character development

[oncewaslost]

ok, i've just purchased a book that's all about developing character traits and includes profiles of human behaviors and personality types. it's the first book i've ever bought that is supposed to assist in creative writing. that's not what i'm really posting about though. i was wondering how many of you use "how to..." books to write your stories/novels? how do you create characters that have depth and mystery while avoiding mary sue or gary stu tendencies? in the past i believed i had avoided the cliched characters but my current wip is suffering from mary sue overload. any suggestions on how to prevent this?

 

[Tariel]

I rarely use books to help me write. With characters it's usually a feeling that I get--I'll know my character is right. The comments of friends usually help too

 

[thenightmarehero]

I say make your characters from a truthful standpoint; have them symbolically represent someone in real life. Those are the most genuine type of characters, whether good or evil.

 

[ThinkJesus]

In my opinion, the best and most memorable characters are normal Mary Sues but with one or two eccentricities. Something strange and surprising, something that you wouldn't expect from that person, or any normal person.

The "normal" part of the character makes them relatable to, the "offbeat" part makes them endearing and memorable.

("relatable to" ???? I hope you can decipher that, sorry, it's late!!!)

 

[NeoScribe]

My characters are defined by some event, monir or major, that affects their lives constantly even if they dont know it. I never knew there were How-To books for characters.

I've heard the term "Mary Sue" before, at the risk of sounding uneducated in the higher forms of writing and fanfics I'm gonna ask just what the heck is a Mary Sue?

 

[oncewaslost]

a mary sue is an idealized character most often based off the author. often, the character has little depth, exceedingly beautiful, all the characters either love him/her or are jealous of him/her. flaws are glorified and usually don't have a mental/emotional impact on the character.

wikipedia: mary suehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

 

[NeoScribe]

Oh, thanks!

 

[Lessien]

In the past, many of my characters suffered from Mary Sue/Gary Stu syndrome, but hey, you live and learn. I read a book called Dynamic Characters that had excellent advice on characterization, but unfortunately it was lost. Now, I find that the most helpful book on creating characters is The Real You by Dr. Kevin Leman. It's a sort of self-book, but it has a lot of information about personality types and birth order. Very helpful in character development. Other than that, I pretty much just come up with what kind of a character I want, turn on some music, and just let the ideas flow from there.

 

[nowbeginsforever]

The only books I've read on writing are just the ones that my (very small) library has to offer. I've never had that many problems with characters; a lot of the time I'm scribbling along with a pencil after them, trying to keep up. The books that I have read on writing were about writing clearly and without words getting in the way of what I'm trying to say.

 

[GrinningDwarf]

... i was wondering how many of you use "how to..." books to write your stories/novels? how do you create characters that have depth and mystery while avoiding mary sue or gary stu tendencies? ... any suggestions on how to prevent this?

I've used some "how to" books...some of them are even helpful! The Writer's Digest books on Plot, Scenes and Setting, and Dialogue were the most helpful. I also really liked the books on writing by Rita Mae Brown (Starting From Scratch) and Stephen King (On Writing). While I don't share worldviews with either of those writers, what they have to say about writing has been invaluable!!

I'd say the best thing to avoid the Mary Sue-syndrome would be to simply observe real people and take notes. Study what makes people real people...the beautiful and the ugly parts. Keep a notebook on your observations, and just make sure to include some of that stuff into your characters.

 

[avatarblade2000]

The only how-to book that's ever really HELPED me write was Jerry Jenkins' WRITING FOR THE SOUL. It goes a long way to help explain HOW by first explaining WHY, if that makes any sense. Anyone who hasn't gotten it, I advise you to.

 

[sunstruckdream]

i haven't used any how-to books thus far. i like to imagine my characters. if you pay close attention to them, you'll learn more about them as the story progresses in your mind. i mean, a character i'm writing now had no real flaws when i started. after about the first draft of the first chapter, i realized, through seeing how she reacted and interacted and thought, that she was a wealthy, shallow spoiled little brat - on the surface. she has a lot of underlying reasons for her behavior which pop up one by one the more you see of her. eventually, though, she becomes different, important, and - in my mind - loveable. but the point is, i didn't know ANY of that about her when i first thought her up. take some time with your characters. one thing i like to do if a certain character begins to frustrate or baffle me is sit down and write a journal for that character - like the diary that they might have been keeping. it gets me in the right frame of mind to think and listen to them.
sorry -- i guess i got on a rant there. but that's where my characters have all come from thus far.

 

[Jeriel]

Here's something ironic...I started writing a how-to book because my own books never worked out ridiculous, I know!

 

[sunstruckdream]

^^ =)

 

[Rossiter]

That sounds fun haha...I'd kind of like to write one too.

That said, I don't get the Mary Sue thing at all. My biggest problem is keeping the characters from becoming too stupid.

 

[sunstruckdream]

The Mary Sue thing is basically making a totally stereotypical character. Like, a blonde cheerleader having breakup problems with her jock boyfriend. That's why we have the Disney channel. It's been done. Does that make sense?

 

[Rossiter]

Yeah, I know what they are, but I don't understand how anyone would or could write one. I've taken those Mary Sue test things and my characters are in the negatives sometimes.

 

[Jeriel]

yeah I know! I could never write a Mary Sue. You know a character's good when it comes to life in your own mind....they almost seem so real sometimes, that it's like they were there before you even invented them. Does that make sense? It's like they do what they were meant and suppose to do, without your telling them to do it. When reading, the good characters are the ones I can't compare to any one else because they're so unique. That's what I like about Dickens. His characters are so bizarre! Each one has its own eccentricies.

 

[Paladin Dave]

I've never used a book in that sense before. I have, however, found it effective to study literature and borrow the techniques of the greats. Symbolism and old, deep-rooted principles are some of my favorites. For example, a good half-orc in a fantasy setting, to me, portrays every man's struggle with their bestial nature. Some give in and behave like animals, becoming violent, greedy, lustful, cowardly, etc, some defy it to the point of being incredibly pious, sometimes excessively so, to the point where they're holier than thou, and others kind of give and take from both sides. The thing that makes this struggle best portrayed for a half orc, though, is that the half orc has a whole lot more stigma against him for his race among humans. Orcs are considered evil, dull-witted, craven, brutal, etc, and sometimes they are. But in any case, with any stigma, be it skin color, weight, etc, a person is sometimes forced into these stereotypes and react cruelly... to the cruelty they were shown first.

Right, I'm gonna shut up, but that's an example. I love trying to make characters as interesting as possible, and as someone said earlier, its not hard to make one; in fact, just make a fairly average person(easy to relate to) and then throw in a HUGE difference that kind of sets them off. Like, a holy warrior who does very well in every walk of character, but can have an explosive temper and is highly judgmental, AND gets guilty easily after realizing he's made a mule of himself.

 

[Lessien]

The Mary Sue thing is basically making a totally stereotypical character. Like, a blonde cheerleader having breakup problems with her jock boyfriend. That's why we have the Disney channel. It's been done. Does that make sense?

Ugh. I hate Mary Sues. They're also characters that the author based off of him/herself, and that sort of Mary Sue runs rampant in fanfiction. I frequent a fanfiction site, and I can't tell you how many "beautiful, sweet innocent girls going through rough times" there are that get transported into Spiderman's world, or how many "smart, pretty, tough and yet sweet and innocent" teenage girls there are that find portals to Middle-Earth and end up joining the Fellowship. Gr. Is it really too much trouble to make a character you DON'T like and insert him/her into Spidey's world as a villain? Or how about someone who you kind of like who just ends up getting in the way of the Fellowship? Is it too much trouble to use some of that creativity God's given you and stray off the beaten path?

OK, I'll shut up about that now. But Mary Sues really bug me.