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Cadet Orientation/Your Character: Difference between revisions
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Removing references to Mary Sue and updating the link to the "does my character work" test.
(updating character rules per CC discussion) |
(Removing references to Mary Sue and updating the link to the "does my character work" test.) |
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* '''Avoid "widow/orphan syndrome"''': Inexperienced writers sometimes assume that for a character to be interesting, they have to have experienced a lot of tragedy in their life. They often write into a character's history that they were orphaned at a young age, or that their loved-one died in a tragic accident – or both. Consider, in real life, how many orphans do YOU know that had to raise themselves? How many widows, or widowers do YOU know that had a spouse die? Probably not too many, and that type of thing would be even more rare in the future where medicine had advanced far beyond where we are today, saving many a child from losing a parent to disease. If you’re looking for ways to make your character interesting, draw on your own experiences as a person and think about the small – but just as important – struggles you've been through. As they say, "write what you know." | * '''Avoid "widow/orphan syndrome"''': Inexperienced writers sometimes assume that for a character to be interesting, they have to have experienced a lot of tragedy in their life. They often write into a character's history that they were orphaned at a young age, or that their loved-one died in a tragic accident – or both. Consider, in real life, how many orphans do YOU know that had to raise themselves? How many widows, or widowers do YOU know that had a spouse die? Probably not too many, and that type of thing would be even more rare in the future where medicine had advanced far beyond where we are today, saving many a child from losing a parent to disease. If you’re looking for ways to make your character interesting, draw on your own experiences as a person and think about the small – but just as important – struggles you've been through. As they say, "write what you know." | ||
{{Heading|Don't be | {{Heading|Don't be Wesley Crusher|#6699cc}} | ||
[[File:Wesleycrusher.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Wesley Crusher on the bridge of the ''Enterprise''-D.]]Most StarFleet officers are – by today's standards – driven, well educated, moral, and empathetic individuals, who mainly care about exploring, bettering themselves, bettering the galaxy, and finding new ways to make the engines run faster on a starship. Because | [[File:Wesleycrusher.jpg|350px|thumb|right|Wesley Crusher on the bridge of the ''Enterprise''-D.]]Most StarFleet officers are – by today's standards – driven, well educated, moral, and empathetic individuals, who mainly care about exploring, bettering themselves, bettering the galaxy, and finding new ways to make the engines run faster on a starship. Because we're working with characters who are who are overachievers, newer writers often look for ways to help their character stand out among other amazing characters, which sometimes manifests with characters who are even more amazing than their peers – graduating at the top of their Starfleet class, being recognized as the best engineer Starfleet has ever seen right out of the Academy, holding multiple degrees, or being an expert in a number of sports. | ||
As much fun as it is to conceive of | Remember Wesley Crusher? It seemed like he ''knew everything''. He even getting to sit at Helm on the bridge of the Enterprise-D from time-to-time! Most would agree that it seemed unbelievable that he'd be quite so smart and capable at such a young age. | ||
As much fun as it is to conceive of a character who overcame adversity (dead parents! life of poverty! overly-critical Academy professors!), graduated first in their class, and was the envy of their peers, these characters '''just aren't that much fun to write in practice'''. First, you'll find that you don't really have very far to grow with a character like this. How do they develop themselves when they're already the best? How can they possibly have healthy, interesting relationships when everyone they meet is but a lesser version of them? And second, you'll find that others resent these characters, because they hog the limelight. No one should be the center of attention all the time – ''everyone'' should have a chance to shine! | |||
Think about your own experiences in life. Did you meet a lot of people who were truly exceptional? Did you meet a lot of people who were able to be the sports star, ''and'' graduate at the top of their class? Have you met anyone who overcame incredibly adversity, and was able to not only meet everyone else's level, but exceed them too? Chances are, those people are pretty rare. We want them to be rare in our game, too, because those people are few and far-between in real life. And believe it or not, reading about characters that are normal people in difficult circumstances is ''more interesting'' than reading about extraordinary people. | Think about your own experiences in life. Did you meet a lot of people who were truly exceptional? Did you meet a lot of people who were able to be the sports star, ''and'' graduate at the top of their class? Have you met anyone who overcame incredibly adversity, and was able to not only meet everyone else's level, but exceed them too? Chances are, those people are pretty rare. We want them to be rare in our game, too, because those people are few and far-between in real life. And believe it or not, reading about characters that are normal people in difficult circumstances is ''more interesting'' than reading about extraordinary people. | ||
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===Avoid other common mistakes=== | ===Avoid other common mistakes=== | ||
If you want to avoid some of the other common character creation mistakes, you can check out the [ | If you want to avoid some of the other common character creation mistakes, you can check out the [https://www.springhole.net/writing/does-my-character-idea-work.htm this test]. Beyond just checking to make sure your character isn't testing the bounds of believability, it also lists dozens of other common, character traits that are overused. You don't have to avoid all of them – after all, there are only so many common stories we can tell! – but this can give you an idea of whether or not your character might be headed in the wrong direction. | ||
{{Heading|Need some inspiration?|#6699cc}} | {{Heading|Need some inspiration?|#6699cc}} | ||