CHARACTER Help

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Okay, this sounds easy than I thought. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it!
 
@Felic

No problem! Let me know if you need anything else.
 
Hello there~ *Waves somewhat awkwardly at everyone* I have a question that I have been wondering for a while.... I am still new to roleplaying and developing characters and things, but.... what is normally meant by one dimensional characters, 2 dimensional characters, and 3 dimensional characters. I have heard these terms a lot from friends and things that are more into it, but none of them can explain what exactly is meant by the three different types.

What separates them I guess, and what sets them all apart. None of my friends were able to explain it other then depth to the character... but I have seen on these forms here a lot of good explanations to a lot of topics I have been wondering about for a while. Thank you all in advance~
 
Satiodelf said:
Hello there~ *Waves somewhat awkwardly at everyone* I have a question that I have been wondering for a while.... I am still new to roleplaying and developing characters and things, but.... what is normally meant by one dimensional characters, 2 dimensional characters, and 3 dimensional characters. I have heard these terms a lot from friends and things that are more into it, but none of them can explain what exactly is meant by the three different types.

What separates them I guess, and what sets them all apart. None of my friends were able to explain it other then depth to the character... but I have seen on these forms here a lot of good explanations to a lot of topics I have been wondering about for a while. Thank you all in advance~
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For the quick and simplistic explanation:

1 Dimensional would be displaying only ONE aspect of that character. For example, the only part of their personality or life you ever see is about them loving animals. You never see it go any deeper. You'll see this a lot in minor characters that you only see maybe once. (NPCs and stuff like that)

2 Dimensional characters are more developed, but they will be very black and white, or very stereotypical. They'll follow tropes or expectations. They'll have more to them that a 1d character, but it's still a shallow representation of the person.

3 Dimensional characters are ones that seem like real people. They are well developed. Their opinions are going to be more thought out than "this is good/evil". Their going to have motivations, goals, a life that you can see evidence of in the way they behave or interact.

I'm sure someone else can give a much better account on the three than me though. O_O
 
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Satiodelf said:
Hello there~ *Waves somewhat awkwardly at everyone* I have a question that I have been wondering for a while.... I am still new to roleplaying and developing characters and things, but.... what is normally meant by one dimensional characters, 2 dimensional characters, and 3 dimensional characters. I have heard these terms a lot from friends and things that are more into it, but none of them can explain what exactly is meant by the three different types.

What separates them I guess, and what sets them all apart. None of my friends were able to explain it other then depth to the character... but I have seen on these forms here a lot of good explanations to a lot of topics I have been wondering about for a while. Thank you all in advance~
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Everything that Diana said! I'm an example/visual person, so I'll add some examples for you

One-dimensional:
Anne likes dogs. You see her walking her dog, you hear her talk about her dog, she wears shirts with puppy pictures on them. You never really learn much else about Anne than that she likes dogs; dogs are the ONE DIMENSION of Anne's character.

Two-dimensional:
Peter is the Hero Type. He's always rescuing damsels, objecting to injustice, and pursuing good for all the world. He hates evildoers but believes in second chances for everyone. Peter is a stereotype and you will never get to know his character more than that he's the Hero. You probably won't find out about his hobbies, his family, how he grew up, any moral grey areas he struggles with, his first crush, his favourite food, the places he'd always love to visit, his relationship with his family, or anything else that a well-fleshed-out character would have, because he's two-dimensional.

Three-dimensional:
Tristan is a three-dimensional character. He has motivations, insecurities, hobbies, fascinations, familial relationships, a few things he likes in a girl, we know where he grew up, what his dream job is, and all of the stuff that real people have. Tristan has a part in the story, he may be the supporting role, the village healer, or even the hero, but his character goes beyond that; Tristan is a person, and you can get to know any part of his personality just like you could with a person in real life. The information is available, because Tristan is more than just liking dogs (Anne) or being a Hero (Peter)
 
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Huh.... Thank you both so very much, it has actually cleared up somethings regarding it all. *Hugs you both if allowed, and assuming you like hugs, if not just a hand shake*

Love the examples Minibit gave to Diana's explanation, it actually helped explain it in more detail. Thank you both so very much
 
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I actually have a problem making male characters, I can make female characters no problem, but when it comes to guys I make them too boring and dull, How can I solve this problem
 
@Leda

What I find is best to do to make ANY character interesting, is to give them a purpose, or a reason to exist. They may be running from something, or may be there to make something happen. I find that making someone male or female should really be a secondary thing. Making them interesting as a person is more important. Gender should only be most important if it's a specific action or kind of person that the society in that particular world/universe states must be one gender or another. Think about how you want this person to act, react, think. Then in your mind, would these look better on a male form, or a female? Or, gender switch characters you already have. Does it change who they are? How, and why? How would the male version of your character approach a situation any differently.

Most importantly, remember that male characters can be as varied and complex as a female character. Challenge yourself to break out of the stereotypical mode of what a male or female character should or should not be.

I hope that all made sense. :D
 
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@Leda, this is a tough problem to help you out with without specific examples.

Cammy is right that while a character can be interesting on his/her own right, it is often far more important for them to be plot-relevant. Them being interesting will often flow naturally from there.

Outside of what Cammy has already mentioned, there are certain things that always make a character interesting regardless of gender:
- Character flaws (these make them human, which helps us relate to them). Plan ahead and give them opportunities to grow.
- Leaning far to either side of the morality scale. For example, if a character always tries to do the thing that is "right," what happens when they come to a decision where each outcome requires some moral wrong?
- Ultimately both of these things that I mentioned are also challenges. When we read a story we want to see your character's rise and fall. Sometimes they rise first, and fall later (in which case the journey is seeing them put themselves back together). Sometimes they've already fallen and we need to see them rise.

But in my opinion, seeing your character grow is the important thing.
 
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Leda said:
I actually have a problem making male characters, I can make female characters no problem, but when it comes to guys I make them too boring and dull, How can I solve this problem
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The problem most ladies have with writing guys is that we write from our (female) minds, and make our characters behave in a way that makes sense to us.

Watch the men in your life, and write men how you see them in real life, not how you wish they were. Remember that while ladies are encouraged to be pretty, childlike, and peppy, guys are encouraged to be more stoic anddown to earth. Even if the guys personality doesn't fit these, he knows the expectation to "be a man" is there just as you know what people expect in a typical girl.

Springhole has a great resource for this, but it sounds like your problem is not with writing men, but with writing 3D characters. Let me know if the posts above yours were unhelpful in that regard
 
Any advice on describing character's physical appearance, those seem to take most of my time, and almost always result in me scouring thesaurus for different words that I can use to finish the job.
 
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Bure said:
Any advice on describing character's physical appearance, those seem to take most of my time, and almost always result in me scouring thesaurus for different words that I can use to finish the job.
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Remember also that you don't have to describe everything about your character on the first post. People can only take in so much info at once. The first things we usually notice and remember about a person we just met are:

a basic idea of what they're wearing
(ie "a dark t shirt and jeans", NOT "a v neck t shirt with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon artwork, pretty worn out, and Levi jeans with a year in one knee")

Their hair colour and basic style (ie: "long and brown curly hair")

Their height (tall, short, average)

approximate weight (thin, average, heavy)

and skin colour

You can save their eye colour, outfit details, hair details, dimples, accessories, and piercings for later. People tend to only notice things like these if they're obvious (eg; a face tattoo), or they have a personal interest in it. (I would notice the pink Floyd shirt, only because I like Pink Floyd.)

Also - concerning the thesaurus - you also don't need to use poetic terms for everything. Most often it creates a clearer picture to use simple words that people undersand right away.

"Brown, curly hair" is a quicker, clearer image than "chocolate curls"

Same with "green eyes" over "orbs of jade", and "wrinkled shirt" over "garment lined with creases".
 
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I'm not very good at creating a character's personality. Help?
 
GeminasM said:
I'm not very good at creating a character's personality. Help?
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Personality can be one of the hardest parts of creating a character; here's a method I find helpful; you can randomly select some building blocks for a personality, and build on it from there as you play with them (or do a lot of personality building at once, whichever you like)

You generate by asking a question, and using a deck of cards or a six-sided die to answer.

I like to start by asking some basic questions, like

Is my character an outgoing, friendly type? (Graded answer)

How well does my character hide their feelings? (Graded answer)

Is my character a risk-taker? (Yes/no)

How quick-tempered is my character?

Link to full guide/explanation:
http://springhole.net/writing/character-randomizing.htm

Deciding your character's hobbies and interests can say a lot about them, too! Some hobbies require a lot of creativity and improvisation, others require a great deal of patience. Some show that a character likes to be up to date and trendy, like having an interest in the news or fashion magazines, etc.
 
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Minibit said:
Personality can be one of the hardest parts of creating a character; here's a method I find helpful; you can randomly select some building blocks for a personality, and build on it from there as you play with them (or do a lot of personality building at once, whichever you like)

You generate by asking a question, and using a deck of cards or a six-sided die to answer.

I like to start by asking some basic questions, like

Is my character an outgoing, friendly type? (Graded answer)

How well does my character hide their feelings? (Graded answer)

Is my character a risk-taker? (Yes/no)

How quick-tempered is my character?

Link to full guide/explanation:
http://springhole.net/writing/character-randomizing.htm

Deciding your character's hobbies and interests can say a lot about them, too! Some hobbies require a lot of creativity and improvisation, others require a great deal of patience. Some show that a character likes to be up to date and trendy, like having an interest in the news or fashion magazines, etc.
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Hmm... I'll have to test that out. Thanks for the advice!
 
How would I make an thread where all playable characters are super-heroes with immortality(can be hurt, just not killed), go through time and space(doesn't effect PCs, just the surrounding area) and have their own super powers beyond that. They are themed as the most powerful people of their respective universes, but they can go and mess with each other, and are trying to find a way to keep the multiverse from tearing itself apart from their sheer collective power and them ripping holes in time and space, AND causing major events from their fighting each other
 
Salsacookies said:
How would I make an thread where all playable characters are super-heroes with immortality(can be hurt, just not killed), go through time and space(doesn't effect PCs, just the surrounding area) and have their own super powers beyond that. They are themed as the most powerful people of their respective universes, but they can go and mess with each other, and are trying to find a way to keep the multiverse from tearing itself apart from their sheer collective power and them ripping holes in time and space, AND causing major events from their fighting each other
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I'm not sure I understand the question; you want to know where to post this / how to get players? Or you need help fleshing out the hero characters?
 
How do I make the characters have a challenge? The issue I see is that I won't be able to give them a good enough challenge, since they uber powerful. Also, I don't want them to be Mary Sus and Gary Stus. I know they're pretty much the definition of that, but I still want them to have trouble and issues and, though not as important as their lives, have something to care for, and not want to lose, if that makes sense. Generally, is it a good idea, or is it just stupid and not something I should try.
 
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