The hardest part that I find in writing characters or namely anything is a process of writing it down. Sometimes I like to write little by little as my thoughts tend to change quickly from one idea to the next. So I use index cards or a small notebook.

I'm curious how many of you structure your ideas. Either on paper in your head. How do you keep it all strait? I know I could probably make a new topic but if you could give some examples of character creations and how you went about writing it all down and getting it into the game.

Right now, I'm writting my ideas down, just enumerating them. After I got all de ideas written, I start writting down the story using those notes. I guess it's the simpliest way.

I think also, that the character must evolve into the gaqme. A character that doesn't change through the game isn't alive!

Whenever I right I always seem to have random thoughts here and there, so what I do is I carry a notebook around with me (its a little one so it fits in my jacket pocket) and whenever I think of something I pull it out and write it on the first free page.

When I get back home I go to my larger note book and re-write it out and try to expand on it.

Once that is all said and done I put it on my computer either in notepad or Word.

If it is something that I want to add I just add it to an existing document if its a new train of thought entirely I create a new document.

Quote: Original post by Cangor
Actually, characters whose personalities change are fine, but something has to happen to make them change. e.g. The (mysterious guy who doesn't care about anything but himself, cold blooded, killing machine...) could change because of some tramatic event. (even though that could be kinda hard with a doesn't care about anything but himself, cold blooded, killing machine.) :0

Actuly changing the myserious, cold blooded guy who dosn't care about anyone but himself is often used, in one specific format:

1st A child is in danger

2nd The guy saves the child, however most of the time it is because the child helped them or they gain something from it. (Money, reward) or that the child is in danger as a result of the guy, and he would feel responsible if they did not try to save the child.

3ed The child never leaves the guys side and in the begining the guy ignores them. (They never kill them because they would not be the slightest chalenge)

4th Presto: Over time the guy gains compastion.

Not logged in atm...but w/e, if I log in I'll forget my idea.

One uncommon story device (that seems like it should be more common) is the "hero-gone-bad." Everything starts out as normal, with the heroes who decide they're going to take down the "baddie" for whatever reason they have. Over the course of the story, the villain and the hero realize how similar they are and, by the end of the story, the line keeping good and evil separate has blurred beyond recognition. Whenever I write, this is probably one of my favorite devices; readers seem most intrigued the first time they can see all the different shades of grey.

If I could think of a better example, it'd go right about...wait for it...right about...here. I can't right now, so the best example I can think of is the relationship between Slade and Robin in the new(ish) show Teen Titans. In it, the protagonist and leader of the Teen Titans, Robin, displays an actual hatred toward the city's most elusive villain, Slade. Slade, however, sees everything as more of a game than anything, and, in his first few appearances, he hinted that he has some kind of previous relation to Robin (Don't quote me on this, but I believe Slade may be an older Bruce Wayne, Robin's former mentor).

I guess that's it. Nobody posts in this forum...and this one's my favorite.

Quote: Original post by gamegod3001
Actuly changing the myserious, cold blooded guy who dosn't care about anyone but himself is often used, in one specific format:

1st A child is in danger

2nd The guy saves the child, however most of the time it is because the child helped them or they gain something from it. (Money, reward) or that the child is in danger as a result of the guy, and he would feel responsible if they did not try to save the child.

3ed The child never leaves the guys side and in the begining the guy ignores them. (They never kill them because they would not be the slightest chalenge)

4th Presto: Over time the guy gains compastion.

Sesshoumaru, from Inu-Yasha.

Riddick in Pitch Black!

I usually rely on the character biography, which goes back about two generations to the grandparents. This document and analysis dovetails marvelously with the plot backstory, which is sort of a biography of the plot.

This kind of depth of design in character allows you to bring out subtle nuances and behaviors/attitudes/POV's that would ordinarily appear contrived and artificial in an underdeveloped characters.

The old school suggests that character is story, while I am of the school that conflict is story (conflict is subtle or verbose, internal or extrinsic), but in any approach you take, distilling a good character over time will help any story immeasurably.

Adventuredesign

what about the origional question though guys? He came on to ask HOW to defy these sterotypes, not why to use them. I would agree that if used correctly archtypes can be bennificial to the story, but it also dissapoints me when a cast is made up of ONLY these characters.

If you do decide to make up a few of your own characters remember these tips:

1.) First have a general storyline down, that way you know what type of character motivation you would need. Interestingly at this point it would be a good idea to figure out what other types of characters would mix well in the situations you have planned.

2.) Stay away from a one character paradigm, it will lead inevitably to boring storys.

3.) New character types are definatly going to need a backstory. If you think about it most character types have become stereotypical already, its hard to write a straight man only, a large dumb man only, a mysterious older man only, it can be hard, but if you are origional enough its possible.

I think story with normal characters can still be very good. I read a Japanese comic "Hikaru no Go", and the characters are average people with average personalities. There's no cool and ultra-confident characters (like Tyler Durden of "Fight club") or feel good characters (like the ones in "Friends"), everyone seems to react like a normal person to situations occured. Examples of their normalcy:

- Hikaru was not interested in baduk at first because he find it boring, just like average kids are not interested in chess (baduk is a boardgame that requires thinking, think of it as the asia version of chess)

- Hikaru was frightened when he saw a ghost.

- Hikaru was annoyed by the ghost who is a baduk addict when the ghost keep nagging him about playing a game of baduk.

- Akira, a genius in baduk feel down when he was defeated by Hikaru.

- Akira was shaking from fear when he face Hikaru again.

- Baduk players are impressed when they saw the games of strong players, making comments such as "wow, that's a good move, I never thought of that"

These characters art like normal person in many situations, I can related to them, and I understand their emotions. Despite having normal characters, Hikaru no go is still a very good story, I like it just like many Japanese who like it (the comic sold > 21m copies). That's why I think normal characters can still be interesting, and a story can still be good if there are only normal characters.