how to CREATE a CHARACTER from *SCRATCH*✍🏼my 3 step character developing process

ana neu
15 Oct 202208:16

TLDRIn this video, Anna shares her 3-step character development process for creating compelling characters from scratch. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the story and themes first, which guides the selection of main characters. Using her book project 'Robin' as an example, Anna explains how she chose a female protagonist to reflect themes of feminism and revolution. She encourages writers to consider characters' social positions and personal convictions to ensure they align with the narrative's core message. Anna also suggests creating character profiles for a deeper understanding of their backgrounds and personalities.

Takeaways

  • 📝 Start by identifying the story's origin and how it came about, as this will influence character creation.
  • 🎯 Focus on the main themes of your story, such as feminism or class dynamics, to guide character development.
  • 👥 Limit the number of main characters to one to three to maintain a strong focus in your narrative.
  • 🌟 Choose character traits, such as gender, social status, and occupation, that align with the story's themes and message.
  • 💭 Consider the character's backstory and motivations to inform their actions and decisions within the story.
  • 👣 Develop the character's personality and physical attributes after establishing their role and significance in the story.
  • 🌐 Reflect on the character's world and environment to create a believable and engaging setting.
  • 👥 Include side characters that add depth and complexity to the main character's journey and story.
  • 📋 Utilize character profiles to flesh out the details of characters and their relationships with one another.
  • 🔗 Provide resources, like free templates, for viewers to use in their own character development process.
  • 👏 Encourage viewers to subscribe and engage with the channel for more content on writing and character development.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of Anna's video?

    -The main focus of Anna's video is to discuss the process of creating a character from scratch, emphasizing the importance of aligning the character's development with the story's themes and plot.

  • Why does Anna suggest starting with the story rather than the character?

    -Anna suggests starting with the story first because it allows the characters to be naturally developed based on the story's requirements, ensuring that the characters serve the plot and themes effectively.

  • How does Anna determine the importance of having a character focus?

    -Anna believes that having a character focus is important because it helps to establish the significance of the characters within the story and ensures that the plot and world-building are centered around them.

  • What are the key elements Anna considers when creating a character?

    -Anna considers the character's role in the story, their connection to the themes, their gender, age, social hierarchy position, and occupation as key elements when creating a character.

  • How does Anna use the character of Robin to illustrate her character development process?

    -Anna uses Robin as an example to show how she developed a character to fit the story's themes of feminism, girl power, and revolution, as well as to reflect the character's hostility towards the kingdom due to her personal backstory.

  • What is the significance of Robin's background in the story?

    -Robin's background, with her parents being exiled and killed by the king, is significant as it provides a motive for her actions as a thief and her desire for revenge, which aligns with the story's focus on revolution and the struggle of the peasants.

  • How does Anna recommend determining the number of main characters in a story?

    -Anna recommends focusing on one to two, sometimes three, main characters to ensure that the story can effectively explore their depth and development without becoming too convoluted.

  • What is the role of side characters in Anna's character development process?

    -Side characters play a crucial role in adding layers and depth to the main characters, helping to further develop their personalities, interests, and the story's world.

  • How does Anna recommend further developing a character's personality and appearance?

    -After establishing the character's role and relevance to the story, Anna suggests diving deeper into their personal details, such as their appearance, name, and specific interests, to fully flesh out their character profile.

  • What additional resources does Anna provide to assist with character development?

    -Anna provides free templates for creating character profiles, which can be found in her video descriptions, to help viewers develop both main and side characters more effectively.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Character Creation from Scratch

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on character creation, emphasizing the importance of developing strong characters from the ground up. Anna shares her excitement about discussing character development and highlights the positive feedback she receives from her audience. She explains her process of creating a character by starting with the story and then determining the characters based on the plot's needs. Anna uses her own book project featuring a character named Robin as an example, explaining how the character's traits and background were chosen to reflect the themes of feminism, girl power, and revolution in a kingdom setting.

05:02

🌟 Aligning Characters with Story Themes

In this paragraph, Anna delves deeper into the process of aligning characters with the story's themes and narrative requirements. She discusses the importance of selecting main characters that reflect the core messages and ideas of the story, as exemplified by her choice of Robin, a female peasant thief with a desire for revenge against the king. Anna also touches on the significance of considering characters' social status, occupation, and personal convictions in crafting a compelling narrative. She encourages viewers to think about these aspects when developing their characters and mentions her previous video on character profiles, offering free templates for both main and side characters.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Character Development

Character development refers to the process of creating and evolving a character's personality, traits, and backstory for a narrative. In the video, Anna emphasizes the importance of this process, explaining that it is crucial to start from the ground up, considering the character's role in the story and how they reflect the themes of the narrative. For instance, she creates a character named Robin, who is shaped by the story's focus on feminism and revolution, making her a peasant girl with a desire for revenge against the king.

💡Story Creation

Story creation is the process of conceptualizing and forming the narrative of a story, including its plot, setting, and characters. In the video, Anna explains that she typically starts with the story concept and then develops characters to fit within that narrative. This approach allows the characters to be naturally integrated into the plot and themes of the story, ensuring that they serve the narrative rather than the plot happening to them.

💡Themes

Themes are the central ideas or messages that a story aims to convey. In the video, Anna highlights the importance of aligning the characters with the themes of the story, such as feminism, girl power, and social dynamics within a kingdom. By doing so, she ensures that the characters' actions and development are meaningful and contribute to the overall message of the narrative.

💡Feminism

Feminism is a social and political movement advocating for gender equality and the rights and equality of women. In the context of the video, Anna wanted her story to have a strong emphasis on feminism and girl power, which influenced her decision to create a female protagonist. This choice allowed her to explore the challenges and strengths of her character within a patriarchal society and to highlight the importance of female agency and resistance.

💡Peasants

Peasants refer to members of the lowest social class in a society, typically those who work in agriculture and have little social or political power. In the video, Anna chose to make her main character a peasant to accurately portray the struggles and dynamics of this class within the kingdom's setting. This decision helps to ground the story in realism and allows for a deeper exploration of social issues and the dynamics of power and oppression.

💡Kingdom

A kingdom is a type of government in which a monarch, such as a king or queen, serves as the head of state. In the video, the kingdom serves as the backdrop for the story, providing a setting where social hierarchies and power dynamics are established. The kingdom's structure and the king's rule are central to the plot, influencing the characters' actions and the story's themes of revolution and resistance.

💡Revolution

Revolution refers to a fundamental change in political power or organizational structure, often brought about by mass uprising or rebellion. In the video, Anna's story revolves around the concept of revolution, with her main character, Robin, being at the center of a struggle against the oppressive rule of the king. This theme is used to explore ideas of social justice, resistance, and the pursuit of equality.

💡Hostility

Hostility refers to unfriendliness, antagonism, or a desire to cause harm. In the video, Anna discusses how the peasants' hostility towards the king is a reflection of the story's themes. This hostility is not only an emotional response but also a catalyst for the plot, as it drives the characters' actions and the narrative's progression towards potential conflict or resolution.

💡Backstory

Backstory refers to the events, experiences, and history that have occurred in a character's life before the events of the main narrative. In the video, Anna emphasizes the importance of a character's backstory in shaping their personality, motivations, and actions within the story. A well-developed backstory adds depth to a character and helps to make their behavior and decisions believable and understandable to the audience.

💡Conviction

Conviction refers to a strong belief or opinion that is held firmly, often leading to decisive action. In the context of the video, Anna's character Robin has a conviction of revenge against the king, which is a driving force behind her actions and decisions throughout the story. This conviction adds complexity to her character and aligns her personal goals with the broader themes of the narrative.

💡Character Profiles

Character profiles are detailed descriptions or outlines that provide information about a character's personality, background, appearance, and other relevant attributes. In the video, Anna mentions using character profiles to further develop her characters, including both main and side characters. These profiles help writers to maintain consistency in their characters and to create more nuanced and believable individuals.

Highlights

Anna shares her 3-step character developing process for creating characters from scratch.

The importance of understanding your story's origin is emphasized for character development.

Characters should reflect the themes and focus of the plot, not the other way around.

Anna's favorite aspect of writing is creating strong, well-developed characters.

The character Robin is introduced as an example of character development based on story themes.

Feminism and girl power are central themes in Anna's project, influencing character gender and background.

Characters should be chosen based on their ability to authentically reflect and drive the narrative.

The character's social status and occupation play a key role in their development and story relevance.

Robin's character is shaped by her backstory, including her parents' exile and death.

The concept of thieving in Robin's story symbolizes her fight against the kingdom's oppression.

Anna emphasizes the importance of limiting the number of main characters to one or two for focused storytelling.

The character's personality and physical attributes come after establishing their role in the story.

Anna provides free character profile templates for both main and side characters.

The video aims to help viewers understand the significance of character selection and development for effective storytelling.

Anna's process involves creating characters that are integral to the story's themes and plot, ensuring a compelling narrative.

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