WHAT MAKES A CAPTIVATING CHARACTER?
Choice of Presentation Method: Writing Blog Start of Project: December 20th 2018 End of Project: January 29th 2019 Zig Zag Zip Writing
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Writing ~ Writing your Character’s Story Relationships ~ Relationships Between your Characters Identifying ~ Identify your Character’s __ Types & backstory ~ Types of Characters and Backstories Intriguing & relating ~ Intrigue and Relate to your Reader Nothing comes easy ~ Nothing Comes Easy: Conflict Makes your Character Giving ~ Give your Character __ Ash drifted around shattered remains of what had been a government warehouse only minutes before. The short stubs of the charred grass waved precariously in the wind, as if they would disintegrate at the barest touch. Glass littered the area like a web of dangerous traps waiting for the vulnerability of flesh to come near it. On opposing sides of the fields were four people. On the closest side, the heroes sent by the government to investigate the slew of recent attacks. One the farthest side, the villains who had caused the destruction that left the warehouse on its last breath.
Jaelyn, her blue suit rippling in the wind, and Ajax, the fireball in his hand adding more red to his suit, both glared at the setters of the bomb. Across the field was a villain in green and a villain in black, their faces growing visible as the smoke fled into the sky. Upon seeing the face of one of the villains, the boy in green, Jaelyn froze, her eyes going wide and her body tensing in a way that it hadn’t in years, not since… Screams of anger, broken glass, unforgiving sidewalk scraping at her sides. The memory brought a slicing headache to Jaelyn, and she clutched her head in agony, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears threatened to fall. “Oh shoot- Jaelyn, Jaelyn! What’s wrong?” Ajax grabbed Jaelyn to stop her from falling over. He turned to glare at the two villains; the green one was shaking, and the other had slung an arm around him. “I hate those cowards! Relying on such a dirty trick-” “No!” Jaelyn all but shouted. Ajax jumped in surprise. At the same time, the green villain flinched back. “It’s not them. It’s my stupid mo-” her voice broke. “Lake. That’s Lake.” “Lake?!” Ajax turned to the villains, his anger turning to fire in his gut. He lit another fireball in his palm, and even through the distance he could hear the snarl of the black-clad villain; the sound brought a bubble of pleasure. Damn animals. Jaelyn had told him about Lake, the day she’d broke down into sobs during training. Her usually determined demeanour, built up by her own hands after years on her own, had shattered like the glass from the warehouse, and Ajax had been left to awkwardly pick up the pieces over some hot chocolate. The story of her closest friend, who’d been there for Jaelyn after she started living on her own but disappeared and betrayed her to become a villain, left an extremely sour taste in Ajax’s mouth. Torching the guy had long been on Ajax’s bucket list, but seeing Jaelyn so distraught left him reeling on what to do. Fighting he could handle. Emotions? Not so much. “It’s going to be… alright?” Ajax tried. “Jaelyn, forget about him; villainous scum doesn’t deserve your attention.” His lackluster attempt at emotional comfort miraculously seemed to work. Jaelyn shook her head, the fight coming back to everything but her eyes. “Whatever. I’ve dealt with worse. They blew up a warehouse. They need to pay, no matter who they are.” There was the Jaelyn he had come to adopt as a younger sister. The one who knew how bad the world was, and wasn’t willing to let anything get to her. The stubborn, snarky girl who was ready to pay back those who did her wrong. That was Jaelyn. Well, aside from the haunted look in her eyes. He didn’t know how to make that go away, and the thought of it only made him clench his jaw in anger. He hadn’t seen that look since- not since the day Jaelyn came to live at the covenant house he worked for. Not since the day her mother had thrown her out of the house, abandoned on the barren sidewalk for the world to watch in pity. “Screw that jerk. I’ll roast his sorry butt.” Ajax threw the first fireball across the field, yelling, “You hear that?! I’ll kill you for hurting my little sister!” He took a running start, ignoring the look of terror on the villain in green- Lake’s- face. Instead, he took immense satisfaction in the way both villain’s stepped away from him as he lunged to attack. As Ajax fought the two villains, Jaelyn fought back her migraine, instead summoning the familiar push of wind behind her back. The feeling of it comforted her, righted her, reminded her of who she was. Her past did not define her. It never had, never will. She turned her fierce gaze toward the battlefield. Lake, the bloody coward, was fleeing, and Ajax was battling the black-clad villain. He always had a way of leaping into battle recklessly, especially without finishing to check if she was okay, but she supposed she couldn’t blame him. Observation had never been his strong suit, and besides- how could she blame someone for being reckless when she was leaping through the air to join him, a thirst for revenge climbing up her spine? What had been a government warehouse only minutes before now lay in ruin, the effects of the bomb visible in the barely standing support beams, the charred grass that disintegrated underfoot, and the black stains that marred the other warehouses in the yard. Ash fluttered around the air, pooling into the smoke that overlooked the scene. On opposing sides of the fields were four people. On the closest side, the villains who had caused the destruction that left the warehouse on its last breath. the heroes sent by the government to investigate the slew of recent attacks. One the farthest side, the heroes sent by the government to investigate the slew of recent attacks.
Lake watched the smoke from the explosion pour into the sky, his hands nervously tugging at the turquoise cape of his green suit. Rebecca glared at the heroes of the so-called government, the spur of her energy whip coiled at the feet of her black suit. Across the field was a hero in blue and a hero in red holding a fireball, their faces growing visible as the smoke fled into the sky. Upon seeing the face of one of the heroes, the girl in blue, Lake pulled the edge of his cape into a tight stretch, his eyes going wide, and he shrunk back, shaking from a mix of emotions he couldn’t name. Fear? Guilt? Happiness that his friend was doing well, but sadness that she worked for the government? Across the field, the hero in blue clutched her head in agony, and the other hero grabbed her to stop her from falling over. “Oh geez, why did the government have to send Jaelyn...” Lake stuttered, instantly feeling guilt rise out of the cluttered mess of his emotions as the blue hero writhed in pain. “Because they’re stuck up, arrogant snobs who believe that their might is right, and anyone who opposes that belief should be struck down.” Rebecca growled, one hand clenching her whip tighter while the other slung around Lake’s shoulder with gentleness; a sign of support. Lake relaxed slightly, the comfort of the touch immediately soothing his nerves, but the sight of his past friend left him on edge. The hero in red had turned to glare at them. Rebecca flexed her whip. “No!” A loud shout from the blue hero left Lake flinching back, guilt and fear flashing across his face as visible as any mask. On the other side of the field, the red hero jumped. “Don’t mind them, Lake.” Rebecca snapped her whip. “Remember why you joined the rebellion. It’s to stop those so-called ‘heroes’ from doing anymore of the government’s dirty work. Your friend made her choice, as did you. You have a home now, a family. No one is going to leave you alone anymore. Forget the pain she and the others caused.” The red hero had turned to them, a second fireball forming in his hand. Rebecca snarled, a hint of fear flickering past her mask of tightly held emotions. This time it was Lake who grabbed her arm for support. “We blew up- we blew up a warehouse, Rebecca.” There was some uncertainty in Lake’s voice, like he still couldn’t believe it had happened. He swallowed down his own guilt. “The fire can’t hurt you anymore; you control it now.” “I’m not scared.” Rebecca took a deep breath to compose herself. “It’s you I’m worried about. First big mission and now this!” “Geez, you’re right!” Lake grabbed his cape and pulled it sharply with shaking hands. “They’re… They’re not going to, to kill us, ri- right?” “Don’t be ridiculous. I’d like to see them try.” Rebecca growled. Her scowl softened slightly. “I didn’t mean to make you more nervous. Calm down, it’s going to be-” A fireball crashed down a few feet away, and Rebecca snapped her attention to the field, widening her stance and baring her teeth. The red hero was starting toward them, yelling “You hear that?! I’ll kill you for hurting my little sister!” Lake’s eyes filled with terror and he stumbled back, legs tensed like he wanted to run but was too afraid of turning his back to the heroes. Rebecca took a step back as the red hero lunged at them, sliding out of the path and snapping back with her whip. “Aww, look how quick you are to adopt someone as a sibling.” Rebecca cooed, a flood of venom lurking on the edge of her voice. She glanced at Lake, signalling him to go. His part of the mission was successful, and he didn’t need to be here for this. He was a useless fighter anyway. He looked at her, his face a whirlwind of emotions. In the end, gratitude and fear reigned victorious and he turned tail and fled. The direction of the wind changed, and the blue villain, apparently over her little crisis, leaped into the fray. Rebecca fended them off, coming face to face with the red hero. She smirked, letting the flood of venom reach the full front of her voice as she cracked her whip. “Defending her but attacking me. Is this any way to treat your family, cousin?” It’s the character that shapes the story. Without them, there would be no plot, no drive. It’s how they change, how they influence the setting, plot, and other characters, and how one action or decision affects the entire piece of writing. It’s the changing journey of past, present, and future: one big story of was, is, and will become that engages your readers and shapes your character. But what is that journey? That is for you, the writer, to decide, and your readers to interpret.
Story:
Change ~ Character Arc: Most people, and therefore characters, are naturally going to resist change when possible. That’s why characters tend to come out of conflict with newfound lessons or change - a need for change creates stress, conflict, reader interest, and sympathy.
Lack of Change ~ No Character Arc:
The way your character interact/act around others, how they think about other characters, how their love life affects them and their journey, and a character’s opinions and grudges shows your readers a lot about your character without directly telling them. For example, it showcases your character’s thoughts and views, their flaws and strengths, and establishes other characters in your story. Relationships don’t always have to be cliqued romance. While those are perfectly fine, try adding some diversity to your story to make it stand out in your readers mind. Some examples of relationship types are:
So, what can you do to utilize these relationships in perspective of showcasing your character and making your story unique/leave an impact on your reader? Make your character stop and think about others
Give your character strong opinions
Play a game of risk with your character
Add a hypotenuse/triangle
Leverage the group
Befriend ambiguity
Tap into the power of a grudge
Don’t overlook everyday interactions
Types:
Backstory & Wounds:
Victimizing Characters:
While the “tragic Past” or simply being “evil for evil sake” is good and can still work, it’s a cliche and overused. There are multiple ways that any character, even your hero, could become the ‘villain’/antagonist.
Heighten the Emotional Bond Between Reader and Character:
Readers feel sympathy and compassion for victims and underdogs:
Contradiction/Paradoxes:
Be Subtle:
Play on Stereotypes/Cliques/Expectations:
Make your Character:
Conflict & High Stakes:
Antagonist:
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