Id like to try this and see how it plays out. I think its important for writers to understand the importance of a characters role in plot development. I think, if you guys are up to it, this would be a good way for us to practice developing a character. So lets start building a character. The only information we have on this character is this: He/She is the hero in a fantasy setting. These are the things we need to do to build him/her: Decide Gender Give the character a name Age Appearance Skills Where was the character born? How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Religious? Agnostic? If you guys are up to it..make one paragraph describing ONE of these things about this character..the catch is if the poster before you decides the character is female, you must leave that as it is.. For example I will start with: This hero is female. Next poster..give our character a name..the poster after that cannot change anything about the character that was posted before him..you can only add to it using one of the other descriptors listed. I think it might be fun to see how this turns out! If you think its a silly idea..then just ignore me LOL I thought it would be fun to see how a character created by several people would turn out! K so...heres my start: Our character is female
LOL ok i wasnt clear enough..once someone sets a name..u cant change it..so what we have so far is A woman named Aurora... NOW..fill in the blanks and make something up about her history, the way she looks, or what her skills are..pick one particular item and expound on it..for example A woman named Aurora is a skilled warrior... Next person might say : she has flaming red hair As we go along I will periodically start to put together all these details and make this into a small story of her life.. So far we have: A woman named Aurora.. So next poster tell us something about Aurora..anything u want to make her..but only pick one area ok? Make sense?
A woman named Aurora is stout but has an attractive face. What's left: Skills Where was the character born? How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Religious? Agnostic?
A woman named Aurora is stout but has an attractive face. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. What's left: Skills Where was the character born? How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic?
A woman named Aurora is stout with an attractive face. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. What's left: Skills How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic?
A woman named Aurora is stout with an attractive face. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. She is an expert warrior, skilled with both weapons and unarmed combat. What's left: How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic?
Good so far but telling us shes attractive doesnt mean anything unless you "describe" what is attractive
A woman named Aurora is stout with beautiful blue eyes. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. She is an expert warrior, skilled with both weapons and unarmed combat. What's left: How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic?
A woman named Aurora is stout with beautiful blue eyes. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. She is an expert warrior, skilled with both weapons and unarmed combat. She was only young when her uncle started instructing her in the art of combat. He had been a soldier in the King's army at the time. Her parents died when she was five and under her uncle's care growing up was hard and left little room for laughter or emotions. She still shows the signs of her tough upbringing eight years after her uncle's death, which left her alone in the world at eighteen. She is lean and fit, her mouth has a hard edge to it and her eyes never betray her thoughts. She is not a likeable woman, but earns respect of those who know her and that is enough for her. (Wish I could come up with something better and sorry it is such a long bit!) What's left: Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic?
Heh that was actually much better! You are the first person that really put more 'detail' in the description..for the others watching this thread..can you see how what he posted really gave this character a little more life?
A woman named Aurora is stout with beautiful blue eyes. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. She is an expert warrior, skilled with both weapons and unarmed combat. She was only young when her uncle started instructing her in the art of combat. He had been a soldier in the King's army at the time. Her parents died when she was five and under her uncle's care growing up was hard and left little room for laughter or emotions. She still shows the signs of her tough upbringing eight years after her uncle's death, which left her alone in the world at eighteen. She is lean and fit, her mouth has a hard edge to it and her eyes never betray her thoughts. She is not a likeable woman, but earns respect of those who know her and that is enough for her. She is kind to the point of people calling her an angel or a goddess on earth, even tempered, and a mediator of many conflicts. But, when it involves the actual gods, she becomes stubborn and blind to reason, angry as a bull, and narrowminded. What's left: Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic?
Note: I skipped the details about her being "an angel" because it seems to contradict what's already been posted. So... --- A woman named Aurora is stout with beautiful blue eyes. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. She is an expert warrior, skilled with both weapons and unarmed combat. She was only young when her uncle started instructing her in the art of combat. He had been a soldier in the King's army at the time. Her parents died when she was five and under her uncle's care growing up was hard and left little room for laughter or emotions. She still shows the signs of her tough upbringing eight years after her uncle's death, which left her alone in the world at eighteen. She is lean and fit, her mouth has a hard edge to it and her eyes never betray her thoughts. She is not a likeable woman, but earns respect of those who know her and that is enough for her. The King's army is trained according to a handful of simple principles: 1) The gods should hold no sway over the fates of man, 2) the gods don't see it that way, so it's up to this army to "convince" them, and 3) morality is a pursuit best left to philosophers and priests. In the King's army, right and wrong are dictated by duty. You're a soldier. You follow your King, your captain, and the soldier next to you. Doing that is "right." Doing otherwise is "wrong." In times of war, that framework is enough. But the wars have began to quiet. The call to arms comes less frequently. And Aurora has been relegated to training new recruits. Even there, she falls out of favour. As the need for battlefield combat has given way gradually, and combat has been relegated to small affairs of honour, more civil than military, her values and judgments are called upon less and less. She seems the last in court to still adhere to the principles of the last generation.
wow, this was is an interesting exercise... also, this Aurora is starting to sound like a character I once drew. Well, I guess it would be bad form to say something without contributing, so here goes (not really sure which one that last post did...): A woman named Aurora is stout with beautiful blue eyes. She is against the existance of the gods and fights their followers wherever she goes, good or evil. She was born and bred in Amsterdam. She is an expert warrior, skilled with both weapons and unarmed combat. She was only young when her uncle started instructing her in the art of combat. He had been a soldier in the King's army at the time. Her parents died when she was five and under her uncle's care growing up was hard and left little room for laughter or emotions. She still shows the signs of her tough upbringing eight years after her uncle's death, which left her alone in the world at eighteen. She is lean and fit, her mouth has a hard edge to it and her eyes never betray her thoughts. She is not a likeable woman, but earns respect of those who know her and that is enough for her. The King's army is trained according to a handful of simple principles: 1) The gods should hold no sway over the fates of man, 2) the gods don't see it that way, so it's up to this army to "convince" them, and 3) morality is a pursuit best left to philosophers and priests. In the King's army, right and wrong are dictated by duty. You're a soldier. You follow your King, your captain, and the soldier next to you. Doing that is "right." Doing otherwise is "wrong." In times of war, that framework is enough. But the wars have began to quiet. The call to arms comes less frequently. And Aurora has been relegated to training new recruits. Even there, she falls out of favour. As the need for battlefield combat has given way gradually, and combat has been relegated to small affairs of honour, more civil than military, her values and judgments are called upon less and less. She seems the last in court to still adhere to the principles of the last generation. Despite her battle hardened ways and her iron will, she still has a soft spot that some less knowing cadets might see as a girlish, (perhaps even weak) trait: the enjoyment of sweetened Pomegranate juice, served from a cardboard box like a small child. Though the foolish cadet that sees this as an excuse to mock his instructor will often find himself waking up in the infirmary with a large lump on his head from the business end of a training staff. The student will usually have learned his lesson as well, often giving the gift of another juice box in penitence. They'll also remember to wear their helmets at all times during training. Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Agnostic? (I'm not sure which one of those the last post took care of)
Character Building I may be so bold, but I was reading though some o fthe original threads started here back in the day (2006) and I came across this gem: https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=557 What I would like to do, is to attempt this again. I really enjoyed reading other writer's imput. It seems like a fun learning experience for all involved. So how about it? I'll borrow her list for this character, but if you can think of other questions to add that would help develope the character further, don't hesitate to do so. The Rules: Each person is to answer one of the following questions, perferrably in more than one word answers (ie, if they're attractive, what makes them attractive. etc). You are not to change anything the previous poster has chosen (ie, if someone already decided they're a woman, than they're a woman.) If you're confused about anything, I'll be happy to clear it up. Just take a peek at the link up there to get the jist of it. Gender Name Age Appearance Skills Where was the character born? How big is characters family Where is character now (physically)? What makes him/her angry, sad, happy or blissful What do they eat/drink? What are the personality flaws/strengths What are some of the characters life experiences - both childhood and adulthood Where does character get their sense of morality? Religious? Agnostic? Let's begin! Our character is male..
He used to be Christian due to his raising, but he hasn't been sure about God or religion for a long time. He considered renouncing his faith entirely when he was younger and angrier, but despite surrounding himself with agnostic and atheist friends, he now secretly longs to have something to believe in.
He was a soldier, but hurt his leg and was forced to leave the battlefield for good. He walks with a slight limp.
He works at the post office now. The predictable routine steadies his nerves, but he wants to go back to college soon.
He hates it when people look upon him with pity. The wars made him strong, as well as gaurded. He loves his son, misses his wife, but detastes the sorrowful looks the locals cast upon him.
There is a deli next to post office. For lunch he eats a tuna sandwich and corn chips. His eating pattern never changes. Almost like the helpful routine of sorting mail has spread to other parts of his life.
