Hey, y'all! It's Sslytherinprincess, and this is my blog, and here is my first post. Enjoy, and please take note!!! My friend, The Raven Queen, came up with this idea, so don't give me all the credit.
The Do's and Don'ts of Making OC's
We have noticed that many people tend to make the same mistakes when creating an OC/Original Character. So, we have decided to explain and share the do’s and don’ts of making characters!
Mary Sues: If you have never heard of a Mary Sue, let us explain. So, basically, a Mary Sue is an OC who is perfect. No flaws, not even a single, tiny little flaw. They are super annoying, and sadly, everywhere. The way to fix this is simple: give your character flaws! Don’t be afraid to make them weird or different. Just don’t go overboard, either, as it can lead to this…
Over-flawed: So, this is pretty much self-explanatory, but we will type an example description of an over-flawed character anyways. Name: blank. Age: blank. Details: Is blind and deaf, has like, fifty thousand scars, traumatic backstory, has no friends, homeless, bullied. See what we mean? Too many flaws! Over-flawed characters and Mary Sue characters just make your story, fan fiction, comic, animation, show, or mini-movie feel so fake.
DON’T write too much info on your OC. Too much information can get really confusing, really fast. It might end up confusing your reader or even yourself. Questions like ” What’s in their purse/pocket?” or “ What’s their fave ice cream flavor?” are examples of unnecessary info.
DO give every major OC a bio. Giving a major character’s backstory will help your reader understand that character better, and maybe they might be able to click with that character a little more than before.
DON’T write your bio like it’s a novel(Unless it is, of course). Writing a long bio of mostly unnecessary info might cause your reader to lose attention. Who cares if it’s really short? And if you’re the only person who is going to see it, then just scribble down some notes. They don’t even have to be complete sentences.
DO focus on your character’s arc. Your character’s arc is how they’ve changed over the course of the book. Or, if you want your reader to figure it out, write down some literary questions in the back of the book. Here’s a few examples: “ How has ________ changed because of ____________?” or “ What are some key character traits ________ possesses?” These questions will help your reader develop important skills in language arts and literature.
DO make sure you have a good understanding of what setting and time period you place your OC’s in! If you place them in the Medieval time period, don’t give them computers and cell phones. Or if you place them in the 1770s or 80s, don’t give them machine guns and atomic bombs, since machine guns weren’t invented until 1884, and the atomic bomb wasn’t invented until 1945.
DON’T plagiarize other people’s work!!! This is VERY important, since breaking this key rule will get you in serious trouble with the government of your country, and imprisoned for a maximum of 1 year in prison, and fines that range from $100 to $50,000.
DO make your own work. Most of us have probably thought, “ Why didn’t I think of that?” about somebody else’s work. And no matter how much you want to copy, or “plagiarize”, other’s work, your work is always going to be special too! Why? Because nobody else on the ENTIRE PLANET thinks the exact same way you do, and you should be proud of that. Embrace your inner genius with open arms, and you will be rewarded.
