Making an OC (Original Character) and the Functions They Perform - Part 1. · 4:51pm Aug 25th, 2013
Alright, so I'm writing this blog to tell you about how I come up with original characters and some things that I focus on when doing so. Although do keep in mind my previous blog about Asking Questions. That is still extremely pertinent in any facet of writing.
OCs are important in writing, and super important in adventure writing. Thus coming up with OCs is something that I've had to do quite a few times before. It can be very intimidating when facing this blank-slate of a character. (In the same way that a blank page as you are about to type out a new story can be quite intimidating.)
Thus, we already have our first step, just like with starting a new story, you need to do some planning before you write this character into existence. So ask yourself, 'What role does this character take in your story?' Normally, these characters will fall into four rough categories.
-Protagonist
-Antagonist
-Side character
-Background character
So, where does this character that you're going to make fall into? Is it the protagonist? The character who is leading the story, and has the story centered around them. Is it the antagonist? The source of much of the conflict in the story. Perhaps it's a side character? That character who is met along the journey that perhaps helps with, or presents, a small conflict to the protagonist. Or maybe you just need to make that nameless background character who the protagonist accidentally bowls over in a bar fight.
So, I'll go through in reverse order, since it's easier that way. The Background Character:
These are the staple OCs, they hold your world together by making the world have the right feel to it. You include them in your story when you need to present a small change to the scene--Atmosphere, or a bit of Action. These characters are an act of precision. You want them to make their point in a sentence or two and then switch away from them, don't make them too much of a focus. They might be a worker at the railway station, accepting the character's boarding pass. Or perhaps you want to include a sick, homeless pony to add to the feel of a new city the protagonist has just entered.
Background characters are not something the protagonist will interact with more than once in a scene. Thus, you only need to mention what is most important about the character. Don't go into details. They don't need personality, just a function.
Here's an example of background diamond dogs I used for atmospheric effect. I used them in this scene to show the readers that there is now an audience watching as the main characters act and talk, and thus the atmosphere of the scene changes ever so slightly and the character's words will bear a bit more weight with this new audience. Here's the quote:
Most of them were leaning against the wall, the dim light of the glow crystals caught in their eyes. Two of them were sitting on the ground, rolling a couple of rocks around. They were cast away in a quick motion, and echoed against the rocky ground. There was a slight pause, then one of the dogs let out a small, triumphant bark.
Function: these unnamed dogs primarily provide that atmosphere of being watched, and I even managed to toss a very small bit of world-building in, regarding diamond dogs and their gambling habits.
Side Characters:
These ones are a step up from your background characters, these are the ones that actually interact with the main characters. When making a side character, they need two things: a function (or functions), and a personality (or personal goals). The more you know about these characters, the better they will be when applied to the story. When using these characters in a scene, you should figure out what they want with the protagonist(s), and figure out why they are interacting with protagonist(s). Usually these characters function as an obstacle for the protagonist(s) to overcome, or function as a way to help the protagonist(s) to overcome an obstacle.
Here's a small quote of a side character I made. One of my favourite characters, and (in my opinion) one of my most effective that I've created.
“My, such manners,” the old pony said with a dry chuckle, which turned into a fit of coughing. He proceeded to wave off the filly when she approached with a look of concern in her eyes. “I'm fine,” he coughed, “I'm fine, it never lasts long.” He lumbered shakily over to a set of cupboards as he wheezed.
Now the function of this character was to give the protagonist a different outlook on cutie marks (posing a new facet to the problem the protagonist was working to overcome) and also to give the protagonist a place of safety to get some rest (solving one problem that the protagonist was facing). His personality was that of an old pony who had lived a life of ups and downs, and essentially he's living the last of his days, alone with his memories, prepared to pass on. When he sees the protagonist he sees her as an opportunity, or excuse, to delve into his bittersweet memories one last time. Basically, he just wanted her company for a while.
When I boil it down to the fundamentals, to prepare such a character, I had to think up: a name, a personality, reasons for that personality, who his family and friends were and what they were doing currently, what his occupation was, why he was where he was, where he used to be, what he looked like, what his cutie mark was, how he got his cutie mark, what he thinks of his cutie mark, what he thinks of the protagonist, and what he wants out of the protagonist. (There were a few other things too, but I think you get the idea.)
Now you might be super psyched about this brilliant back-story and descriptions that you've come up with for this side character, and that is great. You should be super psyched about creating a character with that sort of depth. However, because this is a side character, only a portion of that back-story (probably 50% at most, though more likely 20% or less) will ever actually be explicitly revealed to the reader. If you give out too much information about this awesome character you've made, you run the risk of undermining your protagonist by stealing the spotlight. You only want to share the back-story of the side characters if it somehow becomes relevant to the protagonist's interests, afterall, you don't want the readers thinking, 'Why the heck wasn't this story written about this character instead?'
Working with side characters is an act of subtlety. Perhaps the character in question has lost a sibling to a war of some sort, and this has since changed their disposition to being crotchety toward military types. You don't have to utter a word about the character's back-story, you just need to show the reader how this character acts when military types do show up. Showing instead of telling makes these characters come to life.
So that's two of character types so far. Next blog will deal with making OC antagonists and protagonists.
Thanks for reading,
~SilentBelle
Very good blog! I learned a lot about how I should write some lines for certain characters. Planning is key, I get that. Imma brainstorm crazy later, lol! Your awesome!
One also has to remember that even the canon characters were as good as OCs before the show was aired. Making OCs is basically practice for making your own characters.
1307660
Naming anything is hard. The name has to mean something (usually) and not get in the way. A guide for naming and developing small details, perhaps?
1307660 I usually don't use names unless I have to for the background characters. Sure it wouldn't hurt to do so as a creative exercise, but it's not really necessary, and mentioning the name will often just confuse a reader. I'm not saying there's not a time or a place to do so though, it's just better, as a rule of thumb, to not mention names if you don't have to. If you need that background character to have a name later, then introduce it when it becomes relevant. (Though some mysteries might benefit from an earlier mention if it later becomes relevant.)
1307676 Yes, thank you for mentioning those topics. I'll go over naming and detailing characters right after the protagonists and antagonists sections. And I'll be mentioning the canon characters in the protagonists section as well, and how we have to develop them further than the show has so far, to keep the story engaging. As well as how the canon characters are the OCs of the writing staff. I think I'll also touch on some blatant do-nots (Mary Sues and what-have-yous).
It should be a blast to write the rest of it. I'll probably get it out in a few days.
1307698 Nice! Can't wait to read it!