For some reason I always have trouble creating a main character. I don't want to follow a cookie-cutter mold of a conflicted person who triumphs over evil or what not, but rather something less cliche.
Anyone have any tips?
Posted by dpatridge (Member # 2208) on :
Actually, I never make a "main character." Never. I make a character to fit a certain position in my stories social structure. That character, during creation, then tells me more about themselves, and might eventually prove themselves to be the main character.
Posted by teedee (Member # 2741) on :
Well, my main problem is that I really like my supporting character more, but then I'd have to scrap the entire Earth part of the story.
The main character is supposed to be a human who undergoes a serious event that throws him into severe depression and amnesia. Recently I read Zelazny's Amber series and the main char, Corwin, starts off with amnesia... so I feel a little wierd about that. Although, the char having amnesia is an integral part of the story.
Having this book based on psychic powers is also killing me, but that's a different problem entirely.
Posted by dee_boncci (Member # 2733) on :
Your post made me smile. There is so much emphasis in current writing on creating characters as you describe to avoid cliches that the MC you summarize might be turning into one.
I do have to admit that there are many times when the internal conflicts a character battles makes me want to scream "Get over it already!"
Posted by teedee (Member # 2741) on :
lol, argh!
I don't want him to be too cliche or like Richard Rahl in the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, where he acts like Mr.Perfect all the time.
I just got OSC's Characters & Viewpoint so maybe that will help.
Posted by Jeraliey (Member # 2147) on :
If you like your supporting character more, make him/her the POV character. (That is, if he's eligible to be.) A large part of your MC development could be what your POV character thinks of him/her.
[This message has been edited by Jeraliey (edited July 24, 2005).]
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
Characer & Viewpoint-- good. Especially building characters with multiple motivations; and a thousand ideas in an hour.
Posted by pixydust (Member # 2311) on :
If you want your readers to like your main character it's better if you also like him/her. It's also a lot easier to make them come alive if you like them or can at least find a way into their head. If you're struggling it could be a sign that you're going in the wrong direction--then again you could just need to re-evaluate the character. Maybe tweak their motives or personality more. And it's a lot easier to avoid cliched characters if you make them real people. Real people aren't perfect, and we don't always run around daydreaming about how conflicted we are.
And read that book before you type another word.
Posted by Pyre Dynasty (Member # 1947) on :
I have to ask. What is so wrong about scrapping the "entire Earth part"? if your supporting char is standing out more then perhaps he should be the Main Character.
Posted by teedee (Member # 2741) on :
Jeraliey - The problem is that they're not at the same place all the time.
wbriggs - Yeah, it's starting to help me a bit.
pixy - Good advice once again, thanks. I guess I can model him as me, a depressed schizophrenic insomniac!
Pyre - Wow...thanks a lot. You just led me on to a whole new universal setting! Die Earth!!
Posted by SteeleGregory (Member # 2049) on :
If you haven't read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, pick one up. Those stories are a fine example of where a secondary character is more likeable than the hero. Sure, we're all in awe of Holmes' abilities, but we relate to Watson. He's the regular guy we can understand and care about.
Posted by teedee (Member # 2741) on :
Well, Watson is just there to be the POV so we don't know what Holmes is thinking until the end.
Although, I guess I could make my secondary chars have the POV. I'm still having trouble changing my story to suit my tweaking.
I think I need to finish school before this massive mental block dissolves
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
I am of the opinion that there should be shades of gray in every character. I want good guys who have faults; I want bad guys who have the potential to do good things. Perhaps they have a noble REASON for what they do, it's merely that they trample everyone to get there. Black and white novels of goodie-good guys and baddie-villains don't interest me. It's why I finally, sadly, quit reading authors like Mercedes Lackey and C.J. Cherryh. Their stuff became predictable and their characters two-dimensional. Alas and alack.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
I know you didn't just lump Cherryh in with Lackey. Particularly on the issue of one-dimensional characters.
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
Sorry, Survivor, my mistake. I meant Anne MacCaffrey. Good catch.
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
Woo! I'll say!
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
A "parlor trick" you can use to help round out characters is to look through one of the many personality descriptions given to go with the various zodiac signs. Assign the sign that seems closest to your character and add the negative characteristics that go with that sign to your understanding of your character's personality.
If you want to see how your character might relate to other characters in your story, give them all zodiac signs and then use a book like LInda Goodman's LOVE SIGNS that talks about which signs are compatible and which aren't, and why. At the very least, it can give you ideas for possible personality conflicts.
If you want to make your character especially complicated, have the zodiac sign you've chosen be the character's sun sign (and have that be how your character thinks), then pick a different sign for the character's moon sign (and have that be how your character feels or responds emotionally to things), and then pick a third sign for the character's ascendant (and have that be how the character would like other people to perceive him or her--a "shell" personality, so to speak).
And then figure out how those different aspects of the character will cause inner conflict (LOVE SIGNS, again) which can either parallel or mirror the outer conflicts the character also has to deal with.
Posted by yanos (Member # 1831) on :
You could put them into certain hypothetical situations and work out how they'd rect - very similar to RPG character generation. It gives you a feel for the type of decisions your character will make, especially when there is not a perfect choice. And I too am relieved by the Cherryh correction.
Posted by teedee (Member # 2741) on :
Great advice Kathleen and yanos, thank you. Your ideas fit together so nicely!
i.e - How would a Pisces react if a Taurus flirted with her Sagitarius boyfriend?
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
You could always follow in the footsteps of one Samual Clemens. One book for Tom Sawyer, one book for Huck Finn.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
But would zodiac personalities really work? Aren't they usually pretty generic stuff?
Posted by Ahavah (Member # 2599) on :
The main sun sign descriptions can be fairly generic without taking into account ascending whatevers and houses and all that...
Obviously I really know what I'm talking about here.
But they do give you some good info to start tweaking your own character with.
Now, I personally don't have this software (but I want it), but there is a computer software you can get to plug in your date/time/place of birth and it will just print out PAGES AND PAGES of info tailored specifically to that person. I had mine and some family members done, and it was AMAZING. I mean, right on the button. I'd prefer that over the 'generic' books, but IMO I've found that those are often close anyway. Or at least close enough to get the old brain cogs moving.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
But I've found that a description generated for randomly picked data always works just as well for me in any astrological system I've ever encountered. That's what I meant by "generic", the descriptions could apply to anyone if they think that there's some reason it should apply.
