wrote: Wrote:The only thing I can suggest is to absolutely OBSESS over the character's in question. Learn everything you can about said character from the source material.
Well, first, I'm mainly seeking to write original fiction, not fanfiction; I only asked about "what would character X do" in terms of other people's comments about basing one character on another, or on using established characters as an exercize.
wrote: Wrote:Now, in this you're gonna run into a few speed bumps, depending on how well written the source material is. The better stuff has characters with incredible depth - you learn not only their motivations (example, the previously cited "Why do they even bother with getting up in the morning?" question), but their history, likes and dislikes, the reasons for those likes and dislikes, and their personality quirks.
Sure, but that tells you how they reacted in every incident in the "source material". What about a situation that isn't in the original book/movie/show/comic/whatever? How do you take those finite data points of how a character acts in situations A-W, and from there compute how they'll act in new situation X? Or Y?
wrote: Wrote:The worst offenders have characters making decisions that are completely contradictory to the character themself. (Hint: This is why a lot of people write 'Fix Fics' - they're correcting grievous contradictions like these while still keeping the story interesting... or at least attempting to do so. Some succeed at this and some fail.)
And how do you know when a decision is "completely contradictory" to a character?
See, maybe I'm not being clear enough. This isn't just a problem I have with fictional characters, of mine or others' creation, this is a problem I have with other real people. I have a hard time understanding why other people behave and react the ways that they do.
wrote: Wrote:It needs a gentle touch, like so much in writing, but it is perfectly acceptable for you to simply make them do the things you need them to do, as long as you've established that these are the kinds of things they were likely to do already. And when they aren't, you had best reveal something previously unknown that justifies the unexpected choice.
See, how do you figure out what kinds of things someone is likely to do already, or justify the "unlikely behavior?" People's behavior takes me by suprise often; how does one explain the mystery that is other human beings?
wrote: Wrote:The best advice I can give you at this point is -- just write. Don't worry about what you write, just write it. You can always improve what you've written. You can't improve what you haven't written. And every word you write gives you experience which helps you write better.
Sure, I can keep trying, but how do I know if I'm actually making progress, or just bashing my head against a wall at yet another activity that I'm too defective to ever accomplish anything at?
wrote: Wrote:If it helps, I have a (perennially incomplete) http://www.accessdenied-rms.net/guide/fwg.txt on the web that you might want to look at. Some of it is higher-level or for the writer who's past your bottleneck, but there should be something in there that could help you.
I have read it, along with most of what's in that All The Tropes category.
wrote: Wrote:I've never even watched Stargate SG-1, but I can immediately constrain his responses to a reasonable set, and then pick out the most likely ones: First, surprise; the level of surprise will vary depending on whether he recognizes the room or not. Second, see if the body is someone he knows, and second-and-a-half, confirm the body is in fact dead. Third, contact his team. If he has no immediate means to contact them with, leave the room, securing it behind him, and find them. If he can't leave the room, he will then try to find a way out. (or, to look at it from a different angle, determine if he is a prisoner, and respond accordingly.) At some point in this process he will review his memory to see if there are holes or other evidence he was drugged/mind controlled/attacked/etc. What he determines from that will shade his other responses. And that's just the first few minutes.
See, how did you do that? What you just did there, I don't know how other people do it so easily.
Still, for what it's worth, thank you all for the advice. It has at least been more positive and encouraging than most of the discussion I've had elsewhere on the topic.
"If you
wish to converse with me, define your
terms."
--Voltaire