07-19-2017, 12:15 AM
I agree with all of the above!
Also, something I find useful is to summarize what your character has been through every once in a while. This is especially helpful if you are bringing up a character from foal, because so much time passes and there is tons of character development that happen throughout every single thread we make, but it's really hard to see it when we are right smack in the middle of it.
I've noticed this myself just with this transfer from Helovia to the Rift. I had Erthë pretty much figured out, and she was on a good path to achieving her goals and dreams - and BAM, suddenly her father is dead, the goddess she devoted her life to is dead, her homeland is destroyed and she is trapped in a chaotic world ruled by a new god she hates. And on top of all that, she suddenly find herself the mother of two colts, tangled up in the madness of Volterra's family life and have no idea what to do. And that's just the broad strokes, there's all sorts of inter-character disputes and relations that needs attention.... And all of this has come to pass only because I played her one thread at a time, just having fun in the moment while trying not to control her actions too much.
I find that my biggest mistake when it comes to writing characters, is that I hesitate to let them make mistakes or look bad. I want them to be in the right all the time, I want them to have the last say and come out as the last one standing and be cool and shiny and for everyone to admire them and love them and throw themselves at my characters for threads... and that is impossible to achieve in every single thread. Really, when you stop and think about it it's the mistakes and the screw ups and the mental and physical scars that give a character depth, so keeping them away from stuff that will hurt them, or never allowing them to become victim to someone else or be weak, is doing myself a huge disservice.
If you're never weak, how can you ever grow stronger? If you never make mistakes, how will you ever learn?
As for writing... let me tell you, I've won quote of the month one time. ONE TIME! and that was... what. Four years ago, I think? And mostly it was because the character was screaming his head off against the injustice of things, so I suspect it was the capslock that did it. xD Honestly, as long as I can make myself understood and somehow convey roughly what is going on inside my head when I think of my magical ponies, that is good enough for me. Striving to get better is always a good thing, but the only thing you can do to accomplish that is to write, and read what others have written, and study - there is a world of helpful articles out there about creative writing and tips and tricks to make characters interesting. You'll get up a ton just by googling and I highly recommend doing that if you, like me, stumble over the technical aspects of writing. Grammar is a bitch... and did you know you can write both first, second and third perspective in three different ways?
And to round this off, you can always tag any of my characters in any thread at any time and I'll come running, because I love threading with everyone about anything :D I'm sure Erthë or Van or Ilunga can drag you off on some weird dramatic adventure somehow.
Also, something I find useful is to summarize what your character has been through every once in a while. This is especially helpful if you are bringing up a character from foal, because so much time passes and there is tons of character development that happen throughout every single thread we make, but it's really hard to see it when we are right smack in the middle of it.
I've noticed this myself just with this transfer from Helovia to the Rift. I had Erthë pretty much figured out, and she was on a good path to achieving her goals and dreams - and BAM, suddenly her father is dead, the goddess she devoted her life to is dead, her homeland is destroyed and she is trapped in a chaotic world ruled by a new god she hates. And on top of all that, she suddenly find herself the mother of two colts, tangled up in the madness of Volterra's family life and have no idea what to do. And that's just the broad strokes, there's all sorts of inter-character disputes and relations that needs attention.... And all of this has come to pass only because I played her one thread at a time, just having fun in the moment while trying not to control her actions too much.
I find that my biggest mistake when it comes to writing characters, is that I hesitate to let them make mistakes or look bad. I want them to be in the right all the time, I want them to have the last say and come out as the last one standing and be cool and shiny and for everyone to admire them and love them and throw themselves at my characters for threads... and that is impossible to achieve in every single thread. Really, when you stop and think about it it's the mistakes and the screw ups and the mental and physical scars that give a character depth, so keeping them away from stuff that will hurt them, or never allowing them to become victim to someone else or be weak, is doing myself a huge disservice.
If you're never weak, how can you ever grow stronger? If you never make mistakes, how will you ever learn?
As for writing... let me tell you, I've won quote of the month one time. ONE TIME! and that was... what. Four years ago, I think? And mostly it was because the character was screaming his head off against the injustice of things, so I suspect it was the capslock that did it. xD Honestly, as long as I can make myself understood and somehow convey roughly what is going on inside my head when I think of my magical ponies, that is good enough for me. Striving to get better is always a good thing, but the only thing you can do to accomplish that is to write, and read what others have written, and study - there is a world of helpful articles out there about creative writing and tips and tricks to make characters interesting. You'll get up a ton just by googling and I highly recommend doing that if you, like me, stumble over the technical aspects of writing. Grammar is a bitch... and did you know you can write both first, second and third perspective in three different ways?
And to round this off, you can always tag any of my characters in any thread at any time and I'll come running, because I love threading with everyone about anything :D I'm sure Erthë or Van or Ilunga can drag you off on some weird dramatic adventure somehow.
