Help With Characters

[Lark]

So, a lot of people end up getting stumped when writing a character's profile. Here are some tips on each of the pieces of info needed to be filled out.

Name
If you're having trouble finding a name for your character, I recommend this site HERE. It's a name generator that will get multiple names up at the same time, depending on what you'd like. You can get results for anything from a long name, to a dragon's name on this site.

Appearance

• First, think about their face. Pictures help a lot with this, and as a side note THIS is the site I use for a lot of my pics. Anyway, think about not just eye and hair color, but texture, and their smile. Think about if they have markings, if they have a strange twitch sometimes. Also think about their nose, jawline and cheek bones. All of this can help your reader envision your character better.
  
  
• Second, think of their body type and height. Most Pernese men and women are a bit taller than our average men and women for one tip. Besides this though, think about again if they have any scars, or any marks. Think about what their hands look like; are they rough or soft? Consider how they stand, if maybe they hunch over, or if they stand proud and tall.
  
  
• A third thing you can always think about is how your character moves. This isn't simply gait either. Think about how they react when they're surprised, or upset. Do they have a habit of drawing themselves in? Or maybe they run their hand through their hair when nervous? Another good thing to consider throwing in, especially if they're a harper, is their voice. The sound and lilt of its tone help it to become real when someone is reading their dialogue. These little quirks are what make characters come alive, and make them fun to read about.
  
  
• The last thing I always think of when I'm writing a character, is what do they wear. Clothing is an expression of oneself, and what they wear really tells a lot about your character. Do they wear skirts, or maybe pants? Do they like dressing up? What fabrics or accessories might they wear? On the other hand you can mention what they would never wear. Sometimes people hate fancy clothes, or some girls detest wearing dresses and "girly" things. All of these are helpful to you and your readers.

Personality

• When talking about personality, the easiest thing to do is find a muse. What kind of character speaks to you? Often, I will listen to a song and think about the person being sung about. Sometimes they're upset because of a great loss, sometimes they just want to break the rules, either way it's a starting point.
  
  
• Happy or sad? It's not always just about that. Don't take too much time dwelling on these simple traits, get in deep and think about how they would react in different situations. Maybe they're self-concious, or maybe they have no clue how to flirt, but love to try? It's up to you, and have fun with it. Think about not only how they would react to different people, but maybe how they wish they could react too. People often regret not being outgoing enough, or reserved enough, or anything of the like. Maybe your character does to?
  
  
• Simple likes and dislikes also help to make a character. Think about the things you like to do and don't like to do. Do they apply to your character? You can also think of how they would react if they have to meet something, or someone, they don't like. All of this can help flesh out a character, and really make it your own person.

History

• The first thing to do when you're creating a history, is think about what kind of character you want to make. Is he/she a farmer? Or maybe they lived in a hold? This helps to create a starting point. Then do a quick list of bullet points on the stages of your character's life so far.
  
  
• Parents and childhood are a great place to start! Then, move onto they're later teen years. Maybe some interesting things happened to them then? If they were searched, or impressed, or if they entered the Halls, add that in and go into their time there a bit. Perhaps they met a special someone even?
  
  
• Give yourself a little wiggle room. It's always nice to give yourself a little last paragraph basically saying, said character is looking forward to/not looking forward to, their time here and that they are doing *insert something like being a candidate, or working with the healers*. It just gives you, and everyone else, and idea on where you're going with your character.

Dragon/Wher


Name
Again, go to the link in the human name section and you can find dragon names there. Dragon names end in "th", whers' end in "sk" and have some part of the handler name in there.

Examples of Wher names for instance:
Mavrin-Mavrisk
Loba-Lobask
Ridan-Risk
Kevin-Kevinsk
Tarin-Task

Appearance

• A few quick things to help with your bonded's appearance are:
  -Hide color and markings.
  -How their body is formed. Are they long and lean, or stout and muscular?
  -How they are while flying, for instance are they acrobatic? (good for dragons/flits/huntyres
  -How they hold themselves. This is exactly like with the humans above.

Personality

• See the human personality above for tips.
  Of course, you can always pm a staff member if you are having trouble with a character. We're here to help you all have fun, and so we don't mind it one bit. Also, if you have a loss of muse for a character, or want to get to know a work in progress better, try an interview. THIS is a great one to try out!