forum I'm stuck.

Started May 05, 2020 by randyll

tune

I just joined this website and I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I've always written on paper, but I feel as though I cannot stay organized that way. I enjoy looking at other peoples work on here and reading discussions, but I must ask! How do you guys develop characters and worlds? I feel like everything I write is so unoriginal… like it's all coming from other things I've read… I don't know where to go from here. Someone help?

Also, how do you guys decide your characters religion? I feel like I'm doing so many things wrong, but I just keep reminding myself that I'm learning. I just need some feedback please… If anyone is willing to help it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

well, technically no one's original
usually our ideas stem from other works we've seen. it's not uncommon. everything has already been thought of, but it's our jobs as writers to write something in a way that'll captivate our audiences
different ideas have been used over and over again, but the way you tell it is what sets you apart

i tend to write on paper too but if you feel like you lose things easily and cannot keep up with them, try to keep them all online on a flash drive or your computer
maybe google docs would be good for you
i do both though, because sometimes i don't have an electronic device at hand
if you like this idea then make sure that when you do write something down by hand, you back it up somewhere else too, like i said before- on your computer would do nicely

ah ! and about your characters and worlds-
that's a bit tricky
making a character can be really fun, but you gotta be careful that they don't end up a mary sue or gary stu
when i'm making a new character i try to find inspiration for them
for example, if there is someone i really like, i'll base some of their personality traits into my character
a song also helps a lot for me- gets me going
even when im watching a favorite show, some of the characters on there will motivate me to get working because i want to be able to create something just as good

okay. so, about the religion thing- im an atheist, so when it comes for a character to chose their religion i just let them take the wheel on that one-
i know it may sound weird because a character is well…a character. they aren't real. but try putting yourself in the shoes of your character, take their personality into account and how they've been raised
maybe if they've been abused really badly they'll grow up having no hope in anything- not even a god
or maybe the religion of their parents was shoved so far down their throat that at one point they couldn't take it anymore and decided to do a one eighty

on the other hand, perhaps since they were abused they rely wholeheartedly in their religion because maybe it's helped them survive and get through the worst of it
or maybe since their parents are firm believers in that religion, they're too scared to oppose it

it all depends and you have to chose the one that feels right to you for your character

anyways- this got to be really long, sorry bout that but hey ! welcome to notebook !
im atlas and you'll usually see me lurking around, occasionally answering to other's posts
sometimes i disappear though- like a magician oooo spookey

all jokes aside, i hope this helped some
if they didn't…then…well i guess i can say i tried
best of luck with your world building my dude !
if you need any help or maybe you wanna bounce ideas off of each other then im totally available-
that is, when i'm not missing-

Original doesn't really exist. Everything you create is an amalgamation of your inspirations and the things that influence you. Drawing certain ideas from something else that you like can be a good way to get a springboard for something that is "original."
For religion, if they're a kid or younger adult, I'd consider their ethnicity or something. Like, one of my characters is Filipino, and Catholicism is the most common religion there, so yeah. Consider their parents as well. Unless it's super plot relevant, it's usually not that important, unless it heavily influences a character's morals.
If you want help, please PM me.

How do you guys develop characters and worlds?

• I usually start out by figuring out what kind of a character my story needs.
• Start with the basics. With characters, start with their name, their appearance, their backstory. Once you have all that, you can start filling in the blanks a little more.
• Keep in mind too that a character's backstory can really shape their personalities and how they react to certain things.
• It's fine to take inspiration from other sources as well (provided that you're not outright plagiarizing). Think about some of your favourite characters, or even people that you know in real life. What do you like about them? What do you not like? (This can work for world building as well).

Also, how do you guys decide your characters religion?

I don't, really lol. It's only come up in one of my stories, but for that one I'm having to create my own religion for the world. I do think that @Nina Roco has some good advice.

Now, think of a setting that you have seen before many times. Add your own details and locations.

I'm not saying this is necessarily wrong, but since OP was worried about not being original maybe telling them to do something that's been done a lot maybe isn't the best advice?
I think there's huge potential for some really cool world building in locations that we don't really see represented very often, especially in fantasies. A lot of people like to do medieval European inspired worlds, but our world is so diverse and full of history. Maybe it's just because I like to travel and learn about new places, but I feel like there's so much potential for a fantasy that doesn't take place in a medieval Europe inspired world.
Again, you're not wrong but I think it's worth looking into other places or time periods for inspiration.
Although, for a contemporary, I feel like sticking to what's familiar is probably best.

EDIT: Also, I think it's worth mentioning that unless you've already published your book, nothing is set in stone. A lot of my characters and my worlds have changed since I first came up with their concepts. It's fine to make changes, especially if you realize that something isn't working.

Nothing you do will be perfect. Some of the stuff I write is based off of other things too. As for religion… I just do what ever seems good at the moment and change it as a go. For me character names are pretty tricky. Most of the time I have no idea what to name them and I don't want to steal other people's character names, so it's kinda hard. Or you can just write the story and create them as you go, going with the flow.