How to write an interesting character

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Күн бұрын

Ever wondered how to write an interesting character? There are lots of questions we can ask ourselves in a character questionnaire to get a really good feel of who our characters are. Surface-level questions, such as what they look like and what their name is. But also deeper questions. In this video, I offer a character questionnaire that explores some of those deeper questions - ones designed to help us tell a better story. This is part of a series of writing tips called 21 Questions.
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Пікірлер: 10

@ephinygale 3 жыл бұрын

Personally, my writing got a lot better when I STOPPED asking myself these kinds of questions! I know that makes me an outlier, though - so many people find them really helpful. It’s interesting how different writers work so differently.

@21stCenturyWriter 3 жыл бұрын

That definitely makes sense to me! I'm not sitting here constantly asking myself these questions as I write. I find them useful if I'm feeling a bit stuck, or if something feels wrong or missing and I'm not sure what it is. In those cases, I find that asking the right questions can really help to find an answer. It's almost a kind of "diagnosis" list to hopefully prompt a reason as to why something might not be working, usually towards the final draft of the process. I think you're so right - sometimes it is best to switch off that analytical side of your brain and just write.

@ephinygale 3 жыл бұрын

@@21stCenturyWriter Ah, great point! Yes, I can definitely see how these questions would be useful as a kind of diagnostic tool, or to help unstick a story. Thanks for elaborating!

@JoeyPaulOnline 3 жыл бұрын

These really made me think about my characters, as always an amaxing video!

@21stCenturyWriter 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Joey! Glad you found them useful :)

@0chuklz0 8 ай бұрын

I try to keep one thing in mind when designing my characters; they did not spring wholly developed from a vacuum. Who they are, how they see the world, what matters to them are all functions of how and where they grew up. You present some very good questions to keep in mind, but they aren't what I specifically use. I imagine the process I use makes use of the same information, just generated in a different manner. Thanks for the video.

@21stCenturyWriter 8 ай бұрын

These points are so important. That's a really useful way of looking at it.

@nedved1198 3 жыл бұрын

I enjoyed the video! Yeah, for me it's more of an organic process. Mainly, I don't really know anything about them, then as I come up with interactions as a write, their personality unfolds, and the ideas start popping. Probably not an ideal method, but it works for me. :)

@billiedaddario2432 3 жыл бұрын

This is awesome information and I will be really able to use this information in my next novel. What do you think about knowing your character's zodiac sign?

@21stCenturyWriter 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Billie, I'm glad you found it useful :) As for the zodiac sign (and this is just my opinion, please take it with a pinch of salt), I don't think it's overly important in terms of telling a good story, but may be a fun piece of detail. One trap I see a lot of writers falling into is that they often "design" their world with lot of wonderful details, but forget to ask the big storytelling questions about what their characters want, and what's standing in their way, and so on. Zodiac signs, eye colour, hair colour etc. are a really great "icing on the cake", but it's important to have a delicious cake to begin with. I hope this helps :)