HER ADVICE WORKS!!!! I followed her steps and wrote a story I didn't even know I was capable of writing. Take time to explore your characters and their internal conflict. It changes literally everything.
To be fair, many great stories feature protagonists that have static arcs. They don't change. Instead, the story tests their convictions and tempts them to change. They win by staying true to the true beliefs (not misbeliefs) that they come into the story with.
@@m.j.carlson8246 I agree with what you are saying entirely but I think this type of character only works in Film due to the visuals helping propelling the story forward. As for novels you are kinda stuck with this character and if they are stagnant it can become boring if it is not done well.
Now I know what I'm doing the rest of the day. Muahahahaha! _Lightning flashes as I laugh maniacally. The scene pans to show my characters shivering in the corner._ In all seriousness, this is great! I can't wait to see how my characters take shape/get deeper as I fill out the doc. Thanks Abbie!
@@unicorntomboy9736 Surely from a "bigger picture" standpoint, its doable. But... there is this thing called "originality". We learned how to make internal conflict original but external conflict always remains the same. This is why I dont always like movies with conflicted characters because the plot their following is as boring as watching paint dry. This is sort of a syndrome with movies and books nowadays. The more you know character theory the more boring the plot becomes. Predictable.
@@Green-3c34y65vrbu Original plot Ellie. We need originality. More than internal conflict I value authenticity and originality. Or if not possible, rarity.
@@h.k.3704 Yeah I mean explore a thing that happens in real life that you haven't seen explored much if at all in the fiction you consume, at least not THAT WAY. There's a lot of stuff that's not cliché or repetitive of other arcs that can be done. or not THAT similar, enough key differences that even if some ingredients are the same the recipe becomes totally different, a different end result because of what you're combining this time. Think about crazy things that happen in real life that you've never seen explored in fiction. Or simple things in real life even.
Hey ! I'm just writing these down so I can complete it later! BASIC INFO 1) Name 2) Role in the story 3) Physical description, how they dress ? What does it tell about them ? 4) Age 5) MBTI 6) Distinctive Skills/Abilities CHARACTER 7) Greatest fear 8) Misbelief (delusion about the world) 9) Backstory to make them believe the lie ? 10) What do they criticize others for 11) Love language (family, friends, partener) 12) How do they respond to emotional pain 13) What do they value in life 14) Emotional attachment to an object that they find important 15) Method of manipulation GOALS 16) How are they unhappy about their life 17) What could bring them happiness (a world they're dreaming about) 18) What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality? RELATIONSHIPS AND CONFLICT 19) Relationship in general with other characters 20) Points of conflict in their relationship 21) What do they agree and disagree on 22) What are their secrets 23) When did they meet and how 24) How will their relationship could change
I've been having difficulties choosing between which of two stories I wanted to write. This video made me realize I was leaning more towards story idea #2 I had in my head rather than story idea #1 because the characters were just more compelling. However, the scale of story #2 is much grander and I don't want my hubris to get ahead of me, so I'm opting for the more grounded approach. Wish me luck!
My misbelief was that I could never write a good story. Your videos (and more so your passion for helping other to write well) are changing my belief and transforming my relationship with story writing. This came at the perfect time in my life journey. Thanks so much Abbie !!!!
Ohhh, I LOVE that new Relationships and Conflicts section you added to the template!!! It'll make my characters even more complex and I can't wait to put it to use. :D
Thank you. I was on a roll for about a week and then got stuck. I realized that I had a halfass plot because I didn't take the time to truly develop my own characters. This process of creating these character profiles was like sitting my characters down in front of me and interviewing them. I'm glad I took the time to get to know my characters and now I have a better direction on where to take my plot. I still kinda don't know what I'm doing but now I have a flashlight in the dark.
I watched your other character development and the clothing thing was fun. It made me realize how girly my MC is and thar her sister loved edgy stuff (both totally fit their personality) Editing to say, I didn't know what enneagram fit my MC best, so I took the test as her. OMG taking the test alone as your character is awesome! It gives so much clarity! Thank you. I now have a troubleshooter for characters who refuse to flesh themselves out in my head! Oh, and she's an 8w7. 😃
I've got to say, I just finished reading 100 Days of Sunlight. It was excellent!! I decided to write my first novel this year and I found you and your wonderful advice here on RU-vid. I wanted to read your book and I'm SO GLAD that I did! Thank you for sharing your mind with the world, the world is better because of it 😊
Ever since I discovered your video about "how to write characters that are not like you", I kept coming back to more of your videos when I hit a wall in my writing. I've been going on and off lately but I have some written drafts, character profiles, and the like, but listening to your advice and guidance made me see what my writing needs so that I can move forward bit by bit till I finish the story. Your videos have been the clearest instruction manual to me so far and I love how there is always a structure. Thank you so, so much! ☺️❤️
Hi Abbie. This was really helpful. Ive watched your other videos and its amazing how you can cover the same topic time and time again with improvements. I have the old character sheet but this version is even more helpful than the last. I wish I could join your patreon but as a jobless young woman I simply cant and Im glad I could find all these amazing pointers for free. Since watching your videos when I was 18, the way I see movies and read books has changed so much. I always search for internal conflict on everything even people in real life. Ive always wanted to write but everything always fell flat and I was desperately searching for advice on the internet but nothing made any sense until I stumbled on your youtube page. My book planning has gone on a whole other level so thank you.
I'm so happy with my MC. I've been crafting her trilogy for over ten years now, that I instantly had answers to all these questions. I'm ready to seek lit agents.
Nice additions! Love language, criticizing others, responding to emotional pain, method of manipulation, etc. All of these should be considered for oneself, too! Enjoyed!
I am just starting my writing dreams, and your videos have really been a way I have learned to improve my writing skills. I love your vids, thank you for the help I really needed Abbie!
Dear Abby Thank you for the work you do to share your passion with me. Your videos have changed my life and ability to connect with my family, friends, work, businesses, artists, city, state, country, the world at large and my life. You have given me a stronger conviction for everything in my life through your videos. I have been going through a lot and I've been in a lot of emotional and mental illness but a new joy has appeared in my mind and lit up my heart; I want to teach literature and language arts in schools now. Thank you for sharing. You are highly valued and a gift.
For my characters, I enjoy using a combination of tarot cards and my Story Forge card deck. I enjoy the challenge of randomized characters and situations. Once I have a character, I begin to work with them by using my own questions in an interview format and learning about the character and their background that way. This is great in knowing how a character would react in a situation or to a person.
I really like that you use a mix of you talking to the camera and putting up those beautiful slides that have all your points on them. It makes the video very engaging and makes note taking much easier. Thank you!
This came out just in time. I hope it will help me develop my character's love interest, I totally flaked on developing him. Other than thinking up scenes to fit him in. That's all he has right now. Wish me luck!
This is the BEST character profile I've seen in a long time! These are all the things I think about when creating my characters, although in a more convoluted and non-linear sort of way. All other character profiles I've seen are either too superficial to actually help keep track of things that matter to my stories, or seem to have too many unnecessary items that are badly codified or badly explained. Your character profile is neat, objective, and self-explanatory! There's just enough to give important characters the depth they need without being overwhelming. Thank you so much for structuring my gnarly thought process! Feel free to organize anything else in my mind at any time. xD
I was struggling with prepping, wasn't sure what I was doing and was about to give up for the night; then this video popped up. Okay Abbie/Universe! Message recieved!
I don't think you necessarily need a misbelief in order to have an interesting character or an addicting story. One example I point to is flight of the Eisenstein (military sci fi). The main character of the story is battle captain Nathaniel Garro. The snyopisis of the plot is Horus turns traitor and virus bombs istvaan 3 to order 66 the loyalists in the traitor legions while Nathaniel Garro has to escape to warn the emperor of Horus Lupercal turning against the imperium. But let's zoom in upon the character, he doesn't seem to have a true misbelief although he absolutely changes by the end of the story. He goes from being a staunch believer in the Imperial Truth (there are no gods) to becoming a believer in the emperor's divinity at the end of act 2. But before that point what makes him so lovable is his conflict and the horrors he has to go through to make his journey to terra. In the beginning he doesn't like what his legion has become, he dislikes the idea of the warrior lodges and he's ostracized and shamed because of it, they even call him names like "Straight Arrow Garro" but he doesn't let that change him, he stands by what he believes in and refuses to join. Then there's the lead up to the isvaan 3 virus bombing and the author does an amazing job of building suspense even though you as the reader already knows what's going to happen. Then garro finds out that some of his crew is loading virus bombs as ordinance and has to order his people to stop them, his houscarl gives his life to save Garro. Then he witnesses the virus bombing of the loyalists on the planet. So he trys to make a warp jump but at the last moment a crewmate rats out garro and the traitor legions fire upon the vessel damaging the geller field. As he makes a warp jump Demons start to invade his ship devouring the crew, reaminates his houscarl to torment Garro, then reanimates the dead crew turning them into bloated and rotting plague marines and infects one of his best friends with a horrifying sickness and has to be quarantined and bedridden locked in a decontamination chamber that has no known cure. And then the navigator dies meaning no FTL. So Garro and the crew are stranded in the middle of space with no way home. Last ditch effort garro Jetisons the warp drive into space and detonates it hoping that it will act like a flare in the warp and someone will see it and investigate it. During the weeks stranded Garro comes to believe in the imperial cult in his lowest moment. They're eventually rescued by frendly forces, has to persuade Rogal Dorn that Horus turned traitor and dorn nearly killed him before accepting the truth. You'd think the story ends there but Garro returns to luna, but his beat friend who's been suffering finally gives in and becomes a daemon prince and now Garrow has to put him down in an epic clash on the surface of the moon. Whay makes him lovable is inspite of unimaginable strife and all of the horrors he had to face he never gave up. Despite not having a misbelief he remains one of the most popular characters in warhammer 40k, he even has his own mini on the tabletop. Sorry for this massive wall of text BTW.
I had already started to work on a character when I came across your video and I had, without any deeper intention, given him the thing he can't live without. His father left the family when Shiori was 11 and went back to Japan. His father is a grass-eater--meaning an unmanly man and one who is without a sense of purpose or direction. (As you put it, the punching bag in the plot of his own story.) Shiori has very infrequent contact with him and has not seen him since he left 7 years ago. But his father did send him a decorative katana as a present at one point. There's nothing special about it--it's not magical or passed down through their ancient samurai family or anything like that--but it's special to Shiori because it's the one thing he really has of his father. (Shiori is also a grass-eater like his father and part of his attachment to the katana is that it subconsciously represents manliness to him--the manliness he wishes he had.) He likes to go to anime and gaming cons and he always wears it as part of his costume. But I'm inspired now to do more with it. During the story, he is going to have to flee from home, and I'm going to make sure he takes it with him. Later, the men that train him to hunt and kill vampires are going to put an edge on the blade and make it functional and he's going to use it to finish off evil vampires.
Girlllll this was so good! I will definitely use this for my characters for this upcoming Nanowrimo!!!! A tad nervous bc this is my first lol I also like to ask this question: What is the worst thing that could possibly happen to your character?
Same here! This year (hopefully) will be my first ever Nanowrimo. As for your question, the “worst thing” is entirely dependent on your character’s profile. If his/her fear, say, is being abandoned by the person they love, then the “worst thing” for them (and only for them) *is* that very reason: abandonment.
@@kaokurosawa3872 Exactly! I like to ask that question because it really adds depth to the characters fear and thus their actions, which are based around avoiding their fear. Also, made the odds be ever in your favor during Nanowrimo!
@@thebookishtwilightzone9030 Oh, I thought you were asking the question, and so I jumped to answer it haha. Apologizes! And yes, it's such a good question to ask yourself while crafting characters. Good luck to you as well!
@@kaokurosawa3872it might be interesting to come up with something that they as a person link to it instead of just the fear. So for example being afraid of abandonment can mean that the worst thing that can happen to them is stuff like losing their phone or moving to another place (ok maybe not worst and maybe not the best examples, but I hope you get it). It'd allow you to do something along the line of the 'thing they won't get rid of no matter what', but with like 'thing they don't want to happen no matter what'. So for example checking where their phone is every 5 minutes, leaving the sound on, getting a panic attack when they (think) they lost it.
Love these adjustments to your existing template! The question about what caused/contributed to their misbelief is great because I have always struggled with how to incorporate their backstory into the actual story. This will help so much! Thanks Abbie :) xx
Aspiring writer here who has 8 chapters already wrote of a novel I want to complete without any structure during my process. I am writer that works best writing on a whim. I did this throughout highschool and college with some success. I need to reel in myself and actually plan so I can keep moving forward instead of writing a chapter and then not touching it for 6 months. I’m so glad I discovered your channel. I’m a new subscriber but I can tell your channel is going to help me so much.
Great video as always Abbie. I'm nearly finished with my Manuscript and about to release my debut Novel. It helps to remember character profiles going forward.
This is going to help me so much. I had characters who’s personalities and style I already have set but I felt that wasn’t enough in terms of how they would respond and react to things. These questions can definitely help me understand my characters better and not make their responses seem bland or forced. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your insight On character building and asking questions for conflict It has been and I opener to the things that my stories are lacking
This was really great, Abbie! I've been refining my process after my last few books and you definitely hit on a few things I usually insert by the end, but don't always remember to start working on at the very beginning.
I"ve never seen any of your video's before, I have a really grerat idea for a story but Have no clue how to even put anything together, so I'm hoping your channel will help. But that aside, I just wanted to say I love your eye shadow!!!:) It looks awesome!:) Hope you are having a great day. :)
I just came across this video. You are very easy and fun to watch. You also have really great tips and advice. I can't wait to dive into your other videos! Thanks for existing! And for making these videos and for sharing these gems with us! Already a huge fan after just one video!
Abbie you are just incredibly beautiful smart hard working and talented. An absolute gem in this world. I thank you for the amazing advice and hope you get really famous you deserve it!
ive found that RanGen's quick character format has some great attributes, and is a good starting place in general. the generator itself creates what they look like, personal beliefs/status, even their favorite things. But i just ignore the preexisting information and plug in my own stuff on a sheet. i do add in my own sections as my story needs it but i still think the format is a great place to start. but i will def take your stuff into account as well
I don't know if you will see this as this video is a little older. I only recently found your channel and I've been binging your videos like crazy. I used to write a lot of short stories when I was younger (I'm now 41), and I've recently remembered how much I enjoyed it. However, it's been so long, it feels like my imagination is like a old rusty car that's stalled. So, hopefully, with the help of your videos, I can get my "imagination motor" running again. Anyway, aside from that, I've seen a lot of your videos concerning character development and I have a suggestion to add to your character profile list: what is your character's attachment style. In psychology, if you're not aware, attachment theory is this idea that how one's parents or guardian's treated them when they were children has a great effect on them when they're older. For example, a child who was consistently emotionally neglected tend to have an avoidant attachment style, while another child whose parents were super wishy-washy with affection tend to have an anxious attachment style. The emotional climate in the home has a great impact on how children treat their relationships as an adult. I highly recommend adding this to your character profile as it will impact themselves, the story, and how they interact with the other characters. Oh, and here's a video from a professional therapist explaining how people are impacted by attachment theory: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1RlAjs-CAfQ.html I hope this comment finds you well 🙂
Hey Abbie! I just wanted to say that I´ve been following you for 4 years and your videos totally changed the way I write and view stories. I also loved your debut novel. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Rock on!
Hi Abbie, I've been following your RU-vid channel for a while. You have really inspired me to continue pursuing my writing goals, and this year will be my very first NaNoWrimo! Thanks for this video- it will definitely help me get to know my characters better. Take care, Lauren Upchurch
Your videos have been helping me. I've watched all kinds of writing videos for forever; yeah I'm one of those. Well aside from some prompts to work on some outining and prose I'm finally writing something. It's been fun finding out where I am on the discovery vs outliner spectrum. These templates are helping me iron out the stuff my characters are missing. Thanks for all the info :)
Character's name: Role in story: Physical description: Age: Personality type: Distinctive skills/abilities: --- What is their greatest fear? What is their misbelief about the world? What happened in this character's past to make them believe this lie? What do they most often criticise others for? --- What is their love language? How do they respond to emotional pain? Top three things they value most in life? Is there an object they can't bear to part with and why? Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom. What is their method of manipulation? -Character goals- How is your character dissatisfied with their life? What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment? What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality? How has their fear kept them from taking this action already? How does your character know they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear of the thing they are afraid of? -Relationships and conflicts- In a few words, describe the MC (main character)'s relationship with this other character. (Feel free to use story examples as reference) What are some points of conflict/weaknesses in their relationship? What do they agree on? What do they disagree on? Do they keep any secrets from each other? If so, what and why? How did they meet and how long have they known each other? How will their relationship change over the course of the story?
This is just coincidence I think. I was reading a novel and thought I will love to see your video of characters profile and come on RU-vid just to find your this video at the top.
my favorite part about making my protagonist mentally unstable is that i can these questions with incredibly said explanations for the basic information and really silly explanations for things that should be emotional and it'll still be perfectly normal and in character. for example: they value feeling loved because is incredibly rare for them despite the fact they are the type of person to try and dedicate their entire life to somebody they care about leading them to constantly get into (platonic) relations that are losing games on purpose becuase they have learned that being lied to is the closest they will probably get to actually being cared for. meanwhile for precious item: A random frog amigurumi they made one time because they like frogs and they will hide in a bathroom stall to hug it when anxious. distinctive ability: strangely good at crocheting without any patterns and used to have his room stuffed to the brim with them because when he was alone it's literally all he would do so now he has like over a 100 tiny little creatures in his room.
So much sass in this video, I love it! Also, of course you would update the character sheet after I printed out your previous version! :^) (I kid). In all seriousness, this new and improved character profile will help signifigantly as I'm writing a contemporary romance for NaNoWriMo, but am having trouble coming up with a conflict other than helping the love interest grow by learning to be himself.
Hey abbie. It woild be amazing if you made a video explaining everything a beginner would want to know about Nanowrimo. Like how do you upload your story or whete you write it. Literally everything basic. It wiuld hekl beginners like me alot .
As somebody who has a bit too much of a visual brain and knows my character is developed but doesn't know how to write them a fun trick i learned for some of these is to look up lists of whatever your tryna find out because if they are developed and know the answer but not what to write down you should EASILY be able to identify it from whatever lists you shuffle through and go like "ohhh that's the word i'm looking for!" for example: for greatest fear you can look up a list of phobias and you'll find out from the list the word for the fears you need! did this with my character and managed to pull autophobia(fear of being alone) and Cleithrophobia(fear of being trapped in an enclosed space, this is different from claustrophobia because it isn't about the size of the room but rather the availability of the exit to the room :D) if you couldn't already guess the phobias are becuase he died via starving to death in an abandoned escape room after his friends locked him in as a joke not realizing the doors were jammed and wouldn't let him out even after finding the right code to leave. this door jamm is the actual reason the place was shut down but only he knew cause he was the only who did research and none of his friends were listening to his warnings since they were too busy ghost hunting cause ya know, idiot teens. since being alone and trapped is what killed him it is now his biggest fear becuase of severe PTSD cause ya know, dying is traumatizing.
Thanks, Abbie! As you were speaking I had things ticking off in my brain. Some I've done naturally while others were lightbulb moments. Creative Blessings!
I am so glad i saw your channel. This information is helpful, insightful, and amazing. I can't wait to get to add fresh life to my characters and stories.
I just found this website, called 'dangerous writing prompt' which FORCES you to write, and you can't stop for more than 5 seconds. If you do, all your writing gets deleted, and you have to do this for 5 minutes straight. It's *really* scary but also very fun. I was going through a bit of writers block and this helped a lot.
I would say that character having a misbelief is optional. Your character can be driven to achieve something, have a motivation. Character having a misbelief seems more fitting for a villain imo
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📚 Introduction to Preptober and Character Creation - Preptober prepares for NaNoWriMo. - Characters drive the story. 01:29 🧬 Fundamentals of Character Creation - Relatable characters have flaws, conflict, and goals. - Active characters make choices. - Both external and internal conflict are crucial. 03:56 🔄 Importance of Character Arcs - Character arcs are vital for memorable stories. - Active characters change and grow. - Rich relationships make characters realistic. 05:50 📝 New Character Profile - Detailed questionnaire for character creation. - Covers basics, personality, skills, fears, misbeliefs. - Deepens character understanding. 09:44 🤝 Exploring Relationships and Conflicts - Questions for character relationships and conflicts. - Identify points of disagreement and secrets. - Changing relationships over the story. 12:36 📄 Accessing the Character Profile - How to use the character profile template. - Additional resources on the channel. - Invite to join Patreon for more content. Made with HARPA AI
Oh my god...I came back a year later. I have designed 2 OCs based on real people + added some stuff & conflicts, and I got such juicy internal conflicts, I'm going to scream!! They're so amazing, fot together so well (they're a couple) and I hope in 5 years (yes, 5) max. I will be able to write a huge romance series and hopefully it gets made into a TV show. That's my biggest author goal right now...but since I'm trying to make it as much as reality (cuz it's happening right now) I have tk wait till the last year I'll see them...😂😂
I was trying to answer these questions for my protagonist, and when it came to distinctive skills/abilities, I wanted to write something even if it wasn't quite necessary in my modern universe. I wrote down "can play violin i guess" and left it there until I remembered that he's supposed to be an excellent surgeon 😭
This is very helpful!! I’m just wondering, do you do this for all characters in the book or do you still use the side character profile for characters who aren’t in the story as much?
Just like to say for all the people who can't afford or choose not to purchase Abbie's templates, you can get all of her templates for free as there is a link provided further down in the description box titled "Get My Free Writing Templates" 😊 Have a good day! 🥰
What happens if your character's desire is subconscious? For instance, Ryan Bingham in "Up in the Air" thinks he's better off alone - he ends up learning that he's lonely, so subconsciously he might desire connection and love, but he doesn't know that until the midpoint. So if we were plotting that, would we note that his desire is subconscious, and he's moving towards it while avoiding his fears? Or would he need a secondary desire that he's actively pursuing? My neurospicy brain gets very confused around this.
Give him unexplainable (to him) quirks that subtly display his need for connection and love. Have him flat-out deny any advances from people interested in him that may lead to a deeper connection, and then show us his "unconscious" desire for it. It could be that he so innocently likes watching romance movies, likes warmer weather, thick blankets (even in summer), warm colors, have his favorite meal be something his mother made for him as a kid that made him feel loved, hates the feeling of being cold, warm baths - basically anything that could bring him comfort and warmness without the need to be a with a human. Since they desire love and connection, shove in a character that is 1) the complete opposite of them and 2) has all the qualities he likes in a partner/ friend. That way every time they interact, your character likes something about them but doesn't really openly pursue them cuz of their fear. Come midpoint, he realizes that he likes that person a lot and approaches his feelings from a different angle.
I think this would be one of his misbeliefs. He thinks what he wants is to be left alone, because he BELIEVES life would be better with less people problems in it (I'm assuming, I don't know this character), but what he desires IS love and connection. I've also seen people separate this in a "Want vs. Need" thing. In your example, the character wants to be left alone, but he needs love and connection. Desire would be more related to a deep emotional need as opposed to how we use the word in sentences like "I desire to be left alone, thank you very much".
Neurospicy I like this! It can definitely be hard to express subconscious beliefs but the key isn't being subtle for the reader, it's being convincingly subtle for the character. Consider the fact that what your character believes they need isn't true. That what they need is the opposite. Naturally that person's misbeliefs will cause conflict with how they express themselves and how they come to realization with their desires. If for example someone was starved frequently as a child and now has a fear around not having enough, having the character make a decision to share food can be an example of them giving in to their subconscious desire for companionship. However because they still believe they don't need someone they might do this in an aggressive or passive aggressive manor. Stating that their intentions were for some more trivial goal like getting the person they shared the food with to shut up about being hungry, when in reality they did it because they were concerned with the other person's well being. The reader if properly educated about the characters past will see this moment as great progress toward revealing the characters true desire. Whilst the desire remains subconscious to the character. I suggest reading books similar to one you are trying to write and studying archetypes and enneagrams and how they interact with each other, to help plot patterns of behavior your characters take on their path to realizing their subconscious desire.
@@kaokurosawa3872 thank you! I like the idea of his subconscious desire presenting itself in the character's behaviour, even if they don't recognise it's happening or why.
Your call out to character description during character profile video! Talk about "So Good"? Sorry Abbie I love you! Gosh months I hated Character Profile. Now they are..palatable.
