The difficulties of writing with original characters · 3:18pm Aug 28th, 2019
More of a serious advice blog this time. I've spent a lot of time writing for this website, and others. I'd estimate that outside of my 50 completed stories, I have maybe 100 more that were started, but never finished. One of the biggest reasons for that is my compulsion to write romantic stories. I find them very fulfilling, but it's hard to make a romance work between characters who haven't really met before.
That leads into the other story that is difficult to write. Original Characters.
Good lord, original characters are either a big hit, or a huge freaking miss. And here's why.
Backstory, backstory, backstory!
Alright, I know what you're thinking.
"But, Seven, isn't having a backstory for your character good?"
Of course it is. However, there are still some guidelines that one should at least attempt to follow when dealing with an original character's backstory. They're as follows:
- Don't make your character's backstory intrusive. One of the biggest follies I see new authors make, especially when introducing a character of their own creation, is that they tend to fall back too much on their backstory. Having an established backstory is great, it can help the reader understand a character's motivations and develop an emotional connection to them. But a solid backstory should be shown, not told. We don't need to know what city your character was born in, what their mother and father's names are, and the exact reason they got their cutie mark, all within the first three paragraphs of a story. Let the narrative do that for you.
- Don't fall victim to the R&B tropes. No, not the music genre, the colors! This site has been around for a little over eight years now. We all know about those adorable red and black characters who are basically unbeatable in both combat and backstory, right? If your character's backstory is that they were also defeated by Celestia and Luna thousands of years ago, then you better tell one damn compelling and believable story that will make me actually want to read your story. No offense, but if you have been writing this, please take a look at this blog.
- No, your character is not smarter than Twilight. No, they're not faster than Rainbow Dash. And, no, they're not better with animals than Fluttershy. These are established characters with a purpose, and their special talents all involve being the best at what they do. That's why their cutie marks are what they are. If your character comes across as 'holier than thou', nobody is going to like it. Rather than feeding off of what the main characters are talented at, give your character their own special talent and purpose in life! I'd rather read about The Whittler than Rainbow Dash 2.0.
Fashion is her passion
Good lord, what a garrish design!
I get it. You like rainbows, you adore vibrant colors, and you want your OC to show that. There's nothing wrong with that, so long as your OC isn't an eyesore. Unless the creator of that character can give a legitimate reason for the rainbow wings and eyes, it comes across as trying too hard to be cute. I did do some research, and found that her name is 'Rainbow Glass', and her special talent is 'the powers of water and the rainbow', whatever the heck that's supposed to mean.
Now let's look at an example of a well-made original character.
Credit to Celestialess.
I'm happy I managed to find one that was also an alicorn. Now, I don't know this character's backstory, just that it's a crack-ship child created by the artist named Shademoon. The colors don't clash, and the character is generally pleasant to look at. If an alicorn was described with these colors in a story, it would be fine as long as it came with a good backstory.
Whoa, your character dates Princess Twilight and Princess Luna?
Harem stories. Let's call them what they truly are, guys. Wish fulfillment. Just like harem anime, harem stories are a curse on an already bleak landscape.
Trust me when I say this.
Nobody wants to read about your character banging all of the main characters. Literally nobody does. Stop it.
If you're going to write a character with romantic inclusions, you better be sure you explore them and lead into them well. Nobody out there wants to read a story where Rainbow Dash falls in love with your character the moment they meet. That is an unrealistic character trait, and several episodes have been made to show exactly why this doesn't work.
Romantic relationships, as well as platonic, require investment. Why do these characters like your character? Why does your character like them? How did these feelings come about from both parties? These are what we want to know in any romance.
Did Rose and Jack have sex the moment they met?
No. They took time to get to know one another, and realized they weren't all that different after all. They were in search of the same thing, but basically lived in separate worlds until tragedy brought them together. Yes, we know it's just Romeo and Juliet on a ship. But that kind of story-telling is far more compelling than "my character dates rainbow dash but is also married to fluttershy and has applejack as a side hoe".
In conclusion, writing with original characters takes time and dedication. It's not as simple as throwing your character into a situation from the show and having them change the outcome and get the girls. That's lazy writing, and does nothing for the reader.
Love you guys!
What’s your feeling on polygamy stories though One where say 2 girls get together with a guy cause I always thought those we’re OK. And if it’s OK at what point does it become too much
5113100
As long as there's an emotional connection between the characters that's explored well, I don't mind it. What I mind are stories where there's no explanation or reasoning for these characters being involved with one another.
5113103
Ok reason I ask is due to the Rise of the Elements series. A series which has the MC be a human turned alicorn (that starts OP that gets nerfed earlier on) be in a relationship with RD, unicorn Twilight and the two main princesses. Either one would seem bad but they both sort of work probably due to the reasons explained in your blogs. The alicorn has a winter theme, he has a backstory and his family with him and he’s not OP.
Preach! 🙏
A lot of story ideas I work with involve original characters. I see it as a means to fill gaps where no other pony can fit. Sometimes you need to make something up that only a specific type of character will excell at. Not through Mary sueness, but through narrative poignancy.
As such, build a character where what they are matters to the story, and that their history is only shown to the extent of what is necessary for the story to work. The focal point should always be the driving narrative, the characters within the tools used to push it along. Highly important, essential even, and as such to make them interesting the plot needs to be interesting.
(I know what you're thinking. Bad, dirty boy)!
In my (planned) stories it really variies on how much the backstory of the protagonist is relevant.
I have one where the main point of the story is his backstory and how it affects his overarching goal.
Then I have one where I would be done explaining the situation with just a few words, just to give a rough idea.
And last but not least one where a backstory isn't relevant to the character. That might come later.
Also I adore the concept of power at a certain price. For example: If I want a character to be faster than Rainbow Dash, I would add a serious drawback like pain, permanent damage and/or death.
And I should mention my weakness for (deeply) flawed characters - I love grey and gray morality.
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I can agree with your idea of introducing a draw-back, but only to an extent. It would really depend on what the draw-back is, and what the purpose of the talent is in the story. That's all that matters in the end.
As for flawed characters, there's nothing wrong with being drawn to them. Some of the most well-known and well-received characters of all time are deeply flawed. Vegeta, Light Yagami, Anakin Skywalker, Sam Winchester.
These characters are deeply flawed, but that's what makes them so compelling. You care about seeing them overcome their internal strife.
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Oh yes. It has to make sense in the story of course. I wouldn't want to add a character only to be a "better" version of another existing one, but then again, if it makes sense and is written well you could even do that - subversion is fun.
Maybe the example with RD was picked poorly for conveying my point. DON'T do it if it doesn't serve a point bejond showing off.
Dammit. See my idea was Moonlight, Twilight's younger brother, is smarter than her, but his actual magical power is quite weak. That way the three siblings cross a spectrum. Shining is raw power, Moonlight is raw intelligence, Twilight's the middle child and the balance between the two. You know, I stand by that as a decent idea, I don't care.
No, they never had sex, they just had awkward flirting with each other and The Doctor... Oh, wait, you're talking about Titanic! Sorry.