December meme: Care and feeding of original characters
From 
skeddy_kat (for Dec 12; the holiday season is definitely catching up to me): how to make original characters (OCs) fully developed.
Man. I thought I was going to have a lot to say on this one, and it turns out I do, but it also comes down to 'here's what I do, but I don't think I know.'
Sometimes I have an open spot in a story, one that requires a character who fits certain categories. At that point, those characteristics alone combine and give me an idea about who might fit. Free examples: I knew I needed a private investigator once; the necessary detail-orientation came with the bonus of also being a sharp-shooter. Somehow, though, I also got one who was tiny-- a quarter inch too short to go USMC -- and fierce enough that it's a pity she wasn't taller (Stormy). Why she came with those extra quirks I have no idea, but there you have it. Once I needed a female immortal who was at least two thousand years old, non-Christian, and had some magic; I got an Irish druid who likes cooking, dancing, and raising kids or students (Aidan). So I guess sometimes it's about going, 'How many Lego blocks do I have? Okay, when I put them together, what fills in the gaps to give me a solid whole?'
Sometimes, the characters just show up, too, damn near full-formed. I have no idea how 'a badly-trained immortal student' turned into an architect who likes being big brother to the world. I'm even more boggled at how good Marc Scipio is at steadying and soothing other immortals, although he insists that if you can evaluate a house for repairs and structural quirks you can do the same with people too. I definitely never expected Farrell Jameson to have some of the quirks he does. Under the pragmatic streak that let him study with Owain without absorbing his world view, that man is a hell-raiser if I'm not watching. He and Sunda Kastagir go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Actually, coffee and chocolate would be more accurate.
Sometimes, I just want to look at a particular POV; that one gets me a lot of fully-formed characters. Ishtvan is my answer to the question of 'What does life do to pretty men?' But I never expected him to have such a wide mischievous streak. Navarro Rodriguez is me wondering what happens if an immortal doesn't find a teacher quickly. (Honestly, it was ugly, and the miracle is that he's not more prickly and warded than he is. Thank gods for Mandisa.) As to Alex and Xan... I have no idea what happened there. First I got the names, then I got a pair of merry madmen with decided personalities who fit together like a fully-assembled jigsaw puzzle. I really don't know there. But I adore them.
I guess it comes down to: What purpose do they play in the plot? What kind of person would do the necessary things in the plot? And once I have that much, what else do I know about them? I've been known to spend a very long while hunting down a name that works for a character; I poke and prod at it until it feels right. (I am having hell's own time naming the villain in an original novel; I'm using a stopgap name, but it doesn't quite feel right yet, damn it!) And sometimes changing the name will, to my startlement, change the character -- a little or a lot. Which I guess goes back to 'No, really, get the name right?'
I also watch for the small details as I go -- what do they like to eat or drink? What smells or tastes do they hate? Favorite hobbies or sports? Books they liked or didn't? -- and make notes to myself. But honestly, I don't just watch for them; I ask for them, and remember them. These are the small things that can change an entire plot, and usually, it changes for the better when that happens. (Even if I spend days cursing it and figuring out where we're going now.)
Really, though, I've never had much trouble letting OCs become fully real; my problem has been keeping them away.
Sorry not to be more helpful. I have a suspicion my knack for acquiring new roommates in my head ties into my tendency to get long fics, too, but who knows?
Original post on Dreamwidth | Leave a comment on DW | Read
comments on DW
Given the new LJ 'design' decisions, please comment on DW if you can.
skeddy_kat (for Dec 12; the holiday season is definitely catching up to me): how to make original characters (OCs) fully developed.
Man. I thought I was going to have a lot to say on this one, and it turns out I do, but it also comes down to 'here's what I do, but I don't think I know.'
Sometimes I have an open spot in a story, one that requires a character who fits certain categories. At that point, those characteristics alone combine and give me an idea about who might fit. Free examples: I knew I needed a private investigator once; the necessary detail-orientation came with the bonus of also being a sharp-shooter. Somehow, though, I also got one who was tiny-- a quarter inch too short to go USMC -- and fierce enough that it's a pity she wasn't taller (Stormy). Why she came with those extra quirks I have no idea, but there you have it. Once I needed a female immortal who was at least two thousand years old, non-Christian, and had some magic; I got an Irish druid who likes cooking, dancing, and raising kids or students (Aidan). So I guess sometimes it's about going, 'How many Lego blocks do I have? Okay, when I put them together, what fills in the gaps to give me a solid whole?'
Sometimes, the characters just show up, too, damn near full-formed. I have no idea how 'a badly-trained immortal student' turned into an architect who likes being big brother to the world. I'm even more boggled at how good Marc Scipio is at steadying and soothing other immortals, although he insists that if you can evaluate a house for repairs and structural quirks you can do the same with people too. I definitely never expected Farrell Jameson to have some of the quirks he does. Under the pragmatic streak that let him study with Owain without absorbing his world view, that man is a hell-raiser if I'm not watching. He and Sunda Kastagir go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Actually, coffee and chocolate would be more accurate.
Sometimes, I just want to look at a particular POV; that one gets me a lot of fully-formed characters. Ishtvan is my answer to the question of 'What does life do to pretty men?' But I never expected him to have such a wide mischievous streak. Navarro Rodriguez is me wondering what happens if an immortal doesn't find a teacher quickly. (Honestly, it was ugly, and the miracle is that he's not more prickly and warded than he is. Thank gods for Mandisa.) As to Alex and Xan... I have no idea what happened there. First I got the names, then I got a pair of merry madmen with decided personalities who fit together like a fully-assembled jigsaw puzzle. I really don't know there. But I adore them.
I guess it comes down to: What purpose do they play in the plot? What kind of person would do the necessary things in the plot? And once I have that much, what else do I know about them? I've been known to spend a very long while hunting down a name that works for a character; I poke and prod at it until it feels right. (I am having hell's own time naming the villain in an original novel; I'm using a stopgap name, but it doesn't quite feel right yet, damn it!) And sometimes changing the name will, to my startlement, change the character -- a little or a lot. Which I guess goes back to 'No, really, get the name right?'
I also watch for the small details as I go -- what do they like to eat or drink? What smells or tastes do they hate? Favorite hobbies or sports? Books they liked or didn't? -- and make notes to myself. But honestly, I don't just watch for them; I ask for them, and remember them. These are the small things that can change an entire plot, and usually, it changes for the better when that happens. (Even if I spend days cursing it and figuring out where we're going now.)
Really, though, I've never had much trouble letting OCs become fully real; my problem has been keeping them away.
Sorry not to be more helpful. I have a suspicion my knack for acquiring new roommates in my head ties into my tendency to get long fics, too, but who knows?
Original post on Dreamwidth | Leave a comment on DW | Read
comments on DW
Given the new LJ 'design' decisions, please comment on DW if you can.