FS101 - Subject and Character

By [Mister Saint]



Here we will discuss a few questions related to creating characters and developing subject matter. These are relatively basic subjects, so I will be brief.



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Subject Matter

Choosing your subject matter can be a two minute or a two year process, and everything in between. Some professionals have sworn that you should write what you know, others that you should write outside of what you know. The truth, I believe, is closer to the middle of that. Choose something that interests you, but not necessarily something that you are crazy about. If you like archery, you can make a story about an archer. If you like skateboarding (hell yeah) you could write a story about it. Just take these things that you know and like, and work them into a fantastical, sci-fi, or modern, or whatever, setting. It's as easy as that.

What this section will deal with is getting trapped inside the 'Box.' We all know that Box... it's an early 90's buzzword for a lack of originality. For writers, the danger of the box is that your writing will almost always be about the same things, because you are comfortable writing them. Let's look at one of the questions.

18. I usually can't write things that aren't morbid or sadistic.
20. I generally don't right things that aren't some variety of dark. Even my humourous parodies are on the darker side . . .

At first glance, this is a fairly easy question. The answer that I got in my head initially was, "Sure you can, you just don't want to." I'd say that is partly true, to an extent. However, as a fantasy/swords and sorcery writer, I know how easy it is to get wrapped up in one particular mode of writing. We'll call that your "Comfort Zone" for now.

Getting out of the comfort zone can be a horribly difficult task, especially if you've been stuck in it for a while. The key to getting out of it is, first and foremost, to stop thinking that you are stuck there. Tell yourself that you can write in a different style, and damn well do it. The next step, if you can't just do it, is to find excercises or contests that force you to choose new subject matter. For example, if you can only write morbid stuff, enter a Romance Scene contest. Or find an excercise that challenges you to write from the perspective of a happy, content fairy. It's a matter of will power, and the only way to do it is to just do it.

Note that 'morbid and sadistic' writing turns off a lot of people. It represents a very narrow comfort zone populated by a great deal of young and inexperienced writers, many of whom simply don't want to improve, only be praised for the depth or disturbing nature of their work. It is critical that any writer expecting to amount to anything moves beyond this comfort zone, and learns to embrace a wider variety of emotional and situational... ah... situations, thus separating hirself from that group. Writing good fiction is the craft of making people care about your material, and disturbing imagery often does just the opposite.



Character Creation

8. I'm need help with character designing as well.

Ooh, now this is the fun part. We all love to dream up kick ass characters with awesome powers, sexy bodies, amazing skills... but those characters just get ignored by the general literary world. We call them Mary Sues, the all powerful, unstoppable, all beautiful, all perfect characters with whom we as readers cannot bond. Mary Sues lack the flaws that make characters likeable, and should be avoided if possible.

Now, creating a character is the art of putting together a believable personality. In addition to looks, powers, history... your character needs personality quirks. Does your character have any phobias? Any peculiar way of speaking? Does he or she dress oddly for a reason? And most importantly, what kind of flaws does your character have?

Let's look at a typical Mary-Sue versus a good character. We'll choose Goku from Dragonball Z, and Romeo from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Goku
Appearance: Hugely muscled, pretty boy face, always looks like a young man no matter how old he is.

Abilities: Depending on when you see him in the series, has the power to fly, move at impossible speeds and deliver attacks with accuracy at said speeds, possesses godlike endurance and strength, and possesses the power to blow up entire planets with relative ease. Has an uncanny ability to exponentially increase his power, but only when faced with a bad guy of similar power who he must match.

Flaws: "Too heroic" about sums it up. He is a little dense as well, but only when he isn't fighting, during which time he becomes a genius. Eats too much, but somehow manages to stay thin and muscly. 

Past: Tragic. Planet was destroyed by an evil villain, for no apparent reason other than being evil. Dead parents, same reason. From another planet. (Swear, he isn't Superman)

Romeo

Appearance: Attractive young man. Has nice legs.

Abilities: Normal human. Has some skill in sword fighting, but not enough to be considered a master. Nothing special here.

Flaws: Hot-tempered and stubborn to the point of putting himself in danger more than once. Very independent, but also very foolhardy in a lot of ways. He is naive and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Somewhat fatalistic.

Past: Not exceptionally interesting, except for his status as a member of the prestigious Montague family. He is, for all purposes, a well-off young man trying to enjoy himself.

Notice how Goku is a top-notch... everything. He only possesses flaws when they would not be an inconvenience, and his amazing powers make him practically untouchable even to the worst of villains. It's almost impossible to feel sympathy for him, or to be afraid for him, because he can win with a flick of his finger. He is the popular type, charming and lovable, while still being a deadly hero. So... who cares? He's perfect, will never grow, will never change. And it is impossible to connect with his character, because we viewers are nothing like him.

William Shakespeare's Romeo is another story. He is just like us in a lot of ways; his youth and inexperience mirrors ours, his nearly unrestrainable want for Juliet we can all understand, and his stubbornness is a very common quality in young people. Even though the language is archaic, we all know how he feels when people tell him that he can't have Juliet, and even more, our hearts ache for him when he finds Juliet 'dead' and takes his own life. We feel his loss, because we can understand his love for her. He is vulnerable, he is likeable, and he is most importantly understandable.

Goku is a Mary Sue. Romeo is not. See what I mean?

Look at other characters you see. Decide what you like about them and don't like, what strikes you as unoriginal. Then, armed with this new information, build your character from the ground up. Best of luck!

Oh, and check out this Flipside article by the immaculate [Po], concerning character building.

Part One: The Basics



If you have further questions, place them in the comment board.