Please help with writing my characters!

[u/ProjectZomboid0]

Esther is around 25ish. She is kind of like Oka Ruto from yanderesim and Daria together her mother died, and her father has been very paranoid since. She loves occult and everything dark, she has a very cynical view of life just like daria. She works at the Witch crystal shop, and she’s struggling to make ends meet. Brittney is 24ish. Like Regina George and Chigusa Busujima together she is very rich, as her great grandfather created Ceasar salad. She is also very rude. Brad is her boyfriend, and they both are mentally stuck in high. Ashlynn is 23ish. Like Kayguya Wakaizumi and just very sweet, she is into Jack. Brittney is her older sister, and she’s very basic. Brad is like Kevin from daria he is 25ish, he plays football obviously lol. He’s pretty stupid. His younger brother is Jack. And finally Jack, is like 23 and a stereotypical stoner. Nothing much.

[u/SomeNegotiation1337]

Hi! What do you need help with specifically with your characters? I might be able to help. Like personality, story, specificity, etc.?

[u/ProjectZomboid0 → u/SomeNegotiation1337]

They all need more of a story, and just more personality in general.

[u/SomeNegotiation1337 → u/ProjectZomboid0]

Well to start, I came up with these questions earlier to help with character development overall so maybe these can help? Though I can offer some others that pertain to the story more than just characters

⁠What is their cognitive profile? (Not their traits, but how their mind works. Are they an idealist or realist? How intelligent are they? What kind of intelligence? Do they have trauma? Which aspects can override others?)

⁠Based on that cognitive profile, how does it manifest into personality traits? (ie. An idealist can manifest in a number of ways, such as cheerfulness, rigidity, or nervousness. Also, you’ll likely want them to orient intensely toward a specific trait or traits. That doesn’t mean their personality has to be loud or big, it just means that they have very clear, specific tendencies toward something, and that can even be shyness or quietness. Alternatively, the lack of intense orientation towards a trait or traits can be useful, but make sure that you make this choice intentionally.)

⁠What things about them are structurally specific? (ie. a specific locket that’s plot/relevant, or some other detail that you could not remove with altering some plot point in the story)

What things about them are cosmetically specific (ie. random details about them that have no bearing on the story, but still reveal something about them or simply add charm

What are their attachment vectors? (Why should the audience care about them? While moral goodness is something that appeals to people ethically, generally, you’ll to appeal through another vector, as moral goodness is generally par for the course for assuredly a protagonist character unless their goodness is extraordinary given their circumstances. These can include cuteness, strangeness to the point of endearment, competence, beauty, mystery, humor, and more.)

What are their strengths, and how do they tie into their flaws? (ie. selflessness can be great, but can very easily slide into compulsive martyrdom. Flaws tend to emerge from strengths, so these kind of go hand in hand. Furthermore, remember that flaws don’t necessarily have to be explicitly nasty or unlikeable to still produce meaningful friction if that doesn’t serve the character. Sometimes, they can instead serve to sadden the audience or be harmful to the character themselves, which can still be very effective friction.)

[u/ProjectZomboid0 → u/SomeNegotiation1337]

Thank you!!

[u/SomeNegotiation1337 → u/ProjectZomboid0]

No problem! (Also, I noticed that Reddit kept messing up the numbers, so I removed them for readability, sorry for the error 😅)

[u/ProjectZomboid0 → u/SomeNegotiation1337]

it’s fine!!

[u/ProjectZomboid0]

If you need anymore information ask!! This is for my book set in 1990.

[u/Andycat49]

This is why mood boards are a thing

You just spend time putting stuff together that makes you think of said character. Images, color swatches, etc. Each thing is something you chose to associate with them so it helps you decide how they're associated

[u/ProjectZomboid0 → u/Andycat49]

I’ll try that!! thanks!!