Inferiority Complexes & Your Characters (Fiction Writing Advice)

Рет қаралды 5,647

Күн бұрын

Learn why inferiority complexes are great for creating strong, interesting characters.
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Credit to SkyDilen for my video intro.
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Пікірлер: 42

@anthonytippett5997 10 ай бұрын

I feel like that inferiority complex about Walter white went over the heads of most people. He took the safe route as a family man, but knew he was a better scientist and businessman than his old classmates.

@chillvillemusic2752 Жыл бұрын

Brandon, you are one of the few who really know what they are talking about. Thanks. Your channel really helps. Keep on teaching.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad the videos are helping!

@TheBluenyt09 3 жыл бұрын

In HP there was a Mirror that showed a person's most deepest desperate desire of his heart. Everything a character wanted to have or what he extremely lacks drives him to make any decision, may it be good or bad. 😎👍

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Yes! I remember that. It showed HP his parents and we got the sense of how badly he wanted a loving family. Good call

@stevensandersauthor Ай бұрын

This is excellent advice. Writers are taught to give their characters flaws, but I’ve never heard anyone speak of how flaws lead to an inferiority complex. Thank you.

@RM-yw6xe Жыл бұрын

Because everyone in reality has inferiority complexes, all of my chars have them. They each handle it differently. 4 chars 4 different ways of handling inferiority. Geez, you can have 8 chars with 8 ways of handling inferiority. Love this vid, useful stuff here.

@jwstanley2645 4 ай бұрын

Any character can have almost any complex. Naturally a 'good' character handles it well or for others' good, while the 'bad' ones handle it badly or to others' harm.

@anthonyryan9954 3 жыл бұрын

Such an important aspect! Thanks for bringing it up. One example of over compensating for an inferiority complex in my book (now that I think of it!) is one character refuses to trust others (of course) because over compensating for memories of betrayal. Hey it works

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. That's something a lot of people do whether they realize it or not. They get burned by somebody and overcompensate by being hyper-alert in future relationships.

@anthonyryan9954 3 жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty yea exactly (: thanks duder

@harmlesshorrors7229 9 ай бұрын

I have a villain deuteragonist in the works named Marcus Iris, also known as Mirage, who is a sociopath with an inferiority complex. He feels worthless because he was heavily neglected as a child so he uses his powers of creating physical illusions to get the attention he never had by being a very dangerous supervillain, and is regarded as the most dangerous and evil supervillain in the world. He doesn't have proper emotions due to his sociopathy but the evil comes from his inferiority complex.

@PhoenixCrown 9 ай бұрын

Inferiority plays a large role in one of my themes, so the MC deals with this big time: He's a normal person in a world where a few can use magic, so he compares himself to the magi and hates how unfair it is. In the first book, he'll learn he can use magic too. In the second, he'll overcompensate, trying to become as powerful as he can--and he'll hurt someone he cares about. In the third book, he'll be afraid of his power and unsure if he should use it, and in the fourth, he'll learn to temper it and use it to do what he believes is right. Yea, I got a lot of work to do (almost done editing 1st book) =)

@paulschumacher4308 3 жыл бұрын

Very good point. I've been struggling with the motivations of one of my anti-Heroes and this advice is helping me think about them a little more.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear the video helped--thanks for watching!

@opollitico 3 жыл бұрын

your examples are always so adept !! 🥳

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Thrilled to hear they helped--thanks!

@literaryartist1 3 жыл бұрын

Never thought about it from this perspective. Great vid!

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Glad to hear it helped!

@YoungKolivon451 2 ай бұрын

My four book series has a protagonist who goes through an inferiority complex about not being able to be on the track team so he tries to compensate by making the soccer team

@beescheeseandwineplease889 10 ай бұрын

Awesome example with Breaking Bad!!!! 🎉

@mikerude5073 Жыл бұрын

I love it. I could easily see a character who was the scrawny kid becoming the abuser of anabolic steroids ad growth hormones. The guy who was picked on becoming a chemical abusing bully himself.

@joshuamoore3312 3 жыл бұрын

Yo nice video and tips bro as always! Like the film clips and examples!

@joshuamoore3312 3 жыл бұрын

ps. I changed my name from 'Joshua Moore' to 'StoryTrove' in case you're confused

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

@@joshuamoore3312 Thanks! Glad it helped

@erinaltstadt4234 4 ай бұрын

Thank you

@dcle944 Жыл бұрын

My inferiority complex is that I suck at writing.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty Жыл бұрын

Not the best one to have in your situation. Have you tried this for boosting your confidence: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qJ6ho8yVztmXe6M.html

@LarryThePhotoGuy Жыл бұрын

Because of a tragic backstory my hero is certain that if he allows others to love him, he will fail them and hurt them. So he responds with one-night-stands and avoidance of relationships and commitments. Conflict arises as he keeps getting pushed into these commitments.

@omen2332 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mr. McNulty, great video, I really appreciate the insight. To answer the question at the end, the character who suffers from an inferiority complex in my story is the main character. When a child is scolded by their mother, the frustration, guilt, sadness or anger within that results is usually only temporary. However, my character's mother constantly compares him with his childhood friends. He begins to hate himself for his lack of ambition and talent, that his mother says his friends have always had huge reserves of. He begins to hate his mother for the possibility that she raised him the wrong way. Finally, he begins to hate his childhood friends, seeing them as enemies instead. He would overcompensate this sense of inadequacy fixating on the achievements his friends have over him. However, upon trying and failing over and over again, and realising that the gap is insurmountable, he resolves to fight his friends, physically. It's little more than an abstract concept at the moment, but I plan to use this character to illustrate the poison of an inferiority complex.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 2 жыл бұрын

Oh man, that's some relatable stuff. I feel like most parents tell their kids, "Why can't you be more like [friend]" when they want their kids to behave differently. Having a parent who pushes this to the extreme should be interesting. Best of luck with your story!

@omen2332 2 жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Exactly, I wanted to experiment with the friction. People may compare you to others in the name of your betterment, when really it does the opposite. Thanks for the encouragement!

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 2 жыл бұрын

@@omen2332 "Comparison is the thief of joy" comes to mind as well

@ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy 3 жыл бұрын

Never thought of this before.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

It's something I didn't consciously think about until I read the book Psychology for Screenwriters. But inferiority complexes affect everyone around you in real life, so it's only natural that they should affect fictional characters as well

@mydogrosemary2556 3 жыл бұрын

No, but this was interesting and helpful for later on.

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Let me know if there's ever a topic you'd like me to cover

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Do any of your characters have an inferiority complex? If so, how do they overcompensate? Let us know!

@kellywilliams1332 Жыл бұрын

My character feels like she’s a bad mother so she overcompensates by trying to right the wrongs in the world.

@potatomanboooi3105 3 жыл бұрын

i would describe it as a comic artist with a clickbait front page of superman being a horrible person to get people to buy the writers stuff.because he wants money and fame

@WriterBrandonMcNulty 3 жыл бұрын

Okay, but where exactly does his inferiority complex stem from? There has to be a reason for why he wants money and fame

@potatomanboooi3105 3 жыл бұрын

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty i mean more he feels he still doesnt have enough so he will continue wanting more and more cuz he still thinks he doesnt have enough