Post by ALEX on Jan 13, 2011 0:44:51 GMT -5
HOW TO MAKE A RAD PROFILE !
hey there, champs. so, not gonna lie, a lot of people wince and
cry in their heads when they join a new site and realize that a
new character profile is needed. maybe it's the effort required,
which is probably the case, but it could also be the fear of being
rejected for having a crap profile that you cooked up in thirty
seconds. if you've read this far, DON'T PANIC ANYMORE! this
is a guide to cooking up a brilliant profile that will give you all
the content you need to get accepted and start developing an
interesting, dynamic character. this is mostly geared towards
applications for RP's, but if you're an author trying to get into
a character's head, feel free to use this too. so yes. READ ON!
also, if you're really stuck, there are some questions to ask your
self while writing a profile that might kick that writer's block in the
rear end heartily. =) any suggestions, criticism, additions? feel free
to add them on. i am certainly not the queen of the profile. haha.
TIPS FOR THE APPEARANCE SECTION !
not going to lie, i really don't like writing big chunks of text on
what the character looks like, especially if they already have a
face claim. haha. i'm lazy. but yes. a tip i use - find a particular
picture of your pb that really fits the character, and write about
it! unfortunately, most celeb pictures are very photoshopped &
airbrushed, so these are not necessarily the most realistic to
describe. MAKE SURE TO ADD FLAWS. even gorgeous people
like blake lively and robert pattinson have flaws! it may be a big
flaw, like a massive scar on their face or acne or something, or it
could be just the character's perception of themselves. add things
they're self-conscious about, like a big nose or massively frizzy
hair. besides avoiding the dreaded mary-sue, it gives the charrie
something to mention in posts - how they're self-conscious about
their nose, or how they're proud of their long legs or something. idk.
BE CREATIVE. JUST DON'T MAKE EVERYONE SUPER SUPER
GORGEOUS BECAUSE THAT'S BORING!
if you're stuck - questions to ask yourself while writing:
how tall is the person? are they self-conscious of this height, or do
they have good posture? facial shape? eye colour? what's something
they'd wear? how are they proportioned - long legs and a short torso,
stubby arms and a wide midsection, rippling abs of steel? piercings?
tattoos? body type - stick skinny, jacked, curvy? do they smile a lot?
add random things - size of their ears, various facial blemishes, etc.
what activities does he or she do and how does this affect how he or she
carries themselves? what's their hair like - coarse and bristly or long
and luscious? do they have small hands? big feet? is their head really
big? what flaws do they have? how big do they smile? any dimples?
how does their personality affect their appearance? for example, if
your character is super shy, do they slouch? or if your character is
super cocky, are they walking around grabbing their crotch like a
gangster? xD
TIPS FOR THE PERSONALITY SECTION !
personality is really fun. this is where you tell the world exactly what
your character likes, what makes them tick, what separates them
from the thousands of other profiles in the rp world! you've gotta have
some fun with it, otherwise it's a drag. i find that collecting my thoughts
before putting fingers to the keyboard is extremely useful. in word or on
a pad of paper, i will brainstorm all the traits i want the character to have.
then i'll sort them into relevant groups. each paragraph or two will cover
a group of traits. it helps to sort out your thoughts and draw conclusions
about what the character is going to be like beforehand, so you can add
in relevant quirks and make changes after to tie the character into a
nice little package deal. another tip - even the most cruel and disgusting
characters need to have something that makes you as a writer enjoy
putting yourself in their shoes. if you don't like writing the person, why
bother? whether it's sympathizing with your poor little scorpius malfoy,
wanting to marry your lovely nick jonas character, or admiring your strong-
willed and spunky girl, you have to like something about your character.
i've made characters who were completely evil and who i just couldn't get
into because we had nothing in common, and it's really a drag to try and
force yourself to write. if you relate things in the characters personality
back to yourself, however small they may be, it makes it easier to write.
if you're stuck - questions to ask yourself while writing:
is the character introverted or extroverted? logical or emotional? calm
and collected or a complete gong show? how do they react to new people?
places? what makes them mad? happy? sad? jealous? how do they act
when they feel those emotions? do they have a sense of humour? are they
optimistic or pessimistic? what do they do in awkward situations? if the
character partakes in drinking/drugs - what are they like under the influence?
do they like the way they act, or are they ashamed? how confident are they?
what kinds of people do they like? dislike? are they intelligent? are they loud?
are they manipulative? do they like to gossip? are they more of a visual
learner, an audial learner, or a kinesthetic learner? do they have any
dreams or aspirations? do they hold grudges? are they spontaneous,
or do they always stick to a routine? do they have any causes they
are passionate about? any secret obsessions? what sorts of things
do they value? are they brutally honest?
also -check out the myers-briggs personality tests online and answer from
your prospective character's perspective - i find that helps when i am stuck
as it specifically defines a person and it is an easy skeleton to elaborate on.
another suggestion - google "character traits" or "character quirks" to inspire
you. there's lots of lists out there that might just plant the seed of your next
brilliant character.
TIPS FOR THE HISTORY SECTION !
for the history, i have four basic things that i always have to cover, even
in the simplest of profiles. PLACE, PARENTS, PASTIMES & PROBLEMS.
let's break it down:
PLACE - self explanatory, i think. you need to have some context.
where did the character and their family grow up and live? this can affect
many things, from their cultural beliefs to their accents. if you're picking
a place unfamiliar to you, do some basic research into this, so that you
can avoid a stereotypical mary sue/gary stu.
PARENTS - PEOPLE DO GET BIRTHED, EVEN IF THEY ARE
ORPHANS. if they live with their parents, describe their relationship.
a rocky relationship may lead to changes in personality, like a lack
of confidence or a sharp temper. did they do a lot together as a kid,
or is the family kind of disjointed? if the person doesn't have parents
anymore, or doesn't know who they are, talk about other significant
people in their lives. adoptive parents? grandparents? crazy cat
ladies? anyone who has ever influenced them can be talked about.
PASTIMES - yeah, everyone goes to school, but what else do
kids do? they play around and do crazy stuff and then later go party
and get drunk all the time. maybe not. that was a hyperbole. but still,
no one sits around all day and stares at the ceiling. what does your
character do for fun? as a kid, did they play in the woods and stuff?
or were their parents strict? what activities did they participate in?
clubs, sports teams, whatever - all these work. just add stuff that
the character DOES.
PROBLEMS - hannah montana said it perfectly - NOBODY'S
PERFECT! fortunately for us, not every single character has to be
an orphaned war amp with no teeth who lives in a box. on the other
hand, no one is gorgeous, nice, class president, perfect at sports,
smart, funny, popular, rich, and has a loving family. striking a balance
between mary sue/gary stu and a basketcase. did you know that
making your character too effed up usually turns them into a reverse
mary sue/gary stu of sorts? yeah, it usually ends up as a plea for
sympathy and stuff. so do try to keep the kids realistic. maybe their
childhood was happy, but add stuff about the occasional tussle with
friends, or the kid who threw a tonka truck at your character's face
ones. there's problems, but they aren't the crazy overdramatic ones
all the time. creating realistic characters can breathe real life into a
lot of places.
in general - have fun with the history. if you just skim and make it
boring, you won't have fun reading it, and no one else will either. add
drama, but remember - not too over the top. also, remember that the
character's personality is going to be affected by what's happened in
their pasts. consult the personality after you write the history to see
if they're in sync. if not, editing is good. =) if you add little anecdotes
like the funny story of the character's first kiss or something, it can
breathe real life into things, and make you and the other readers identify
with your character more. once you get into it, the history can be super
fun to write. if you're stuck, think about the four P's, and how you can
talk about those more. if in doubt - think of movies, books, tv shows,
etcetera, and draw inspiration upon those! DO NOT COMPLETELY
COPY A HISTORY, THOUGH. MAKE IT YOUR OWN. OTHERWISE,
IT'S NOT REALLY YOUR HISTORY, IS IT? (obviously, this only
applies for original characters. if you're playing harry potter or something,
then you probably aren't going to be consulting gossip girl for ideas on
how his past hogwarts life was. xD )
i hope you found this useful! ENJOY!
hey there, champs. so, not gonna lie, a lot of people wince and
cry in their heads when they join a new site and realize that a
new character profile is needed. maybe it's the effort required,
which is probably the case, but it could also be the fear of being
rejected for having a crap profile that you cooked up in thirty
seconds. if you've read this far, DON'T PANIC ANYMORE! this
is a guide to cooking up a brilliant profile that will give you all
the content you need to get accepted and start developing an
interesting, dynamic character. this is mostly geared towards
applications for RP's, but if you're an author trying to get into
a character's head, feel free to use this too. so yes. READ ON!
also, if you're really stuck, there are some questions to ask your
self while writing a profile that might kick that writer's block in the
rear end heartily. =) any suggestions, criticism, additions? feel free
to add them on. i am certainly not the queen of the profile. haha.
TIPS FOR THE APPEARANCE SECTION !
not going to lie, i really don't like writing big chunks of text on
what the character looks like, especially if they already have a
face claim. haha. i'm lazy. but yes. a tip i use - find a particular
picture of your pb that really fits the character, and write about
it! unfortunately, most celeb pictures are very photoshopped &
airbrushed, so these are not necessarily the most realistic to
describe. MAKE SURE TO ADD FLAWS. even gorgeous people
like blake lively and robert pattinson have flaws! it may be a big
flaw, like a massive scar on their face or acne or something, or it
could be just the character's perception of themselves. add things
they're self-conscious about, like a big nose or massively frizzy
hair. besides avoiding the dreaded mary-sue, it gives the charrie
something to mention in posts - how they're self-conscious about
their nose, or how they're proud of their long legs or something. idk.
BE CREATIVE. JUST DON'T MAKE EVERYONE SUPER SUPER
GORGEOUS BECAUSE THAT'S BORING!
if you're stuck - questions to ask yourself while writing:
how tall is the person? are they self-conscious of this height, or do
they have good posture? facial shape? eye colour? what's something
they'd wear? how are they proportioned - long legs and a short torso,
stubby arms and a wide midsection, rippling abs of steel? piercings?
tattoos? body type - stick skinny, jacked, curvy? do they smile a lot?
add random things - size of their ears, various facial blemishes, etc.
what activities does he or she do and how does this affect how he or she
carries themselves? what's their hair like - coarse and bristly or long
and luscious? do they have small hands? big feet? is their head really
big? what flaws do they have? how big do they smile? any dimples?
how does their personality affect their appearance? for example, if
your character is super shy, do they slouch? or if your character is
super cocky, are they walking around grabbing their crotch like a
gangster? xD
TIPS FOR THE PERSONALITY SECTION !
personality is really fun. this is where you tell the world exactly what
your character likes, what makes them tick, what separates them
from the thousands of other profiles in the rp world! you've gotta have
some fun with it, otherwise it's a drag. i find that collecting my thoughts
before putting fingers to the keyboard is extremely useful. in word or on
a pad of paper, i will brainstorm all the traits i want the character to have.
then i'll sort them into relevant groups. each paragraph or two will cover
a group of traits. it helps to sort out your thoughts and draw conclusions
about what the character is going to be like beforehand, so you can add
in relevant quirks and make changes after to tie the character into a
nice little package deal. another tip - even the most cruel and disgusting
characters need to have something that makes you as a writer enjoy
putting yourself in their shoes. if you don't like writing the person, why
bother? whether it's sympathizing with your poor little scorpius malfoy,
wanting to marry your lovely nick jonas character, or admiring your strong-
willed and spunky girl, you have to like something about your character.
i've made characters who were completely evil and who i just couldn't get
into because we had nothing in common, and it's really a drag to try and
force yourself to write. if you relate things in the characters personality
back to yourself, however small they may be, it makes it easier to write.
if you're stuck - questions to ask yourself while writing:
is the character introverted or extroverted? logical or emotional? calm
and collected or a complete gong show? how do they react to new people?
places? what makes them mad? happy? sad? jealous? how do they act
when they feel those emotions? do they have a sense of humour? are they
optimistic or pessimistic? what do they do in awkward situations? if the
character partakes in drinking/drugs - what are they like under the influence?
do they like the way they act, or are they ashamed? how confident are they?
what kinds of people do they like? dislike? are they intelligent? are they loud?
are they manipulative? do they like to gossip? are they more of a visual
learner, an audial learner, or a kinesthetic learner? do they have any
dreams or aspirations? do they hold grudges? are they spontaneous,
or do they always stick to a routine? do they have any causes they
are passionate about? any secret obsessions? what sorts of things
do they value? are they brutally honest?
also -check out the myers-briggs personality tests online and answer from
your prospective character's perspective - i find that helps when i am stuck
as it specifically defines a person and it is an easy skeleton to elaborate on.
another suggestion - google "character traits" or "character quirks" to inspire
you. there's lots of lists out there that might just plant the seed of your next
brilliant character.
TIPS FOR THE HISTORY SECTION !
for the history, i have four basic things that i always have to cover, even
in the simplest of profiles. PLACE, PARENTS, PASTIMES & PROBLEMS.
let's break it down:
PLACE - self explanatory, i think. you need to have some context.
where did the character and their family grow up and live? this can affect
many things, from their cultural beliefs to their accents. if you're picking
a place unfamiliar to you, do some basic research into this, so that you
can avoid a stereotypical mary sue/gary stu.
PARENTS - PEOPLE DO GET BIRTHED, EVEN IF THEY ARE
ORPHANS. if they live with their parents, describe their relationship.
a rocky relationship may lead to changes in personality, like a lack
of confidence or a sharp temper. did they do a lot together as a kid,
or is the family kind of disjointed? if the person doesn't have parents
anymore, or doesn't know who they are, talk about other significant
people in their lives. adoptive parents? grandparents? crazy cat
ladies? anyone who has ever influenced them can be talked about.
PASTIMES - yeah, everyone goes to school, but what else do
kids do? they play around and do crazy stuff and then later go party
and get drunk all the time. maybe not. that was a hyperbole. but still,
no one sits around all day and stares at the ceiling. what does your
character do for fun? as a kid, did they play in the woods and stuff?
or were their parents strict? what activities did they participate in?
clubs, sports teams, whatever - all these work. just add stuff that
the character DOES.
PROBLEMS - hannah montana said it perfectly - NOBODY'S
PERFECT! fortunately for us, not every single character has to be
an orphaned war amp with no teeth who lives in a box. on the other
hand, no one is gorgeous, nice, class president, perfect at sports,
smart, funny, popular, rich, and has a loving family. striking a balance
between mary sue/gary stu and a basketcase. did you know that
making your character too effed up usually turns them into a reverse
mary sue/gary stu of sorts? yeah, it usually ends up as a plea for
sympathy and stuff. so do try to keep the kids realistic. maybe their
childhood was happy, but add stuff about the occasional tussle with
friends, or the kid who threw a tonka truck at your character's face
ones. there's problems, but they aren't the crazy overdramatic ones
all the time. creating realistic characters can breathe real life into a
lot of places.
in general - have fun with the history. if you just skim and make it
boring, you won't have fun reading it, and no one else will either. add
drama, but remember - not too over the top. also, remember that the
character's personality is going to be affected by what's happened in
their pasts. consult the personality after you write the history to see
if they're in sync. if not, editing is good. =) if you add little anecdotes
like the funny story of the character's first kiss or something, it can
breathe real life into things, and make you and the other readers identify
with your character more. once you get into it, the history can be super
fun to write. if you're stuck, think about the four P's, and how you can
talk about those more. if in doubt - think of movies, books, tv shows,
etcetera, and draw inspiration upon those! DO NOT COMPLETELY
COPY A HISTORY, THOUGH. MAKE IT YOUR OWN. OTHERWISE,
IT'S NOT REALLY YOUR HISTORY, IS IT? (obviously, this only
applies for original characters. if you're playing harry potter or something,
then you probably aren't going to be consulting gossip girl for ideas on
how his past hogwarts life was. xD )
i hope you found this useful! ENJOY!
