character's attitude.

[huxley]

how do i create a character's attitude? i made myself some questions, but i'm still lost.

possitive or negative, tough or scared, introverted or extroverted. good or bad. motivated or unmotivated. ect...

what does he/she do when he's alone? how does he feel about others?

What do he find himself thinking about when his alone?

i think i'm looking for more questions to understand my character's attitude, or just some advice from you guys about how do you create mold your character's attitude.

thanks.

 

[Fahim]

Most of my major characters start off with a backstory. This backstory might never be mentioned in the novel that I'm writing, it's just there so that I know what the character is like. That backstory, to me, defines some of the characteristics of the person and their attitude. Then, the events in the story as it unfolds, define the changes in his attitude and how he reacts to the events. I know that doesn't really help you though - it's a rather organic process with me

 

[The Ace]

One thing you have to do is make the reader feel for the character. If a reader can't empathise with your main character, then your story will never be read.

 

[Duchessprozac]

I really can't design a character fully. Sure, I can give them a back story and a few sparse character traits, but it's in the actual writing where my characters come alive and I like to think that this has made my characters more believable because they don't live to set rules, their personalities are flexible within reason, much like real life.

 

[Talysia]

I'm more or less the same. The situation that the character is in can affect the way they react, thus making them either more or less believable. I give my characters a few standard traits - ie one is confident, yet prone to brooding over simple issues, whilst another is shy or quiet, but is strong when put into a difficult situation - and then I try to think what they would think if I was that character in a certain situation. I find that the storyline can help the characters to evolve in ways that surprise even me sometimes. That's just the way I do things, though.

 

[Sapheron]

I'd agree to that. Choose a basic direction, then let the story determine the rest.

 

[jenna]

My characters have just evolved over time. I've actually known my characters for longer than I've known most of my friends! I started off not so much with character traits, but just with their roles in the story. Their personalities and their specific situations developed out of the plot.

 

[Culhwch]

My characters have just evolved over time. I've actually known my characters for longer than I've known most of my friends! I started off not so much with character traits, but just with their roles in the story. Their personalities and their specific situations developed out of the plot.

I'm a bit both ways. I'll have a basic idea of what kind of a person a character is before I start writing, but as I do actually write the story I generally find that the character is fleshed out more fully. My character outlines (when I actually do them) tend to be as much works in progress as my work in progress.

 

[Peter Graham]

You could try writing some dialogue between your characters on a matter that doesn't relate directly to the plot.

It's a good exercise in helping the characters come alive - you may have a vague idea of their basic motivations, but there's nothing like a bit of dialogue to put some flesh on the bones - it might even help with defining verbal tics and traits such as favoured expressions and so on.

You can also have some fun with the topic for the dialogue - the less it relates to the plot the better in some ways. I don't know your genre, but two mail-clad heroes engaged in earnest discussion about the relative merits of the state of English cricket would be quite fun to write.

Regards,

Peter Graham

 

[daisybee]

The attitude of a character I find is much easier to identify once they have a back story. What was their relationship like with their family? What are their beliefs? Do they clash with people because of their views- or are they the reticent type? I would say that as a story progresses your character's attitude may change, as long as this is not contrived, and is written well, then the reader will accept the change in the characters attitude.

 

[WriterDoug]

i think i'm looking for more questions to understand my character's attitude, or just some advice from you guys about how do you create mold your character's attitude.

For me, the process of developing a character often begins through just living my life as I normally do. I have come across friends, family members, and even people I've only met via the Internet that have all somehow slipped into my writing. While their backstories may be dramatized, or most likely even their physical attributes, that person's character or personality is generally kept intact, becuase I feel it is interesting enough to build onto.

If you choose to build characters from real life counterparts, it might become easier to imagine how that person is going to react to various story elements, (though admittedly, it could be difficult to compare acquiring a flat tire to being cast in the middle of a war between orcs and elves) and it never hurt to throw in a little of your own judgment, too. Does the character do or say something that you might do or say as well, or is it just so off-the-wall as to be unbelievable? I feel that, no matter what, a little bit of the author is always going to slip into his characters, but it does not have to be overbearing.

Character sketches were mentioned, and I find they can be helpful at times. I tried to use them, but ninety percent of the time, I just break the rules and toss them out. As others have said, the characters come to life through their actions and their dialogue, and they become far more complex than initially intended.

I wish I could say there is a fast and easy rule for how to flesh out characters that are believable and engaging, but I do not think I can. For me, just observing the people around me in the real world is a good start; think of it as an unannounced audition for lead roles in a work of fiction.

cheers,
WD