Okay, SO.
I am going to release a story in a few days, I’m basically just waiting on my overlays and backgrounds to get approved. This is the first story I am ever actually publishing, and I’ve been reading a lot on the forums about pet peeves of readers. I started questioning my story a little bit because I saw that a lot of people don’t like bland MCs, or they don’t like MCs with no personality.
I planned to develop my character slowly, starting with the people around her describing her first. On episode 4, more about her backstory will be revealed.
Is this a bad way to go about it? A short premise of the story would be her basically going to a brand new music store and meeting the cranky cashier, who hates working there because it doesn’t appeal to his passion for music. MC is also a music enthusiast, and they click after discovering they have the same favorite band (the reader gets to type in the band they both like). Do you catch my drift? There is not much personality to build off of that yet, but the LI is immediately drawn to her because she is a music enthusiast like him.
How can I make this better so she does not seem so bland? She is a little bit sassy to him back, matches his sarcasm, but the reader won’t learn much about her until the second episode, where they go on this lovely date, and in the fourth when her backstory is shown,
This is a bit of rambling, I’m just a tad bit self-conscious now.
Thank you
I was just worried because I also hate when MCs don’t have much of a character. However, I was intending for the MC to be slightly on the mysterious side because of her past, but it is never blatantly mentioned, but sort of is, you know?
Like for example, her best friend is happy she is finally talking to someone new (that being the moody music store worker) because she hasn’t seen her happy ever since her last relationship. MC gets a little distraught, and later on, the best friend tells the LI that she likes him and agrees to help him with something because she hasn’t seen MC happy since she left an abusive ex of hers.
LI and the reader would finally learn about this mysterious “he who shall not be named” guy in episode 4. Idk if that’s just too long to keep it a secret? :[
I understand that. Make sure that the character has some sort of personality that the readers can see through their dialogue and scenes. I don’t think having characters describe the MC is a good idea. There are better ways to present that information. Episode is a visual app, so show more; do not tell everything. Having the MC’s friend say “She’s a great person who is very caring” is sort of dull. Instead of that, you can have a scene showing that the MC is compassionate.
Characters need a lot of layers, just like onions like Shrek said. Make sure that most of their actions match their personality (unless something major happened, or they’re developing/changing). Make sure you know as much as you can about your character–everything from their favorite dessert to the person they admire the most to what kind of house they want to live in.
Good luck with your story! And congrats, too! Publishing your first story is always exciting.
Different stories attract different readers. At the end of the day, this is your story and you can take it in what ever direction you like. Realistically, not everyone might like it but there always will be people that it may appeal to. Personally I like the idea of slowly developing your character and getting thought about her for the people around her.
Personally, I don’t like stories that rush everything, and I actually prefer stories that have the MC grow and evolve throughout the story. The only thing I would suggest is that when you are developing her character, make her have flaws. I see so many stories with a “perfect” MC that has no depth and the personality of a doorknob. I would just try to be mindful and try to make her realistic so the readers feel a connection of some sort to the MC
Hope that helped!
also lmk when you publish since I would love to give it a read!
If you have lots of dialogue describing the character’s personality, change some of it into dialogue so most of her personality can be shown through her actions…just a thought. Because tbh if there’s a huge chunk of descriptions saying this person’s this, this one’s that, I’ll just skip it.
And some of them don’t like romance, let’s say–but it’s fine bcs everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. So don’t feel too worried.
Hey! I’m also waiting to publish my story because my covers haven’t been approved.
When ours are published do you want to read others and we can tell one another what we think and how we can improve in future chapters? I need a buddy in the community!
Moved to Share Feedback since this is about your story. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions.
Hmm I would do something like she gets affected by certain sounds and stuff specifically since the guy works at a music store maybe a song comes on and maybe triggers a memory good or bad… you see what im saying ?xoxo
Make sure that most of their actions match their personality (unless something major happened, or they’re developing/changing). Make sure you know as much as you can about your character–everything from their favorite dessert to the person they admire the most to what kind of house they want to live in.
