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Arguments. The conversations that contain yelling, screaming, insults, hurting, frustration, and occasionally…humor.
If you are uncertain how to write one, I have a few tips for you.
A Reason:
Perhaps the frustration has been building in one of your characters for days, weeks, and in extreme cases, years. When the emotions build up so does the level of the argument.
Emotions that has been strengthening for hours compared to minutes will blow up in a more dramatic way.
So there are many reasoning for the argument. Maybe what the discussion is about isn’t actually what the person is upset about. Two characters may be fighting over who ate the last muffin but in reality one of the characters have been feeling left out and has taken their frustration on a muffin.
Maybe the characters simply hate each other and look for any reason to get under the others skin. There are so many reasons and its all determined on your characters.
Serious vs Trivial:
The serious arguments compared to trivial disagreements have much more emotion behind it. There has to be pain, mixed with other emotions creating a complicated mess.
Most quarrels are minor, (usually not unimportant), but not consequential. Serious arguments can include physical fighting, hateful words, and revealing feelings they have never shared before. But not all significant disagreements are relationship ruining. In fact it can strengthen the bond.
Trivial- Develops the situation
Serious- Develops the characters
(Note: This isn’t correct all the time. Serious can develop the situation as well as trivial developing the characters)
Development:
I just touched on it but most if not all arguments should be impactful in some way. Minor or Major.
Maybe it should foreshadow something that’s going to happen or dawns realization on a character. It can destroy or build relationships, or bring the problems up. They can also show the contrasts between characters.
Anyway that’s all I got! Have a FANTASTIC day, and have fun writing!
Creating various personalities for many characters can be very difficult. Just relax, it doesn’t need to be. Here’s some tips that might help.
Listing Character Traits:
This was actually not helpful for me at ALL, but it may be for you! Take a piece of paper and write down for each character the traits you imagine them having.
This keeps it organized and is a good start to a character. (Maybe…it wasn’t for me…but whatever! Give it a whirl!)
Character Interviews:
This can be very helpful, even if its just to remind yourself of the characters personality later in the writing process. Act like you’re asking the characters various questions, and based off their pasts and personalities answer the questions. I find it nice to put this on paper.
This link may be handy: https://www.writerswrite.co.za/prousts-questionnaire-35-questions-every-character-should-answer/
Name them:
It may seem strange but just giving a name to a character can spark ideas. Names can just sprout personality all on their own. Thats why you may want to name them then give traits.
(But some people title them first then decide on a name depending on the personality of the person.)
Create Their Past:
Like wet cement, experiences shape a person. Not only do YOU need to know (not necessarily your readers) but your character knows. If they don’t have a firm past then a huge chunk of your character is missing.
(I will eventually post a thing about creating backgrounds and pasts but you can always find another person giving out advice.)
Know their role:
Are they the main character? Comic relief? Best friend?
You need to know this and consider shaping a person to fit in their role. A comic relief has to be…comical.
BUT, not every main character is the same nor villain. Consider that.
Character Traits:
Here’s a few traits off the top of my head-
Sarcastic, Dramatic, Bad-Tempered, Shy, Lazy, Extroverted, Introverted, Thoughtful, Rational, Irrational, Insane, Arrogant, and Humble.
Everyone has multiple traits and some have the same but in different ways.
Two people can be Bad- Tempered but one throughs a tantrum when angry and the other one kills a person. Character traits can be called the same thing but can be two drastic different things. Thats why, when planning a persons personality you should be specific. It wouldn’t hurt to say why and when a person acts that way ethier.
I have more but that seems enough for now! Have a FANTASTIC DAY, and have fun writing!
You have spent time creating each of your characters and yet you may realize that one of your characters seem suspiciously similar to another one of your creations. I have a few tips to help with this.
Hobbies/ Likes/ Preferences:
Maybe both of your characters speak indistinguishably, perhaps they both have the same backgrounds, or both have tempers. A little thing like giving them different favorite foods can go a long way.
You can put your characters in the same situation or similar ones and show the audience their different reactions. Maybe your characters seem the same but the farther you get to know them, the more you realize you were wrong. People can be the same way.
Backgrounds:
No one has the same past and life as another person (except maybe a sibling but there’s very little chance sisters and brothers are very alike). Parents are different, cultures are unalike, homes are contrasting.
Try giving your characters separate lives. Experiences shape personalities.
Make them hate each other:
As strange as it might seem, making the characters hate each other worked surprisingly well for me.
Maybe, over the simplest thing, they fight and argue. They might have a dark past, or there may be other causes. But arguments (even if its funny to read) distract from the similarities and cause the differences to be more prominent.
(And besides, it sets up a good enemies to friends subplot. But it might not work for every character. I do not advice on making to many enemy relationships.)
Contrast the physical appearances:
It’s just a thought, but maybe making the to people look distinctly different can divert readers attention to compare the two.
“If they look unalike, then they must be.”
Have them be bestest friends:
This is the opposite of another point I made but these are all suggestions, you do not have to follow any of them, but this may be something you want to try.
Just like opposites attract, people who have a lot in common also take interest in one another. Readers may think you made the pair similar on purpose. Like you were trying to have them have similar personalities.
(BUT do not have them exactly alike, this is just being lazy and should never happen. There are very few exceptions, and they all involve clones.)
Try again:
A very likely reason why your characters are similar is because you didn’t work on them enough. You may need to sit back down at your desk (or floor, that’s my favorite place) and try again.
Redo them completely if you must, or just add on to what you have. But if nothing that I or another person has suggested worked, then your not ready. Eventually your characters will become a perfect mess that they were destined for.
There are many types of best friends. Some besties are complete opposites, others would have hated each other’s guts without their experiences together. Some are childhood buddies, and some met much later in life. But each one has similarities and are important.
For me, writing the relationship between two characters is the best part of writing, but for others… it may be difficult.So here are some tips!
Good Moments
Each friendship should have a few good moments in the book. This helps show why their friends and how their relationship works, also provides some clarity on their personalities.
The moments could be bantering between one another. Perhaps teasing, or helping the other cope. It could be anything that isn’t negative. They could be doing an activity together, even if it’s silent. They could be having a meaningful conversation; this is useful for explaining exposition to readers as well 😉.
But be careful. You can’t just be sprouting meaningful conversations out of nowhere.It’s best to give hints at their relationship in the first or second chapter you meet them. Build the base of their bond.
The good moments should be consistent with their personalities or situation. Character A maybe should not be teasing their bestie a chapter after their dad died.
Arguments
Disagreements between friends are inevitable. Its bound to happen, therefor conflicts are needed in your story. Your characters are people, and have their own opinions. And those opinions are not identical to their companion’s.
But, unless there’s a good reason and its believable, they should always make up. You chose how to do this, their your characters.
Reading Each Other's Mind
I do not mean literally. And it may not be constant, but best friends (especially if they knew each other for years) should be able to predict each other’s emotions, actions (some if not most of them), and reactions. These buddies should know when not to cross the line, (of course people always make mistakes so take that into account.).
Maybe the besties know each other so well they can synchronize. I am thinking of a team, fighting on the battlefield, fortelling eachothers moves and working together. This can also work for sports teams, charades, and attempting to not to die.
Relationship Development
This does not go for everyone. Some people and their relationships don’t change. But growth never hurts, and can in fact help your story to have some development.
Example: say if character A realizes she does not appreciate character B, in some form. This changes their relationship because now character A listens to character B’s thoughts.
People and their bonds change. They grow and evolve, so it’s realistic to have growth to you story.
This is all I got! Thank you for reading, and have a FANTASTIC DAY! I’m posting soon!