Post by Scotty 'Silver Bullet' Adams on May 7, 2022 17:13:01 GMT
Hey. I'm Scotty, been doing this shit off and on for 14 years now and made a decent enough career outta it. I'm not here though to talk about myself.
No.
Rather, I am here to help people with some little tips and tricks when it comes to adding depth and fleshing out your character in your rps.
Or as I like to call it, being the character rather than just writing as the character.
What do I mean by this? Well, first of all - you need a foundational knowledge of what you desire your character to be; at least a basic sense of direction on where you want to take the character story-wise.
Whether that be an outline you have jotted down or put in your biography, or a deep; somewhat convoluted backstory that you keep in folders or even have memorised, it is important that you understand your own character's origin story and how they came to be.
Are they a 2nd or 3rd generation wrestler? Were they born into money and therefore have a silver spoon in their mouth? Are they from the streets and looking to rise up? These are simple character outlines one can use in order to build a foundation for their character. You don't have to figure out the alignment at this point (that part will come later).
For now, though, let's move onto the next part of foundational character building which is - character conflict. This is something that *all* good storytelling has. It's one of the key components of building a character; making them worth investing in. From both a writer's and a reader's perspective.
This doesn't have to be external conflict; sometimes, it's actually more effective as a tool if it isn't. Even within the confines of wrestling. Internal conflict is just as effective at generating interest and investment if it is written well and showcases just how the character is fighting the demons within.
It could be a traumatic event like a family member or other loved one passing away or something as simple as a wrestler questioning whether this is the right path of them.
Using myself as an example - Scotty fights an internal demon or 'persona' inside of his head called 'Zion'. Occasionally, I will use that in an RP and showcase the conflict he has in repressing Zion, who just wants to watch everything burn.
Those sorts of layers help to humanise the character and make us want to read more and acquire a further understanding of them, as well as allowing you to attain an understanding of what the strengths and weaknesses from a design and psychological standpoint your character has.
The third element of fleshing out and developing your character is - how does your character interact with the world/other people. This can be conveyed in an external manner, via the usage of NPCs (I have a ton of these I use when required) or with the environment you elect to set your RP within OR this can be done internally, much as I talked about in the previous section on character conflict.
This is also the part where you will begin to see the image of your character ' come to life' so to speak; begin to at least fundamentally understand which alignment best suits your character; how your interactions with others and even internally play a role within that scope.
EG: Family members, girlfriends/boyfriends, children, butlers or other servants (if appliable) for NPCs. Or Are they naive? snobbish? stand-offish? Intense? Brash? for interaction mannerisms.
Like, for me - Scotty can just as aptly be a face or a heel, depending on what parts of his interactions or persona I elect to play into.
Yet at the same time, he really isn't necessarily painted (or able to be painted into) either box. He is the definition of that 'shade of grey' or tweener. Which his interactions show, especially when 'shooting'.
It's these nuances and tactics you can put in, in order to even use your shoot as a developmental tool. Rather than the (honestly) overplayed and to an extent redundant 'I'm going to beat you' spiel that seems to be the default. Don't get me wrong - that style works and has a place. That's the aim of the game after all, but you also need substance in order to flesh it out and have it actually mean something.
'Show us, don't just tell us' is a mantra used in terms of storytelling; is something I personally subscribe to. The showing can be in various ways. Either by actually providing a demonstration or by leaving it all to the ring and using psychological elements to get inside your opponent's head (yes, this is what I do with Scotty).
Facial expressions are another mannerism that can subtly showcase a character's interaction ques and add depth to your writing at the same time. Use them. Even between dialogue, as no person is ever monotonous and stagnant whilst speaking. It's unnatural and robotic.
NPCs are the most valuable tool here, as mentioned above, due to how easily one can be incorporated into an RP and used as a way to further establish your character's identity.
From here, you should have at least a decent idea on how you want your character to develop and how you plan on keeping the reader engaged as you transverse along this passage. There are a couple more components, like figuring out the alignment (which you can use your own image for the character plus the notes above for) and arc progression, but I'll cover that in a later post for the RP101 section.
If you want me to go into more depth or explain aspects, feel free to ask and I will do so, but for now - this has been your outline on fleshing out one's character and how to approach doing so.
Enjoy.
No.
Rather, I am here to help people with some little tips and tricks when it comes to adding depth and fleshing out your character in your rps.
Or as I like to call it, being the character rather than just writing as the character.
What do I mean by this? Well, first of all - you need a foundational knowledge of what you desire your character to be; at least a basic sense of direction on where you want to take the character story-wise.
Whether that be an outline you have jotted down or put in your biography, or a deep; somewhat convoluted backstory that you keep in folders or even have memorised, it is important that you understand your own character's origin story and how they came to be.
Are they a 2nd or 3rd generation wrestler? Were they born into money and therefore have a silver spoon in their mouth? Are they from the streets and looking to rise up? These are simple character outlines one can use in order to build a foundation for their character. You don't have to figure out the alignment at this point (that part will come later).
For now, though, let's move onto the next part of foundational character building which is - character conflict. This is something that *all* good storytelling has. It's one of the key components of building a character; making them worth investing in. From both a writer's and a reader's perspective.
This doesn't have to be external conflict; sometimes, it's actually more effective as a tool if it isn't. Even within the confines of wrestling. Internal conflict is just as effective at generating interest and investment if it is written well and showcases just how the character is fighting the demons within.
It could be a traumatic event like a family member or other loved one passing away or something as simple as a wrestler questioning whether this is the right path of them.
Using myself as an example - Scotty fights an internal demon or 'persona' inside of his head called 'Zion'. Occasionally, I will use that in an RP and showcase the conflict he has in repressing Zion, who just wants to watch everything burn.
Those sorts of layers help to humanise the character and make us want to read more and acquire a further understanding of them, as well as allowing you to attain an understanding of what the strengths and weaknesses from a design and psychological standpoint your character has.
The third element of fleshing out and developing your character is - how does your character interact with the world/other people. This can be conveyed in an external manner, via the usage of NPCs (I have a ton of these I use when required) or with the environment you elect to set your RP within OR this can be done internally, much as I talked about in the previous section on character conflict.
This is also the part where you will begin to see the image of your character ' come to life' so to speak; begin to at least fundamentally understand which alignment best suits your character; how your interactions with others and even internally play a role within that scope.
EG: Family members, girlfriends/boyfriends, children, butlers or other servants (if appliable) for NPCs. Or Are they naive? snobbish? stand-offish? Intense? Brash? for interaction mannerisms.
Like, for me - Scotty can just as aptly be a face or a heel, depending on what parts of his interactions or persona I elect to play into.
Yet at the same time, he really isn't necessarily painted (or able to be painted into) either box. He is the definition of that 'shade of grey' or tweener. Which his interactions show, especially when 'shooting'.
It's these nuances and tactics you can put in, in order to even use your shoot as a developmental tool. Rather than the (honestly) overplayed and to an extent redundant 'I'm going to beat you' spiel that seems to be the default. Don't get me wrong - that style works and has a place. That's the aim of the game after all, but you also need substance in order to flesh it out and have it actually mean something.
'Show us, don't just tell us' is a mantra used in terms of storytelling; is something I personally subscribe to. The showing can be in various ways. Either by actually providing a demonstration or by leaving it all to the ring and using psychological elements to get inside your opponent's head (yes, this is what I do with Scotty).
Facial expressions are another mannerism that can subtly showcase a character's interaction ques and add depth to your writing at the same time. Use them. Even between dialogue, as no person is ever monotonous and stagnant whilst speaking. It's unnatural and robotic.
NPCs are the most valuable tool here, as mentioned above, due to how easily one can be incorporated into an RP and used as a way to further establish your character's identity.
From here, you should have at least a decent idea on how you want your character to develop and how you plan on keeping the reader engaged as you transverse along this passage. There are a couple more components, like figuring out the alignment (which you can use your own image for the character plus the notes above for) and arc progression, but I'll cover that in a later post for the RP101 section.
If you want me to go into more depth or explain aspects, feel free to ask and I will do so, but for now - this has been your outline on fleshing out one's character and how to approach doing so.
Enjoy.