Create a character you don't understand?

[Agentt]

Now, one of the first thing one does while creating a story is to decide a character, its goals and personalities.
A very nice card was made by our fellow snake a few days ago which can help the process.

And, well, its a correct step, you really can't write without knowing how your character reacts when put in a situation. Or how others react when confronted by that person.

So, I was talking to a new author and I told them how one of their characters, that too the female lead look really plain and bland. When I asked them to give her some personality, they said that she is so mysterious that they themselves don't understand her.

So, I did told her to give her some more screentime nevertheless, have a shopping episode or something where we can see what kind of person she is.

But, this remained in my mind, is it possible?
I mean, I know its not possible for me, but is it possible to write a story without knowing your characters?

 

[gaylolis]

tommy wiseau, enough said.

even someone insane like me can't understand him at all.

but i'm really curious what kind of story will it be like, if he's the main character.

haha, what a cool story Mark.

 

[LordJoyde]

Its definitely possible.
But will I enjoy writing such an abomination?
Hell to the no.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

Wait, you guys could understand your own characters? I basically been writing from the start without even knowing who the fck my characters are. I always had been writing in mind that I could understand at least one character and that would be my own protagonist who I plan to be just like me. Like, I get angry at my MC for being stupid and dense and after looking at the mirror, I was like..... Oh... so thats how it is....

 

[Agentt]

Its definitely possible.
But will I enjoy writing such an abomination?
Hell to the no.

True that

 

[Mechaphobic]

I feel like if, as the person writing the character, you don't understand them yourself. Then the writing of them will be crap. Mystery doesn't come across, unless you make it mysterious. The only real way to do that, is by withholding crucial information. The only way you can do that though; is if you as the author; can give them the pieces and withhold that key information.

 

[Agentt]

Wait, you guys could understand your own characters? I basically been writing from the start without even knowing who the fck my characters are. I always had been writing in mind that I could understand at least one character and that would be my own protagonist who I plan to be just like me. Like, I get angry at my MC for being stupid and dense and after looking at the mirror, I was like..... Oh... so thats how it is....

Is that the reason we haven't gotten any chaps yet?

 

[ZesshiLavi]

It can happen, some writer doesn't have their plot prepared in advance, just follow the flow you know.
Whatever came on their mind while writing a new chapter, that's what going to be the newest information.
Hence that's how some of the authors just don't have a real grip on what their character should be yet.
It's a normal occurrence, I do that sometimes too.

 

[gaylolis]

Wait, you guys could understand your own characters? I basically been writing from the start without even knowing who the fck my characters are. I always had been writing in mind that I could understand at least one character and that would be my own protagonist who I plan to be just like me. Like, I get angry at my MC for being stupid and dense and after looking at the mirror, I was like..... Oh... so thats how it is....

i do understand my protagonists at least, but explaining their personality to people is a different matter :D

 

[LuoirM]

We're not authors with 10k patreons 500$ paypal/week, we don't understand characters before we do 'em <(")

 

[Monk_Origins]

Well, some people decide at the start how their characters should end up, but I like to do it more organically. An example of the the first style would be MC of the "Moon's Labyrinth". MC starts the story getting traumatized by a pretty lady, and author tries to manipulate and 'fix' his personality through out the novel. But I like to do it the other way. Character starts with X type personality and event Y happens. What should the character learn from that event? what life lessons will he get from it? I don't know how the personality will change either until I calculate it from the characters POV.

 

[Agentt]

It can happen, some writer doesn't have their plot prepared in advance, just follow the flow you know.
Whatever came on their mind while writing a new chapter, that's what going to be the newest information.
Hence that's how some of the authors just don't have a real grip on what their character should be yet.
It's a normal occurrence, I do that sometimes too.

Yes, but can you do it purposely? Intentionally not preparing your character at all

 

[gaylolis]

Yes, but can you do it purposely? Intentionally not preparing your character at all

happens every time i just tried to make a nonsense writing. at least most of the time.

the last time i remember, someone had sex with a giant cockroach, their genitals can graze the sun, and their balls can cause a nuclear explosion.

yeah you can write someone you don't understand, but for it to make sense it's another matter. i prefer if the stories doesn't have to make sense because i'm too lazy to force any sense to everything.

 

[ZesshiLavi]

Yes, but can you do it purposely? Intentionally not preparing your character at all

Yes, it gives you more freedom to plan and decide what your character will be like in the future when you have got an idea of what the author wants it to be.
Basically, the character state is like a placeholder for the time being until the author has it figured out.
I won't say it's odd but more of a personal preference, you can definitely call it lazy but hey, no rush right.
If the author thinks that it's better for him/her/them to build up their character slowly instead of having a setting for them immediately, then they prob trust in their decision to do it as so.

 

[Pontan]

Hmm... You cannot create what you don't know, you cannot understand what you do not know the logic of. It's common sense. You cannot be creative without input. So whatever you create, you are doomed to understand, and when not you have simply filled you creation with empty void, literally nothing. Or you have integrated a concept you know, but do not know the logic of, this makes you unable use it creatively. I think.
The closest I can think of not knowing the character might be to write 3 random decisions in the story, then throw a dice to know what it will do. It remains a mysterious character, you can't know a character like that to any significant extent.
Or...
You could create a character with random traits, then create massive blanks for why they are there perhaps.
But I dunno, that's pretty much all I can think of.
Or an random number generator AI make it for you live or something, like "AI dungeon 2". It does not understand the character, and neither do you.

 

[Agentt]

Hmm... You cannot create what you don't know, you cannot understand what you do not know the logic of. It's common sense. You cannot be creative without input. So whatever you create, you are doomed to understand, and when not you have simply filled you creation with empty void, literally nothing. Or you have integrated a concept you know, but do not know the logic of, this makes you unable use it creatively. I think.
The closest I can think of not knowing the character might be to write 3 random decisions in the story, then throw a dice to know what it will do. It remains a mysterious character, you can't know a character like that to any significant extent.
Or...
You could create a character with random traits, then create massive blanks for why they are there perhaps.
But I dunno, that's pretty much all I can think of.
Or an random number generator AI make it for you live or something, like "AI dungeon 2". It does not understand the character, and neither do you.

That's a great idea!

 

[gaylolis]

Hmm... You cannot create what you don't know, you cannot understand what you do not know the logic of. It's common sense. You cannot be creative without input. So whatever you create, you are doomed to understand, and when not you have simply filled you creation with empty void, literally nothing. Or you have integrated a concept you know, but do not know the logic of, this makes you unable use it creatively. I think.
The closest I can think of not knowing the character might be to write 3 random decisions in the story, then throw a dice to know what it will do. It remains a mysterious character, you can't know a character like that to any significant extent.
Or...
You could create a character with random traits, then create massive blanks for why they are there perhaps.
But I dunno, that's pretty much all I can think of.
Or an random number generator AI make it for you live or something, like "AI dungeon 2". It does not understand the character, and neither do you.

i don't like AI Dungeon 2 that much, it doesn't follow my nonsense replies that well.

Like for example my character was someone else's wife and I want to slap the husband's face with her dick, it just verred into something i don't quite like.

but maybe i should try it again when im feeling drunk enough.

 

[Monk_Origins]

You could create a character with random traits, then create massive blanks for why they are there perhaps.
But I dunno, that's pretty much all I can think of.
Or an random number generator AI make it for you live or something, like "AI dungeon 2". It does not understand the character, and neither do you.

Might as well use one of those CYOAs thats all the fad on qq.

 

[AliceShiki]

Yeah, all the time actually.

When I create a new character, I don't really know a thing about that character... It is just there because I felt like I needed a character there.

As the story develops and the characters interact, I start to get a notion of their personalities and start sticking to it... But at first I don't really know it, I just wing it.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

Is that the reason we haven't gotten any chaps yet?

...... O-of course! How could I procrastinate on such a good moment and ended it there, thinking many ways of improving it and not work on it due to playing games, watching youtube and sleeping all day long? I've been thinking a lot of it and not be sleeping all day long.

i do understand my protagonists at least, but explaining their personality to people is a different matter :D

Same. They hate one character because they think she's annoying as hell without even reading more into her story, knowing how much the MC had been causing her to be annoying. Its like telling people that 2D girls don't act like that in Real life, yet we have Karens and other people who act worse than them.