A Writer’s Journey

As a pleasant end to the theme of characters, I thought it would be pertinent to name just a few of my favourites. From movies, books and TV, the follwing are all characters I’d recommend watching or reading about. For me, they help make the film/book/TV series a joy to read/write.

Perrin Aybara

This character had to be first. My favourite character fom my favourite series of books. One of three leads from the late Robert Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’ series, Perrin is my personal highlight to the epic tale. The son of a blacksmith, he finds himself drawn into events that are beyond his control. A modest fellow, he is forced to become a leader of men, and must battle his own inner demons whilst protecting those he loves.

Caught between doing what is right and escaping a situation he detests, Perrin’s internal conflict nicely displays a human side that is almost stereotypical of the anti-hero. Yet, he struggles on without so much as a complaint. In the middle of a battle for his affection, torn between two lives, he hopes only to one day return to his father’s forge. It will be interesting to see how his story ends in the final book.

Noah Bennett

From the Heroes TV series, Noah exemplifies in my mind the man caught in a ‘catch 22′ situation. Everything he does, he believes is for the protection of his family; specifically his daughter, Claire. He turns his back, seemingly, on what is the right thing to do, so he can manipulate and threaten in order to achieve his goals. Ruthless and cold, he’ll even endanger Claire’s love of him to protect her.

Part of my love for this character, I’ll admit, comes from the way he is portrayed. There is always an element of doubt surrounding Noah (also known as HRG - Horn Rimmed Glasses - a name he was given before his real role was revealed), and it is never quite clear if his selflessness is genuine. It would be interesting to see what he’d do if it was his death or Claire’s.

Althalus

The perfect example of an anti-hero, Althalus, from David and Leigh Eddings’ ‘Redemption of Althalus,’ this character is a real joy. A theif and general no-gooder, Althalus is given the job of stealing a book from a house - for lots of gold. Events don’t work quite as planned, and he is forced to engage in a mission to save the world in the midst of a ‘War of the Gods.’ It’s his acidic wit and playful antics that make Althalus enjoyable early on in the book.

As responsibility weighs down on him, and we begin to see a change, his transformation into a genuinely good guy is a difficult one, and he must battle with his inner, irresponsible criminal prevent the death of new-found friends along with the rest of the world. It is amusing to see him use techniques applied to robbery in battle, and when they work, even more so.

Silas

From the much talked-about novel by Dan Brown, ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ This monk turned killer offers us an insight into just how far brainwashing and manipulation can go. He kills in the name of God, at the order of his Opus Dei master, yet knows it is wrong so punishes himself constantly to repent of the sins.

An innocent brought into a war in the most hideous of ways, there is a certain child-like quality to Silas. Had he not been manipulated into a killer, perhaps he would have done some good in the world.

Other Favourites

Who are your favourite characters from various media? Why do you like them? Share your favourites with us all!

Saladin Akara Characters, General

When it comes to characters, one of the most difficult things to do is actually give them names. I know it can, on occasion, be a stumbling block for me. So, let’s take a look at some of the ways we can effectively name our characters. (A lot of this will relate to character names when you are writing inside a world different to our own.)

Form and Origin

This is important when you are creating your world. How are names formed? Is the family name first, as in Japan, or last like the Western world? Also consider such things as the use of apostrophes: Are they used to denote certain ‘portions’ of the name?

Are names based upon the occupation or social standing of your characters? Are they derivative of whatever your character does? For example, John Miller. This character may well be a miller’s son or a miller himself. A lot of real world names, especially family names, have evolved from family names: Carpenter, Taylor, Smith and Fisher are good examples of this. Also consider if titles, whether current or ancestoral, become part of names. For example, Rand al’Thor from Robert Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’ series; the ‘al’ prefix denotes the title of Lord and is a remnant from when his home village was part of a long-dead nation.

Be Consistent

Find a formula from your decisions on form and origin. Keep to it. Of course, if your story features more than one nation/culture, you may well need to develop multiple forms: One for each. Maintaining the same fomula will do a couple of things primarily. Firstly, it will make name creation easier, and secondly it will add authenticity to your writing and story.

Of course, exceptions can be made to consistency. But, exceptions are exceptions for a reason: they are rare and unusual. If every other character is an ‘exception,’ you might as well not bother with a formula at all.

Still Can’t Name That One Character?

It can be hard, even after building your framework, to name all the characters in a story. What can you do when a name just won’t come to you? Make it up! The first collection of letters that spring to mind can then be used to make a name. Or, try this:

yrgpfuiqwehpfiqewuhpfwieuqfh

I’ll admit, I just bashed my keyboard (gently, as I use a laptop) a few times. But, from it, I can pick up a few letters, like Fiq and Fwie, that run together in such a way that look like names. Fiq Fwie is a nice alliteration, but I don’t like it. Yiq Fwie seems better, so I’ll go with that. (Keep an eye out in my upcoming novella for a cameo from Yiq!)

Inspiration

It can come from anywhere. Wookies from Star Wars were so named because of a random comment by one of George Lucas’ friends when driving. “You just ran over a wookie,” I think is the quote, but I’m unsure. Maybe real life names, especially if writing inside the real world. Even if you aren’t, they could be used. Matthew could easily become Matew, for example. A nice-sounding name that would feel quite at home in a fantasy novel.

Other sources of inspiration could be history: My main RolePlaying character is called Saladin, as in the Muslim leader during the Crusades. Another character’s name then comes from Saladin’s birth name: Yousuf. Historical names are a nice inspiration and can also give an interesting viewpoint when making your characters to start with.

Mythology and legend. There are some awesome names in ancient legends and myths: Thor, the thunder god; Achilles, the legendary warrior; Set, the Egyptian God… The list goes on. And, of course, you can make your own derivatives on these names to fit in with your formula, or the feel of the story: An obviously Oriental sounding name may not fit into your sci-fi novel, but make an adjustment, and it could fit fine. Take Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars: The name derives from chi-gung (or qi-gung dependant on translation), which is a form of Chinese internal exercise focusing on energy.

And you?

What do you do when naming your characters? Do you have any tricks for coming up with names? What do you use for inspiration? Share your thoughts and ideas with us.

Saladin Akara Characters, General Writing, Hints and Tips, Roleplaying

This post will focus a little more on RolePlay than solely literary projects. As always, though, it can certainly be applied to writing normal fiction.

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When playing your character, the desire is always there to have them grow. This is entirely understandable and something that should happen. How can let your characters develop in a way that is both realistic and pertinent to the story? Let’s find out!

Events Are Key

All events that take place in the story will, in some way, affect your character. Whether it’s finding their love/parent/sibling/best friend dead or injured, or hearing a conversation between two others. You need to decide how these events will change your character and in what way.

Will the death of a loved one send your character into an endless rage? Make them depressed? Let them see life from a new perspective? Only you can decide that, as the character is your own. What’s important is that you remember to ask yourself the question, “How will this event change my character?”

Consistency

No matter what developmental changes you go for, you must be consistent. If ‘Event A’ (let’s say the death of your character’s father) leads itself to seeing your character a more thoughtful, life-respecting person, you wouldn’t see him/her then go on a killing spree. However, suppose ‘Event B’ is your character’s spouse being murdered. Would your character then want to exact revenge on the world? Probably not. Progression and development is often a linear path that builds from past experiences. So, being a life-respecting person for however long between the two events, your character’s reaction to their spouse’s murder will be reflective of that. Possibly.

You need also to be consistent with the profile you wrote when creating the character. If your character is a kind hearted, loving and jovial ladies’ man who enjoys rap music, chances are that the first few events to happen to him won’t change a lot of that. Unless they’re massive events, of course. He’ll still like rap music, still enjoy flirting with the ladies and probably (even if hidden) still be kind hearted even if your story starts out with his family being taken hostage.

Development Doesn’t Always Mean Improvement

In RolePlay, it’s far too tempting to have a character that is omnipotent, all-knowing and admired by any that meet him/her. Regardless of the position your character starts with, remember that everything that happens will have an effect. These effects could very well result in your character improving, say, a skill, or growing in influence.

Sometimes, though, to keep realism, your character might seem to regress. Go backwards. Perhaps forgetting how to do something, or being rendered incapable. Maybe a political twist means that your character loses the influence they had over the king/queen. This is actually perfectly fine and doesn’t reflect badly on you as a roleplayer.

In Conclusion

With every event, simply consider how it would realistically affect your character. Then apply that to your character’s development. If you do this, you will find yourself watching and writing out a person who is believable and you will be trusted as a roleplayer and writer.

Penny For Your Thoughts

What do you like to do when looking at character development? What do you like to see? Whether in terms of roleplay or general fiction, your thoughts are valued.

Saladin Akara Characters, General Writing, Hints and Tips, Roleplaying

Time once again (Yay!) for Robert Hruzek’s monthly WILF on Middle Zone Musings. This month’s subject is all about community. So, in keeping with the current theme here on A Writer’s Journey, I’ll be discussing what I learned from community in relation to characters.

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Within each community, be it a ‘real life’ community, an online one, or one written into fiction, each person seems to have a place. A position, a status, a ‘rank.’ When creating our characters, it is vitally important that we take these positions into consideration.

From the newbie, to the seasoned veteran within a roleplay community; the king of a country in comparison to a chimney sweeper. All will have certain attitudes on towards the other. When our characters interact, we need to always ask ourselves, “What attitudes would this person have towards that person?”

These will of course then affect how your characters interact, their dialogue, and also their behaviour around each other. All of these things add to how easily your readers can suspend disbelief and ultimately how successful your story/roleplay/novel is.

In regards to how your characters develop (a subject that will be covered later this week), it is important to also consider other communities that already exist. Positions within communities are always shifting. The newbie roleplayer may well become as renowned and respected as those who were the veterans when he/she first joined. The chimney sweep may well find himself married to the king’s only daughter. These will change your characters viewpoint, attitudes and demeanour.

However, you must take into consideration how these changes occur. One does not simply change positions overnight. It is a gradual process that not only requires time, but also work. So too must your characters’ different changes (personality, attitude, even attire) be gradual.

Any community you are in can work as a great study piece for you to ensure you keep your characters within the realms of their ‘rank.’ All you need to do is spend a little time watching. Be it in your school, your work, an online community, or even within your own friendship circle. All communities are similar in this sense; or so I have observed for myself.

What do you think?

Am I talking rubbish? Or does my idle musing here make sense? How do you ensure characters act according to their position? Give me some feedback, I value all your thoughts on this area!

Saladin Akara Characters, General Writing, Group Writing Projects, Hints and Tips, Roleplaying

We looked at character creation a while back, and what is needed when making your wonderful protagonist, or the dastardly villain. But, how can we bring those characters to life? Regardless of the genre or setting, characters need to be believable so our readers can make a connection: Whether it be a working girl in a romance, a rampaging orc in a fantasy, or a Martian overlord that wants to take over the universe in a sci-fi novel, your characters need to be more than simple mannequins acting out your play.

Let’s take a look at a few ways of bringing your characters from the page into the minds of your readers.

People Are Not Static

They are near constantly moving. Even when sat in a bar, talking with an old friend, there is so much movement: A finger tapping on the table, the act of taking a drink, lighting a cigarette (at least, back in the good days when one could smoke in a bar), shifting positions to keep comfortable.

A lot of the time we don’t notice these things, but next time you’re down the pub, just watch a few people: It’s actually quite amazing, and at times amusing. There are countless tiny, seemingly insignificant things we can put into our character.

I’m not in any way saying that we write every little thing our characters do. But the occasional drop of information makes them seem truly alive. Let me ask a question to illustrate: Would two people sit at a bar and chat for an hour without drinking any of their ale?

Microsoft Sam? No thank you!

For those of you who don’t know, Microsoft Sam is the electronic-voiced text-reader built into Windows: Monotonous, boring, and mildly irritating.

Realistic dialogue is an often repeated message when discussing quality writing. And rightfully so! Here are a few pointers for making your dialogue realistic:

• A greatly stressed point: Listen! Listen to how people speak in real life, then apply that to your writing.
• Contractions. Real people are more likely to say “don’t” than “do not.” It makes the speech seem more natural, and for your readers contractions will allow them to more easily ‘hear’ what characters are saying.
• Accents or dialect. Not all people speak in the same way, so demonstrate this when writing dialogue. A dwarf, for example, is more likely to say, “Do ye really wannae fight me?” than “Do you really want to fight me.”
• Tone of voice. A construction worker will have a much less formal tone than, say, a king or queen.

People Change

While I’ll be covering character development and growth later in this series, it’s certainly worth a mention here. The events in your story, whether large or small, will have some impact on your characters if they’re involved in them.

Your character’s won’t be the same on the last page as they were on the first.

Tell Me More (Like, did he have a car?)

That covers just a few basic things which can help make your characters alive and believable. What other techniques or tricks do you use when bringing your character’s to life? Share them with us!

Saladin Akara Characters, General Writing, Hints and Tips, Roleplaying

The weekend saw me finally begin my novella, and as such I spent a lot of time thinking about characters. I think it would be nice, for the next couple of weeks, to give a focus on this all-important aspect of fiction writing and roleplaying.

My approach is going to be one primarily aimed at the literary viewpoint, though it will also certainly be pertinent to roleplaying. A variety of aspects will be covered, and hopefully this series of posts will do two things: 1. Give an insight about how I view characters and their importance, and 2. serve as a reference guide for all of you.

Your Input, If You Will

While I have the main series planned, I’d also like to offer you the chance of dicating once again what is put on the blog: After all, you guys are the ones who have to read the posts! So, what would you like to see discussed during this series? Anything you want to learn? A particular opinion of mine you’d like to see voiced? Or maybe you’d like to make a guest post? Let me know!

Saladin Akara Characters, General Writing, Hints and Tips, Roleplaying