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Wasserbienchen β How to Build Characters
Published: 2012-05-21 13:40:59 +0000 UTC; Views: 25345; Favourites: 1214; Downloads: 388
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This tutorial is considered OUTDATED. It remains up for those who liked it, but I consider it incomplete and inaccurate. Use at own risk.Nother Tutorial. Yeaaah, I do a lot of different stuff atm D:
Now, Where do I get scientific research from?
If there's any kind of specific thing I'm looking for, I google. Learn to distinguish your reliable and unreliable sources and you already have a shitton of good material online. If you have a connection to a University, then the better, you have access to a ton of good articles online! USE IT! Or go to a public library.
A blog I can recommend to ANYONE: You Are Not So Smart
What I personally use to get articles is an iPad app called "Zite", which basically creates a personalised magazine out of online articles. It tracks the kind of articles you like and gives you more based on your preferences. After using it a while, I get a lot of articles about recent studies, a lot of them referring back to the source material, which is always nice.
How to start Comics
Current main comic
If you just happen to stumble upon this tut, I'd appreciate it if you took a look at my whole gallery.
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Comments: 73
Thanks wass this should come in handy for character designs
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I have to agree with Protocol00. I think maybe you should title this how YOU make characters. I'm mean, some of the things you have listed does actually fly and participate in the process of creating a character, but the matter of the fact is (and I know you say at the beginning that you are no means an expert) there really isn't a wrong way to make characters.
It kind of sucks to hear, but that is the simple answer. You can make a shitty character but a GREAT story and people will be willing to follow a character just for the story. OR you can have a GREAT character but a shitty story, so then what happens sometimes is that a good character goes to waste because the story sucks balls. I mean, lets say for example there are people out there who don't give a shit about pokemon? Its gonna suck for you because you have awesome characters for IBAW, but maybe people aren't into pokemon.
This is still a good tutorial though and I think I really get an insight on how YOU make your characters, but I think you should be careful when you try to say "This is how you make characters and there is no other way" because I don't think that is what you are saying.
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β¦ did I really put it like that? D: I think I explicitly stated that this is neither the only nor the best way. I quite explicitly stated that this is mostly with MY goals of wanting to create mostly realistic characters in mindβ¦
I don't want to come off as bossy, and it's certainly true that you don't need to have round characters for every story. (Death Note being a perfect example for shit characters and great story, which I love a lot!)
If you think it comes across as being too pushy (which can easily be), I might change the wording a bit :T
I just wanted to present it as one method that works for me, given MY GOALS.
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Oh! Well then it is okay! I don't know if you haven't noticed but I am very poor at reading disclaimers (my current username is proof of that) but when you put it like that, then I don't think changing your tutorial is necessary then. So I had a feeling that this was the case. 
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Whilst I do think that this is an interesting way to construct characters, I also think that you may have overcomplicated it quite a bit, though that's just my point of view, really. Like I personally don't think the diet thing is that important to put a lot of thought into. It seems to me that that is something that would eat away at time finding out just to get similar results, though it also raises the question as to why the reader needs to have that much information anyway? This extra stuff might end up making the story that they're in slower and bogged down with all the extra details.
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I believe what he meant is for characters with extreme diets: vegans, carnivores, vampires, that sort of thing.
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Like I said, you need a balance. Some things may be more important with some characters, at other times simplification pays off. As for what the reader needs to know: They don't. This is mostly for the writer/storyteller. Or have I ever mentioned that N's obsessive nature is strongly enhanced by his diet, in addition to genetics? I just like having explanations, and in some aspects it does pay off, at least to me.
On the other hand, this is REALLY just personal. :T And to me it's worked more than having a list of things I need to know and going through it like a checklist. I'm not saying it's the best way to create characters, it's just the way I do it.
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Small, small typo: "Seriously, there's nowt better..."
Other than that, this is a fantastic tutorial. 8D I'd like to say I've never had any huge problems when coming up with characters (and I love having character "interviews" which has nothing to do with the fact I ask them the most obscure of questions -cough-), but this will definitely be a huge help for future reference. The blog you linked to also looks pretty interesting and I'll definitely give it a thorough read later on. Awesome job!
I find it pretty interesting how we use similar methods of creating characters; instead of deciding what they'll do in the story (mostly because I create a very basic plot first and only make note of major characters... not the best method, I know |D), I think of a defining quirk or trait and go on from there. Still pretty darned close to Backtracking method, right... (I think)?
Point is, this is another extremely helpful tutorial, for both people new to character creation and those who have been doing this for a while~ Nicely done!
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nowt is "nothing". D: It's mostly used in Scotland, thoughβ¦
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Naught. You mean naught C:
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NO, it's written NOWT. (Remember the saying "there's nowt so queer as folk"?)
[link]
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this is in the definition itself, too.
'Pronoun
nowt
(Northern England) naught, nothing'
I was born and raised in northern England myself!
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I know what word you mean, but it can also be written as naught/nought.
I use the word myself.
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Yes, yes. ^^" I used "nowt" on purpose⦠but ehh, doesn't matter.
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I always love guides like this. It always helps, in my opinion, even if you think you've done this for years. helpful guides like this can be both guides for new people and refresher courses for veterans.
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you know, this actually helped me quite a bit: I'm trying to mold my character in a way to hint toward her backstory, and I think I'll be able to now with your tutorial. Thank you so much ^_^
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This is really helpful 
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That's awesome, great tutorial. I think I'll have to do some backtracking development on a couple of the characters in my story, and put a bit more thought into the upcoming team members.
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cool story bro, you should write a book about it
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Wow... Great for you buddy.
Please note the sarcasm.
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