"I could write better characters than this!" You think so?

[Ildecia]

writing a novel...

kind of like a fantasy take on paradise lost (only COMPLETLY different)

friend has been voraciously reading what i've got so far, she loves it

 

[Phlakes]

I've realised that characters aren't a collection of traits a while ago. Looking back on my work they were pretty horrible. My characters were like you described yours, nothing else but bland plates with colours thrown on them.

I like this analogy. I'll probably use it next time I'm talking to one of those people who thinks adding a bunch of cliches to their generic angsty teenage characters makes them interesting.

writing a novel...

kind of like a fantasy take on paradise lost (only COMPLETLY different)

friend has been voraciously reading what i've got so far, she loves it

Don't be too quick to trust her opinion, it could damn well be nothing more than friendly support. I made that mistake while writing something. Now it seems like a piece of shit to me.

 

[soren7550]

I tend to often believe that I can write a better whatever than a lot of people. But, my problem is that whatever I write always ends up kind of short and I'm always putting off my writing for long stretches of time.

But I do know what I do write is good: two finished stories of mine (about 80 pages long, single sided and no spacing between the lines) and a Celebrity Jeopardy (in the style of the SNL skit) short got passed around my old high school a lot and I ended up getting an award for my writing come the end of my senior year.

 

[TehCookie]

I'm terrible at writing in general, I can create characters but when it comes to the actual story it doesn't work out so much. Also the only people who've read my terrible excuses for a story have been my friends who I also use some of their mannerism, so they find it hilarious when I have a person spot on or have a person act completely out of character but still recognize who I've base him/her off of.

 

[Legion IV]

I'm a writer.

I know I can write better characters than 99.9% of the design community.

No you cant. Thats just blatent iggnorance or you have a severe god complex. Either way your wrong.

I hate how everyone whos not in the industry has a self rightous veiw thinking there better then anyone in the industry. They got in the industry for a reason.

You know I can't how exactly? Which of my writings have you read?

I havent but you saying somthing like that is just as ignorant and uneducated then me saying you couldnt. So i'll try to be civil and leave it at that. Just stop being so cocky.

 

[Legion IV]

I'm a writer.

I know I can write better characters than 99.9% of the design community.

No you can't; that's just blatant iggnorance or you have a severe god complex. Either way, you're wrong.

I hate how everyone who's not in the industry has a self rightious view thinking there better then anyone in the industry. They got in the industry for a reason.

You know I can't how exactly? Which of my writings have you read?

Honey, reading your works isn't an important part of knowing you're full of yourself. It is honor that must be earned, not shame. Until you demonstrate your alleged literary skill, you're all talk & no show.

Honor is relevant, how?

Oh that's right, it's not; honor has nothing at all to do with someone's writing skills.

Fine post some of your works then! lol link your fanfic profile or whatever site you must use or whatever. the dudes right at the moment your all talk no show. Or i guess you might just be a really suscesful troll.

 

[Frotality]

im sure that there are perfectly good, interesting and original characters spewing out the minds of budding writers all the time; its just that when the time comes to take that character to some public medium, the financiers give it a good flogging with the 'marketable' whip. So yes, as an untrained, unprofessional writer, i do believe i can write more interesting characters; i think i already have some that are pretty interesting, and a believe that there are people here and all over that could do the same. Now getting those characters, in their unique and interesting state to meet the lowest-common-denominator that every possible publisher will be shamelessly trying to appeal to? we are truly ignorant, self-righteous nobodies in that regard.

 

[Legion IV]

SNIPPY

It's okay to talk when you have my talent.

Yet again you aviod my request. if your so amazing you'd want to share your works yet you dont you just talk. So yet again. successful troll is successful. Its odd i ussualy dont see that many on this site. That ussualy takes place in the Religon and politics board.

 

[manic_depressive13]

SNIPPY

It's okay to talk when you have my talent.

Hahahaha! Woah, you got the first comment in and trolled everyone a new asshole. I admire teh skillz, no joke.

 

[Extasii]

I've just spent the past four days reading through a story which has shown me that that just isn't he case. Any and all characters I've ever penned have been just as bad, if not worse, than those I ended up being bored of, since all the 'interesting' aspects I added to my characters were gimmicks, skin-deep falsities that did nothing to make the character better than average.
quote]

Personally, I'm not much of a writer, but making a character come to life is something I kinda like to do.
First off, a backstory of a character is good, but never make it overbearing. Let a reader really discover a past through a story, not just in the opening paragraphs. If you write fantasy, having a character easily steal a fruit from a stand may make a reader think "Hm... I assume he/she's done this before..."
Show how a character interacts with the world they are presented. Do they speak politely in public but have a wild streak in a private life? Are they a total grab-ass perv at nightclubs, but drinks heavily to forget all their past problems? Do they snore loudly and end up on the floor every night they fall asleep? Sometimes little quirks can really flesh out a character.
I think the best characterization I've ever seen in a novel is Arthur Conan Doyle's work with Sherlock Holmes (no, I'm not just trying to get my avi noticed, I really thiink this). Everything that Holmes does adds a little bit more to his personality. He's arrogant but hard-working. He will goes days without rest when on the job but barely moves and frequently shoots up with drugs when without work.

...


Holy crap, giant post.
Hope it helps!
Sorry!

 

[emeraldrafael]

I write (both fan fiction and original) plus I read alot (if you odnt, you shouldnt bother writing. Its like saying you know video games wihtout actually playing), So I'm fairly certain i coul write better then i'll say.... 40% of the stuff i've seen (because I cant say i'm a great writer, but i do well and have won a few awards, locally)

 

[Sinspiration]

Using plain old cliche's is one thing, but if you get them right you dont complain, if too many people complain (because face it, some-one ALWAYS complains) then you're not doing it right. There have certainly been characters whose futures (or indeed pasts) I have long been able to establish before their big reveal, it does tend to get repetitive.

 

[Twilight_guy]

If you want to boil characters down to there most basic troupes then sure there are only ever a few characters that exist. Of course if were going to do that art is essentially pointless since its just reinventing the wheel over and over at this point. Of course that's not he point of writing now is it? The point is crafting a story that will evoke feeling no matter what bits are put into it or what characters are used. I'd really rather concern myself with crafting a story that doesn't suck (its harder then it looks) then how any particular bit compares.
I've never felt I had total grasp on a medium but that's just normal since I hold myself to a very high standard and I know I can always improve.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I know I can't do better than the professionals and I scoff at anyone who's arrogant enough to claim that they can.

 

[Flying Pilgrim]

I would like to think I could write a better character, but I am just a High-School Freshman so... yeah...

 

[Yureina]

I avoid cliches when writing, but I still have had some difficulty creating characters that I could be satisfied with. I have had a few, but... actually screw it. I've not done enough creative writing to really say anything. I just pretend I have because I get so many ideas I never actually write down. >_<

 

[Something Amyss]

Like every self-righteous guy who's spent enough time looking at different media to notice the character trends, I've thought that, were I to write a story, my characters would be more interesting/believable/likeable than those we see over and over again.

I've honestly never thought of it that way.

I strive me make organic, interesting characters; likable when they should be, detestable when they should be. I've never really set out to make them "better," just to make them as good as I can. I've never held the illusion that I'm writing something truly deep or the next American novel. Hell, I call my manuscripts dime novels. And that's fine. I want them to be entertaining, and of course I'm trying to get published, but those in and of themselves are cool with me in and of themselves. I'm not trying to "beat" anyone or top them, just to create.

On the other hand, I do see bad characters and bad novels. I also see bad art, and I can't draw or paint worth a lick. I've heard terrible flute performances, and I can't play flute. Their merit is notwithstanding of my own. I don't really seem to cross the two.

But I can see why someone would want to be original, to outdo everything and everyone. I just don't want it, and don't think in terms of "I'm better than ______."

Then again, I have self esteem problems.

I wrote a book once. Everyone I showed it to loved it and wanted it published. A week later, I decided I hated it with a passion; so I burned the original draft and started again. I have now done that twice, and am currently working on a third re-write. So I guess I surprised me with how shitty I was (two different times, no less).

I'm pretty satisfied with most of my character work, though. I think I handle that better than I do anything else.

I used to do that. Minus the burning part. I started writing when I was 13, and spent a decade trying to perfect a story that I finally decided really wasn't all that good. I must have done dozens of drafts. You might want to ask yourself why you're doing it, though.

At some point, I had to let it go, and I moved on. My current projects started more for fun, then to amuse some friends, and only later did publishing really come to mind. As it is, you might be right to scrap the older versions, but my inner anal-retentive-perfectionist-***** makes me want to do the same thing. I've got a series of 2.5 novels and I've already scrapped one because I'm "sure" it's not good.

 

[Racthoh]

The problem I have with my own writing is that I don't have anything to compare it to. I hate reading as a result of all the trash public school force fed me over the years, not to mention the near fails in English high school classes because I'd skim over every book we were assigned. I can read my own stuff just fine, and I get really into it, but whether or not that's because it's really gripping or just an ego thing I don't really know.

 

[CplDustov]

I have plans to write stories about a zombie who drives around Britain in a double-decker bus with monster-truck wheels...

I'm fairly certain it's interesting.

haha awsome. that's pretty damn ... I'm not sure there's a word for that.

 

[Angryman101]

Like every self-righteous guy who's spent enough time looking at different media to notice the character trends, I've thought that, were I to write a story, my characters would be more interesting/believable/likeable than those we see over and over again.

I've just spent the past four days reading through a story which has shown me that that just isn't he case. Any and all characters I've ever penned have been just as bad, if not worse, than those I ended up being bored of, since all the 'interesting' aspects I added to my characters were gimmicks, skin-deep falsities that did nothing to make the character better than average.

I'm eternally grateful that I've seen this, and while I don't write very often, I'll try to keep in mind what I've learned for the future.

Anyone else had any experience like this, where you think you've got the grasp of media but it surprises you in a wonderful way?

(Keep it respectful, if you're gonna post specific examples of media then don't flame anyone else if you don't agree that their choice has been an inspiring one for them).

As a writer myself, I'll tell you right now that the constant fear that your characters are flat and uninteresting is a good thing; it drives you to improve, to constantly second guess yourself and to practice. Every time I write, I get angry with myself over how terrible the character's dialogue is or how it doesn't suit his character quite right, and so I constantly produce more drafts, try to round out my characters, develop their individual personalities. That is what makes you a good writer (well, a good character writer, anyway).

SNIPPY

It's okay to talk when you have my talent.

Hah! Big words, madame >

I'm a writer.

I know I can write better characters than 99.9% of the design community.

Ok, here's the real question, if we're talking about video game writing.

Can you write a compelling story and characters around eight hours of set pieces that are already decided and in place? You can't change any of them, and they all involve a medium sized room full of people you shoot at.

You get 20 minutes of cutscenes and not a minute more.

You also have to write 800 lines of incidental voiceover dialogue that will be relayed over the radio. Half of those will be descriptions of the game's objectives. The other half will be colour. You need three variations on each of the colour lines.

When you're done, half of what you've written will be scrapped and you'll have to come up with something different *but you can't touch the other half*. It all needs to makes sense at the end.

You also have three days to do this last rewrite.

Feel up to it?

I don't care who you are, many if not most of the writers in any media industry are better than you. It's not about the writing, it's about writing for the format under production constraints. All of the above applies to movies and TV as well.

Can you write episode 6 of a series? It needs to be understandable without having seen the other five. Also, the plot of that episode must also be understandable if you join after each act break, so basically two thirds of what happens can't be relevant at all. Oh, and you only get to put in one thing that has relevance to the ongoing plot. And you don't get to decide what it is. Everything else must reset at the end of the episode.

It's all about working within the medium. Most people who call themselves writers but haven't been paid to write before tend to think they are better than they really are. As in, much better. As in, they are normally terrible at it, they just don't know. But even if they're good, it's one thing to do it at home, on a spec, all the time in the world and no creative constraints and a very different one to pull it off on deadline, with external impositions and mandated rewrites.

In my experience, if you aren't making a living out of it and you don't know exactly how weak your writing is and why, it's typically all the way weak. There is some comfort in knowing what you can't pull off. At least you get a clear view of the path to improvement.

That sounds a lot more fun than challenging. And no, with today's advanced methods of getting your work out there, luck is not required to succeed. You just need to be so good that you can't be ignored.