

booken method: plot the start and end of the story, and the main characters

the novel factory created plot sheets for free, and you can choose from eight different templates. you might want to check it out!

KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS

having your outline defined, you should start developing your characters now. the main character's profile might be more detailed than the others, however, it's up to you. there are many character sheets out there on the internet that will help you create flawless characters.

i have a post with resources that might be helpful when creating a character, check it out!

and here you have some prompts and sheets to create a character:

Quick Character Creator - EA Deverell

Extremely detailed character sheet template - @hawkasss

The Best Character Template Ever - Dabble

Character Twenty Questions Worksheet - The Writers Circle

at this point, you should also define the narrator's voice, tone, etc, as well as the pace of your novel.

LOCATIONS

define the principal locations of your story, the settings, and where the story is taking place. it's important to know how the environment looks, and how your characters feel about it.

for this part, you might find it useful to do some research about some locations, if you're not familiar with them. find inspiration on Pinterest, Tumblr, or even on books, paintings, and art. everything is valid.

if your story takes place in a fantasy environment, you might need to fill out a template to create it or write down the way you imagine it to be. try to get as many details as possible, so there are no holes when developing the novel.

SUBPLOTS

you might want to give more depth to your novel by developing a subplot (or more than one). make sure it doesn't get too confusing or that doesn't take the focus away from the main action.

the subplot can be a romance, another character's relationship, a character's arc, a backstory, etc. this will make your story more real and 3D, more realistic.

develop it as a side story and mix it with the principal plot but don't make it as important as the main story, otherwise, none of the plots will make an impact.

SYNOPSIS

write a synopsis as long as you wish, covering every important part of the story. this will help you to really know your idea, and have a solid structure for it. it can range from 500 to 2,500 words, but you don't have to restrict yourself to a number.

things the synopsis should cover:

the status quo

the complication

initial challenges

midpoint

further challenges

the low point

the climax

the resolution

DRAFT

and we get to the best part which is writing! now that you know everything about your story, characters, locations, and scenes, all you have to do is to put all that together in words. don't feel pressured to make everything look perfect already, just write what comes to your mind. if you have a new idea for the plot, good, write it down! if this character doesn't make sense anymore, okay, get rid of them. just go with the flow, following the structure you've planned, and everything starts to come to life.

i know it's so tempting to go back, read what you wrote, and start editing and polishing, but trust me, don't do that! it's a waste of time, and you will take so much more time to finish your first draft. in fact, i've given up on so many stories because of that...

just when you finish the first draft, you will re-read everything and start editing, fixing plot holes, changing what doesn't fit well, etc. but for now, just write, get the first draft done. enjoy the process, don't rush.

thanks for reading!

i hope this post was helpful!

also, you might be interested in this free workbook with over 90 pages and many exercises! check it out here: THE WRITER'S WORKBOOK

resources for this post:

How to Choose a Plot Outline Method: 4 Techniques for Outlining Novels

How to Write a Novel: A Step-by-Step Guide

Fic Titles: Alphabet P-R

Take one and start to create!

P

Pain of my life

Panic at the Laundromat

Paper cuts

Paper hearts (easy to tear)

Past mistakes

Peer-pressured

People we met in supermarkets

People will talk (no matter what)

Perfect moment to forget

Perfect little angel

Perhaps someday

Pest control

Pillow talk

Pinky promises

Playing favourites

Pocket full of sorrow

Pour me a drink (or two or more)

Power of kisses

Praying to her body

Pressed flowers and love letters

Pretty little lies

Pride and Problems

Primal Instinct

Promises made, promises kept

Pushing boundaries

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Q

Qualifications to kick ass

Qualified answers to unqualified questions

Quality content

Quantity over quality

Questionable taste

Questioning the status quo

Quarantine with the enemy

Quarrels over nothing

Quintessentially the two of us

Quiet nights together

Quite a spectacle

Quite the catch

Quick decisions

Quoting the classics

Queen of messing up

Queendom comes

Quests and how to avoid them

Quickening the appetite

Quivering (keep me warm)

Quivering with emotions

Questionnaire for a partner

Quitting unhealthy habits

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

R

Rain clouds over your head

Rain on our parade

Rainy days at the sea

Raw power

Ready for whatever

Real people, real problems

Reality check

Reality comes back for you

Rebellion in her blood

Religious experience

Reputation to uphold

Rescue’s on the way

Reunions (and how to avoid them)

Reunited with my love

Rights and wrongs

Rising to the top (where we belong)

Romance is not dead (yet)

Rose-tinted glasses

Rosy dreams

Royal pain in the ass

Ruby eyes

Ruin me (please)

Ruins of us

Rules of friends-with-benefits

Ruling over her kingdom

Find more titles: A-C|D-F|G-I|J-L|M-O|S-T|U-V|W-X|Y-Z + Numbers

>>All the Fic Titles.

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Búsquense a alguien que los haga crecer como persona, no que los tenga en conflicto emocional todo el jodido tiempo.

Cualquier destino, por largo y complicado que sea, consta en realidad de un solo momento: el momento en el que el hombre sabe para siempre quién es.

Jorge Luis Borges, “Biografía de Tadeo Isidoro Cruz”, El Aleph (via denisesoyletras)

Never carry things on from the past. The past is gone. Every moment be rid of it, solved or unsolved. Drop it - and don’t carry parts because those parts won’t allow you to solve new problems that live in this moment. Live in this moment as totally as possible, and suddenly you will come to realized, that if you live it totally, it is solved. There is no need to solve it. Life is not a problem to be solved, it’s a mystery to be lived.

Rajneesh

(via

spiritualgateway

)