CrashOuch
she/her
- AKA
- Sara
@Strangelove how's it coming?
Crash and Fancy’s Despicable Hearts (and Writers) Club™
- Thread starter CrashOuch
- Start date
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
i have done a bit of writing, but it was something completely different and not what i was meant to be doing 
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
i am going to look over the feedback/questions i got last time after i sort out some business stuff and run errands
LicoriceAllsorts
Donator
Hito, I don't recommend reading up on how to write character. IMHO, that never really helps. I think those lists one so often sees, like "what's their favourite colour, what's their favourite music", aren't really helpful either. Characters have to come alive of and by themselves; one can't just invent stuff for them. Read your favourite authors who write good character and see if you can catch them in the act of characterisation. Spend some time writing little vignettes of your characters in scenes that aren't part of the main fic, exploring how your characters act and what they do, think, and believe. Just play with them. Being in a prompt community can be helpful for that.
CrashOuch
she/her
- AKA
- Sara
Lic's suggestion got me thinking and I remembered that I had this thing which is, I believe, what used to be called a meme back in the day?
Anywho, it's a nice, fun little activity to get you more comfortable with your characters, with the added benefit of making you write about your characters, which is sick cos that's what we're here to do! Maybe it will help you, @Strangelove ?
And if anyone else ends up doing it, I'd love to see so maybe you could share it here?
I did it before with a group of my characters and it was really helpful so I'm kinda tempted to do it again.
Anyway, happy writing, y'all!.
Anywho, it's a nice, fun little activity to get you more comfortable with your characters, with the added benefit of making you write about your characters, which is sick cos that's what we're here to do! Maybe it will help you, @Strangelove ?
And if anyone else ends up doing it, I'd love to see so maybe you could share it here?
I did it before with a group of my characters and it was really helpful so I'm kinda tempted to do it again.
Anyway, happy writing, y'all!.
I. Choose up to five (5) of your favourite original story characters that will embark in this role-play. If you don't have five (5) then leave them blank (or create a character on the spot!) Be sure to give a little description of them:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
II. One of your characters decides to make a grand entrance into a random tavern. How does that go? Pick either Character One or Character Four :
III. Jealous, Character Three tries to make a grand entrance as well but somehow fails… why is that?
IV. A character is surrounded by many enemies and decides that the only thing they can do is fight! How does that go? Pick either Character Two or Character Five
V. Character Three is depressed and decides to get drunk.
VI. An event like no other takes place and Character One and Character Two get into a battle to the death. Who wins?
VII. Character Four or Character Five accidentally drink a love potion. Who do they fall in love with first? Character Two or Character Three?
VIII. Since Character Four or Character Five are under a love spell, how do they try to spoil their partner?
IX. Character Two tries to steal from either Character One or Character Five. Do they succeed?
X. Character Three throws a slumber party but only invites one person. Which character did they invite?
XI. All of the Characters get together for a 'wholesome' dinner… does it go well? Give details.
XII. Mysteriously, Character One dies. Character Three and Character Five are the only ones around. How do they react?
XIII. Character Three gets into an accident. What were they riding? How did it happen?
XIV. Character Two tries to get a job with the help of Character Three and Character Four. How did that go?
XV. Character Three or Character Four decide to leave a tavern. How does that go? Why did they leave?
XVI. Character One wakes up in the bed with a random character of your choice!
XVII. A character of your choice becomes a supreme being and creates the world in their image.
XVIII. Before we go, all of your characters want to take a moment to ask you (their creator) for something that they have always wanted.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
II. One of your characters decides to make a grand entrance into a random tavern. How does that go? Pick either Character One or Character Four :
III. Jealous, Character Three tries to make a grand entrance as well but somehow fails… why is that?
IV. A character is surrounded by many enemies and decides that the only thing they can do is fight! How does that go? Pick either Character Two or Character Five
V. Character Three is depressed and decides to get drunk.
VI. An event like no other takes place and Character One and Character Two get into a battle to the death. Who wins?
VII. Character Four or Character Five accidentally drink a love potion. Who do they fall in love with first? Character Two or Character Three?
VIII. Since Character Four or Character Five are under a love spell, how do they try to spoil their partner?
IX. Character Two tries to steal from either Character One or Character Five. Do they succeed?
X. Character Three throws a slumber party but only invites one person. Which character did they invite?
XI. All of the Characters get together for a 'wholesome' dinner… does it go well? Give details.
XII. Mysteriously, Character One dies. Character Three and Character Five are the only ones around. How do they react?
XIII. Character Three gets into an accident. What were they riding? How did it happen?
XIV. Character Two tries to get a job with the help of Character Three and Character Four. How did that go?
XV. Character Three or Character Four decide to leave a tavern. How does that go? Why did they leave?
XVI. Character One wakes up in the bed with a random character of your choice!
XVII. A character of your choice becomes a supreme being and creates the world in their image.
XVIII. Before we go, all of your characters want to take a moment to ask you (their creator) for something that they have always wanted.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
LicoriceAllsorts
Donator
That's a good one, Crash.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
that reminds me of a book about developing characters i bought ages ago, it had a lot of scenarios like that to put your character through. i can’t remember the name and after having to back all my books up i am not sure where it is now i might have a look for it today
i might have a look for it today
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
i found it, it was this book: https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Your-Character-Do/dp/1582973725
plus a bunch of other books i bought years ago thinking, 'yes i will do this thing but first i must prepare with lots of knowledge' and then i never did it lol
plus a bunch of other books i bought years ago thinking, 'yes i will do this thing but first i must prepare with lots of knowledge' and then i never did it lol
CrashOuch
she/her
- AKA
- Sara
@fancy claws My club is right here with you! <3
@LicoriceAllsorts Glad it was the sort of thing you were thinking of too!
@Strangelove Oooh, that book sounds really interesting! I'd love it if you could share some of the exercise things from it? Do you think you're going to do any? It'd also be super cool if you did some and then showed us what you ended up writing! Pls show us all the things!
I super need to do some writing oops I'll try to do a little later. How's everyone else getting on this week? Anyone managed to do any writing?
@LicoriceAllsorts Glad it was the sort of thing you were thinking of too!
@Strangelove Oooh, that book sounds really interesting! I'd love it if you could share some of the exercise things from it? Do you think you're going to do any? It'd also be super cool if you did some and then showed us what you ended up writing! Pls show us all the things!
I super need to do some writing oops I'll try to do a little later. How's everyone else getting on this week? Anyone managed to do any writing?
Claudius Caesar
That 90's Boy
As an aspiring fanfic writer, I wonder if I can get involved in this?
Claudius Caesar
That 90's Boy
Soon, I will be making a thread on this forum devoted to one of my writing projects and I intend to update it at least weekly, if not more often.
It's a Final Fantasy fanfic that is a Zombie AU, based on Dawn of the Dead (1978) and starring characters from FF7 and FF15
It's a Final Fantasy fanfic that is a Zombie AU, based on Dawn of the Dead (1978) and starring characters from FF7 and FF15
CrashOuch
she/her
- AKA
- Sara
Good luck, @Claudius Caesar ! I hope it goes well for you! I'd love to see it when you're done but I'm totally terrified of zombies so I might have to give it a miss, sadly!
I am admitting defeat for this week because I am just too tired BUT I fully intend to get back on it and have something for next week!
I wanna encourage everyone to share about what they're working on, but I kinda wanna start small so no one feels uncomfortable or shy. As we've been on the subject of characters, I wonder if people felt like sharing an introductory paragraph about three or however many of their characters? Or would you all rather share either the first sentence of the first seven lines of a piece of your writing? Let me know!
Is anyone stuck? I'm gonna try to dig up some good and sweet tips this week!
Myself personally, I've decided to let all my NaNo scribblings sit for a bit and I'm going to rewrite the second half of a short story I wrote sometime this summer because I think I need to make the threat a bit more, you know, threatening haha, but that means changing up a lot of the plot and while I now how I'm gonna do it in broad strokes, I'm kinda hitting a wall when I try to narrow it down any further than that. So. Yeah that's fun, haha.
How's everyone else getting on?
How did everybody do this week?
Who's done some writing?
Who's done some writing?
I am admitting defeat for this week because I am just too tired BUT I fully intend to get back on it and have something for next week!
I wanna encourage everyone to share about what they're working on, but I kinda wanna start small so no one feels uncomfortable or shy. As we've been on the subject of characters, I wonder if people felt like sharing an introductory paragraph about three or however many of their characters? Or would you all rather share either the first sentence of the first seven lines of a piece of your writing? Let me know!
Is anyone stuck? I'm gonna try to dig up some good and sweet tips this week!
Myself personally, I've decided to let all my NaNo scribblings sit for a bit and I'm going to rewrite the second half of a short story I wrote sometime this summer because I think I need to make the threat a bit more, you know, threatening haha, but that means changing up a lot of the plot and while I now how I'm gonna do it in broad strokes, I'm kinda hitting a wall when I try to narrow it down any further than that. So. Yeah that's fun, haha.
How's everyone else getting on?
Mage
She/They
- AKA
- Mage
I put down my big story in favour of the freaky gnome dream I had. ATM I'm fleshing shit out before I commit a narrative to screen/paper/ciggie packet because dreams have that annoying habit of filling in blanks and you forget them when you wake up and start querying self-made plotholes. 
Mage
She/They
- AKA
- Mage
I think I'm gonna declare it finished at last, read it, shit a brick and delete it.
It's difficult to avoid clichés TBH, the husband and wife of the story come off as Amityville-light. The neighbour is going well though, I think I've managed to avoid any air of crazy cat lady, which was the first thing that sprung to mind when I laid out her characteristics. I tried to channel two of the characters from Alan Bennett's Talking Heads through her (A Lady of Letters but massively toned down and Bed Among the Lentils because I fucking love Maggie Smith). Describing the garden has proven challenging, I'm getting too wordy with the descriptions because that's the sort of stuff I dig (pun intended) but I know other people will just glaze over with.
It's difficult to avoid clichés TBH, the husband and wife of the story come off as Amityville-light. The neighbour is going well though, I think I've managed to avoid any air of crazy cat lady, which was the first thing that sprung to mind when I laid out her characteristics. I tried to channel two of the characters from Alan Bennett's Talking Heads through her (A Lady of Letters but massively toned down and Bed Among the Lentils because I fucking love Maggie Smith). Describing the garden has proven challenging, I'm getting too wordy with the descriptions because that's the sort of stuff I dig (pun intended) but I know other people will just glaze over with.
CrashOuch
she/her
- AKA
- Sara
OOHHHHH THE MORE I HEAR THE MORE I LOVE IT! Please don't delete it!!! Even if you bury it in folders, please, please, please don't delete it!
Yeah, I feel you with that, cliches are a pain. Could you try to lean into them? Like make them a bit OTT? Idk in some situations that would possibly work haha!
I like details!
Yeah, I feel you with that, cliches are a pain. Could you try to lean into them? Like make them a bit OTT? Idk in some situations that would possibly work haha!
I like details!
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
please bring me all the shame, i have earned it all with my poor work ethic
i will probably try to look through it and pick out the questions i think might be interesting because knowing my character(s) is the big stumbling block i am having rn.
(i picked like the most mundane sounding scenarios but some of the others are like, 'at the sex shop' and 'stalked' and 'deathbed secret' so it's not all like 'wow what would my character do if there was lots of work to do at the office')
it is more structured that the exercises in this thread, if 'structured' is the word i'm looking for. each chapter gives you a scenario (busy day at work, or elegant party, or on stage) and then a series of situations in those scenarios. each scenario has a choice of five answers and a paragraph talking about what kind of character that answer is consistent with. at the end of the chapter is a some open ended questions in the same scenario that don't have a multiple choice set of answers, other similar scenarios, and some random trivia that talk about some psychological point (it is a lot more psychological than i remembered, the main author has a background in psychology).
i will probably try to look through it and pick out the questions i think might be interesting because knowing my character(s) is the big stumbling block i am having rn.
(i picked like the most mundane sounding scenarios but some of the others are like, 'at the sex shop' and 'stalked' and 'deathbed secret' so it's not all like 'wow what would my character do if there was lots of work to do at the office')
Clement Rage
Pro Adventurer
Heh, four of five of my characters wanted me to stop making them suffer.
Strangelove
AI Researcher
- AKA
- hitoshura
what if being shamed is my kink and i want it?
(lol it's not, my kink is being treated very nicely)
I'm procrastinating just as bad as you. 