r/CharacterDevelopment 1h ago

Writing: Character Help Are dreadlocks on Orcs racist?

Upvotes

I've been meaning to write my first ever oneshot and one of the main characters is an orc. When drafting i found myself going to give her deadlocks because that's how orcs are often depicted in media. i'm quite aware that orcs have been many times shown as mindless brutes and that they therefore pushed racists stereotypes.

For context the orc is a blacksmith and is the love interest.

If it is, could a person give me haircuts that could fit for the profession


r/CharacterDevelopment 2h ago

Writing: Question For a Character that has gone through suffering and pain almost through all of the plot, what would be a fitting end to the story?

1 Upvotes

The character in question is the protagonist who has a martyr complex. He is an orphan but has 2 foster brothers whom he cares about very deeply. I have really thought about it, but need a different perspective on the final battle's ending which are is follows.

A) The Protagonist dies protecting his brothers and his new family. His soul actually gets a place amongst Gods for his sacrifices, and watches his brothers and takes care of them from up there indirectly. His ideologies of a perfect society now passed to his brothers which they do actually achieve.

B) The Gods requite the protagonists sacrifices because the cosmic scales of the protagonist's life hang heavily in debt. So they revive him back into the world to reunite with his brothers. With the suffering and pain the protagonist experienced before, he vows to make the society a better place so that no one alone would have to bear the burden the protagonist did before.


r/CharacterDevelopment 4h ago

Writing: Question Would a character-driven story work better for my book?

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1 Upvotes

r/CharacterDevelopment 10h ago

Writing: Character Help How to write characters

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2 Upvotes

Hey . Im taking acting class and in one of the lessons there we were taught (at least from what i understand) that in plays the character has an ultimate goal they want to achieve that arose because of a state/situation they are in (they are poor so their goal is to become rich) and in every scene a character has a goal that is supposed to help them achieve the ultimate goal. So i was wondering if its also true to tv shows , and if it is. How?

Cuz for example a tv show of a few seasons, at the start a character wants to achieve something, if at the end of season they do , by the next season their ultimate goal changes?

(I would also love any advice for how to write a character)

Sorry if i have any grammar mistakes, English isn't my first language


r/CharacterDevelopment 8h ago

Writing: Character Help Need help adding character

1 Upvotes

I couldn’t find the sapphic Heated Rivalry, so I wrote it. [WIP]. I need help developing a trans teammate for one of the main characters (NCAA not when she’s in the W). I want to be accurate and respectful. Could use the help!

Okay so. I went looking for a specific fic and could not find it anywhere, so I did the thing where you get mad and write it yourself.

Two of the best women’s basketball players alive have spent seven years as the most famous rivalry in their sport. The staredowns, the trash talk, the whole bitter feud the whole world eats up. Commentators call it the most honest hatred in the game. No love lost between these two.

They have it completely backwards.

Also could use a beta! Got about 11 chapters rn:)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/91674771/chapters/244088341?view_adult=true


r/CharacterDevelopment 1d ago

Writing: Character Help I need some opinions and criticism on my characters

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11 Upvotes

Hello! I’m trying to come up with some characters for my story. I’m not very good at writing yet, and I’m still learning, as I’m much better at drawing. I’m not sure if my characters feel realistic or interesting enough for the story. I currently only have three, but I’m planning to create two more main characters, so there will be five in total.

The story is meant to be a psychological horror set in a small British town called Crowhurst. In this world, nightmares feed on people who are mentally unstable. They consume their emotions and gradually begin to take physical form, eventually becoming real. I draw inspiration for the nightmares from classic folklore, myths, and legends, with the idea that these creatures have always existed and that people have always been able to see them, which is where many of the old stories and legends originally came from. To prevent this from happening, a mysterious organization operates in the shadows. Its agents eliminate the victims of nightmares before the creatures can fully form and manifest in the real world.

Richard Locke: Richard is a 31 year old, 182 cm tall secret agent. He works for a company that protects the world from harm caused by beings from the world of nightmares. However, they often use immoral methods. Nightmares enter our world because of people who accidentally connect with that realm, and the agents are there to stop the problem. They often eliminate even the person who is not truly responsible for it. The agents must be emotionally numb so they do not see the dreams themselves, as nightmares feed on the emotions and feelings of the affected individuals. They hunt them using special equipment. Richard is different, though, he has been able to see dreams himself for a long time, which has a negative impact on his mental state. Nevertheless, he is one of the best agents, although the others do not like him. Richard is also highly intelligent, and he has started to notice a pattern in the way nightmares work. He has even come up with a theoretical solution for dealing with them without having to kill the host, who is always an innocent person. He has wanted to leave the agency for quite some time and has been working on a plan to escape for several years. In order to have more freedom and keep the agency from watching him too closely, he pretended to be their loyal, obedient dog. Now, in the town of Crowhurst, he plans to finally complete his plan and escape from the organization.

Backstory: He began seeing nightmares when he was still a child. The first one he ever saw was an Alp that leapt out at him from a mirror, causing the injury to his eye. His parents did not believe him and thought he was mentally ill. As a child, he went through numerous psychiatric hospitals, where he was treated in a deeply inhumane manner. It was the 1990s, when some clinics still used cruel and inhumane methods of treatment. After years of unsuccessful treatment, Richard continued to look forward to seeing his parents again. However, he would never see them again. The Agency took notice of him and initially wanted to neutralize him, but they soon realized that the nightmares around Richard disappeared and that only he could see them. They saw in him the perfect experimental subject, someone who could potentially hunt nightmares without the use of specialized equipment. The Agency approached his parents, who, out of fear of their own son and the promise of quick money, sold him. Richard was then subjected to brutal training and manipulation, with the Agency brainwashing him into remaining loyal to them. After discovering what his parents had done, Richard became a cruel man. During his training, he began seeing Irene, whom he came to love deeply. He realized that she was one of his dreams, but he was happy to have someone who understood him. He began to see her as a living being, and eventually, she became one. After severe punishment and intense manipulation by the Agency, Richard finally gave in and killed her.

William Ashford: He is 21 years old and 175 cm tall. He lives in the small British town of Crowhurst. Because of psychological difficulties, he began experiencing nightmares that are slowly turning into reality. Will is quiet and a loner, and he feels like the whole world is against him. Because he lives in a small, Christian-oriented town, he believes that his feelings are wrong and struggles with internalized homophobia. He doesn’t expect other people to treat him kindly, so he sometimes reacts unpleasantly toward strangers. He is afraid that someone will discover his secret, and he drowns himself in sadness.. He has a fondness for art and nature. His mother died when he was still young, and he was left with only his father and his little half-sister. Every time he falls asleep, he appears in a nightmare, and sometimes Kasper is there with him as well. He writes or draws each experience and thinks about how to end it. Due to his loneliness and helplessness regarding his situation with the nightmares, a boy named Kasper Skumring appears at the academy one day. Unlike the others, he starts noticing Will and spending a lot of time with him. In the beginning, neither of them knows that Kasper is just another one of Will's dreams that became reality. They fall in love.

Kasper Skumring: Kasper is 21 years old and 180 cm tall. He believes he is a student from Denmark who came to study in the small British town of Crowhurst. He is interested in astronomy and loves the night. He is fairly confident and trusts his abilities in what he does. He tries to be kind to everyone, but he can also be harsh to the people he dislikes. He believes that his loving family is waiting for him back in Denmark, even though he has never received a single message from them. He has childhood memories and even items they brought from home. However, none of this might be true. Kasper appeared at the university at the beginning of the year as a literature student. He becomes almost unhealthily drawn to an art student named Will Ashford, spending far too much time with him and slowly questioning why. He has no idea that Will himself is his creator. Strange things are happening in the town, and Will is at the very epicenter of them. The nightmares that haunt him at night are becoming reality and Kasper is one of them, with the only exception being that he is a positive one. He was created to love Will. After discovering that he is merely a dream that became reality, he is afraid that he himself isn’t real. He tries to prove to himself that he is a human being like everyone else, a sentient and sensitive being, not a nightmare.

I understand that this is probably a lot of text, and not everyone will feel like reading it all. But if any of you did read it, do you think it sounds like a good idea for a story, and do the characters make sense so far? I’m also running into a problem where William is supposed to be the main character, but so far I’ve actually come up with the most lore and backstory for Richard. I hope my story isn’t just one big cliché and that it doesn’t come across as overly cringey. I’m not very good at this kind of thing.


r/CharacterDevelopment 2h ago

Writing: Character Help How Much Does Ghostwriting Cost in 2026? (Honest Pricing Guide)

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0 Upvotes

So you have a book idea. Maybe it’s been sitting in your head for months or years. You know the story, you know the message you just don’t have the time or the desire to write it yourself. That’s exactly what ghostwriting is for. But before you hire anyone, you need an honest answer to one question: how much is this actually, going to cost in 2026? 

We’re going to give you a completely transparent breakdown no fluff, no bait-and-switch. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly what ghostwriting costs today, what drives the price up or down, and how to make sure you get your money worth. 

What Is Ghostwriting?

A ghostwriter is a professional writer you hire to write your book but your name goes on the cover. The ghostwriter stays anonymous. You get full credit, full ownership, and a professionally written book that sounds exactly like you. 

Ghostwriting is used by: 

  • Entrepreneurs and CEOs who want to build authority with a book but don’t have time to write 
  • Coaches and consultants who want to turn their expertise into a published book 
  • First-time authors who have a powerful story but struggle to put it into words
  • Speakers and public figures who want to share their message at scale

It’s far more common than most people think. Many bestselling books are ghostwritten and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it 

How Much Does Ghostwriting Cost in 2026?

Here’s the honest, up-to-date breakdown based on current market data: 

Blog Posts & Articles 

  • Price range: $200 – $1,500 per piece
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  • What’s included: Research, writing, basic editing, one revision round eBooks (10,000 – 30,000 words)
  • Price range: $2,500 – $10,000
  • Best for: Lead magnets, self-published short books, business guides
  • What’s included: Outline, full manuscript, editing, formatting-ready file Nonfiction Books 40,000 – 60,000 words
  • Price range: $20,000 – $50,000
  • Best for: Business books, memoirs, self-help, how to books
  • What’s included: Discovery calls, outline, full manuscript, revisions, proofreading full-length professional books 60,000 – 80,000 words 
  • Price range: $25,000 – $75,000
  • Best for: Established entrepreneurs, coaches, executives building authority
  • What’s included: Everything above plus dedicated project management, multiple revision rounds Premium / Celebrity Ghostwriting 
  • Price range: $100,000 – $200,000+
  • Best for: High-profile public figures, complex research-heavy books
  • What’s included: Top-tier ghostwriter, full publishing support, marketing consultation

At Luminous Library, our ghostwriting packages start at $2,500 covering eBooks and shorter nonfiction projects with professional quality and fast turnaround 
Luminous Library 

Complete Guide Ghostwriting Cost in 2026?

https://luminouslibrary.com/how-to-publish-my-book-a-first-time-authors-complete-guide-to-publishing-successfully-copy/


r/CharacterDevelopment 15h ago

Writing: Question Who's worse?

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1 Upvotes

Which makes the best villain?


r/CharacterDevelopment 23h ago

Writing: Character Help Los juicios angélicos

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2 Upvotes

r/CharacterDevelopment 1d ago

Writing: Character Help Is my Reader way too developed?

2 Upvotes

Hi! I have had a fanfiction idea for some time, on a romance between a canon character x reader. The plot is that the Reader tries to have a stable and healthy relationship, as well as maintain it, with a supportive and safe character, while she has symptoms of very masked CPTSD following childhood sexual trauma.

Except that next to the romantic plot, I made the story of each character very detailed, with jobs, ambitions, difficulties, backgrounds, and despite the fact that I think it is very positive for my canon character, **I'm afraid that making the identity of someone who doesn't really have an identity in itself too complex could prevent readers from identifying themselves**. And above all: how do I manage to make the reader discover Reader an already constructed character by always speaking in “you”?

enough suspense, here is my reader:

*She is in her thirties, working in a brewery as a waitress in the city center.*

*She is extroverted, solar, quite enthusiastic, but she has little self-esteem and this manifests itself in her blockages and actions/lack of action -> She left school after high school because she thinks she is unable to succeed in cooking, but continues to practice very often.*

*Her character is very based on self-sabotage, she avoids romantic relationships because she is aware of her high needs and is convinced that it is too much to ask to love someone like her.*

*She doesn't drink or smoke but takes a lot of anxiolytics without realizing the impact they have on her (dependence).*

*She has a great sense of justice, but cannot set limits or boundaries when it concerns her.*

*In her relationship, the first issue is the aversion to touch and her tendency to flee.*

*She will suffer complicated mental health (even if my story is more fluff and angst mixed together, as someone who's concerned by the subject, it was also to represent a story where it is not just rolling and you have to work to make it work.)*

*She has specific friends, specific relationships with a lot of characters, she has random facts about her background, anecdotes...*

I added lots of little details to her, but **does everything I just mentioned more the details make her a character too complete to put yourself in her shoes?**

And if that's not the case, **what advice do you have for writing a reader character of the genre, knowing that we are supposed to address the reader in our way of writing. Is the “she” instead of "you" every time possible and doesn't affect the immersion?**

Thank you for your time guys!


r/CharacterDevelopment 23h ago

Writing: Character Help Biogen Supervillain Help

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0 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm creating an oc named Biogen aka Caleb Austin. He has biokenisis (the ability to create creatures, alter genetic makeup, speed up evolution, and manipulate all living beings at will).

In order to become Biogen, he needs to have died and brought back to life by The Dread Wolf (my mad scientist oc on the right).

So that begs the question, what was his life like before he died? How did he die? What makes him an interesting enough character that a mastermind like The Dread Wolf?

Also looking for good personality traits he could have! Anyone have anything? Thanks in advance!

#experimentoc #laboratory #labrat #oc #Marveloc #creationhelp #writer #help


r/CharacterDevelopment 1d ago

Writing: Character Help Does anyone have any advice for writing a main character that is indifferent in most situations without it being boring?

8 Upvotes

I write in the third person and I have this main character, Lilith, who is mostly indifferent to many things around her unless she is irritated because she’s scared that too much emotion will end up with her getting angry.

Despite me writing in 3rd person I still tangle the pov with whoever it’s focused on so it serves to be an unreliable narrator most of the time.

I was decently confident writing her before since I know the voice of her character but I’ve come to realize that her purposeful lack of emotion might be boring if I don’t write it correctly. Which I do not know if I am doing, so far my feedback has said that there’s a lack of emotion in the writing which initially was the intention but I’m not so sure now if I should be aiming for that.

In the future there’s going to be many emotions going on as she loses control of herself throughout the story but right now and for a good while she’s going to be indifferent so how do I make that more interesting?


r/CharacterDevelopment 1d ago

Other Something i wrote on r/writingprompts, wanna turn it into a full series.

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1 Upvotes

r/CharacterDevelopment 2d ago

Writing: Character Help Looking for inspiration( fantasy world about gender, religion, and cultural erasure)

5 Upvotes

I’m working on a fantasy story about a young man sold to a powerful cultural and political institution that raises young men and women from childhood and turns them into luxury performers, exploiting their femininity and treating them as commodities.

My protagonist is a highly sought-after performer, but he is buried under an enormous debt. When he isn’t performing, he works as a gardener just to survive.

Things change when a powerful religious institution called the Temple begins influencing the kingdom’s culture and morality. The male performers who dress and perform as women gradually become objects of shame. People stop associating with them, families distance themselves, and their work becomes socially unacceptable.

I want to explore this as a form of cultural and identity erasure.

The idea is still very rough. What do you think, and are there any books or films you’d recommend for inspiration?


r/CharacterDevelopment 1d ago

Other Early draft of a story i wrote.

1 Upvotes

in the year 206X, there lived a beautiful and humble inventress, who worked as an investigator for the police. She with humility, she used her inventions on her investigations, these inventions were created to assist and make sure no one got hurt. she wasn't vain but preferred modest retro-futuristic or mod-chic skirts and dresses over shorts and pants. people who've worked with her would easily recognize her, short black neck-length hair, brown eyes, cute looks, always blushing with humility, sweet quiet girl with her own patented blushing plasma raygun, the raygun itself "blushes" (the cone-like nozzle up to half the raygun glows pink), and a teal circular-buckled utility belt already holding some of her inventions. she put her life on the line to protect those she loves, rather no one getting hurt. she was quick, nimble, agile, and had skills in both police work and inventing. and her name was Tetsuko Hanamoto, 5'2", age 21, a peacemaking servant at heart, japanese-only speaker, has a utilty watch with an automatic translator. she's an easy-going, kind-hearted, gentle, understanding, highly-intelligent, disarmingly sweet and motherly retro-mod ingenue with a motherly warmth, demeanor, tendencies, and a perpetual blush of humility.

Accompanied by her newly created robotic companion, robobo, small, 3 ft tall, guinea-pig-like but bipedal, has first-aid precautions, designed to help others. she was already on the case, a shipment of lasers had gone missing, it took 3 days for tetsuko to find a concussive lead. driving around on a pink vespa and evading hostile mindless drones owned by the criminals, tetsuko tracked the culprits down. parking at a warehouse, tetsuko got off her vespa, wearing her usual white long gloves, knee-high go-go boots, a holster for her pink blushing plasma raygun, and a teal circular-buckled ultilty belt, often paired with either a retro-futuristic turtleneck dress, mod dress, seifuku, or combination of a skirt and a turtleneck shirt or sweater. this time, its a pink retro-futuristic dress. she saw a piece of paper on the ground, picking it up to read it, she saw that it was a memo from the culprits' boss, telling the culprits to "erase" any that dare try to stop them. as she readied her rayguns cone-like nozzle began to glow pink as tetsuko blushed deeper, looking wistfully at the warehouse, she wanted to resolve the issue as peacefully as possible.

grabing an instant shield off her belt, tetsuko entered the warehouse, her blushing plasma raygun, with its cone-like nozzle, pink color, bulbous but sleek, retro-futurist look, small fins, curved handle, and trigger tab with a circular-trigger ring, looking beautiful and functional in her right hand when paired with the laser-shield in her left.

tetsuko (blush deepening as she holds up her shield, raygun ready in hand, in Japanese): excuse me... is anyone home?

???: so you've arrived, my tetsuko-chan...

targeting dots appear around tetsuko's feet, they belong to mechanical droids. tetsuko softly gasps as she is taken by surprise, holding up her shield, already taking aim at the source, blush deepening as she pulls the trigger-ring halfway, it's nozzle glowing a brighter pink as sakura-pink sparks dance around the nozzle's tip. Tetsuko, with her perpetual blush of humility, has officially primed her raygun, as signaled by the raygun's blush spreading a quarter of the way down the front of the raygun, and will now need to be fired. the culprits' have decided to escalate already.

tetsuko (realizing what she did without a second thought, giggling nervously, in Japanese): ahh... oh dear... (she looks where she is aiming and sees the culprit, an arms smuggler in dapper clothes) ...hi, armanero... what's new?

tetsuko was expecting armanero to give a loud speech about his latest plan and how his end goal is for tetsuko to fall for him. tetsuko has a strong distain for evil, and a forgiving heart. she can't tolerate evil, and has a soft heart for those in need as well as the vulnerable. she forgives the crimnals she arrests, hoping that they reform and repent of their evil.

armanero: now's not the time, you already know my goal, and you can guess what the lasers are for... now, my lovely tetsuko-chan... i plan to build laser pistols to sell on the black market.

armanero, using a projector, reveals that he plans to use tetsuko's own blueprint for a prototype of a small but really powerful laser pistol. tetsuko looks to the dial on her raygun, specifically the area that indicates the 4th emergency mode, a cherry-pink beam used for true emergenicies, a real last resort, and blushes. tetsuko rarely uses the 4th mode, only when absolutely necessary, that 4th mode was the final version of that prototype.

tetsuko: ...t-that's my old blueprint... ...it went missing months ago... how did you get it?

armanero snickers. sparks dance around the tip of the nozzle of tetsuko's raygun as her pink skirt flutters as the wind blows into the warehouse.

tetsuko (blushing, like a loving mother lovingly correcting her child) : ...regardless, you're under arrest for arms dealing and smuggling, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you, if you dont have an attorney, one will be appointed for you...

armanero: (laughs maniacally), oh tetsuko-chan... you're gonna have to catch me...

the targeting dots around tetsuko's feet brighten as tetsuko looks to robobo and says in Japanese "robobo-kun, run!", before immediately jumping high and grabbing the ceiling, blush deepening and spreading as tetsuko fires her raygun, in a way similar to that of a loving mother lovingly correcting her child. the robotic crime droids are disabled by the beautiful and elegant, not to mention cool-looking sakura-pink stun beams of tetsuko's raygun, it's "blush" now halfway down the front of the raygun, indicating that it's being fired. she lands as the droids shut down, she dashes, jumping, skipping, and hopping through an area like a parkour arena, she spots armanero's helicopter, and armanero is just about to board. "yamate kudasai, armanero-san!" if tetsuko doesn't move or act fast, armanero will escape. tetsuko leaps into the air, flipping through the air.

blushing with her raygun, also "blushing", aimed and already reading her handcuffs, tetsuko land between armanero and his helicopter, with a firm motherly tone, she says "yamate onegai, armanero-san!" armanero, wearing a gas mask, pulls out a sleepy gas bomb, attempting to make a last ditch effort to escape, tetsuko recognizes what armanero is doing and her blush flares as she fires another stun beam causing the raygun's blush to also flare up, as armanero is painlessly neutralized. holstering her raygun, tetsuko cuffs armanero, her blush softening as she speaks with genuine motherly warmth, "even when you tried to flatter me by bootlegging one of my prototypes, or... ...trying to smuggle illegal arms, i just want you to know that i forgive you. i'd like to see you use the time to reflect on what you've done, and reform, and try to live an honest life as a law-abiding citizen... ne? armanero-san?"

the other police officers arrive, tetsuko deflects all the credit, giving glory to God. armanero is loaded into the back of a crusier. as the chief gives tetsuko, a headpat, as tetsuko blushes, folding her hands on the lap of dress while holding her raygun as she gently caresses it, which also makes it blush for some reason. once everyone leaves, tetsuko looks up into the night sky, blushing as she gives thanks quietly, holstering her raygun. she picks up robobo and buckles them in the back seat of the vespa, and heads home, ready to get dinner, and rest in her bedroom laboratory.

(It definitely needs work. This is the first of these tetsuko stories that i want to write and publish, so a lot of introduction and info-drops about the character are present here.)


r/CharacterDevelopment 3d ago

Writing: Character Help How do you make readers emotionally invest in a morally grey character who is gradually losing his humanity?

29 Upvotes

I've recently received my first proper beta feedback on a fantasy manuscript, and one comment has really made me think about my protagonist.

My beta said that they found his story fascinating, particularly his background and the mystery surrounding his origins, but they struggled to actually connect with him. They didn't particularly dislike him either. They just didn't feel emotionally invested in him.

Which, honestly, is really useful feedback and something I want to explore before my next draft.

My protagonist, Dorian, is deliberately difficult. He's cocky, sarcastic, violent and morally questionable from the beginning. However, a major part of the story is that pieces of his soul are missing. As the story progresses and he loses more of himself, he becomes increasingly emotionally detached, cruel and dangerous.

So I have a bit of a character-writing problem:

How do you make readers emotionally invest in a character whose ability to emotionally connect with other people is itself deteriorating?

I don't necessarily need readers to think he's a lovely person. In fact, I don't think I want that. But I do want them to care about him enough that watching him lose himself actually hurts.

For people who enjoy morally grey/antihero characters:

  • What makes you emotionally attach to them despite their behaviour?
  • How important are moments of vulnerability?
  • Do you need to see evidence of who they were before they started deteriorating?
  • How do you show humanity in a character without undermining the fact that they're genuinely capable of doing awful things?
  • Is there a difference, for you, between a character being fascinating and being emotionally compelling? What creates that difference?

One thing I'm particularly wary of is trying to "fix" this by simply making him nicer. His flaws and increasingly questionable behaviour are important to both his character arc and the plot, so I'd rather learn how to make readers care about a difficult character than sand off everything that makes him difficult.

I'd love examples of morally grey characters you became ridiculously invested in, especially if you can explain what the author did that made you care about them.

Thanks :)


r/CharacterDevelopment 2d ago

Writing: Character Help Writing Bisexual Characters

11 Upvotes

How do you write bisexual characters without falling into the usual stereotypes?

I've been thinking about bisexual representation in fiction, and it seems easy to accidentally make it binary: either the character is treated as “basically straight” because they're dating the opposite sex, or “basically gay” because they're dating the same sex.

I'd rather just let them be bisexual.

For example, they might have had meaningful relationships with different genders before their current partner. They might occasionally flirt or make a casual “you're hot” comment without being promiscuous. They can be completely monogamous; bisexuality doesn't imply polyamory, and polyamory is its own thing.

A bisexual character could also have an awakening arc, especially during adolescence: maybe they initially assume they're straight, develop an unexpected crush on someone of the same gender, spend some time questioning it, and eventually realize, “Oh. I'm bi.” But that doesn't necessarily need to be traumatic or dramatic. Sometimes they can simply realize it and move on.

I also think there are interesting experiences around perceived identity. A bi person dating a woman may be assumed straight; dating a man may get them assumed gay. Their sexuality hasn't changed—the assumptions around them have.

And honestly, sometimes the best representation might be extremely mundane:

«“My boyfriend is gorgeous.”

“Your ex-girlfriend was gorgeous too.”

“I have excellent taste.”»

No huge coming-out speech. No promiscuity stereotype. No “secretly gay” twist. Just a bisexual character whose sexuality is one part of who they are.

How do you approach writing bisexual characters? Do you prefer explicit awakening arcs, or characters who are simply established as bi and allowed to exist normally?


r/CharacterDevelopment 2d ago

Writing: Character Help writing idea

5 Upvotes

hi, I'm thinking of writing a story that starts with the MC joining an organisation with a bunch of people with super ability. however, super abilities are normal in this world. I'm trying to make this organisation unique instead of it being the typical overpowered superhero team since the characters in this organisation are not that strong at first. any idea anyone? This is the thing that's holding me back to start writing. all the characters backstory, issue and even ending is complete, but i don't know how to start.


r/CharacterDevelopment 2d ago

Writing: Character Help Need some help for a character's slow downward spiral/foreshadowing into potentially becoming a villain but I'm not sure how to do it right.

2 Upvotes

To be specific I'm trying to write my character Kira into slowly going into a downward spiral that she masks behind a chill neutral expression, on the outside she's trying to make her family happy but on the inside she's slowly coming to the idea that she has to take away her original homeworld's world's freedom to protect her family's freedom (she essentially want's to pull an Eren Yeager for anyone who's seen AOT.)

and in a way she's somewhat depressed because of it, knowing it's wrong but feels she's the one who has to do it, that and she holds spite for how her home world treated her as a kid before she left and made a family in her new world. So how do I write her slow descent into deciding "Yea my entire species has to go." without constantly having characters mention "Ay, she's mentally messed up and is trying to kill her species." ?


r/CharacterDevelopment 4d ago

Writing: Character Help How to Stop All Your Characters from Having the Same Voice

83 Upvotes

Character voice is something that most authors struggle with- both established authors and aspiring ones alike. One of the more difficult feats in sculpting a loveable character is distinguishing their voice from all the others, as well as your own.

Avid readers will quickly realize if you are “ventriloquist-ing” (speaking in your voice, with your tone, with your personality and worldview, but putting your character’s name in the dialogue tag. Essentially, you are speaking through the character- putting words in their mouth- and the words belong to the character in name only).

A great and easy way to avoid this pitfall is to pick one or two characters and find a way to make their speech individualistic. This might sound complex, but it’s extremely easy to achieve. You can give a character a stutter, a dialect that makes them clip their words or a lingo with distinctive slangs, make them intellectual and have a robust lexicon (see what I did there?), have a character swear (if, due to your audience, you don’t want profanity in your book, you can simply give that information in the dialogue tag. Ex. “Yadda, yadda, yadda,” he said and muttered a curse under his breath. Viola).

There are various ways to improve character voice; this is the easiest way. Another way to make one character’s voice stand apart is to have their words reflect their personality. Everything your character does should be based on how their past experiences have shaped their worldview. Similarly, their speech should do the same. A character with a negative outlook will be more cynical in their speech and snarky with their word choices, whereas others might be a little ray of sunshine who only ever encourages the other characters they interact with.

One of my favorite ways to create character voice is to make a character disagree with me. “Ventriloquist-ing” occurs when you project your opinions on all your characters instead of allowing them to form their own worldviews. Having multiple opinions in your story will also lessen the likelihood of pulpit pounding. If there are no conflicting views in your book, your reader will feel that you are preaching to them and disqualifying any other ideas, especially if the only opposing view comes from a villain.

It is also unrealistic that so many characters are going to unanimously agree on everything. Every plot requires conflict and disagreements are the easiest ways to stir up drama.

But to focus back on character voice, making a character have an opinion that opposes your own will affect their speech. Remember as you write every conversation that each and every character has opinions and goals and they will say things to reach their goals or try to convince others that their opinion is the correct one.


r/CharacterDevelopment 4d ago

Writing: Character Help Writing prompts to use for your book

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7 Upvotes

r/CharacterDevelopment 4d ago

Writing: Character Help Hilfe für Charakter schreiben

4 Upvotes

Hi, ich schreibe aktuell an einer eigenen Geschichte, und ich habe aktuell bisschen ein Problem damit, eine meiner Figuren so in die Geschichte zu integrieren, wie ich es gerne geplant hätte.

Zur Information: Die Geschichte spielt im Jahr 2100, also technisch etwas weiter als heute, aber kein ganz weit entwickeltes science fiction, eher Richtung -Viele Drohnen; -die ganze Welt hängt in einem hoch entwickelten, überall vernetztem Internet; die meiste Kommunikation wird von einem gigantische. Tech Konzern (namentlich NextWorld) überwacht und gesteuert, die sind auch ”die bösen”.

zu meinem Problem konkret: Ich habe aktuell den sehr sympathischen, ehrgeizigen und ambitionierten Ingenieur und Entwickler Elias Nygård, 32 Jahre, Norweger, eingeführt. Dieser ist ein Entwickler, der für NextWorld eine neue Generation Drohnen entwickelt, und (was wichtig ist) einen neuen, verschlüsselten Kommunikationsweg zur Wartung angelegt, der später noch sehr, sehr wichtig wird.

Meine Idee war, dass ich, um Spannung und Action in die Geschichte bekomme, Elias dem Leser wichtig werden lasse.

Später soll er dann (leider) sterben, und das soll halt weniger dieser “oh schade, der Hacker ist tot”, sondern mehr wie “Oh Scheiße, der Elias ist tot, der war doch wichtig, 😭” werden.

Das Problem ist, dass ich nicht weiß, wie ich Elias so wichtig und vor allem so beliebt werden lassen kann, dass er dem Leser wichtig wird. Und falls jemand ne passende Idee für seinen Tod hat, würde ich mich auch freuen. Priorität ist aber die Zuneigung des Lesers.

Info: Ist mein erster Post hier, als bitte sorry falls was falsch sein sollte.


r/CharacterDevelopment 4d ago

Writing: Character Help Scrapped Ability: Plants into Animals

3 Upvotes

A character I made a while back whose power transforms plants into animals and back again. You can turn grass into dogs, trees into an octopus, and so on.

Supposedly more training makes it so the creatures made are stronger.

Then by transforming them back, the user is able to trap opponents or keep them on standby, partially transformed to blend in as a kind of trap.

Not sure if I will have a use for this ability but it made me happy when I made a tree turn into a swarm of butterflies with wings made of thin slices of wood from the trunk.


r/CharacterDevelopment 4d ago

Discussion Which my OC is more beautiful? Floria or Lydia? (Round 1)

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0 Upvotes

r/CharacterDevelopment 4d ago

Writing: Question Sensitivity question

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0 Upvotes