As I said in the previous post, forming a background for your character can help you have a better idea as to who your character is and what they might do. My rule of thumb is “always know the why behind the what”. Ask yourself, is there a reason my character is doing/saying this? Or is there a reason why my character is not?
What to include in a background
To give you some starting ideas on what should be included in your character’s back-story, Blake, a development executive with LA Film Lab Entertainment, listed some helpful guidance into creating a character. In his article How to Create Convincing Characters, he says to at least address “sex, drugs, music, parents, siblings, education, appearance and intelligence” to give your character a background.
If you would like a more in depth analysis sheet for your character, please see the Character Profile Form on DeviantArt.com. This profile form has been extremely helpful in my own writing experience.
How to form goals for your character
Blake’s article, How to Create Convincing Characters also had an excellent method for giving your character clear cut goals. He said to list out the desires and aspirations of you character. He lists examples such as “the desire to be intellectually brilliant, the desire to be famous, the desire to hide from the world, the desire to belong to a group, the desire to be loved, the desire to party, the desire to die.”
So how does this apply to an antagonist and why is it so important?
You apply these methods the same way you would a main character. If you want your story to be believable and have the readers form a connection with the characters, you need to have a well made antagonist. Tapply, who has written an entire book on creating antagonists says, “It takes a great villain to make a great hero.” So by making a good antagonist, it also reinforces the main character and storyline.
References
Blake, Corey (2006, July 01). How to create convincing characters. Writer (7), 31. Retrieved from
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Tapply, G, W. (2004, July 01). Creating a worthy villain. Writer (7), 34. Retrieved from
http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Creating a Developed Character
Before I get into the specifics of creating an antagonist, I feel you should know the major aspects of a well developed character first. I will get more in-depth with these aspects in future blog posts, but for now, here is an overview.
The first is: Think of your characters as real human beings, don't see them as mere characters.
If you consider your characters as real in-depth people, then there is more of a chance that your readers will too.
A well developed character has:
A background and clear cut, simple goals
From making a background, you can have a better idea as to who your character is and what they might do. My rule of thumb is “always know the why behind the what”. Ask yourself, is there a reason my character is doing/saying this? Or is there a reason why my character is not?
Vulnerabilities and human weaknesses.
As previously mentioned, think of your character as a human being. Have you ever met a perfect person? Well, just as in real life, a character cannot be perfect. So, when creating your character, make sure to give your character weaknesses of some sort. A few simple weaknesses that many people can relate to is procrastination or phobias of spiders and snakes.
Valid emotion and logic.
Having valid emotion and logic ties in with having a background/goals and vulnerabilities. By looking at who the character is as a person, you can more easily see how that character might act. For example, if you had a character named Alex who was deathly afraid of snakes, it would makes sense for this person to avoid snakes at all costs.
I hope this overview has given you a better idea of what a well-developed character should be like. Look forward to the next post: Forming a Background and Goals for Your Character.
References
Baldwin, F (2008, March 01). Infuse characters with sincere emotion. Writer (3), 20. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Kowalski, William (2006, December 01). CREATE flesh-and-blood CHARACTERS. Writer (12), 38. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
The first is: Think of your characters as real human beings, don't see them as mere characters.
If you consider your characters as real in-depth people, then there is more of a chance that your readers will too.
A well developed character has:
A background and clear cut, simple goals
From making a background, you can have a better idea as to who your character is and what they might do. My rule of thumb is “always know the why behind the what”. Ask yourself, is there a reason my character is doing/saying this? Or is there a reason why my character is not?
Vulnerabilities and human weaknesses.
As previously mentioned, think of your character as a human being. Have you ever met a perfect person? Well, just as in real life, a character cannot be perfect. So, when creating your character, make sure to give your character weaknesses of some sort. A few simple weaknesses that many people can relate to is procrastination or phobias of spiders and snakes.
Valid emotion and logic.
Having valid emotion and logic ties in with having a background/goals and vulnerabilities. By looking at who the character is as a person, you can more easily see how that character might act. For example, if you had a character named Alex who was deathly afraid of snakes, it would makes sense for this person to avoid snakes at all costs.
I hope this overview has given you a better idea of what a well-developed character should be like. Look forward to the next post: Forming a Background and Goals for Your Character.
References
Baldwin, F (2008, March 01). Infuse characters with sincere emotion. Writer (3), 20. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Kowalski, William (2006, December 01). CREATE flesh-and-blood CHARACTERS. Writer (12), 38. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Friday, October 19, 2012
Creating Believable Antagonists
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie that left you wondering why the villain of the story ever tried to harm the main character?
The antagonist may want to kill off the main character, take over the world, or execute other evil deeds, but sometimes the story doesn't include a good explanation for the antagonist's actions.
The underdeveloped antagonist
When a villain is underdeveloped with unmotivated actions, the story will suffer regardless of whether the main character is well formed or not. The story will become flat and predictable (Tapply, 2004). Many writers overlook the importance of properly developing the antagonist of their story (Baldwin, 2008). It is hard to find good information on how to develop an antagonist, because many people fail to even realize the importance of developing them. This is why there is a need for a blog aimed at helping writers improve their character development skills.
Why this blog was made
I have created this blog to help writers such as you improve their stories by suggesting ways to create better antagonists. Although this blog is specifically aimed at creating antagonists, many of the same principles can also be applied to other characters. This makes my blog an efficient source for writers who want to improve not only their antagonist, but all the rest of their characters. My blog is not only efficient, but also reliable. I have selected only peer-reviewed scholarly journals for credible sources. And much of my information comes directly from famous novelists and professors of writing. Also, I have written one novel, various short stories, and am currently working on a second full length novel. I have been in a creative writing club and have read several books on creative writing.
Blog posts will be scheduled for every Friday, with the exception of November 21st, in observance of Thanksgiving.
Some of the topics that will be discussed in the blogs include:
- What makes a good character in general?
- What should a villain look like?
- How to develop valid emotion and behavior (may span over several posts)
- How to create a temperament for your villain
- I’ve created my characters, now what?
In short...
Writers need to realize the importance of creating a believable, well developed antagonist. Even if they realize this importance, many writers do not know how to go about producing a great antagonist. That is why I have created this blog that will not only show the importance of a well developed antagonist, but will also provide clear, efficient ways on how to create an antagonist.
References
Baldwin, F (2008, March 01). Infuse characters with sincere emotion. Writer (3), 20. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Tapply, G, W. (2004, July 01). Creating a worthy villain. Writer (7), 34. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
The antagonist may want to kill off the main character, take over the world, or execute other evil deeds, but sometimes the story doesn't include a good explanation for the antagonist's actions.
The underdeveloped antagonist
When a villain is underdeveloped with unmotivated actions, the story will suffer regardless of whether the main character is well formed or not. The story will become flat and predictable (Tapply, 2004). Many writers overlook the importance of properly developing the antagonist of their story (Baldwin, 2008). It is hard to find good information on how to develop an antagonist, because many people fail to even realize the importance of developing them. This is why there is a need for a blog aimed at helping writers improve their character development skills.
Why this blog was made
I have created this blog to help writers such as you improve their stories by suggesting ways to create better antagonists. Although this blog is specifically aimed at creating antagonists, many of the same principles can also be applied to other characters. This makes my blog an efficient source for writers who want to improve not only their antagonist, but all the rest of their characters. My blog is not only efficient, but also reliable. I have selected only peer-reviewed scholarly journals for credible sources. And much of my information comes directly from famous novelists and professors of writing. Also, I have written one novel, various short stories, and am currently working on a second full length novel. I have been in a creative writing club and have read several books on creative writing.
Blog posts will be scheduled for every Friday, with the exception of November 21st, in observance of Thanksgiving.
Some of the topics that will be discussed in the blogs include:
- What makes a good character in general?
- What should a villain look like?
- How to develop valid emotion and behavior (may span over several posts)
- How to create a temperament for your villain
- I’ve created my characters, now what?
In short...
Writers need to realize the importance of creating a believable, well developed antagonist. Even if they realize this importance, many writers do not know how to go about producing a great antagonist. That is why I have created this blog that will not only show the importance of a well developed antagonist, but will also provide clear, efficient ways on how to create an antagonist.
References
Baldwin, F (2008, March 01). Infuse characters with sincere emotion. Writer (3), 20. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Tapply, G, W. (2004, July 01). Creating a worthy villain. Writer (7), 34. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
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