I wanted to write an article that would be of interest to new and already existing roleplayers alike. Something that could help flesh out the roleplays we all involve ourselves into. Even if you are roleplaying with only one person, others are involved because others are reading and following the story. So it isnt only for those you are directly interacting with that you would want to focus on. With this said I am in no way insinuating people who do not follow this are inept or somehow less of a roleplayer. This is just my opinion but one I happen to believe in strongly.
When you create a character spend some time thinking about him/her. Picture them in your mind. Giving them a name and background will not alone give them a meaningful life. Give them a personality. Give them quirks, habits, hobbies, and most importantly flaws. Every character (in my opinion) should have a flaw(s). This doesnt weaken your character but instead gives it realism. Gives it something the reader could possibly identify with. And once the reader can do this theyll start to like your character and care about them. To help illustrate this Ill use one of my characters for an example..Shaylee Windlore. Shaylee is a kind and gentle moon elf. She is thoughtful and patient. Intelligent and a good cook. But these are all good things..lets get to the flaws For starters Shaylee is mute and cannot speak. A fun but challenging physical flaw but she also has an emotional flaw. Shaylee does not handle violence or shouting well at all. When in such situations she is pretty much a useless crybaby. This flaw is wonderful and gives the character something to work on. Something that makes her not perfect.
Now that your character has a personality, use this in conjunction with the background you came up with and figure out if he/she would have any unique items they would carry on them or have. Something as simple as a locket from a fallen friend or in Shaylees case a magical ring from her father. Or perhaps they would have nothing material but perhaps something else a song they hummed or a talent they enjoy.
But depth doesnt just come from the actual character but in how you write your character. Its easy when pressed for time to limit yourself in this (I am not innocent of this either) but really try to take the time to weave more than just the basics. A post shouldnt (again in my opinion) be just what your character does and says. It should also be what they feel, they think. What is going on around them. The air the times .the weather. Use adjectives and words as highlights to your art. A simple example:
Shaylee walked into the town square and smiled as she nodded to the townfolk she met. She carried a basket of bread to deliver to the Inn.
Vs.
Shaylee walked into the bustling town square on a breezy afternoon. A soft smile to be presented to the townfolk who went about their daily chores. Many purchasing fruit from a vendor who just opened a fresh shipment that arrived earlier in the day. Shaylee carried a hand woven basket brimming with warm honey cakes. Her gentle steps taking her in the direction of Tazars Tavern, her second home. As she walked, memories of her time cooking at the Inn warmed her thoughts.
Now this was just an example. As you can see the third sentence in the second example is really not necessary but it is something extra that gives a visual picture about the atmosphere the character is in. And though the last sentence is also not necessary it gives a glimpse of background and allows for her thoughts to be shared.
Just one thing I would like to state here. I do not think every character should reveal their inner thoughts. There are times that I choose not to do this. The trick is to understand what it is exactly your trying to accomplish in your writing. Do you want your character to be mysterious and perhaps misread then this would be a perfect example to NOT writing their thoughts. But if you want your character to be understood and perhaps even sympathized with then perhaps including personal thoughts and feelings is a good idea.
Basically it comes to patience and taking your time. Read through your post before you actually make it live to see how it flows (again I am guilty of this as well). If you find your post is really short .try to flesh it out more. Give more insight or perhaps explain more of whats going on around him/her.
Another important thing I can share is refrain from using OOC feelings and knowledge IC. This can be as obvious as knowing OOC that for example Shaylee has a magical ring and then in your post saying your character can feel the magic of her ring when your character has never before shown such a gift. Or it can be as crafty as you have a dislike for cat characters IRL so your normally good natured guy gives a cat character an attitude when in the storyline there really is no reason for it. (This can be the same if you have a love/hate IRL for magic in general or say evil aligned characters). Bottom line stay IN your characters boundaries and thought processes. Constantly ask yourself would he/she do this? Would he/she say this? Many times I know what I would LIKE my characters to do but it may not be what they would actually do. When you can start to see the difference then you know your character truly has a personality of their own.
And the last thing I will say is respect your fellow roleplayers. Good or bad they are still people behind the words. Accept the fact that your character might lose a battle or perhaps be tricked or miss something. Perfect characters are not as liked and loved as those who make mistakes and have flaws. Again in my opinion. Have fun in every post you make. And understand you are writing a story but you alone are not the author. Leave room for others to weave their stories too. Give and take but sometimes (often times) you might have to do more of the giving.
When you create a character spend some time thinking about him/her. Picture them in your mind. Giving them a name and background will not alone give them a meaningful life. Give them a personality. Give them quirks, habits, hobbies, and most importantly flaws. Every character (in my opinion) should have a flaw(s). This doesnt weaken your character but instead gives it realism. Gives it something the reader could possibly identify with. And once the reader can do this theyll start to like your character and care about them. To help illustrate this Ill use one of my characters for an example..Shaylee Windlore. Shaylee is a kind and gentle moon elf. She is thoughtful and patient. Intelligent and a good cook. But these are all good things..lets get to the flaws For starters Shaylee is mute and cannot speak. A fun but challenging physical flaw but she also has an emotional flaw. Shaylee does not handle violence or shouting well at all. When in such situations she is pretty much a useless crybaby. This flaw is wonderful and gives the character something to work on. Something that makes her not perfect.
Now that your character has a personality, use this in conjunction with the background you came up with and figure out if he/she would have any unique items they would carry on them or have. Something as simple as a locket from a fallen friend or in Shaylees case a magical ring from her father. Or perhaps they would have nothing material but perhaps something else a song they hummed or a talent they enjoy.
But depth doesnt just come from the actual character but in how you write your character. Its easy when pressed for time to limit yourself in this (I am not innocent of this either) but really try to take the time to weave more than just the basics. A post shouldnt (again in my opinion) be just what your character does and says. It should also be what they feel, they think. What is going on around them. The air the times .the weather. Use adjectives and words as highlights to your art. A simple example:
Shaylee walked into the town square and smiled as she nodded to the townfolk she met. She carried a basket of bread to deliver to the Inn.
Vs.
Shaylee walked into the bustling town square on a breezy afternoon. A soft smile to be presented to the townfolk who went about their daily chores. Many purchasing fruit from a vendor who just opened a fresh shipment that arrived earlier in the day. Shaylee carried a hand woven basket brimming with warm honey cakes. Her gentle steps taking her in the direction of Tazars Tavern, her second home. As she walked, memories of her time cooking at the Inn warmed her thoughts.
Now this was just an example. As you can see the third sentence in the second example is really not necessary but it is something extra that gives a visual picture about the atmosphere the character is in. And though the last sentence is also not necessary it gives a glimpse of background and allows for her thoughts to be shared.
Just one thing I would like to state here. I do not think every character should reveal their inner thoughts. There are times that I choose not to do this. The trick is to understand what it is exactly your trying to accomplish in your writing. Do you want your character to be mysterious and perhaps misread then this would be a perfect example to NOT writing their thoughts. But if you want your character to be understood and perhaps even sympathized with then perhaps including personal thoughts and feelings is a good idea.
Basically it comes to patience and taking your time. Read through your post before you actually make it live to see how it flows (again I am guilty of this as well). If you find your post is really short .try to flesh it out more. Give more insight or perhaps explain more of whats going on around him/her.
Another important thing I can share is refrain from using OOC feelings and knowledge IC. This can be as obvious as knowing OOC that for example Shaylee has a magical ring and then in your post saying your character can feel the magic of her ring when your character has never before shown such a gift. Or it can be as crafty as you have a dislike for cat characters IRL so your normally good natured guy gives a cat character an attitude when in the storyline there really is no reason for it. (This can be the same if you have a love/hate IRL for magic in general or say evil aligned characters). Bottom line stay IN your characters boundaries and thought processes. Constantly ask yourself would he/she do this? Would he/she say this? Many times I know what I would LIKE my characters to do but it may not be what they would actually do. When you can start to see the difference then you know your character truly has a personality of their own.
And the last thing I will say is respect your fellow roleplayers. Good or bad they are still people behind the words. Accept the fact that your character might lose a battle or perhaps be tricked or miss something. Perfect characters are not as liked and loved as those who make mistakes and have flaws. Again in my opinion. Have fun in every post you make. And understand you are writing a story but you alone are not the author. Leave room for others to weave their stories too. Give and take but sometimes (often times) you might have to do more of the giving.
