Writing 101

characterization.

do not underestimate what a task this is. especially if you're a fanfic writer. it's REALLY important - i'd honestly rank it on the same level as planning the plot.

it's generally harder to stick to this if you write fanfiction, because the character's already got a set pattern. a set canvas to stick to, y'know? you can't improvise on anything and it's gotta be perfect. bad characterization can affect the whole story, causing it to just collapse in a steaming heap around your ankles.

characterization - it's what'll help you shape the plot even better. only if you've got a really good grasp of the character and their personality will you be able to write anything accurate at all about them. i can testify on this.

for example - take a character like bakugou, for instance. someone who's got a temper so fiery it could burn down a house, and who would rather die than show any weakness to his peers.

i once read a story in which he smiled and laughed while helping his rival with his homework. now if that isn't a serious misunderstanding of bakugou's character, then i don't know what is.

see, only if you know what a character is truly like, inside and out, will you be able to accurately represent them on your own.

does that make sense? let me know if it doesn't and i'll do my best to make it more comprehensible.

anyway - the point i'm trying to make here is to make sure you know a particular character inside-out before actually attempting to write them. it usually helps to reread certain scenes in which the character appears, or to read fanfiction about them - as long as the fanfic you choose portrays them correctly, of course.

(if y'all want fic recs for a particular fandom, hit me up! i've got tons.)

"but miiiiyu, what if i wanna write about an underrepresented character? there wouldn't be enough canon material to base their character off of."

ah well yes - there is always that. in my writing career, i've figured out two ways to go with underrepresented characters. one - take what you consider to be their most powerful moment and base their character off of that, or two - take a leap of faith with it. stick as close to the canon representation as you can, but do your best to make the character shine in their own special way. write them the way you want to see them - but within realistic parameters, of course. don't go too crazy - unless you've got an explanation that fits perfectly.

as for writing about ocs...? that's terrifically easy, i tell you. why? because there is no foundation for you to build on - you get to shape the character into whatever you want it to be.

one thing that helps with ocs is getting to know them really well, putting tons and tons of thought into how they act and react. get into their head thoroughly - live through them. there was this one time my sister insisted we call her by her oc's name for a whole day, just because she wanted to get to know the character better, and act like them for the whole day.

now - don't get me wrong - my sister is most definitely crazy and i am not telling you to do what she did because even though it was effective, it was completely unreasonable and gave us all quite a bit of pain.

what i am telling you to do, though, is to treat your oc like your best friend. (or any other way that lets you get to know them.) just... do whatever is necessary to predict what they'd do or say.

also - the cool thing about using ocs is that if you end up doing something completely out of their character spectrum, you can always somehow cover it up. no one knows your character as well as you, and as the author you can always pretend to be mysterious and then fudge a simple explanation out of it.

hope that was helpful!! <33

the next part will be.....