Ive been trying to finish a story...any story...for about 12 years, so I consumed hundreds of hours of how-to's, books, podcasts, and more. This has left me so paralyzed by indecision that I haven't been able to write ANYTHING for over a year. After watching several of your videos, I'm starting to feel like the Tin Man after Dorothy gives him some oil. Thank you. Please keep them coming.
Friend, I don't know if this will help you, but: No work is ever wasted. Even if you publish a "bad story", it will help you. You will learn, you will improve. Rome wasn't built in a single day, and the same goes for a pristine story, and I'm sure it will take me several books to come to a level with which I'm satisfied. I'm very young, writing my first book, but at this point I've grown to realize that failure does not matter. I will not stop writing. If you fail, but keep going, you will ultimately never have failed. I wish and pray you well on your writing process, I'm sure you will overcome your obstacles.
This channel is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Genuine, honest and intelligent advice about the creative process and not just “Top 10 tips for…” with a load a character sheets and formulaic resources. This is the most useful channel I’ve come across in about 4 years of attempting to write a first draft.
I love how you take an anti-formulaic approach to writing. It’s exactly the opposite of what you tube is full of. No recipe, no “five steps to creating the perfect life”, just solid exposition of the ingredients.
Formulas, in my opinion, are a fast way to kill the creative process. I prefer to build my own story structure. I genuinely believe that that's the best way to approach storytelling. Thank you for watching!
I’m an artist, not a writer, but this really helped me understand general character development! I’ve always been jealous of my peers when it came to characters because I’ve personally never made one but this gave me a little more hope to getting to my first Original Character : )
There's so much storytelling involved in art, especially when it comes to characters! I'm glad my video could help you with your first character. Hopefully the first of many! Thank you for watching!
I'll never tire of the different ways people internalise and produce tools, heuristics and principles around writing. Hope to see some more stuff which challenges how I think and hopefully be able to relay it to other people who find it useful!
I had never liked my characters, so I started working on a new character creation system recently, and it turns out it's a lot like this, just somewhat simplified so far. One thing I'd add about consistency is that it's important for character arcs. If a character is consistently inconsistent, the character arc can look like simply some more inconsistency.
That's an excellent point, I completely agree! You have to have a very consistent image of your character in order to plan a development arc using their traits, etc. And that consistency helps the audience maintain a clear idea of the character so they can see and appreciate the character's growth or evolution along that development arc. Thank you for watching!
It's insane how much basic knowledge and how many important hints and spins on seemingly straighforward premises of character creation you managed to fit into a mere half-hour video. I've watched my fair share of writing advice videos, but your concise and logical way of putting things is something I've rarely seen elsewhere. I especially like your organic approach to creating characters, i.e. paying attention to the interplay of various traits and how strengths and weaknesses derive from one another, as well as your advice not to simply run down a checklist of non-relevant questions. For a beginner, this is a goldmine, but even experienced writers will glean something from this. Thank you for sharing, I'm looking forward to any future videos you might make!
Thank you very much for this comment! It means so much to me to know that my videos can be of help to other writers. I've always loved creating characters because the process was so organic and interesting. I hoped sharing that process with others would spread that enjoyment. Thank you again for your support, it means a lot!
I'd love to hear more about character arcs, and how those would be weaved into the pacing/plot you talked about previously. Also, great videos, they're quite different from other videos of this kind that are out there.
Yes I very much look forward to making a video about character arcs... Or videos, honestly. There's so much to explore there! Thank you so much for watching! And for your support!
Character creation has always been a bit of a difficult subject for me, but you explained it in a digestible way and broke it down into actionable steps that I'm going to be using as a template for all my characters. Thanks for the awesome content!
I'm so glad that my video was so helpful to you! I wish you the best of luck in your future character creation. And thank you so much for your support! Happy writing!
If this can help anyone, I usually start by defining a "core node of tension" for my characters (I approach it from the angle of the game master and live action roleplayer, so my necessity is specific, keep in mind) or, in other words, what contrast do I want them to tackle. That's *always* a question. - How does the every man cope with being summoned to a gathering of heroes and given responsibility? - Where does the mask end and the person begins? - Where is the line between an act of beneficial rebellion and one of selfishness? - What is the price of "Beware an old man in a profession that kills them young"? And so on. Note, all of them I have actually used in real play characters xD quite fun ones to play, too! When I know that core tension node, I then build their take on that contrast (whether they are aware of it or not), find an event or sequence of events that led them to having that take and then Yeet them into the world to interact with other characters and see what happens.
You’re a genius! Thank you so much for taking this mountain I’ve been facing and turning into a mole hill. The way you explain concepts comes across so simple and easy to digest!
Just watched your Plot video. You're a breath of fresh air from the framework tutorials. A lot of creative is about strong sense of direction and allowing options which your videos reflect really well. I'm looking forward to watching your videos. Newly Subbed❤😊
I love those AHA moments so much! I'm really glad my video had helpful information for you, thank you for taking the time to tell me in a comment, it really means a lot! Thank you for watching, and for your support! Happy writing!
I’m around 5 minutes in and while I find you interesting to listen to, I do feel like it was a lot of what NOT to do and I almost clicked away. I felt a little overwhelmed, taking it in but not being able to imagine what the process might look like. As a complete beginner, I actually haven’t come across much of what you mentioned (questionnaires, interviews, archetypes). Just general feedback as a complete beginner so please don’t take me too seriously, I just look forward to seeing more of your valuable content. I felt your confidence and ability to explain conflicting concepts makes you stand out amongst the few videos I have seen. Thank you for sharing!
I don’t know if it’s the colors or the lighting but you just look like a well done character design. I don’t really know how to put it into words but for whatever reason your appearance stood out to me in a “these colors are nice” kinda way. I think it’s a combo of the lighting and the different whites contrasting with red hair. Dunno it’s not something I’ve ever seen before on a real person but the feeling was immediate.
I'm no writer, but coming up with stories and imaginary people makes me want to draw. It helps a lot with ideas in front of the blank page. I took a long art break, but the creative impulses have been back for a few months now. The itch to come up with a new character has been creeping up on me. So truly, this video had perfect timing and UA-cam algorithm didn't mess this one up.
Ah I so envy the ability to draw character designs! I've been trying to teach myself to draw in my free time so I can draw my own characters, just for myself. I've often heard that there's a lot of narrative and storytelling involved in planning a drawing, no matter how simple. It's wonderful to hear that my video could somehow help with that. Good luck character creating! And drawing (so envious)! Thank you for watching!
This is the kind of video that you have to watch (and want to watch) multiple times to fully assimilate all the concepts (oh look, another C) presented. Your style is so soothing and your editing and humor make watching very enjoyable. Congrats on gaining such momentum with the channel so quickly!
Thank you so much for your support and your kind words! I'm really glad that my video could help you. And thank you for the taking the time to provide your thoughts on the homework and polls! It really helps! Happy writing!
This is S-tier advice. I've seen a lot of creators, and it's a rare few who stand out as exemplary like this. Really looking forward to seeing more content. And you know what? It's for the same reasons that you've outlined. It's deep and insightful, but also tinged with the color of your own identity. Although I'm looking forward to whatever you make next I know that that's an utterly unhelpful suggestion. I'd take anything in regards to characters, especially the relationship between characters and the self. I feel like my own identity is rather multitudinous, and as I attempt to express myself through characters I realize that there's still much that I don't understand about myself. It's a very interesting study, but not at all conducive to getting writing done.
Thank you very much for your support and your kind words! I hope to be able to continue making helpful videos. What you've said about character and self is very interesting. I remember examining this link myself along my writing journey. At the time, as an experiment, I wrote a kind of prose poetry faux journal. The situation was fictional, the life was fictional, but the "I" writing the journal was meant to be me. And the aim was to examine myself and come to understand myself better. I, myself personally, wanted to avoid making the characters in my regular stories into too much of an examination or expression of self as I've found that this can limit my creative decision making. So I let this exercise be entirely that. I spent about two years writing this and I learned a lot about myself and about how to convey emotional identity with literary economy. It was also an excellent writing exercise as I forced myself to do at least one entry a week and focused a lot on my actual writing. I also saw my skill improve as I went along, both in terms of understanding myself -- and therefore other characters -- and in terms of my prose. I do intend to do a lot of videos in the future on characters, but I thought this suggestion might be helpful food for thought for you. Perhaps you could give it a try, if you're so inclined. Maybe it will be as helpful for you and is it was for me. Thank you again, and happy writing!
Love your videos, thank you for posting. I’ve been having doubts about some of my characters and this video has helped settle those doubts. I didn’t follow character formulas, they just came alive as I was writing them. I only found out who these characters were towards the end of my novel 🤩
Thank you! It sounds like you had a good handle on it. Though it does help sometimes to hear someone else reinforce what you already know. I'm glad I could help! Thank you for watching! Good luck with your writing!
Hands down one of the best character videos I've ever seen. Very succinct, and very correct. Everything I've seen with very few exceptions peddles these cookie cutter, card board cut outs of similar character after similar character.
I always try to write characters as real people, but I think I also see most real people as characters filling a particular narrative. It's frustrating. Your video made me feel sorta valid. Thanks. Might go start a cult now.
This is by far one of the most helpful videos I’ve seen about character creation (shoutout scrivner mentioned lol) I am so looking forward to more character focused vids
Scrivener is pretty incredible, definitely. I'm not sure what I'd do without it. And thank you! I'm glad it could help you! I definitely plan to make more videos on characters in the future!
Thank you for another insightful video! You're one of the few channels that I actually come away with the fee feeling I learned something and a drive to try it out, rather the than empty advice with no guidance for application.
That's wonderful to hear! I'm really glad my videos can help you, that's an incredible feeling. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Good luck with your writing, and thank you for watching!
Your videos are awesome ma'am. Thanks a lot for making such eye opening videos. Please make a detailed video on the development of characters or character arcs.
Thank you, and thank you for the support! I intend to. Characters arcs and characters in general are definitely going to be the subject of more than one video in the future. (Hopefully the near future!)
I subscribed to your channel because of the last video - it’s was incredibly insightful for my own narrative. Can’t wait to see what this one has to offer
This video and your channel is wonderful! I am particularly fond of your editing. I take part in a recreation of Titanic's voyage every year and creating a fully fleshed out character for it is always a struggle for me. I would love to see videos about character development, character arcs and good dialogue!
Thank you! That sounds incredible! I've never heard of such a thing, what a delightful challenge! Those topics are very important to me, as well. They are very high on my list. It's wonderful to know that others would also be interested in talking about them! Good luck with your character creation this year, I hope it goes well! Thank you for watching!
I would love to see a video on character weaknesses/disabilities and how to work them into a story. Your videos are so insightful and clever. Thank you for giving examples to your points, it’s easy to get a feel for the process!
Thank you for this comment! It means a lot to know that my videos are helping. I've got more in the works, but hopefully I can gradually get a little faster at the process, we'll see. In the meantime, thank you so much for your support!
This was so amazingly helpful, thank you so much! With both this video and the previous one, I feel like my third eye is slowly opening lol. I’ve always wondered why I found those typical plot and character formulas so frustrating and crushing. Anything I tried created with them was always so flat and dead, and it always felt like pulling teeth. I thought something was fundamentally wrong with me, like I was just never ment to create. But using the things you’ve said has really unlocked it and now I’m actually beginning to create something that works, that’s functional, and also fills me with life. Every connection I make with my characters and the story, it slowly piecing together. I’m so happy. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. It means the world to me that my videos could help bring you back to writing. I remember going through that same struggle, being unsure whether or not I "had what it takes" to be a writer. Everything that seemed to be innate knowledge to other writers eluded me completely and I could never make sense of their somewhat abstract, esoteric attempts to explain. I once heard a writing teacher say that the way you can tell if someone is a writer is that they write. If you love stories, then you can create them. Anyone can learn to do anything. I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors. And thank you for watching!
Your videos are refreshing. I find your way of talking about story resonates with how I naturally write. Although some of the other ways as you touched on briefly are helpful in a way, they seem confining and predictable. This is the 2nd video of yours I've watched and I will def be watching more.
New to your channel and I think within the first 7 minutes you had me smiling and laughing! I especially enjoyed the sighs at character archetypes, I’m not a fan of them either. Brilliant video and certainly cleared up my questions on character creation, thank you.
Please keep this up. I find your videos among the best I've come across. Your previous video, as well as this one, opened up a whole lot of potential and possibilities for my fantasy story. I particularly thought the advice on characters' flaws was brilliant. Once you explained that, I instantly came up with much better flaws for my main heroes. The multiple mini-arcs advice also helped a lot, and it makes the writing/story more complicated, but more manageable at the same time. Definitely more interesting too. In short, your approach/advice feels out of the box, but at the same time it makes so much sense
Thank you very much for this comment! It really does mean a lot to me to know that my videos are helping other writers. That's one of the things I really like about the approach of mini-arcs. I feel like I can create something a little more complex but that I've got a strategy to plan it well. I'm glad the note about flaws was helpful. When I realized that myself, I found that it made defining and understanding my characters so much easier. Thank you again for watching! Good luck with your story, and happy writing!
Another banger! You've made 35 minutes feel like five! Character sheets and archetypes always clashed against my artistic sensibilities. Also the bit about only reading in your genre and following industry standard. All that advice is given with good intent, but it only served to make me feel like some literary orphan if that makes sense. Unkept and ill-mannered. But how did all those archetypes and formulas come to be without experimentation? Your advice makes so much more sense. Again, thank you so much for putting it so succinctly and giving form to arbitrary concepts! This story and the one from your previous video were actually compelling enough to make me want to read them, lol. I'll be working on that homework now! :)
I agree, I think people are genuinely trying to be helpful when they provide that advice. And in their defense, I think a lot of the big industry literary agents have to approach the job like managers of product development. But I'm like you, it made me feel very out of place. My problem was that I didn't particularly like a lot of the books in my target genre and was, in fact, writing largely because I wanted to "write the book I wanted to read" and all that. I confess I spent some time wondering if I was properly suited for this whole writing thing. Luckily I made it through that phase. Good luck on your homework! I hope it helps. And thank you for watching!
I love these style of videos, breaking down concepts to make a character are always great. What would be cool is if your video uploads “follow” the creation of a story and characters leading up to a finished story. They are amazing either way, and I love how eloquent you are, it makes the video thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, thank you so much.🙏
That would be such a fun series of videos, what a great suggestion! Now I want to find a way to do that... Thank you very much for this comment, and thank you for watching!
Thank you so much! I like your approach. It's more organic and so much more fun. But, can you revisit the character development topic and explain how you'd handle characters in a historical fiction scenario?
Thank you! I'm glad you found this helpful! (and fun!) I might be misunderstanding your question, but I don't believe there is any difference in the character creation process based on genre. This simple method could be used to create a Han Dynasty warrior, a Regency England noblewoman, an alien child from the planet Neptune, an old rusty robot, or a guy living in a Midwestern farming town in 2024. The only limit is your imagination and what your story needs specifically. If you need characters that fit into an historical setting, you might need to do a little research about the time period, but ultimately the method will remain the same. I hope that helps answer your question. Thanks for watching!
Thank you! I'm glad the process was helpful, and thanks for letting me know it helped you. I'm never completely sure what will help and what won't. Thank you for watching, and for your support!
Enjoyed the practical approach to the process, trying to steer folks away from the swamp of gimmicks out there. Nicely presented. I also had a look at your catalog and will be checking out more of your posts. Liked and subscribed - welcome to my recommendation list (for what that's worth)!
Thank you! I very much look forward to making more videos about characters, especially character arcs. That's very high on my video list! Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you so much for the breakdown on creating interesting characters. I recently discovered your channel, and I love it. Please keep the videos coming!
Hearing you mention Mei Changsu completely caught me off-guard! It's so rare for me to see examples from media less popular over here in the west. Consider me subscribed!
I couldn't help myself, really. Nirvana In Fire is a big favorite of mine. I'm always looking for a way to work it into a conversation. There's so much incredible storytelling in China (and South Korea and Japan and...!), and I'll follow good storytelling anywhere. I hope more people come to discover the wonderful stories that are out there (starting with Nirvana In Fire, of course). Thank you for watching, and for your support!
@@The-Second-Story It was so refreshing to see. I'm the same. Eveyone says "read widely" and then only list off western stories as examples in their videos, it was great to see someone actually "reading" widely.
This was really helpful, thank you. Looking forward to seeing more videos. I really like the video idea you mentioned about character arcs, I would definitely like to see that. ❤️
I definitely plan to do a video on that. I'm very much looking forward to it actually. I love studying and planning character arcs, there's so much possibility! Thank you for watching!
I was looking forward for your next video. Your approach is the most interesting and genuine I came across and the way you present it is of a very pleasant kind of soft. Once again, thank you.
For me, I often just have various inspirations for each character from historical, mythological and fictional sources. Many don't end up being close to their inspirations which makes me happy to not rip things off and sad when I'm not pulling it off half as well. I run a massive text based campaign though instead of a story I can go back and revise so I have to keep track of several hundred characters and multiple nations at this point. Many end up being simplified until the camera is on them so to speak.
Thanks for the advice about creativity, I needed it since I always try to come up with a fully new idea that’s never been done before, great video, you look amazing btw
Nice to see you added chapters. Much appreciated. As to character creation, I disagree. It is not up to the author. First, you can either create the character first and then shape the plot around the character, or vice versa. The reality is that likely they will merge during editing. What do I mean? Taking the latter option. First, you imagine a premise: character A does not want to do action x (character and not protagonist because this may be true of every character in your story). Why? What sort of person does not want to/ is unable to do that action? First character trait. Now, how can you make that action even more objectionable for character A? This is perhaps an escalation. What second trait would make this even more objectionable? And so on. It is the story that trumps everything. If it advances the story, keep it. If it does not, change or drop it. Want to give the character a quirk? Fine. But that quirk should add to the story. For example, in a love story, the woman loves daisies. The real reason, they remind her of her childhood and she would love to relive it vicariously. That reason does not need to be pushed at the reader; it can be alluded to much further in the story and the reader has to connect the dots. For example, 'That daisy looks just like one I had as a little girl. See, it's missing a petal.' (Is the woman herself missing a petal?) In another place, she can wonder whether her daughter will love daisies. You don't need to have her fantasize about leading the daughter to fields of daisies so she can watch the girl run through them.
Would love the home work idea, I’m not a writer by any means, and I’m writing my story so the land I created isn’t just a map on a page, but an actual place to be explored. So the 2 videos I’ve watched so far have been extremely helpful!
My hope is that my videos can be helpful for storytellers of all kinds. It sounds like you're a worldbuilder. I love worldbuilding! Creating maps and building histories and mythologies around those places... Thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughts about homework. I'm actively researching the best way to do that and hopefully will have a system set up soon. Thank you for your support and for watching! Happy writing (and worldbuilding)!
Thank you for your support and your kind words! I'm always in the process of making the next video. Though the editing, etc. does take me a little time. Thank you for watching!
Such a lovely surprise, to wake up to one of your videos! And, I'd really love you to talk about weaknesses. I'm particularly stuck on that with my current WIP.
Thank you for mentioning that! I'd really enjoy making a video about weaknesses, I hoped it would be of interest so I'd have an excuse. Thank you for watching, and for your support!
Nice to meet you! Love this video. Great way to explain character creation. I'm prepping for NaNo, and I'm a pantser... but I am putting effort into creating better characters, so finding this video is great timing.
Thank you! Nice to meet you, too. I wish you luck in your November writing efforts! And I'm glad that my video could help you with your characters. Good luck and happy writing!
Next video votes: (Yes, I checked the list) 1. Character arcs 2. Using character development as plot development 3. The truth about creating conflict and tension And of course, thanks for the video. :3
Thank you very much for taking the time to give me your votes! Number 1 is definitely one of the top on my list. Numbers 2 and 3 are videos I'm really looking forward to making but I wasn't sure if, when I did, anyone would be interested. So thank you for answering that question! And thank you for your support, and for watching!
Again, I am so happy I came across your channel ( I say again because I saw your previous video an hour ago hahaha). I really feel the way you are approaching these subjects feels compatible and helpful and natural to me and the way I would like to go about doing things, or how I even instinctively started approaching them in my amateur, hatching pre-beginner ways. Also, strange things happening out in the forest.. I was immediately hooked 😅😅
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Ive been trying to finish a story...any story...for about 12 years, so I consumed hundreds of hours of how-to's, books, podcasts, and more. This has left me so paralyzed by indecision that I haven't been able to write ANYTHING for over a year.
After watching several of your videos, I'm starting to feel like the Tin Man after Dorothy gives him some oil.
Thank you. Please keep them coming.
Friend, I don't know if this will help you, but:
No work is ever wasted. Even if you publish a "bad story", it will help you. You will learn, you will improve. Rome wasn't built in a single day, and the same goes for a pristine story, and I'm sure it will take me several books to come to a level with which I'm satisfied. I'm very young, writing my first book, but at this point I've grown to realize that failure does not matter. I will not stop writing.
If you fail, but keep going, you will ultimately never have failed.
I wish and pray you well on your writing process, I'm sure you will overcome your obstacles.
This is now the second time in a row you've gotten me unstuck in my writing.
This channel is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Genuine, honest and intelligent advice about the creative process and not just “Top 10 tips for…” with a load a character sheets and formulaic resources. This is the most useful channel I’ve come across in about 4 years of attempting to write a first draft.
Agree!
I love how you take an anti-formulaic approach to writing. It’s exactly the opposite of what you tube is full of. No recipe, no “five steps to creating the perfect life”, just solid exposition of the ingredients.
Formulas, in my opinion, are a fast way to kill the creative process. I prefer to build my own story structure. I genuinely believe that that's the best way to approach storytelling. Thank you for watching!
I’m an artist, not a writer, but this really helped me understand general character development! I’ve always been jealous of my peers when it came to characters because I’ve personally never made one but this gave me a little more hope to getting to my first Original Character : )
There's so much storytelling involved in art, especially when it comes to characters! I'm glad my video could help you with your first character. Hopefully the first of many! Thank you for watching!
As with your video on plot, your dry humor and nuanced sarcasm won me over. I laughed and learned. Liked and subscribed! Don’t stop.
I'll never tire of the different ways people internalise and produce tools, heuristics and principles around writing. Hope to see some more stuff which challenges how I think and hopefully be able to relay it to other people who find it useful!
I had never liked my characters, so I started working on a new character creation system recently, and it turns out it's a lot like this, just somewhat simplified so far.
One thing I'd add about consistency is that it's important for character arcs. If a character is consistently inconsistent, the character arc can look like simply some more inconsistency.
That's an excellent point, I completely agree! You have to have a very consistent image of your character in order to plan a development arc using their traits, etc. And that consistency helps the audience maintain a clear idea of the character so they can see and appreciate the character's growth or evolution along that development arc.
Thank you for watching!
It's insane how much basic knowledge and how many important hints and spins on seemingly straighforward premises of character creation you managed to fit into a mere half-hour video. I've watched my fair share of writing advice videos, but your concise and logical way of putting things is something I've rarely seen elsewhere. I especially like your organic approach to creating characters, i.e. paying attention to the interplay of various traits and how strengths and weaknesses derive from one another, as well as your advice not to simply run down a checklist of non-relevant questions. For a beginner, this is a goldmine, but even experienced writers will glean something from this. Thank you for sharing, I'm looking forward to any future videos you might make!
Thank you very much for this comment! It means so much to me to know that my videos can be of help to other writers. I've always loved creating characters because the process was so organic and interesting. I hoped sharing that process with others would spread that enjoyment.
Thank you again for your support, it means a lot!
The clarity. I really appreciate the clarity and conciseness of your topics.
It makes things so much easier to absorb.
I have never seen anyone explain character creation in such a digestible way GOSH THANK YOUUUU!!! this helped so incredibly much
I'd love to hear more about character arcs, and how those would be weaved into the pacing/plot you talked about previously.
Also, great videos, they're quite different from other videos of this kind that are out there.
Yes I very much look forward to making a video about character arcs... Or videos, honestly. There's so much to explore there!
Thank you so much for watching! And for your support!
Character creation has always been a bit of a difficult subject for me, but you explained it in a digestible way and broke it down into actionable steps that I'm going to be using as a template for all my characters. Thanks for the awesome content!
I'm so glad that my video was so helpful to you! I wish you the best of luck in your future character creation. And thank you so much for your support! Happy writing!
Lovely to see you back.
If this can help anyone, I usually start by defining a "core node of tension" for my characters (I approach it from the angle of the game master and live action roleplayer, so my necessity is specific, keep in mind) or, in other words, what contrast do I want them to tackle. That's *always* a question.
- How does the every man cope with being summoned to a gathering of heroes and given responsibility?
- Where does the mask end and the person begins?
- Where is the line between an act of beneficial rebellion and one of selfishness?
- What is the price of "Beware an old man in a profession that kills them young"?
And so on. Note, all of them I have actually used in real play characters xD quite fun ones to play, too!
When I know that core tension node, I then build their take on that contrast (whether they are aware of it or not), find an event or sequence of events that led them to having that take and then Yeet them into the world to interact with other characters and see what happens.
Not me leaping for joy as soon as I saw you uploaded a new video (I mean i was sitting down but i did 'whoop whoop' in my head👀)
No one can be expected to do any leaping on a Friday!
Thank you for watching! And for your support!
TQ for being an independent thinker - you are an oasis in the desert of writing coaches~~~
You’re a genius! Thank you so much for taking this mountain I’ve been facing and turning into a mole hill. The way you explain concepts comes across so simple and easy to digest!
I'm glad this could help you so much! Good luck with your writing! And thank you for watching!
Just watched your Plot video. You're a breath of fresh air from the framework tutorials. A lot of creative is about strong sense of direction and allowing options which your videos reflect really well. I'm looking forward to watching your videos. Newly Subbed❤😊
Thank you so much for your support! I'm glad my videos have been able to resonate with you. Thank you for watching!
A video about Character development and Character arcs would be incredible!
I'm very much looking forward to making multiple videos on both topics in the future, hopefully soon! Thank you for watching!
10:11 I litterally shouted a joyful "OOOOOOH" In this section, it makes so much sense. You have my thanks
I love those AHA moments so much! I'm really glad my video had helpful information for you, thank you for taking the time to tell me in a comment, it really means a lot! Thank you for watching, and for your support! Happy writing!
I’m around 5 minutes in and while I find you interesting to listen to, I do feel like it was a lot of what NOT to do and I almost clicked away. I felt a little overwhelmed, taking it in but not being able to imagine what the process might look like.
As a complete beginner, I actually haven’t come across much of what you mentioned (questionnaires, interviews, archetypes).
Just general feedback as a complete beginner so please don’t take me too seriously, I just look forward to seeing more of your valuable content. I felt your confidence and ability to explain conflicting concepts makes you stand out amongst the few videos I have seen. Thank you for sharing!
I had the same thoughts. I value the nots but that wasn’t what I wanted first when i clicked the video based on the title
Best video so far. I’ve watched it twice.
I'm glad you've found it so helpful! Thank you for your support!
I feel like I've learned more from this video about writing than I have the past 3 years of reading about writing 😂 It's because you're good!!!
This is exactly what I needed! I would love a series on all character related aspects. It is my favorite part as well.
I hope to make many videos on characters! As long as there's interest, I'll make them. It's such a rich topic!
Another knock out! I look forward to more of your videos.
1:22 please do them all! 😅
That's certainly the plan!
Thanks for watching!
i agree, please do, your video was very comprehensible and enjoyable, i would look forward to more!
I don’t know if it’s the colors or the lighting but you just look like a well done character design. I don’t really know how to put it into words but for whatever reason your appearance stood out to me in a “these colors are nice” kinda way. I think it’s a combo of the lighting and the different whites contrasting with red hair.
Dunno it’s not something I’ve ever seen before on a real person but the feeling was immediate.
I'm no writer, but coming up with stories and imaginary people makes me want to draw. It helps a lot with ideas in front of the blank page. I took a long art break, but the creative impulses have been back for a few months now. The itch to come up with a new character has been creeping up on me. So truly, this video had perfect timing and UA-cam algorithm didn't mess this one up.
Ah I so envy the ability to draw character designs! I've been trying to teach myself to draw in my free time so I can draw my own characters, just for myself. I've often heard that there's a lot of narrative and storytelling involved in planning a drawing, no matter how simple. It's wonderful to hear that my video could somehow help with that. Good luck character creating! And drawing (so envious)!
Thank you for watching!
This is the kind of video that you have to watch (and want to watch) multiple times to fully assimilate all the concepts (oh look, another C) presented. Your style is so soothing and your editing and humor make watching very enjoyable. Congrats on gaining such momentum with the channel so quickly!
(And Yes to homework opinions, and Yes to video topic polls!)
Thank you so much for your support and your kind words! I'm really glad that my video could help you. And thank you for the taking the time to provide your thoughts on the homework and polls! It really helps!
Happy writing!
This is S-tier advice. I've seen a lot of creators, and it's a rare few who stand out as exemplary like this. Really looking forward to seeing more content.
And you know what? It's for the same reasons that you've outlined. It's deep and insightful, but also tinged with the color of your own identity.
Although I'm looking forward to whatever you make next I know that that's an utterly unhelpful suggestion. I'd take anything in regards to characters, especially the relationship between characters and the self. I feel like my own identity is rather multitudinous, and as I attempt to express myself through characters I realize that there's still much that I don't understand about myself. It's a very interesting study, but not at all conducive to getting writing done.
Thank you very much for your support and your kind words! I hope to be able to continue making helpful videos.
What you've said about character and self is very interesting. I remember examining this link myself along my writing journey. At the time, as an experiment, I wrote a kind of prose poetry faux journal. The situation was fictional, the life was fictional, but the "I" writing the journal was meant to be me. And the aim was to examine myself and come to understand myself better. I, myself personally, wanted to avoid making the characters in my regular stories into too much of an examination or expression of self as I've found that this can limit my creative decision making. So I let this exercise be entirely that. I spent about two years writing this and I learned a lot about myself and about how to convey emotional identity with literary economy. It was also an excellent writing exercise as I forced myself to do at least one entry a week and focused a lot on my actual writing. I also saw my skill improve as I went along, both in terms of understanding myself -- and therefore other characters -- and in terms of my prose.
I do intend to do a lot of videos in the future on characters, but I thought this suggestion might be helpful food for thought for you. Perhaps you could give it a try, if you're so inclined. Maybe it will be as helpful for you and is it was for me.
Thank you again, and happy writing!
The material you covered was as engaging as it was thoughtful, so grateful that you shared . Sharing is caring! So Please keep Sharing. Thanks!!
Love your videos, thank you for posting. I’ve been having doubts about some of my characters and this video has helped settle those doubts. I didn’t follow character formulas, they just came alive as I was writing them. I only found out who these characters were towards the end of my novel 🤩
Thank you! It sounds like you had a good handle on it. Though it does help sometimes to hear someone else reinforce what you already know. I'm glad I could help!
Thank you for watching! Good luck with your writing!
I swear both of the videos of yours I’ve watched are more informative than college classes and hours of videos. Wow. Wow. Wow.
I'm so glad they've been that helpful! I hope I can continue making helpful videos. I certainly love the subject. Thank you for watching!
So helpful, thank you!! :) 💗
Hands down one of the best character videos I've ever seen. Very succinct, and very correct. Everything I've seen with very few exceptions peddles these cookie cutter, card board cut outs of similar character after similar character.
Great video with good practical advice.
I'm expecting to see that whole list of ideas in videos because you're one of the greatest youtubers to have tackled storytelling on this platform
This and the last video have been truly remarkable. Wonderfully explained.
I always try to write characters as real people, but I think I also see most real people as characters filling a particular narrative. It's frustrating. Your video made me feel sorta valid. Thanks. Might go start a cult now.
Happy to see you keep uploading videos, please keep it up, we're all really greatful
That was really interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed your sense of humour. Thank you.
Great content, please keep it going. Character arc for sure.
Thank You so much this makes so much more sense as a practical approach to building characters than everything else I’ve heard and read!
This is by far one of the most helpful videos I’ve seen about character creation (shoutout scrivner mentioned lol)
I am so looking forward to more character focused vids
Scrivener is pretty incredible, definitely. I'm not sure what I'd do without it. And thank you! I'm glad it could help you! I definitely plan to make more videos on characters in the future!
I’m an aspiring short film creator and the channel has been so educational and inspirational. Thank you!
Thank you for another insightful video! You're one of the few channels that I actually come away with the fee feeling I learned something and a drive to try it out, rather the than empty advice with no guidance for application.
That's wonderful to hear! I'm really glad my videos can help you, that's an incredible feeling. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Good luck with your writing, and thank you for watching!
Your videos are awesome ma'am. Thanks a lot for making such eye opening videos. Please make a detailed video on the development of characters or character arcs.
Thank you, and thank you for the support! I intend to. Characters arcs and characters in general are definitely going to be the subject of more than one video in the future. (Hopefully the near future!)
@@The-Second-Story thanks ma'am
I subscribed to your channel because of the last video - it’s was incredibly insightful for my own narrative. Can’t wait to see what this one has to offer
Thank you very much for your support! I hope there's something in it that can be helpful to you!
This video and your channel is wonderful! I am particularly fond of your editing.
I take part in a recreation of Titanic's voyage every year and creating a fully fleshed out character for it is always a struggle for me. I would love to see videos about character development, character arcs and good dialogue!
Thank you! That sounds incredible! I've never heard of such a thing, what a delightful challenge! Those topics are very important to me, as well. They are very high on my list. It's wonderful to know that others would also be interested in talking about them!
Good luck with your character creation this year, I hope it goes well! Thank you for watching!
Probably the best video I’ve seen on character creation. Awesome! 👏
I would love to see a video on character weaknesses/disabilities and how to work them into a story. Your videos are so insightful and clever. Thank you for giving examples to your points, it’s easy to get a feel for the process!
I would love to make such a video, so it's wonderful to know that there would be some interest! I will definitely add it to the list now. Thank you!
Keep these videos coming please, I've learnt so much in only two videos, thank you :)
Thank you for this comment! It means a lot to know that my videos are helping. I've got more in the works, but hopefully I can gradually get a little faster at the process, we'll see. In the meantime, thank you so much for your support!
This was so amazingly helpful, thank you so much! With both this video and the previous one, I feel like my third eye is slowly opening lol. I’ve always wondered why I found those typical plot and character formulas so frustrating and crushing. Anything I tried created with them was always so flat and dead, and it always felt like pulling teeth. I thought something was fundamentally wrong with me, like I was just never ment to create. But using the things you’ve said has really unlocked it and now I’m actually beginning to create something that works, that’s functional, and also fills me with life. Every connection I make with my characters and the story, it slowly piecing together. I’m so happy. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. It means the world to me that my videos could help bring you back to writing. I remember going through that same struggle, being unsure whether or not I "had what it takes" to be a writer. Everything that seemed to be innate knowledge to other writers eluded me completely and I could never make sense of their somewhat abstract, esoteric attempts to explain. I once heard a writing teacher say that the way you can tell if someone is a writer is that they write. If you love stories, then you can create them. Anyone can learn to do anything. I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors.
And thank you for watching!
Your videos are refreshing. I find your way of talking about story resonates with how I naturally write. Although some of the other ways as you touched on briefly are helpful in a way, they seem confining and predictable. This is the 2nd video of yours I've watched and I will def be watching more.
Another great video! A lot to think about in this one!
New to your channel and I think within the first 7 minutes you had me smiling and laughing! I especially enjoyed the sighs at character archetypes, I’m not a fan of them either.
Brilliant video and certainly cleared up my questions on character creation, thank you.
Please keep this up. I find your videos among the best I've come across. Your previous video, as well as this one, opened up a whole lot of potential and possibilities for my fantasy story. I particularly thought the advice on characters' flaws was brilliant. Once you explained that, I instantly came up with much better flaws for my main heroes. The multiple mini-arcs advice also helped a lot, and it makes the writing/story more complicated, but more manageable at the same time. Definitely more interesting too. In short, your approach/advice feels out of the box, but at the same time it makes so much sense
Thank you very much for this comment! It really does mean a lot to me to know that my videos are helping other writers.
That's one of the things I really like about the approach of mini-arcs. I feel like I can create something a little more complex but that I've got a strategy to plan it well. I'm glad the note about flaws was helpful. When I realized that myself, I found that it made defining and understanding my characters so much easier.
Thank you again for watching! Good luck with your story, and happy writing!
I just came across your videos. They are great! I’d love a video on creating natural dialogue. Thanks again from a new subscriber!
I am very much looking forward to making a video about dialogue, it's very high on my list! Thank you so much for your support!
Yes...please. Please make all those videos on that list. 🙏
That is definitely the plan! Thanks for watching!
You have a knack for making complex topics easy to digest. Also the video has great aesthetics.
Another banger! You've made 35 minutes feel like five!
Character sheets and archetypes always clashed against my artistic sensibilities. Also the bit about only reading in your genre and following industry standard. All that advice is given with good intent, but it only served to make me feel like some literary orphan if that makes sense. Unkept and ill-mannered. But how did all those archetypes and formulas come to be without experimentation? Your advice makes so much more sense. Again, thank you so much for putting it so succinctly and giving form to arbitrary concepts! This story and the one from your previous video were actually compelling enough to make me want to read them, lol.
I'll be working on that homework now! :)
I agree, I think people are genuinely trying to be helpful when they provide that advice. And in their defense, I think a lot of the big industry literary agents have to approach the job like managers of product development. But I'm like you, it made me feel very out of place. My problem was that I didn't particularly like a lot of the books in my target genre and was, in fact, writing largely because I wanted to "write the book I wanted to read" and all that. I confess I spent some time wondering if I was properly suited for this whole writing thing. Luckily I made it through that phase.
Good luck on your homework! I hope it helps. And thank you for watching!
@@The-Second-Story Yes! I'm glad you pushed through it, because even from what little I've seen, you seem very skilled at storytelling.
I love these style of videos, breaking down concepts to make a character are always great. What would be cool is if your video uploads “follow” the creation of a story and characters leading up to a finished story. They are amazing either way, and I love how eloquent you are, it makes the video thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, thank you so much.🙏
That would be such a fun series of videos, what a great suggestion! Now I want to find a way to do that... Thank you very much for this comment, and thank you for watching!
Thank you so much! I like your approach. It's more organic and so much more fun. But, can you revisit the character development topic and explain how you'd handle characters in a historical fiction scenario?
Thank you! I'm glad you found this helpful! (and fun!)
I might be misunderstanding your question, but I don't believe there is any difference in the character creation process based on genre. This simple method could be used to create a Han Dynasty warrior, a Regency England noblewoman, an alien child from the planet Neptune, an old rusty robot, or a guy living in a Midwestern farming town in 2024. The only limit is your imagination and what your story needs specifically. If you need characters that fit into an historical setting, you might need to do a little research about the time period, but ultimately the method will remain the same. I hope that helps answer your question. Thanks for watching!
Watched this one 3x, thank you! Great tips and suggestions. Love seeing the process, it helps me understand how I can apply it to my own.
Thank you! I'm glad the process was helpful, and thanks for letting me know it helped you. I'm never completely sure what will help and what won't.
Thank you for watching, and for your support!
Excellent!
Good information...good video.
Looking foward for your next videos !
Enjoyed the practical approach to the process, trying to steer folks away from the swamp of gimmicks out there. Nicely presented. I also had a look at your catalog and will be checking out more of your posts. Liked and subscribed - welcome to my recommendation list (for what that's worth)!
Thank you very much for your support. It means a great deal! And thank you for watching!
Love the practical example in the second half of the video, helps take all those ideas and advice and make them more physical.
Thank you, that's very helpful to know! Examples are very helpful to me, but I wasn't really sure about it.
Thank you for watching!
This was incredibly useful! Thank you!
Thank you for this amazing video lesson! I think I could try to write my own characters now
I'm glad it could help you! Good luck, and thank you for watching!
I really like your videos. It gives such a different perspective while looking at the same problem.
Great video!!!! Thank you! Would love to see more content related to character creation and arc. Keep up the great content.
Thank you! I very much look forward to making more videos about characters, especially character arcs. That's very high on my video list! Thank you so much for watching!
Thank you so much for the breakdown on creating interesting characters. I recently discovered your channel, and I love it. Please keep the videos coming!
I hope you post more, your mind is a goldmine
Wow, brilliant work! I love this!
Hearing you mention Mei Changsu completely caught me off-guard! It's so rare for me to see examples from media less popular over here in the west. Consider me subscribed!
I couldn't help myself, really. Nirvana In Fire is a big favorite of mine. I'm always looking for a way to work it into a conversation. There's so much incredible storytelling in China (and South Korea and Japan and...!), and I'll follow good storytelling anywhere. I hope more people come to discover the wonderful stories that are out there (starting with Nirvana In Fire, of course).
Thank you for watching, and for your support!
@@The-Second-Story It was so refreshing to see. I'm the same.
Eveyone says "read widely" and then only list off western stories as examples in their videos, it was great to see someone actually "reading" widely.
Another great video thanx a lot!
Glad you popped up in my feed. Subscribed.
Thank you very much for your support!
This was really helpful, thank you. Looking forward to seeing more videos. I really like the video idea you mentioned about character arcs, I would definitely like to see that. ❤️
I definitely plan to do a video on that. I'm very much looking forward to it actually. I love studying and planning character arcs, there's so much possibility!
Thank you for watching!
You've well earned my subscription. Thanks for making this content 🎉
Thank you very much for your support! I greatly appreciate it! (I enjoy making this content, too)
I was looking forward for your next video. Your approach is the most interesting and genuine I came across and the way you present it is of a very pleasant kind of soft.
Once again, thank you.
Not getting escorted by security 😭🤣 I just found your channel! 😊 this is the first time I heard about this process. Thank you!!
For me, I often just have various inspirations for each character from historical, mythological and fictional sources. Many don't end up being close to their inspirations which makes me happy to not rip things off and sad when I'm not pulling it off half as well. I run a massive text based campaign though instead of a story I can go back and revise so I have to keep track of several hundred characters and multiple nations at this point. Many end up being simplified until the camera is on them so to speak.
Thanks for the advice about creativity, I needed it since I always try to come up with a fully new idea that’s never been done before, great video, you look amazing btw
Same I love the art of story telling.
Nice to see you added chapters. Much appreciated.
As to character creation, I disagree. It is not up to the author. First, you can either create the character first and then shape the plot around the character, or vice versa. The reality is that likely they will merge during editing. What do I mean? Taking the latter option. First, you imagine a premise: character A does not want to do action x (character and not protagonist because this may be true of every character in your story). Why? What sort of person does not want to/ is unable to do that action? First character trait. Now, how can you make that action even more objectionable for character A? This is perhaps an escalation. What second trait would make this even more objectionable? And so on. It is the story that trumps everything. If it advances the story, keep it. If it does not, change or drop it. Want to give the character a quirk? Fine. But that quirk should add to the story. For example, in a love story, the woman loves daisies. The real reason, they remind her of her childhood and she would love to relive it vicariously. That reason does not need to be pushed at the reader; it can be alluded to much further in the story and the reader has to connect the dots. For example, 'That daisy looks just like one I had as a little girl. See, it's missing a petal.' (Is the woman herself missing a petal?) In another place, she can wonder whether her daughter will love daisies. You don't need to have her fantasize about leading the daughter to fields of daisies so she can watch the girl run through them.
Just found your channel today. You've been an awesome help! I'd love to hear your thoughts on character development.
I have a video on character development in the works! I hope it can be helpful too. Thank you for watching!
Would love the home work idea, I’m not a writer by any means, and I’m writing my story so the land I created isn’t just a map on a page, but an actual place to be explored. So the 2 videos I’ve watched so far have been extremely helpful!
My hope is that my videos can be helpful for storytellers of all kinds. It sounds like you're a worldbuilder. I love worldbuilding! Creating maps and building histories and mythologies around those places... Thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughts about homework. I'm actively researching the best way to do that and hopefully will have a system set up soon. Thank you for your support and for watching! Happy writing (and worldbuilding)!
Your content is very useful and direct, iˋm writing a comic and this is helping me a lot! You have a new suscriber!
Please keep going, your videos are so profound and in depth thanks so much for your efforts!
Thank you for your support and your kind words! I'm always in the process of making the next video. Though the editing, etc. does take me a little time. Thank you for watching!
Such a lovely surprise, to wake up to one of your videos! And, I'd really love you to talk about weaknesses. I'm particularly stuck on that with my current WIP.
Thank you for mentioning that! I'd really enjoy making a video about weaknesses, I hoped it would be of interest so I'd have an excuse.
Thank you for watching, and for your support!
Nice to meet you! Love this video. Great way to explain character creation. I'm prepping for NaNo, and I'm a pantser... but I am putting effort into creating better characters, so finding this video is great timing.
Thank you! Nice to meet you, too. I wish you luck in your November writing efforts! And I'm glad that my video could help you with your characters. Good luck and happy writing!
This was extremely helpful
Next video votes: (Yes, I checked the list)
1. Character arcs
2. Using character development as plot development
3. The truth about creating conflict and tension
And of course, thanks for the video. :3
Thank you very much for taking the time to give me your votes! Number 1 is definitely one of the top on my list. Numbers 2 and 3 are videos I'm really looking forward to making but I wasn't sure if, when I did, anyone would be interested. So thank you for answering that question!
And thank you for your support, and for watching!
Again, I am so happy I came across your channel ( I say again because I saw your previous video an hour ago hahaha). I really feel the way you are approaching these subjects feels compatible and helpful and natural to me and the way I would like to go about doing things, or how I even instinctively started approaching them in my amateur, hatching pre-beginner ways.
Also, strange things happening out in the forest.. I was immediately hooked 😅😅
Yes please show us about character development
Conflict humor empathy and compelling back story
I couldn't agree more with the point of archetypes and character sheets