MAKING SUPER SMOL BEAN OCs.
❉
"That's cute." - Bellamy Blake
-
If you create an original character, unless you're purposefully trying to make them suck, you probably want your readers to like them....right? So I guess the question is, how? There's already soon many super cool, dimensional, cute, beautiful characters on The 100. How the actual heck are you supposed to create a character that even compares to them?
Well. I'm no expert. I try to make my OC, Hazel Hudson, lovable, and idk you guys are the judges of that so hopefully she is lol. But, I will give you the best tips I could find about how to make believable, lovable OC's.
-
*note: for more help on this topic see the chapters 'mapping characters', 'backgrounds', & 'description' under the heading "WRITING HELP".
❇ first off, plan your character AHEAD OF TIME. this is also called mapping your character. i did a whole entire chapter on this so if you want further help, go check that out. mapping your OC is actually super fun, and a great way to get to know them.
❇ mapping your character ahead of time will give your character depth. will all the things you map actually end up in your story? they may not, but you will need them to create believable scenes with your character. ALSO don't info dump. if you map out your character, your readers don't need to learn everything about them in the first chapter. this is an example:
Willa Danes was a 17 year old mechanic in training from Mecha Station. She decided to be a mechanic because her father was killed in an accident caused by faulty machinery, and she wanted to prevent that from ever happening to anyone else. Her mother was a nurse, but Willa had a phobia of needles so she never wanted to pursue that career. Willa had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. Clarke Griffin was her best friend, the two had been close since they met on their first day of school at the age of six. When Clarke was arrested and thrown into solitary, Willa tried to sneak into visit her. She was caught, and in turn also thrown into lock up. Willa always tended to have a sunny disposition despite her circumstances, and made a few fast friends in the Skybox, including Octavia Blake, whose dark demeanour was almost a complete opposite to the blonde's personality...
see, this paragraph is fine...if i was using it to map out my character in a separate word document or journal. BUT a way to make your character more lovable is if the readers can learn things about them gradually over the course of the book instead of in one massive, long ass paragraph.
❇ give your character admirable goals and inspiration for their actions. why do we love Bellamy? because everything he does is to protect the people he loves. why do we love Clarke? because she's hellbent on saving everyone, and on doing the right thing even when she has to make the hard decisions. why do we love Wells? because his one purpose in life was to ensure his best friend's happiness at any cost... give your OC a goal like this and it will be pretty hard for readers not to fall in love with them.
❇ try and give a clear explanation for why your OC does certain things. readers don't have to like what they do: they have to understand why they do it. for example we don't like that Bellamy destroyed a radio which ended up costing a few hundred Ark citizens their lives, but we do like the fact that he did it because he's an overprotective bean who would literally do anything to protect his little sister/anyone he loves.
❇ make your character traits that make the readers root for them. examples: they are unlucky; they defend the innocent – and/or stand up for the underdogs; they want to run away from danger, they are loyal and always willing to stick up for their friends/family
❇ make your character believable. if your OC is flawless in every way, no one can relate to them. make sure they don't always look perfect. make sure they aren't always totally fearless. give them worries. let them make mistakes. give them hard obstacles to climb over. give them some quirks like that they can't wake up early, they hate country music, or they love the smell of rain. make them someone your readers can read about and say, 'hey i do that too', or 'oh, i sometimes also feel like that', etc etc.
❇ qualities to avoid if you want your OC to be lovable: whiny, passive or cruel. obviously there are more, but these are the top three that came up when i researched. obviously none of these traits are particularly wanted. it's okay if your OC exhibits them once in a while, bc we're human and we all have our bad days and make mistakes. but if you want your OC to be loved by your readers try to avoid these qualities.
❇ qualities to have if you want your OC to be lovable: persistence, courage, kindness, ingenuity, loyalty, humour. clearly these are traits that would make a character super awesome so this is pretty self explanatory. but like i said in the tips above, remember your character shouldn't always be too perfect, or else they won't be relatable for readers. but for sure incorporate these qualities into your OC because they're definitely winners.
❇ qualities to be careful with: spunk/sass/bravery. all very awesome traits as well, but do be careful with them. in many books, especially books for the 100, these qualities are slightly overused. i'm not saying your character shouldn't have these traits bc let's be honest, most of my favourite OC's do. but just be careful when using them that you aren't overusing them because again, spunk and sass are great but when used too often can almost be annoying. and of course bravery is great, but being too brave can borderline on potentially being kind of unrealistic.
❇ make sure your OC has a good background and plot line. i know i've said this before, but please, i beg of you, do not make your OC literally just there to be a love interest who does nothing but steal other character's lines. it's probably the worst mistake you could make and it's not going to make anyone like your character. if your OC has a strong personality because you've spent time mapping out who they are, it will be way easier to come up with original, fun lines to give them. as well as it will be easier to incorporate them into the show's plot, if you have a strong background and their plot planned out already.
❇ i know this seems really simple, but give them a memorable name. try your best to find a name that stands out because it's unique, but also isn't super crazy and hard to remember. you can find lots of books on wattpad filled with name ideas, as well as there are many websites online that can help you!
❇ write original scenes in your book. yes it's good to stick to the plot and script of the TV show to a certain extent, but writing original scenes gives your OC time to shine and gives your readers more time to fall in love with them and see their personality outside the confines of the show.
❇ another practical tip is to make a list of your favourite characters from books, tv shows, movies, etc, and write down WHY you like them. it doesn't have to be a long list, just a simple explanation of the basic reasons you fell in love with that character. maybe their best qualities, the part of their story line that breaks your heart, etc.
-
eh hopefully that helps you guys create super loveable characters. honestly OC's are so cool and the main reason i love reading stories on wattpad. creating OC's can be so fun so i really encourage you guys to take your time and really plan out an OC that will slay everyone's existence. honestly, you know an author has done good when you're partway through reading a fanfic and all you can think is "why can't _________ be a real character on the show?"
ANYWAYS GUYS. i just want to say, thank you for your overwhelming support on this book. like first of all it hit # 105 in the random category. WHAT!? i was shook. also, it either has, or pretty much as 10,000 reads (last i checked it was 9.99k but who's really counting) so thanks so much for that as well, you're all amazing and ily to the Ark and back.
also, i hope you guys find the new layout of the book helpful. i organized it into different categories which i think is a lot better.
well, i need to go find food bc ya girl is hungry and sleepy. catch you all on the flip side xx tay
YOU ARE READING
screw fear. | THE 100
Random"You don't have to do this alone." || WRITING GUIDE. a book where i make my best attempt at helping you write a kickass fanfic for the 100. [writing tips, the 100 facts, face claims, book recommendations, etc etc etc]
