Last night I broke out my highlighter and black marker and started tearing apart Draft #3. I have a vested interest in this particular topic ‘cause in Kin, characters will spend extended periods of time not being in conflicts, but rather avoiding them (while the pressure builds up and up and up). So creating characters that are entertaining when they are not yet in conflict is something that is crucial to my design. And I’m opportunistic enough to take advantage of this thread.
I started by isolating basic statements about the character: He’s not smart. He knows others and helps them find themselves. He’s scary. Most of these are present in some form throughout the other two drafts. These pretty much compose the character’s basic traits and capabilities, and that’s all we really have in Drafts #1 and #2.
Next, there are a number of modifying statements, expounding upon the basic statements. Lets take the first one:
He knows people better than they know themselves because he has confidence that there is more in them than what they, blinded by their own doubts, can see. He stands up for them when they need a little strength and protection (and maybe a swift kick in the pants) before they can stand on their own.
Lets break that down as if it were a procedure in some fictional game (keeping in mind its his best day):
The trait itself: Kyle is insightful.
How does this influence other characters? He knows people better than they know themselves.
Why is this? He has confidence that there is more in them.
How does this influence his behaviour? He stands up for them when they need a little strength and protection (and maybe a swift kick).
How about another one?
The trait itself: Kyle is scary.
Why is this? As scary as the whirling demons are, Kyle is sharper, more vicious, cuts closer to the bone as only a human can.
How does this influence his behaviour? He’s so glad of the friendship that he has to keep him grounded.
How does this influence other characters? They know how important their friendship is to him and are glad he’s on their side.
The trait itself: Kyle is not really smart.
How does this influence his behaviour? He puts his full focus and concentration into even the little things.
Why is this? He knows he can get things wrong
How does this influence other characters? He gives his friends his fullest attention.
I shuffled about the questions a bit, so its obviously not an inviolate system, but it works (for every trait or statement or whatever, just answer the questions in whatever order seems easiest). When we look at a statement about this character (which is actually no better than a trait with a d4 attached to it), what makes it interesting are the extra humanizing elements: how it influences him as a person, his behavior, how he influences other characters.
But it is the connection across these separate statements and humanizing elements that really lets us connect. As humans we automatically try and make sense of things, its in our nature. So when presented with these separately justified elements, we attempt to fit them together like a puzzle and that’s when we connect. To connect to a character, we try to admire him. If we can’t admire him, we try to empathize. If we can’t empathize (and even actively dislike), we try to understand. If we can’t even understand a character, then he is boring and may as well not exist for all the good he does us.
So this character Kyle sits pretty well on his own. We like him, we’re happy to watch him dust the mantelpiece, self-consciously cleaning up after himself. We can totally imagine his mannerisms because of these things we know about him. But remember, its his best day today. In the game, it won’t be his best day. He won’t always be able to support his friends and be kind. He won’t always remember that he can get something wrong. His friends might abandon him and he’ll loose his grounding. What sort of man or monster will we see him become? I don’t know, but regardless of what happens to him, I’ll stick by him and like him all the way through it. Because I’ll be able to understand and empathize with him. And on his best day I’ll be able to admire him.
I started by isolating basic statements about the character: He’s not smart. He knows others and helps them find themselves. He’s scary. Most of these are present in some form throughout the other two drafts. These pretty much compose the character’s basic traits and capabilities, and that’s all we really have in Drafts #1 and #2.
Next, there are a number of modifying statements, expounding upon the basic statements. Lets take the first one:
He knows people better than they know themselves because he has confidence that there is more in them than what they, blinded by their own doubts, can see. He stands up for them when they need a little strength and protection (and maybe a swift kick in the pants) before they can stand on their own.
Lets break that down as if it were a procedure in some fictional game (keeping in mind its his best day):
The trait itself: Kyle is insightful.
How does this influence other characters? He knows people better than they know themselves.
Why is this? He has confidence that there is more in them.
How does this influence his behaviour? He stands up for them when they need a little strength and protection (and maybe a swift kick).
How about another one?
The trait itself: Kyle is scary.
Why is this? As scary as the whirling demons are, Kyle is sharper, more vicious, cuts closer to the bone as only a human can.
How does this influence his behaviour? He’s so glad of the friendship that he has to keep him grounded.
How does this influence other characters? They know how important their friendship is to him and are glad he’s on their side.
The trait itself: Kyle is not really smart.
How does this influence his behaviour? He puts his full focus and concentration into even the little things.
Why is this? He knows he can get things wrong
How does this influence other characters? He gives his friends his fullest attention.
I shuffled about the questions a bit, so its obviously not an inviolate system, but it works (for every trait or statement or whatever, just answer the questions in whatever order seems easiest). When we look at a statement about this character (which is actually no better than a trait with a d4 attached to it), what makes it interesting are the extra humanizing elements: how it influences him as a person, his behavior, how he influences other characters.
But it is the connection across these separate statements and humanizing elements that really lets us connect. As humans we automatically try and make sense of things, its in our nature. So when presented with these separately justified elements, we attempt to fit them together like a puzzle and that’s when we connect. To connect to a character, we try to admire him. If we can’t admire him, we try to empathize. If we can’t empathize (and even actively dislike), we try to understand. If we can’t even understand a character, then he is boring and may as well not exist for all the good he does us.
So this character Kyle sits pretty well on his own. We like him, we’re happy to watch him dust the mantelpiece, self-consciously cleaning up after himself. We can totally imagine his mannerisms because of these things we know about him. But remember, its his best day today. In the game, it won’t be his best day. He won’t always be able to support his friends and be kind. He won’t always remember that he can get something wrong. His friends might abandon him and he’ll loose his grounding. What sort of man or monster will we see him become? I don’t know, but regardless of what happens to him, I’ll stick by him and like him all the way through it. Because I’ll be able to understand and empathize with him. And on his best day I’ll be able to admire him.
posted by Kirk Mitchell at 1:46 PM
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