How To Write A Character

How to Write a Character

↠ Start with the basics, because obviously. Name. Age. Gender. Maybe even a birthday if you’re feeling fancy. This is step one because, well, your character needs to exist before they can be interesting. But nobody cares if they’re 27 or 37 unless it actually matters to the story.

↠ Looks aren’t everything… but also, describe them. Yes, we know their soul is more important than their hair color, but readers still need something to visualize. Do they have the kind of face that makes babies cry? Do they always look like they just rolled out of bed? Give us details, not just “tall with brown hair.

↠ Personality isn’t just “kind but tough.” For the love of storytelling, give them more than two adjectives. Are they kind, or do they just pretend to be because they hate confrontation? Are they actually tough, or are they just too emotionally repressed to cry in public? Dig deeper.

↠ Backstory = Trauma (usually). Something shaped them. Maybe it was a messy divorce, maybe they were the middle child and never got enough attention, or maybe they once got humiliated in a spelling bee and never recovered. Whatever it is, make it matter to who they are today.

↠ Give them a goal. Preferably a messy one. If your character’s only motivation is to “be happy” or “do their best,” they’re boring. They need a real goal, one that conflicts with who they are, what they believe in, or what they think they deserve. Bonus points if it wrecks them emotionally.

↠ Make them suffer. Yes, I said it. A smooth, easy journey is not a story. Give them obstacles. Rip things away from them. Make them work for what they want. Nobody wants to read about a character who just gets everything handed to them (unless it’s satire, then carry on).

↠ Relationships = Depth. Nobody exists in a vacuum. Who do they love? Who annoys the hell out of them? Who do they have that messy, can’t-live-with-you-can’t-live-without-you tension with? People shape us. So, shape your character through the people in their life.

↠ Give them a voice that actually sounds like them. If all your characters talk the same, you’ve got a problem. Some people ramble, some overthink, some are blunt to the point of being offensive. Let their voice show who they are. You should be able to tell who’s talking without dialogue tags.

↠ If they don’t grow, what’s the point? People change. They learn things, make mistakes, get their hearts broken, and (hopefully) become a little wiser. If your character starts and ends the story as the same exact person, you just wasted everyone’s time.

↠ Flaws. Give. Them. Flaws. Nobody likes a perfect character. Give them something to struggle with, maybe they’re selfish, maybe they push people away, maybe they’re addicted to the thrill of self-destruction (fun!). Make them real. Make them human.

↠ Relatability is key. Your character doesn’t have to be likable, but they do have to be understandable. Readers need to get them, even if they don’t agree with them. If your character never struggles, never doubts, and never screws up, I have bad news: they’re not a character, they’re a mannequin.

↠ You’re never actually done. Characters evolve, not just in the story, but as you write them. If something feels off, fix it. If they feel flat, dig deeper. Keep refining, rewriting, and letting them surprise you. That’s how you create someone who feels real.

Now go forth and write characters that actually make people feel something. And if you need a reminder, just ask yourself: Would I care if this person existed in real life? If the answer is meh, start over.

More Posts from Letskilltimetogether and Others

1 month ago

No matter what a post on tumblr tries to tell you, your moral and ethical stances will never be determined by what you reblog and what you scroll past. Don’t let manipulation tactics force you into doing anything you don’t want to do.

1 month ago

NOT THE DORITO CHIN LMAOOO

Gen Ship Dump + Cat Ryusui. I Love Gen Too Much He's Perfect And Compatible With Everyone (^-^)

Gen ship dump + cat ryusui. I love gen too much he's perfect and compatible with everyone (^-^)


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4 months ago

Yes. You. You get it.

However, to get a little introspective for funsies, Senkuu only kind of follows the government law?

(Spoilers for Dr. Stone ahead! No outright plot stuff, but beware!)

To lay the ground work, he doesn’t explicitly defy laws in canon. But some of his actions definitely lean on the illegal side, with the rocket launches, electrocuting of his bullies, and his personal use of school equipment. Here he leans against the law.

In the stone world, he abides by general laws like “don’t kill people” and “no war crimes” and “don’t euthanize people”. That kind of thing. He also mentions reconstructing a legal system at some point? I might be misremembering, but I think he wanted to keep Hyoga and Homura in prision until they remake the legal system and give them a trial, which is very lawful of him, and actually pushes for the opposite argument of him diligently following the law.

However!

To go more into my personal characterization, speculation, and knowledge of fandom head canons; if Senkuu were to encounter a law he thought was unjust, would most likely ignore it or outright try to break it. He wouldn’t follow someone or something just because they’re powerful! He’d follow whatever he believes is morally just and supported by science.

So in a setting where he is forced to follow those rules, like the modern day, then yes he would take those rules to their extreme to mess with people, because he is very chaotic. But most if not all of Dr. stone takes place in a setting where those rules don’t necessarily apply, so why would he have to find loopholes?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that in the Modern World, where Senkuu is not an influential person, he would follow the law but to ridiculous extremes or break it as he feels morally obligated. But in the Stone World where he is basically the president/head of civilization(which is a whole other can of worms I would love to get into another time) he doesn’t need to follow laws he sees as unjust, he can just change them.

For context: I was originally thinking of this meme in terms of Stone World logic bc of his relation to Gen, so I was a little confused when thinking about it that way. Goes to show how much settings can impact a character!

Final note: I completely agree with this meme and I appreciate the creator for their genius. it’s very accurate for both guys. I just like to yap. Thank you for the yap time.

Also they’re gay

*mic drop*

Your Honor They're Homosexuals

Your honor they're homosexuals


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3 months ago

OMG THIS IS AMAZING. Perfect. Immaculate. New canon.

No one:

Hargon in DQB2:


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2 months ago

Why the fuck have I started using pig Latin when speaking to myself?

I didn't even register it until a second later

I just went ' eally ray ' without hesitation in responses to a video. This is all Gens fault


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3 weeks ago

So it’s more of reverting the organism to its previous state? That makes more sense thanks :)

so if ur transmasc and u got top surgery. and also u exist in the world of dr stone. then when the petrification wave happens and u get petrified and subsequently revived: do the top surgery scars vanish?


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2 months ago

That last paragraph got me.

Dr Stone Season 4 Episode 6: Pretty Senku is an Uncanny Valley Experience for his Friends!

The best thing about Senku is, unlike many Shōnen MC’s like Luffy or Ichigo, he is aware of his good looks.

Senku is excellent in utilising his soft boy charms. And he amplified the oomph for seducing Luna to reveal about Dr Xeno to Max Pro!

Everyone, who doesn’t know him well, actually thought Senku has a soft spot for Luna. Taiju and Yuzuhira immediately went, “Nope.” And Ryusui saw through his intentions pretty well. Chrome and others who know him slightly better now got to have the Uncanny Valley experience by looking at Pretty Senku.

Senku Ishigami is so aroace that he knows sex appeal is a tool of warfare and mastered it.


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2 months ago

It's Byakuya and Senku time again

I've tried to put into words how Senku feels about Byakuyas death and I finally think i understand a fraction of it. Senku feels guilty. So so guilty because he never got to tell Byakuya how grateful he is, how much he loves him, he never got to see his father one last time.

But more than that, the guilt crushes him because he sees the way Byakuya cares for him every day. The village was a gift from Byakuya to him, the platinum was gift from Byakuya to him, Lillians record was a gift from Byakuya to him. Senku has to live every day, is able to survive another day because of his dad. Byakuya always planned for exactly what he thought Senku would need, he as and always will do whatever is necessary for his son to succeed and yet Senku will never be able to do the same, he will never be able to do the same for his dad as his dad did to him. His dad gave everything he could to Senku up until his dying breath.

Senku feels guilty because he's been aware of how much his dad has done for him up until his dying breath and the only thing he can do now for his dad is to revive humanity, even if he has to die to do so.


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letskilltimetogether - KillingTimeTogether
KillingTimeTogether

Lara / KT, she/her, 17artist/writer (not much content here yet) (*≧∀≦*)please talk to me about Dr. Stone or Dragon Quest Builders :3

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