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Create Complex Characters - NaNoWrioMo Prep


 Ahh characters.

One of the many reasons I read is to watch characters be broken down and shattered, only for them to miraculously piece themselves back together again.

How is this done? Simple. Make them three dimensional. Your characters should feel as real as an actual person. They need conflicting desires, hopes, and dreams. They need to be dissatisfied when they get what they're after; they need to be flawed. 

My NaNo Project:


Main character: Pandora 

Age: 20

Want: Travel the realms without anyone telling her what to do, where to go, or who to worship.

Need: Her family needs her to provide food and money for them.

Misbelief: She is the only one who can keep her family safe. One day, she will be free from everything, but until then, she must stay in survival mode, enjoying nothing. Until she has everything exactly how she wants it, she can't be happy.

What people expect out of her: Her father expects her to stay around the house cleaning, gardening, and hunting. Henry expects her to learn to wield her arcane and to one day compete in the Archons tournament. 

Conflict: If she leaves her family, they won't be provided for. 

While I won't be going this in depth with every character, I am going to focus on making them human. For example, there won't just be one funny person, or one smart person. My goal for writing characters is to make it as similar to real people as possible. 

Software

This step is completely optional, but during the month of October and November, NaNoWriMo offers tons of deals. One is using campfire's manuscript feature. I tried it out and ended up subscribing to their character, locations, and timeline (Although I found a program that works better for me, more on that next week.)

Their character creation is amazing! They provide so many aspects that its impossible to create a one dimensional character. 

Campfire also offers how to's on all aspects of writing, like creating a plot, goals of each scene, or creating magic systems. Definitely check it out and become a better writer.

I'll see you next week when we develop an outline.
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