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[Member Post] Character Creation
Mar. 24th, 2018 02:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolewhipI'm not sure how many members have projects that involve original work, or original characters within a fanwork. Heck, to be completely honest, nothing like that is even on my Master List quite yet. But I digress...
Character creation is a favorite topic of mine, but also something I struggle to actually do. Most of my characters for original works, or my OCs, start out one way and - as I write them - turn into a different character entirely. There's nothing wrong with that, of course; it's interesting and even fun.
Still, I would like to work on creating characters, and I'm hoping there are others here who are also interested! I thought it would be cool to make a post in this comm where people could share their processes, tips, and resources for character creation.
One enjoyable and surprisingly enlightening practice I've picked up is IC-ly taking quizzes on Zimbio - or any site like it; Zimbio just happens to be my go-to. The personality quiz method of developing a character once a concept exists was brought to my attention through NaNoWriMo, and it's great! I mean, it can easily become an addictive time-suck, yes, but answering the questions make me come up with details for my character I never would have before, and those help shape them further. I also like to look at the quiz results when they come with a blurb, and see what I agree with and don't in terms of how it applies to my character.
For the more traditional and nitty-gritty out there, there's also this great Google Doc, which even comes with a guide. It's a great resource for a complete and extensive character bio. Very extensive... In fact, completing it can be exhausting! I've filled it out (completely) for maybe two characters in the past.
That's what I have to bring to the table, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Character creation is a favorite topic of mine, but also something I struggle to actually do. Most of my characters for original works, or my OCs, start out one way and - as I write them - turn into a different character entirely. There's nothing wrong with that, of course; it's interesting and even fun.
Still, I would like to work on creating characters, and I'm hoping there are others here who are also interested! I thought it would be cool to make a post in this comm where people could share their processes, tips, and resources for character creation.
One enjoyable and surprisingly enlightening practice I've picked up is IC-ly taking quizzes on Zimbio - or any site like it; Zimbio just happens to be my go-to. The personality quiz method of developing a character once a concept exists was brought to my attention through NaNoWriMo, and it's great! I mean, it can easily become an addictive time-suck, yes, but answering the questions make me come up with details for my character I never would have before, and those help shape them further. I also like to look at the quiz results when they come with a blurb, and see what I agree with and don't in terms of how it applies to my character.
For the more traditional and nitty-gritty out there, there's also this great Google Doc, which even comes with a guide. It's a great resource for a complete and extensive character bio. Very extensive... In fact, completing it can be exhausting! I've filled it out (completely) for maybe two characters in the past.
That's what I have to bring to the table, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
