Kuhblam
Writers: The Character
by
, 06-24-2011 at 01:05 PM (4387 Views)
There's a lot of Halo/Sci-fi writers on the site, and since I'm one of them I thought I'd give some advice when you write up your story. This particular blog centers around the character.
Now, I know everyone loves their awesome General-rank badass with dual sniper rifles and constant active camo, but does it make sense? No, it doesn't. What makes a character interesting is their personality and history. It is not the abilities of the character, but rather their foundation that makes them cool to the reader. Let's go to "The Fires of Heaven" and pick out a character, say Dalton. He's no sniper, he doesn't have any special abilities, he can't teleport from one end of the battle field to the next, etc.
However, what makes him so very cool is his history and personality. Before a particular battle, he was sociable and well-liked for a Spartan-IV. After that crazy incident, he is now quietly psychopathic and is always thinking in the back of his head somewhat bloodthirsty thoughts that leave the reader wondering "Is he going to crack?" or something similar. Thus, he has some major inner problems that need fixing or it ultimately will affect the team in a negative way.
Remember: It's not the stealth sniper that makes the story, it's the lonely riflemen, the man who is not the strongest or the fastest. He is the one who will be consistent, make a difference in the plot line and always be there. These are the kind of people who interest me. Looking at badasses all the time just hurts the eyes and gives no depth to what could be a really good story.
~Kuhblam
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