Almost Lost My Spoons
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
I'm working on character development for a character in a different story. I needed a starting point...
The prompt that I found was a one-word prompt:
"Dolls"
I'll report my findings at the end of the week.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
27 April 2015
25 April 2015
Character Creation: The Basics - Part One
Almost Lost My Spoons!
Character Creation: The Basics
So, our Chaotic Good Ace needs some "stats." In a table top RPG, a player character has a set of statistics that determines what he/she can do. There are a variety of ways to break down the basic "stats" such as Pathfinder and D&Ds' six "ability scores:" Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
Other RPG's use different systems, but they all get the same point across: what are your characters' physical and mental attributes?
Age is also a stat, so keep an age range in mind while creating a character.
Our Chaotic Good Ace is probably in his mid-twenties and is good with close-combat. This means he probably has a high strength and constitution in order to push enemies back and be able to take hits. He's probably not very dexterous because he's not leaping over battlefields or climbing walls during combat.
Because he's a tactician and a strategist, he has a high wisdom, but a medium intelligence.
*The difference between Intelligence and Wisdom is ( as it was explained to me ) Intelligence is book-smart vs Wisdom which is street-smart. Intelligence is how fast your character learns and reasons whereas Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, awareness and intuition.
Charisma is probably not high with this character -- at least in the beginning.
We could assign numerical values to each category, and you can if that's helpful to you. You can do 1 to 10 or 1 to 20 or 1 to 5, so on and so on; do what feels right for you. If putting a number to a word will help you remember what you were thinking about that character, do it!
However, it's nice to keep in mind an age range for characters. A 87-year-old will probably not have a high strength and dexterity "score" and a 6-year-old is probably not going to be as smart as a 36-year-old. And, with your numbers, be sure to prescribe what each number means and keep your scale the same and consistent.
Upcoming: Character Creation: The Basics - Part Two
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Character Creation: The Basics
So, our Chaotic Good Ace needs some "stats." In a table top RPG, a player character has a set of statistics that determines what he/she can do. There are a variety of ways to break down the basic "stats" such as Pathfinder and D&Ds' six "ability scores:" Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
Other RPG's use different systems, but they all get the same point across: what are your characters' physical and mental attributes?
Age is also a stat, so keep an age range in mind while creating a character.
Our Chaotic Good Ace is probably in his mid-twenties and is good with close-combat. This means he probably has a high strength and constitution in order to push enemies back and be able to take hits. He's probably not very dexterous because he's not leaping over battlefields or climbing walls during combat.
Because he's a tactician and a strategist, he has a high wisdom, but a medium intelligence.
*The difference between Intelligence and Wisdom is ( as it was explained to me ) Intelligence is book-smart vs Wisdom which is street-smart. Intelligence is how fast your character learns and reasons whereas Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, awareness and intuition.
Charisma is probably not high with this character -- at least in the beginning.
We could assign numerical values to each category, and you can if that's helpful to you. You can do 1 to 10 or 1 to 20 or 1 to 5, so on and so on; do what feels right for you. If putting a number to a word will help you remember what you were thinking about that character, do it!
However, it's nice to keep in mind an age range for characters. A 87-year-old will probably not have a high strength and dexterity "score" and a 6-year-old is probably not going to be as smart as a 36-year-old. And, with your numbers, be sure to prescribe what each number means and keep your scale the same and consistent.
Upcoming: Character Creation: The Basics - Part Two
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
24 April 2015
Let's Write! Daily Findings
Almost Lost My Spoons
Let's Write! Daily Findings
Here are my findings for the first prompt:
“That the land is one constant in my life is a great comfort.”
“What does that mean?” Mao asked.
Tabby glanced around them; at the forest that shaded them from the high noon sun. “The land doesn’t change much quickly. Unless people change the land, the land doesn’t move. And this fact alone makes the land better than people.” Tabby looked at Mao out of the corner of her eyes. “Not to say that people are all bad. People just change too rapidly; their quick to backstab their comrades and switch sides.”
Mao was grateful that Arc wasn’t around. Since Arc liked Tabby, he might change who he was to fit what Tabby’s ideal partner was, but since Tabby just spoke about how much she disliked change in people, it would be bad if Arc changed for Tabby’s sake.
“You certainly sound like a hermit druid,” Mao joked.
Tabby frowned at Mao, lowering her chin so her head was level again. It was an ongoing joke that Tabby was a druid, though she wasn’t. Arc had started it.
In Tabby’s defense, she was raised off the ideas of druids, so she prayed whenever she killed an animal, loved and lived off the land and scorned when she saw someone hurting the land or killing recklessly.
Tomorrow I will post about the first of the basics of building a character.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Let's Write! Daily Findings
Here are my findings for the first prompt:
“That the land is one constant in my life is a great comfort.”
“What does that mean?” Mao asked.
Tabby glanced around them; at the forest that shaded them from the high noon sun. “The land doesn’t change much quickly. Unless people change the land, the land doesn’t move. And this fact alone makes the land better than people.” Tabby looked at Mao out of the corner of her eyes. “Not to say that people are all bad. People just change too rapidly; their quick to backstab their comrades and switch sides.”
Mao was grateful that Arc wasn’t around. Since Arc liked Tabby, he might change who he was to fit what Tabby’s ideal partner was, but since Tabby just spoke about how much she disliked change in people, it would be bad if Arc changed for Tabby’s sake.
“You certainly sound like a hermit druid,” Mao joked.
Tabby frowned at Mao, lowering her chin so her head was level again. It was an ongoing joke that Tabby was a druid, though she wasn’t. Arc had started it.
In Tabby’s defense, she was raised off the ideas of druids, so she prayed whenever she killed an animal, loved and lived off the land and scorned when she saw someone hurting the land or killing recklessly.
Tomorrow I will post about the first of the basics of building a character.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
20 April 2015
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
Almost Lost My Spoons
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
I'm working on character development for a character in a post-apocalyptic story. I needed a starting point...
The prompt that I found was:
"The land will be my one constant in life."
I'll report my findings at the end of the week.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
I'm working on character development for a character in a post-apocalyptic story. I needed a starting point...
The prompt that I found was:
"The land will be my one constant in life."
I'll report my findings at the end of the week.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
18 April 2015
Character Creation: The Planning Stage
Almost Lost My Spoons!
Character Creation: The Planning
Over all my years of writing, I think that character creation and building has always been fun. I like to think of it as building a character for a table top RPG like Pathfinder or D&D.
But, we'll go about this in steps. This step is the Planning Stage -- before you get to the hard facts about your character, you need to figure out some things before hand.
When you're thinking of a character, it's good to a have an archetype in mind. By archetype I mean a universal theme that a character encompasses. For example, there's the Hero Archetype; usually a good character that fights evil with justice to maintain or restore harmony. Another archetype that is used frequently is the Mentor Archetype; through wise and insightful training and words, the mentor protects the Hero. And, one cannot forget the Villain Archetype; a character whose main function is to oppose the Hero and whom the Hero must fight and defeat to restore peace.
There are many sites online that depict the types of character archetypes and I recommend using them to figure out which kind of character you want to build:
01. TV Tropes Archetypal Characters
Thinking about your characters' archetype will help you figure out what that characters' function is in your story. Let me give an example: I have a story called Roses Bound In Blood and one of the main characters is a "The Ace" archetype. He's good at close- and hand-to-hand-combat as well as strategy and tactics and everyone knows it.
Okay. We have an archetype in mind. Naming your character can wait, as can descriptions of features and personality.
For me, I found that finding my characters' alignment is a faster and easier way to determine the characters' function in the story.
TV Tropes has an Alignment page that I always found helpful.
For the "Ace" Archetype, he would be a Chaotic Good alignment. This means he's a rebel and a free-spirit. He believes his own conscious is a better guide than laws, but doesn't consistently break laws for his own gain. He has a strict code of his own that few understand, and this sometimes hinders his ability to think beyond the upcoming battle.
Remember, your character doesn't have to be an archetype. It's just nice to have a frame for your character.
Upcoming: Character Creation: The Basics - Part One
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Character Creation: The Planning
Over all my years of writing, I think that character creation and building has always been fun. I like to think of it as building a character for a table top RPG like Pathfinder or D&D.
But, we'll go about this in steps. This step is the Planning Stage -- before you get to the hard facts about your character, you need to figure out some things before hand.
When you're thinking of a character, it's good to a have an archetype in mind. By archetype I mean a universal theme that a character encompasses. For example, there's the Hero Archetype; usually a good character that fights evil with justice to maintain or restore harmony. Another archetype that is used frequently is the Mentor Archetype; through wise and insightful training and words, the mentor protects the Hero. And, one cannot forget the Villain Archetype; a character whose main function is to oppose the Hero and whom the Hero must fight and defeat to restore peace.
There are many sites online that depict the types of character archetypes and I recommend using them to figure out which kind of character you want to build:
01. TV Tropes Archetypal Characters
Thinking about your characters' archetype will help you figure out what that characters' function is in your story. Let me give an example: I have a story called Roses Bound In Blood and one of the main characters is a "The Ace" archetype. He's good at close- and hand-to-hand-combat as well as strategy and tactics and everyone knows it.
Okay. We have an archetype in mind. Naming your character can wait, as can descriptions of features and personality.
For me, I found that finding my characters' alignment is a faster and easier way to determine the characters' function in the story.
TV Tropes has an Alignment page that I always found helpful.
For the "Ace" Archetype, he would be a Chaotic Good alignment. This means he's a rebel and a free-spirit. He believes his own conscious is a better guide than laws, but doesn't consistently break laws for his own gain. He has a strict code of his own that few understand, and this sometimes hinders his ability to think beyond the upcoming battle.
Remember, your character doesn't have to be an archetype. It's just nice to have a frame for your character.
Upcoming: Character Creation: The Basics - Part One
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
17 April 2015
Let's Write! Daily Findings
Almost Lost My Spoons
Let's Write! Daily Findings
Here are my findings for the first prompt:
Tomorrow I will post about the planning stages of building a character.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Let's Write! Daily Findings
Here are my findings for the first prompt:
“I will be a mad boy with my evil lanterns that smile and my goblets of gold. I will be a man worthy of history but selfishly keeping all secrets to myself. I will not submit to the chaos of the Order and will be remembered as simply a hero. My duties to serve the new king will be forgotten; all that shall be remembered in fear is my name. All is wish is for the new king to rule unchecked and unchallenged by those who consider themselves unjustly righteous. It doesn’t matter if my goblets of gold gather dust and cobwebs of silk or my evil lanterns’ smiles turn cold. As long as my king is ruling, I have no greater wish.”
“No greater wish?” Nigai asked. “You wish to serve our king, but have nothing greater in sight? You don’t want to lead our new king to a path of new justice? You don’t wish to stay by our kings’ side and continue working in the shadows, keeping him from harm? ‘Cause that’s what you do; you protect our king from the shadows. I doubt you’ll get higher praise than that.”
Akachi sighed. After a while, he spoke. “As long as I tell myself that I couldn’t be happier, my thoughts won’t keep spinning.”
“Spinning?” asked Nigai.
Akachi nodded, though with little enthusiasm. This was one of the reasons he didn’t like interacting with other General besides Dou’gal, Ketzi’ah or Urd; they just didn’t seem to get it.
Nigai’s look asked him to explain further, but Akachi did not. He just stared at the horizon as though he wanted to tame it; a glare in his eyes and a scowl on his face. Tomorrow I will post about the planning stages of building a character.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
13 April 2015
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
Almost Lost My Spoons
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
I'm working on character development for a character in a post-apocalyptic story. I needed a starting point...
While browsing the internet for a good prompt, it occurred to me. It doesn't have to be a "good" prompt; it just has to spark something in the imagination.
A teacher once told me: "There is no such thing as Writer's Block; there's just a fear of writing crap." Which is very true. I just need to dive in and worry about the quality n' stuff later.
The prompt that was generated for me was:
"I will be a mad boy, with my evil lanterns and my goblets."
I'll report my findings at the end of the week.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Website(s) used: Seventh Sanctum
Let's Write! Daily Prompt
I'm working on character development for a character in a post-apocalyptic story. I needed a starting point...
While browsing the internet for a good prompt, it occurred to me. It doesn't have to be a "good" prompt; it just has to spark something in the imagination.
A teacher once told me: "There is no such thing as Writer's Block; there's just a fear of writing crap." Which is very true. I just need to dive in and worry about the quality n' stuff later.
The prompt that was generated for me was:
"I will be a mad boy, with my evil lanterns and my goblets."
I'll report my findings at the end of the week.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Website(s) used: Seventh Sanctum
09 April 2015
Let's Do This!
Almost Lost My Spoons
Let's Write! Daily Prompt / Findings
Character Creation
The way I'd like this to work is:
I give a "daily" prompt and work through it over the course of the week and then report my writings back at the end of the week.
The daily prompt is going to be given on Monday and then the findings will be reported on Friday.
Character Creation stuff will be posted every other week on Saturday.
This Monday, 13 April '15 ( my birthday ), will be the starting point for this schedule.
Other ideas may pop up and I'll share!
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
Let's Write! Daily Prompt / Findings
Character Creation
The way I'd like this to work is:
I give a "daily" prompt and work through it over the course of the week and then report my writings back at the end of the week.
The daily prompt is going to be given on Monday and then the findings will be reported on Friday.
Character Creation stuff will be posted every other week on Saturday.
This Monday, 13 April '15 ( my birthday ), will be the starting point for this schedule.
Other ideas may pop up and I'll share!
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
08 April 2015
Greetings and Salutations!
Welcome One, Welcome All to Tay Alexiel's Blog!
I'm trying out this whole social media thing.
In the future, I hope to be doing series on Character Building and how to create a convincing character, World Building and the intricacies of making a believable culture and world, among other projects.
These Series will be bi-monthly or weekly with updates in between.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
I'm trying out this whole social media thing.
In the future, I hope to be doing series on Character Building and how to create a convincing character, World Building and the intricacies of making a believable culture and world, among other projects.
These Series will be bi-monthly or weekly with updates in between.
Thanks and have a pleasant day!
Tay Alexiel
But I Found the Forks!
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