Steelsings Tamora Pierce Page
Writing a Personality
 credit to Danielle, Cams, and Tooey

Writing your character's personality is possibly the most complex part of writing your character's profile. Don't worry, we're not going to overwhelm you! We don't want to write your character's personality for you, just point you in the right direction.

A general idea

That's the first step: a central idea to use as a jumping off point. Bear in mind that every character type has advantages and disadvantages when you put them into play. Here are a couple examples:

  • Social, easygoing, talkative. This character would be able to carry on conversations well and make friends easily. These sorts of characters are comfortable to play, but generally not challenging. We do, however, get a lot of them.
  • Quiet, brooding, slow to trust. This character type is a bit more difficult to play, but it builds your skill as a roleplayer. Unfortunately, these sorts of characters don't make very many friends, so you would have less occasion to play them.
Of course, nobody ever said your character has to conform to a cookie-cutter type. Make your own type! You want your character to be complex, though. Not only does complexity make others want to play with your character more, but it's also fun for you to realize new depths of your character.

One really excellent way to develop your character in your mind is to imagine how they would react to certain situations.

  • How would they act if a loved one cheated on them or conned them out of money or goods? Would their outlook on life change in any way?
  • How do they act when they're hanging out in a group of friends as opposed to just one other person?
  • How would your character react upon finding out that another character has a crush on them?
  • What would be their first reaction to a barfight breaking out in the same room?
Another fantastic development tool is questions, plain and simple. Ask yourself questions about your character.

  • Is your character introverted or extroverted?
  • Are they honest, or an infrequent liar, or a compulsive liar? What do they lie about?
  • Can they fight? Do they enjoy physical conflict or exercise?
  • What about his/her sense of humor?
  • And their temper? Does it flare quickly or are they slow to anger? Are they quietly angry, or do they throw tantrums?
  • How do they treat members of the opposite sex? What about members of the same sex?
  • Are they racist, sexist, or homophobic? Do they follow the stereotypes of the time period?
  • How do they feel about religion? Which gods do they worship?
  • How does he/she feel about magic?
  • What do they like and dislike? What do they fear?
  • How's your character's self esteem?
As you can see, there's no end to the possibilities. Important note: Do not write your character's personality by filling this out. It is not a questionnaire. It is a loose guide.

What to avoid

Under no circumstances do you want to model your character's personality after your own. If we see this happening, or if you tell us it's happening, it's an automatic rejection. Modeling a character after yourself makes roleplaying entirely too personal. Any dislike that is directed toward your character by other characters could hurt your feelings and cause conflict in the chat. It is also a minor violation of the IC/OOC line, which you want to make sure never to cross.

Be realistic

You're going to have to use your better judgment in this area. A character with a dark and disturbed past probably wouldn't have a bright and cheery manner, or treat everyone kindly. Cause and effect, my friends. There are several factors that affect the way a growing person's personality develops:

  • Environment
  • Upbringing
  • Religion
  • Hereditary factors
  • Past experiences
As you see, these are all things that you can shape as you write your character. You can always choose which effect your character's history has on the way they act, but please do try to keep it realistic. And be original. We've gotten enough young, kind-but-intelligent, shy-but-would-do-absolutely-anything-for-a-loved-one characters to take over a small country. The more original you are, the better your chances are of acceptance.