Questions About Story Planning

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Man, I feel like I haven’t created a thread in FOREVER. But now I’m back, and I got some episode-related questions about story planning! So, I wanna know…

My Questions

  1. How do YOU plan YOUR story? You write it all down and start writing down what you planned in the first (or whatever) chapter? Do you write your ideas down as you write your first chapter?

  2. What inspires the look of your characters (physical, mental, emotional, and social)?

  3. How many characters do you usually plan to develop and/or fall in your story?

  4. How many MCs and side characters do you have in your story? Is it important to develop all of them?

  5. Do you struggle with narration and/or character dialogue? If so, which one? (For me, I struggle with the wording of narration when ot comes to describing a certain situation.)

  6. How do you end up finding the perfect setting in which your characters live, travel, and leave? (For example, my characters live in LA, but they will soon be moving to Florida.)

  7. Which one do you prefer to call your character traits?

Option 1
Positive personality traits: Clever, Skilled, and Humble
Negative personality traits: Whiny, Impatient, Unfaithful

or…

Option 2
Pros (I couldn’t think of another word): Social, Independent, and Quiet
Flaws: Idiotic, Stubborn, and Cold

  1. Besides personality, what are some other complex (or little) traits should I think about when planning out my characters?

  2. Do you prefer when a character’s looks are described through narration or character dialogue? Why?

  3. How hard is it writing about a foreign character? How much research should you do? When is it necessary to add such information to the story (for example, she celebrates the Three Kings Day in Mexico)?

And that’s it! I know that those were a lot of questions, but I’m in great need of knowing your answers just to determine whether I should write a story or not. I know the writing process is hard, but I wanna know how hard the writing process is for you with these questions. And if you wanna add some infor on story planning, feel free to do so! :blush:

Tags: @Emily2008 @_Shi_Shi @KylieJay @Farah_DeSantis @GRH @Night_mare

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  1. How do YOU plan YOUR story? You write it all down and start writing down what you planned in the first (or whatever) chapter? Do you write your ideas down as you write your first chapter?

I start creating dialogues in my mind and then write it down in a book.

  1. What inspires the look of your characters (physical, mental, emotional, and social)?

Everything mentioned above but most importantly I focus on emotions.

  1. How many characters do you usually plan to develop and/or fall in your story?

Two for now but I might increase the number.

  1. How many MCs and side characters do you have in your story? Is it important to develop all of them?

I have 1 MC and I develop each and every character in my story.

  1. Do you struggle with narration and/or character dialogue? If so, which one? (For me, I struggle with the wording of narration when ot comes to describing a certain situation.)

I used to struggle a lot but now it’s kind of better.

  1. How do you end up finding the perfect setting in which your characters live, travel, and leave? (For example, my characters live in LA, but they will soon be moving to Florida.)

My character lives in NYC and will stay there till the end. But I have more story ideas so I will surely showing travelling, etc. in my other stories.

  1. Which one do you prefer to call your character traits?

Option 1
Positive personality traits: Clever, Skilled, and Humble
Negative personality traits: Whiny, Impatient, Unfaithful

or…

Option 2
Pros (I couldn’t think of another word): Social, Independent, and Quiet
Flaws: Idiotic, Stubborn, and Cold

A mix of both

  1. Besides personality, what are some other complex (or little) traits should I think about when planning out my characters?

Strong, defending.

  1. Do you prefer when a character’s looks are described through narration or character dialogue? Why?

Yeah because that is the reason the author created the character. But it’s not always the same reason.

  1. How hard is it writing about a foreign character? How much research should you do? When is it necessary to add such information to the story (for example, she celebrates the Three Kings Day in Mexico)?

I do a lot of research to ensure that I won’t show wrong things in ny story. Whenever you show a scene related to it you should add all the necessary information.

I know this isn’t much because I am still new to these things hahaha.

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  1. How do YOU plan YOUR story? You write it all down and start writing down what you planned in the first (or whatever) chapter? Do you write your ideas down as you write your first chapter?

-I personally find it easier for me to pre-write my story chapters down in a notebook so i can
reread it and see how it sounds in my head first

  1. What inspires the look of your characters (physical, mental, emotional, and social)?

-My looks of my characters are either inspired by things i havent seen used much or combined traits from me and my closest family or just things i love to see like freckles for example. Also i base my characters off of what their race is and then i do research on proper eye colors etc…

My Mc

Episode Character Cards
Episode Character Cards640×1136 126 KB

  1. How many characters do you usually plan to develop and/or fall in your story?
  • I plan for my Mc’s family and my Li’s family first then i start working off of my story line.
  1. How many MCs and side characters do you have in your story? Is it important to develop all of them?

-I have 1 Mc, 1Li, and 3 side characters related to the Mc that will have a side story and 4 characters related to the Li that will have a side story

  1. Do you struggle with narration and/or character dialogue? If so, which one? (For me, I struggle with the wording of narration when ot comes to describing a certain situation.)

-Mine is also the wording of it

  1. How do you end up finding the perfect setting in which your characters live, travel, and leave? (For example, my characters live in LA, but they will soon be moving to Florida.)

-My story will be based in Chicago. I love Chicago thats were i got the idea from and later on in the story my Mc and Li will travel to New Orleans because I always wanted to visit

  1. Which one do you prefer to call your character traits?

I use option 1 when describing my traits for my characters

Option 1
Positive personality traits: Clever, Skilled, and Humble
Negative personality traits: Whiny, Impatient, Unfaithful

or…

Option 2
Pros (I couldn’t think of another word): Social, Independent, and Quiet
Flaws: Idiotic, Stubborn, and Cold

  1. Besides personality, what are some other complex (or little) traits should I think about when planning out my characters?

-food they like,things they do that only people who either pay attention or truly know them would know about like biting your lower lip when in deep thought

  1. Do you prefer when a character’s looks are described through narration or character dialogue? Why?

yes because there are reason we make characters look a certain way and the readers need to know

  1. How hard is it writing about a foreign character? How much research should you do? When is it necessary to add such information to the story (for example, she celebrates the Three Kings Day in Mexico)?
  • its kinda hard but i do research and ask around the forums for help
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Okay! Long post here I come :smiling_imp: (I’ll just be answering with a numbered answer)

Answers

  1. Personally, I plan my story by writing it out as a novel in a google doc. It’s tedious, but I’ve found that it creates for a logical and well put together plot. If I’m struggling with certain chapters, sometimes I’ll simply just write a bulleted list that gives general goals for what I want to happen in the chapter. That way, there’s always a mini-subplot for every chapter.

  2. All of my characters are based upon people I know in real life. While I may mix and match personalities to appearances occasionally, a good 95% of all characters I write are either friends, family, or people I’m well acquainted with. I do, however, make sure I ask their permission before I write anything just to make sure they’re OK with it.

  3. I usually plan to fully develop the main character, and all of the supporting characters. In the case of the story “The Florist,” I plan to develop 8 characters altogether. I feel like this allows for proper and good representation (which is extremely important to me). Each character has their own arc… and while some may be more apparent than others, each character is unique, has a purpose, and will morph and change into a better version of who they were.

  4. I usually only have one main character and about 7 supporting characters in the form of love interests, friends, enemies, and family. I firmly believe it is important to develop all of them because, as previously stated, it allows for good representation. It also gives the reader multiple chances to connect with the story and to engage them. A variety of well developed characters creates a more personable story and give purpose to every single scene and every last piece of dialogue. This usually allows for a really explosive ending!

  5. I struggle more with narration, honestly. Dialogue comes naturally as I usually speak out each scene with my girlfriend to give a more natural flow. While I’m great with descriptions… narration can be tricky because I never know what is too much and whether or not the narration even fits.

  6. Finding where the characters live and travel to is tricky, but I find that it’s best to find a place that you have already visited or have done some pretty deep research on. For me, I’ve done lots of traveling and have extensive knowledge on Eastern and Central Europe, Latin Countries, and U.S.A. Pick a place where you know the colloquialisms and different aspects of day-to-day life. It provides a more realistic experience and can really indulge the reader.

  7. I tend to use pros and flaws. Nothing is truly negative about any character. Everyone can improve, mature, and move past their flaws. Using pros and flaws allows for more flexible character development IMO. One of my characters really is a jerk, but there is so much more to him than just that. He is deeply hurt but has also shown signs of compassion. So while he is compassion, his flaw is that he is easily hurt. He can improve and learn to express that he’s hurt without anger and ruining the relationships around him. I feel like if I made that a negative trait, I’d be placing him in a box and not allowing him to improve later on.

  8. Besides personality, I’d really focus on the character’s back story. What was their childhood like? What kind of people are they drawn to? What is their self image and why is it like that? What are their mannerisms? How do they treat the people around them? etc.

  9. I honestly prefer when a characters looks are described very little through character dialogue. Narration can quickly get cringey and become too much. While it’s great to have aesthetically pleasing characters, long narration about their appearance reduces them to “something pretty to look at.” It gives me very little information about who the character is and their role in the story. IDK, I’m just picky on that part. Usually when an author gives a long introductive narration describing what the character looks like, I exit out. I already know what they look like… now tell who they are and why they’re here.

  10. Writing foreign characters can be extremely difficult at times. To write them, you should honestly do extensive research. Misrepresenting a foreign culture can be very insulting and very damaging. Reach out to people who are a part of that culture and ask for advice. It’s usually good to include different aspects of what that character does to celebrate their culture. It adds to their development and really personalizes them. While that information is never truly necessary, it would be a good thing to add in order to avoid forced diversity and 2D characters.

I really hope this helps you in some way!!

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The writing process for me varies completely, depending on the story itself, and where I’m at mentally.

Sometimes, and this is rarely, the story just flows From The Void, on to the page as if I was taking dictation. This is one end of the spectrum, and usually it’s when I have the characters firmly in my mind, and I just “follow them around and write down what they do and say”.

At the other end is the Brick And Mortar story, which can be excruciating. You plan everything out, outline the story, break it down to beat sheets (each scene or moment outlined), and have copious notes on each character, their likes, dislikes, desires, and how they think or feel about the other characters. Then, brick by brick, scene by scene, you write the story. It’s the slowest and least fun of the ways, but it is a way. For many writers it’s the only way.

In the middle is where I usually am, although I’ve been at both ends a few times. Often I’ll have an opening CLEAR in my mind, and I have to start writing it, but then I get lost or bored or stuck on choices and it peters out and stalls. Most of the time I try to fake myself out, muscle through these blocks by just putting down scenes, one at a time. Write ANYTHING to keep going. A first draft is just that, a draft. The real writing is in the editing, and rewriting.
My current work in progress is like that. I have a vague idea of where I’m going, and I put together scenes, and then I change my mind and revise the earlier stuff later. The point is to keep going.

Ian Fleming (007 author) wrote a great piece you can probably find online called “How to Write a Thriller”, and the thing that stuck is, (paraphrasing), “each day start with the last sentence you wrote the day before, then continue from there,” basically put one foot in front of the other and keep writing. Details, errors, those can be fixed in editing, but if you keep revising or overthinking your first draft, you’ll never reach The End.
Stephen King said, again I’m paraphrasing, “Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft,” It doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. But once that draft is done, put it on The Shelf for a while and rest, work on something else, and come back to it fresh before you start working on your second draft.

Now on to the specifics:

What inspires the look of your characters (physical, mental, emotional, and social)?

I usually steal from my friends. Seriously, observe the people around you, their mannerisms, tags of speech, everything. My wife once told me that every female character I write has an element of her in them. It’s like artists painting their lovers; They’re right there with you, “Stand still for a bit darling, one arm up like this…perfect!”

How many characters do you usually plan to develop and/or fall in your story?

As I loathe slogging through stories with dozens or hundreds of characters I try to keep it simple. 1-3 I find ideal. Maybe 5 or 7 at most. If you asked a reader, “Who is the main character?” what would they say? Who’s going on a journey? Who will be changed by that journey?

Do you struggle with narration and/or character dialogue? If so, which one? (For me, I struggle with the wording of narration when ot comes to describing a certain situation.)

Nope. For me, that’s the easiest part.

How do you end up finding the perfect setting in which your characters live, travel, and leave? (For example, my characters live in LA, but they will soon be moving to Florida.)

I usually either write what I know (look around, sounds good, proceed) or world build to the point where nobody can say, “Oh that’s not how it is in real life,” because the rules and details are all mine. AND THERE MUST BE RULES. I wrote a fantasy script and had to sit down and reverse engineer the Rules Of Magic from all my scenes. (Is a focus item required? Incantation? Must it be said aloud? Is there a possible antidote? Can ANYONE do it or do you need a Gift or special training? What powers the magic? Where does it come from? etc etc). Whatever kind of world you’re building, make sure it’s internally consistent.

Complicated. Ask someone. Research. Be respectful. Don’t cheat.

Always tell the truth, even when you’re lying (writing).

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  1. Most authors plan - I am the more rare type I don’t plan at all - it stresses me and I immediately have felt like I have no idea how to get from point A to point B … so I am the one who just writes as it comes scene by scene - seems it works since I have good feedback on the story and the plot - even I myself don’t know why it is possible that at the end it all makes sense. :slight_smile:

  2. Again it all comes from the inside intuitive source - If there was the inspiration it happened unconsciously - I simply kinda know how my characters look and what personality they have.

  3. I tend to develop much more characters than is usual in episode stories I make side stories for most of the important side characters I partly use it to make them more 3D and party to hand over to reader information and to develop the plot itself - but I know most authors do not do it so deeply as I do, usually, the side characters do not have much of a side story in the episode stories.

  4. in my first story there is MC an LI and MC.s best friend as the most important characters and then around 10 important side characters which some of them have even side story and flashbacks and all are developed to have a unique personality. In my second story, I have 7 main characters And I assume I will develop about the same amount of important side characters as they will appear in the story.

  5. I struggle a bit because of English - my descriptions are a bit simple I am not able to create beautifully structured sentences - therefore I avoid long descriptions I use narrations mostly for inner thoughts and feelings of the characters

  6. again this in my case is kinda intuitive -lol I as it seems I do not think much about how and why…I just kina let the intuitive part to do its job. :D. I usually see the scenes in my head - like I have idea for new story and I see big woods areac rather cold weather mountains big lake - all kinda screams CANADA - so I know this story will happen there. Sometimes I have big problem with this - in my story CAVEMAN I have underground world I have exact vision of how it should look like .- but I havet found background like this and also episoce clothes do not look like what I see in my head and I am forced therefore to adapt to what is acessible - and I hate to do it because my iner vision of the scenes is absolutly clear :smiley: :smiley: On the other hands background I find sometimes inspire me …like I needed boy bedroom - the one I got had TV there so I got idea to make boy gaming scene there when I have implemented the background in my story… Or my MC bedroom was a lot pink and it ended up that I made lovink pink an important part of MC personality which then ocured in funny and also in some dramatic moment as a key point.

  7. I basically want my characters to be real so they have good and bad sides as real people. My MC is kind but too shy and it’s hard for her to stand for herself yet she is forced to save the world - so she has to overcome her shyness. Main LI is a bit arrogant and self-centered but in core good guy who just has to mature a bit… the main friend is good boy who was manipulated by his family and was used to live as it was told him and obey and he has to leave all behind and find what is good and what is bad for himself and stand to his decisions.

  8. Character should develop he or she should grow - so make him face situations that are out of his comfort zone and through dealing with them he can grow as a person - it doesn’t have to be drastic but at last some development of the character is really important.

  9. I hate if narration describes what is obvious. I mean you do not need to tell me he has blue eyes and black hair… but I like if not so clear features are described and also the feeling or impression MC has from his look … do his eyes look ice-cold? Does he make an impression he is a sweet person? But in general, I prefer to find out through dialogues and were sparingly used narrations.

  10. it depends on how much that he is forriner plays role in the story itself - if it play a big role and you will have some flashbacks and will show some traditions etc then you need to know deeply what you are talking about. But not always being from a different country necessarily makes it an important part in the story - if it is culturally similar to the one you know then you do not need much research if it is, however, the county with a lot of different cultures - then be sure you do not display it incorrectly.

My MC best female friend is Hispanic but this fact doesn’t play role in the plot and it’s not even said she is Hispanic in the story … you just can guess because of her name and because her mom always offers MC some Mexican food.

LOL I just realized all my characters are foreingners - since I am Czech and my story happens in USA. :slight_smile: But in core it is similar “western” culture so I know (from films - never really bin there) that I have similar mindest and life style so I just made some research about the L.A. when I moved my MC there.

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  1. I think about the plot, plan out the first episode, make a few characters, plan out what’ll probably happen in the last episode, and then start writing the first episode. I find that it’s stressful to write ideas down, so most of my ideas are just thought out in my head, never on paper. Later, I give each the most important characters a backstory.

  2. I think about the problems in our world, and what sort of disabilities to add to a few of the characters. I give the MC and/or LI a weakness and a strength.

  3. I never plan out how many characters; I just make them when I need them.

  4. One MC, One LI, and waaaaaaay too many side characters. I only develop the most important side characters, ones who are essential to the plot.

  5. I do struggle… with everything. But I kind of enjoy this kind of struggle. When it comes to dialogue, I’m a bit of a perfectionist… meaning I’ll try again and again and again until the words are absolutely perfect.

  6. I don’t care much about setting. My story is in the modern era, to make it easier to direct, but as for a place I couldn’t care less. My preference is that it takes place in the United States, however… but that’s just a preference.

  7. MC:
    Strengths- Humble, Clever, Independent, Thoughtful, Caring
    Weaknesses/Neutral- Stubborn, Quiet, Shy, Impatient

  8. Disabilities, Illnesses, Struggles (for example, my MC has had depression and anxiety ever since her mother passed away)

  9. No, because many readers don’t get to experience the feeling that they’re actually in the story.

  10. I’ve never written about a foreign character before, so I have no idea.

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Answers :)

  1. i plan out my whole story before I actually start writing. i make sure to plan their backstories and how to incorporate it into whats actually going on in the story. and planning makes the story go smoother.

  2. i pick a song that suits them & inspires their look and aesthetic. for instance my character in a story I’m writing called Anastajïa Mizuki her song is Reflections by Toshifumi Hinata. And through that, I was able to get her aesthetic and personality.

  3. normally I develop all the characters that the story is about.

  4. in the story I’m writing called The Butterfly Effect i have 4 main characters and yes because they’re growing and learning from mistakes that could potentially kill them.

  5. nah it comes so easily :rofl:

  6. Idk it all just comes to me when I’m doing something random and i go with the flow

  7. option 1, icl i feel like option 2 is overused :confused:

  8. i have a whole list :
    -birthday
    -fave colour
    -height
    -aesthetic
    -sexuality
    -pet peeves
    -things they love
    -fears
    -their university majors
    -any mental health problems / physical problems

  9. sometimes. if the author isn’t doing it properly it bores me

  10. i do all the research i can because i don’t want to offend everyone. bro I’ll even learn the language. one of my MC’s are Japanese and I’m out here learning about Japanese culture just so that i can get it right :weary: When adding info like this don’t force it on the reader just add it in smoothly

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  1. Personally I like to write down everything that I know first. Sometimes it’s world-building stuff, sometimes it’s about the characters, and sometimes it’s actual plot. Then I fill in anything I need as I’m writing, like if I haven’t written down a basic structure for the first episode, I try to come up with something. Lastly, I try to keep track of anything important that I want to use later like plot-twists or even gains for choices.

  2. For me it’s kind of just a vibe, lol.

  3. Usually I have 4 to 6 characters that I think should be well fleshed out, but it depends on your story’s capacity for that. No sense in adding unnecessary characters, in my opinion.

  4. I think any character that shows up with some frequency should have at least some basic development (i.e. a modivation, a loved one, a personality, or a back story). In terms of numbers, my current story has maybe four main characters and another four side characters I plan on really developing.

  5. I definitely struggle with narration, so I tend to focus more on dialogue.

  6. My stories all take place in fantasy settings so I’m not super qualified to address that, lol

  7. No preference, I don’t really write out my character traits (but that’s a good idea, maybe I should start)

  8. Relationships, goals, and modivations are the big ones, in my opinion. A character should be a person, so even if you don’t mention all those things, it should be clear that they relate to the world beyond th scope of your story.

  9. Neither, in episode I can see a character, so I don’t really care if/ how they’re described.

  10. I don’t really write foreign characters (fantasy), but I think if you’re trying to flesh someone out culturally it might help to think about how you put information in about domestic characters, for example, if you have a domestic character celebrating a holiday and they mention that, it would track that a foreign character might do the same.

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When an idea comes to me, I jot the general idea in my notes and then slowly build upon it. If I continue to come back to it and keep adding more ideas and there doesn’t appear to be any holes in the plot, I strongly consider turning it into a story. At which point I will then make general outlines for each episode (I only plan a couple episodes out, because my ideas change so much as I’m writing. I do my best in this area).

The type of story I’m writing, mostly. I’m very imaginative so usually I can just close my eyes and imagine how they are, look wise. I also try to think of how their past has affected them to determine their appearance and traits.

I don’t usually plan this, I just do it if it feels right or I KNOW from the start that a particular person has a purpose. But you should make sure that each person you want to add, develop and focus on has a real purpose.

Example

In one of my stories, I didn’t plan on one man to appear and have a significant impact on the entirety of the story. When I did introduce him, I built his role as I worked on each episode, to where he became a completely changed and developed person by the end. It turned out so much better than I imagined because he was like a spur of the moment role. Sometimes spur of the moment ideas are the best ideas :blush:

This is a hard question. To me, it just depends on your story and how all you want involved. But don’t add more characters than you can work with. One of my stories has 2 main characters and a couple dozen side characters. In my revamped version of the story, I’m trying to work on bettering their personalities and development, but it is very overwhelming having so many people to work with, ya know lol
As for developing them all, I think you just need to take their role, if they affect the ending and how often they’re present into consideration.

I try to strictly follow the “show, don’t tell” motto. I’m not very good at writing elaborately in the first place, so I avoid narrator dialogue at all costs. I stick to mostly dialogue between characters, and a very visual story telling experience (lots of animations, tons of overlays, custom poses etc).

Lol I just pick backgrounds I like and that make sense. I don’t usually reference real places and avoid any serious traveling.

Pros and flaws. I usually tend to have more flawed MC’s so I can show their development over the course of the story.

Their backstory. You’re essentially creating a new person, how old are they? Where did they come from? Their favorite color? Etc. You don’t need to spew all this information the second the reader meets them, rather it can slowly be shared sporadically and at the right times in conversation.

Uhmm maybe a little mix of both? I get annoyed when it’s narrator bubble after narrator bubble talking about a character. Mixing the description in with dialogue helps paint the picture of their looks, and then you can spread that information out instead of dumping it all into 5 straight minutes of character description :sweat_smile::smiling_face_with_tear:

I avoid writing about things that I would have to do extensive research on. I like to write purely for fun and typically my ideas don’t include anything I’d really need to do research on anyways.
I do think , however, that if you plan on using characters form other cultures and holidays from other cultures, that it should be researched and have a thorough understanding before using it. This also applies to using foreign language slang, pet names and special clothing/accessories. If you’re unsure, ask! I also think when making foreign characters that you should make sure they’re represented physically as accurately as possible, unless there’s a reason for why they appear the way they do.

Example

In one of my stories, I created her and her family to be Native American/African American. She has features from both sides of the family represented as accurately as I could. She also has blue eyes, which is explained in the story through dialogue with her mom that she got that rare gene from her European grandmother (moms mom) which strengthened their bond since mom loved grandmother very much but she passed early on. I made sure to explain this because lots of people like to create dark skinned characters and give them “white” features such as blue eyes, small noses and small lips with no explanation. My stories been published for a few years now and I’ve never gotten any comments on her look so I’m assuming my explanation is satisfying, makes sense and no one feels offended by it.

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Thank you guys so much for your answers! In my opinion, I found @dishsoap and @KylieJay 's answers to be the most helpful and specific, but I’ll think about all of your answers and see if I still want to write an Episode story or not.

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I’m glad I was able and to help and older some insight, and good luck if you follow through with your story! :heart:

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Idk if I’m too late (or even if that’s a thing), but I’m still gonna share my input

  1. One of the biggest things that helps me is Novel Factory (How to write a novel step by step | Free guide to writing a novel) and I plan my story in this order
  • Premise
  • Story Skeleton
  • Inciting Incident
  • Ending
  • Characters
  • Episode as I code them (plan episode one, code episode two, plan episode two, code episode two, etc)
  1. One thing I always keep in mind while planning my characters is that I need all of them to have a flaw as well as a pro. No character is all good or all bad. I kinda have a folder full of character designs so I pick the one that best suits the character’s look and goes off that. Sometimes I even do some research on something that my character could be into so it’s easier to write info down. I answer all of the following questions
  • Gender, age, profession, physical appearance, family, scars, health, education, archetype, ulterior motive, external/internal motivation, positive/negative traits, quirks/mannerisms, fears/phobias, seen by others, favorite animal/song/food, eating habits

  1. I go through and fill out my “eight hero’s journey archetypes” (Character Archetypes for Novel Writing) and see who I should fully plan out (it normally is only characters in this plan, but sometimes I go through my skeleton just in case)

  2. I always fully plan out my mc and li, no matter what. If I ever leave out a section ill go back and have to fill it out. After them sometimes I leave out some info, but I always try to fill everything out so that way I can always make another scene (conflict, romance, etc) if needed.

  3. From what I’ve learned, it is always easier to use dialogue instead of narration. I always prefer using animations and dialogue to convey something.

  4. I hate to say it, but my go-to setting in Beaufort, South Carolina, but I always at how many characters in my story are wealthy. For example, in my current story that I’m writing, my MC Hazel lives on the streets, but her brother and her LI Henry (the two other important characters) live very wealthily, so I picked my setting in Beaufort since its a more wealthy area.

  5. I’ll share what I wrote for my MC Hazel in my story

  • Positive Traits: Adaptable, independent, mature, responsible
  • Negative Traits: Cold, dishonest, miserable, selfish

  1. Always plan the ulterior, external, and internal motives. It’s easier to plan their actions based on that. For example, one of my character’s ulterior motivations is money, so she might do what’s in the rulebook (and not morally correct) because she knows she’ll make more money. I also plan out a quirk ab them (They like stargazing, secretly plays video games and is really good, always makes time for people, would wear comfy clothes 27/4 if they could, etc) and a fear/phobia (I look up what the phobia is of their fear and write that down). And, for grins and giggles, I write their favorite animal, food, and song, as well as their eating habits.

  2. I really don’t focus much on that, I would just write how their attitude is. Here, I’ll make a sample narration of the li Henry to mc Hazel (remember, Hazel has been living on the streets for 4 years and Henry is a boss as a well-known company)
    Even though she had been living on the streets, she still cleaned herself up even more than I could sometimes. I remember her posture. She would be a good debater. She looked like someone I couldn’t mess with. And her gaze. I’ll never forget how strongly her hazel eyes stared into me, like as if she was staring into my soul.
    I tend to focus on her approach, and I LOVE using similes and metaphors to help with the mood

  3. I (so far) haven’t written any foreign characters, but if I had to (and they were one of the MC) I would put lots of googling into answering the questions. That way, not only is the information I’m putting down correct, but I might get away with having to do as much!

I hope some of these questions help you, or anyone else scrolling through here looking for tips! Have a great day!