Calling all girls... Help me create a girl!

Three Fish · Dec 19, 2010

Hey girls

I have a character who is pretty important to the plot, but unfortunately she has no personality. I'm trying to depict her as a nervous girl who has a semi-crush on my MC (but he's gay, so... no). So far, she really just doesn't strike me as a real girl.

She blushes, she twirls her hair around her finger nervously, and she talks too much. I'm bored of her. Can someone help me destroy her and replace her with a character of substance?

Her name is Heather, she's sixteen, and those are my only requirements. Actually, we can change her name too - I don't think Heather works.

I have one other main female character (also sixteen), and I love her. She's annoying, funny, rude, and loyal. I feel like she's a real person. So can you help me make Heather (or whoever) real??

Any personality traits, flaws, and things girls do. I don't know those things very well lol

Thanks

KingM · Dec 19, 2010

jaxymack said:
Hey girls I have a character who is pretty important to the plot, but unfortunately she has no personality. I'm trying to depict her as a nervous girl who has a semi-crush on my MC (but he's gay, so... no). So far, she really just doesn't strike me as a real girl.

I'm no girl, but the best female characters are just people. Show us her thoughts, don't try to create a type. If she's insecure, make it honest insecurity. Care about that character.

Remember, everybody is the hero of his or her own story. Tell us why and we'll believe you know what you're talking about.

amyashley · Dec 19, 2010

I'm with King M on this. Decide on a personality and run with it. The only thing holding you back is YOU. My men are just as vivid as my women, because I make them good people. They have real personalities, real flaws, real desires. decide what she wants, what drives her, what her dark secrets are. What makes her twisted? What does she hate about herself? What does she like? What doe other people see when they look at her? Think about personality and not appearance. Add looks and a name after you have substance.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Dec 19, 2010

Amy's on the right track. Make yourself a list of questions about Heather and answer them.

1. What's her full name? Does she like it? Is she named after someone?
2. Is she an only child, or does she have sister(s) and/or brother(s)? What are their names? Does she like them? Do they pick on her? Cousins?
3. What does she dream? What does she think she wants to be when she grows up?
4. What kind of music does she like? Does she have a crush on a movie/rock star/teacher in addition to your MC?
5. What is she afraid of? Why? Does she even know why?
6. What color are her eyes? Hair? Short? Long? Is she a fashionista or does she follow her own star?
7. Does she have a best girl friend? Is she close to her grandmother? Father? Mother?
8. What's her favorite subject in school?
9. Does she have any hobbies? Collections? A diary? A pet?

You may never reveal these things in the story, but if you know the answer to them, you'll know her better and, if you're lucky, she'll begin to talk to you and tell you when you're wrong.

Stunted · Dec 19, 2010

If you're having a hard time, just make Heather male, write it, and then tweak the dialogue here and there. I think I've done that before.

ex_machina · Dec 19, 2010

Definetly stick with the insecure thing. If this character has an unrequieted crush on your MC, what we want is to make her a sympathetic character.

This is stricly what I would do, so take it with a grain of salt;

Make Heather the opposite of the other girl character you have. She's insecure, homey, likes to cook and clean and take care of people, always thinks about others before herself, works hard and long without any thanks, and has a few indulgences. (One being her crush, maybe she likes to write in her diary a WHOLE lot.) Maybe she's the 'invisible girl', the one whom no one sees, but she's not angry about it. She's accepted it as her role in life.

She'll care about the MC and try to make his life easier in any way she can, basically curtailing her own needs. This makes the reader like her, because she does so much but takes so little. Maybe she's not so smart like everyone else, or as pretty, but her caring attitude and her genuinely pure/good personality is balanced by the fact that she's okay with being just mediocre. We can relate to 'just being mediocre'.

I would say Heather talks little, blushes a lot, asks people if they need anything, doesn't get angry unless it's for a very good reason. She's got mousy brown hair in two braids and maybe glasses. She probably works taking care of orphans or in the medical field/training as a nurse or healer or what have you.

Good luck!

27Froggie29 · Dec 19, 2010

Dont create her based on a stereotype. Make her original. If shes nervous make it show in a way that suits her, fits to her personality. Girls who are nervous dont all show it in the same way. In my opinion girls who are nervous dont tend to talk a lot, usually its the opposite, she would keep to herself and only really be comfortable around people she trusts, close friends and family.

These are just some of the ideas that came to mind. Might not be at all what you were looking for! =)

amyashley · Dec 19, 2010

I would also consider the connections between your characters carefully. I liked OFG's list of questions, and I would extend that.

Many people assume that common interest is a reason for people to have friendships, but I find that there are usually weirder things that draw people together. People seem to be friends because of differences. Either they balance one another out, or they just cannot seem to stop running into one another and grow accustomed over time, or perhaps work, school or some sort of group brings them together and something intangible like a shared sense of humor is what draws them to one another.

It is rarely shared hobbies, but those kinds of things end up being shared later in a friendship. The most interesting interactions come when you place different characters together.

Building a character that you think is an interesting person, regardless of whether or not she fits the mold of a standard girl will make her 1) Easier for YOU to write and love, and infuse her with more soul. 2)Make her far more realistic. People rarely fit into typesets. If they do, then you are only scraping the surface of them. Knowing more will make a better book. 3)Thinking positively about what you can accomplish and doing it yourself is important for you as an author. If you need help for this chick, you are really screwed later on. Get it right now, and you gain a new skill.

AlwaysJuly · Dec 19, 2010

Here's just another take on possibilities for Heather's personality.

Maybe she's insecure about herself and it reflects in not being interested in the boys who ARE available - sort of a "I don't want anyone who would have me" sort of thing. But that doesn't mean she has to be shy and retiring. Maybe she's sort of a brash, cocky girl who loves to flirt but doesn't get serious about anyone. Maybe she flirts with the MC and it's hard to tell if she REALLY likes him or is just being her. Maybe she's pretty outgoing, but says awkward things sometimes, freezes, and then tries to laugh them off. Maybe she's kind of a geek and realizes sometimes when she's talking that no one cares about the topic (as opposed to the irritating bubble-head stereotype that just goes on about her shoes)... like, she talks about science or books or something all the time.

Only you can really get to know her and flesh her out, but I can imagine a lot of ways to accomplish insecure girl with a crush on the MC without making her boring or TOO terribly annoying. Just some ideas!

amyashley · Dec 19, 2010

Go on Netflix and rent the old movie Heathers. That will give you a new perspective on the name. LOL

I think one of them, Winona Ryder, had a pretty insecure character at the beginning.

DO IT. rent it, say it's research. Dirty, gory, serial killer research.

Shady Lane · Dec 19, 2010

can't write girls. but I agree that everyone should go watch Heathers.

LaceWing · Dec 19, 2010

My internalized version of Heather is an observer, but she's thirteen, not sixteen. She's wondering what this growing-up world is about, and watches everyone very non-judgmentally, wondering why they do what they do.

aekap · Dec 19, 2010

When I have trouble with secondary characters, I'll write a few pages (or more) of interior monologue from that character's POV. Let them talk about what's important to them, what makes them tick. What they think of the other characters. Suddenly, that character gets a lot more interesting (sometimes it changes the overall plot, too.).

lm728 · Dec 19, 2010

Make her indian.
People just don't fall into the dumb blonde/studious, charitable brunette categories.

MAP · Dec 19, 2010

There is no secret to writing girls. It sounds like you are having a problem fleshing out her character.

My advice is to think about her back story. What her family life is like, who her friends are, what she enjoys doing, what are some dorky inside jokes she has with her friends or family.

Real people aren't a list of personality traits but made up of life experiences and relationships. I think that is where you need to go to figure out exactly who Heather is.

Oh and the movie Heathers is awesome. I don't know if it will help but watch it anyway.

CheG · Dec 19, 2010

Give her a life outside the plot, let her exist independantly. Who would she be without the main character?

Give her some feeling. What's at her core? Anger, desperation, altruism, something like that.

Three Fish · Dec 19, 2010

Thanks so much everyone!! This is all great, really great !

I'm writing her her own little mini-story as we speak

mellymel · Dec 19, 2010

jaxymack said:
Hey girls I have a character who is pretty important to the plot, but unfortunately she has no personality. I'm trying to depict her as a nervous girl who has a semi-crush on my MC (but he's gay, so... no). So far, she really just doesn't strike me as a real girl.

She blushes, she twirls her hair around her finger nervously, and she talks too much. I'm bored of her. Can someone help me destroy her and replace her with a character of substance?

Her name is Heather, she's sixteen, and those are my only requirements. Actually, we can change her name too - I don't think Heather works.

I have one other main female character (also sixteen), and I love her. She's annoying, funny, rude, and loyal. I feel like she's a real person. So can you help me make Heather (or whoever) real??

Any personality traits, flaws, and things girls do. I don't know those things very well lol

Thanks

It seems to me that to have an equally interesting girl, you could make her everything the other girl is not. In other words, if the girl you love is annoying, funny, rude and loyal, I say make the other one pleasing, serious, polite and disloyal. Sounds like an interesting combo to me.

backslashbaby · Dec 19, 2010

Don't get hung up on the romantic requirements. Those are easily explained after you figure out who she is. You can base her mainly on a guy if you need help. Have you ever known quieter guys, if you still want her quiet? How about a loyal friend who doesn't take center stage? All sorts of possibilities. Fortunately, why she has a crush on your gay guy doesn't have to be the main thing in her life, so you can make her as interesting as you like. Maybe he's just really cute and she can't help it

Zoombie · Dec 20, 2010

Joke Answer 1: I'm pretty sure the most crucial part of building a girl is a computer of some kind...

Snarky Answer 2: Well, the first step is to base all of her decisions around a man or two in her life. Make sure that she has as little personality as possible beyond that! If she has anything interesting or even definable about herself - beyond the most superficial traits like hooting like an owl when pricked by a pin - then you should excise it!

Real answer 3: The real truth of the matter is that girls are not that different from boys, at least from the biological sense. They're SOCIALIZED differently - raised with different toys and moors and mires - but that's about it. So...just...start with that. Think of how your character was raised and build from there. And read. Read a lot. That always helps!

Stijn Hommes · Dec 21, 2010

Many people assume that common interest is a reason for people to have friendships, but I find that there are usually weirder things that draw people together. People seem to be friends because of differences. Either they balance one another out, or they just cannot seem to stop running into one another and grow accustomed over time, or perhaps work, school or some sort of group brings them together and something intangible like a shared sense of humor is what draws them to one another.

It is rarely shared hobbies, but those kinds of things end up being shared later in a friendship. The most interesting interactions come when you place different characters together.

Amy hit an important point here. The best friends in my life have been people who are wildly different from me. I'm rather introverted myself, yet at least 2 good friends were extreme extroverts. And although I met one of them during my time at Uni, chemistry about the only common interest we have. Different people can add to each other. My friends have taught me to be more extroverted and ready to get out and party.

PrincessofPersia · Dec 21, 2010

Agreed. My best friend share the same sense of humour and the same affinity for music. Other than that, we are almost complete opposites. We balance each other out, and that is why we are so close.

Tracey N · Dec 21, 2010

I was that nervous, shy girl at that age and those shy traits just got amplified around a guy I liked. Maybe I can help with some details for once you "find" her. Here are some things you can use to build her if you need to:

Instead of twirling hair (which most girls I know don't do), I twirl my left earring. If I'm wearing dangly earrings I play with the part that dangles until my earlobe is red and hot.

Sometimes girls who are shy can seem rude or standoffish to a guy. And sometimes they're so shy around a guy they have a crush on that attempted jokes come off as insults.

I used to speak in short sentences (a couple words) to a guy I liked because I was so nervous. I'd also avoid speaking with him if possible.

But even though I was painfully shy, I love adventure activities. I'd rather sky dive than talk to a hot guy. Maybe making her have something surprising to people on the outside will keep her from being that typical shy girl who stays home with her cats and bakes cupcakes.

Of course, all of those things can be applied to guys. So if it's easier, maybe try building a shy guy then making him a girl.

Good luck!

Calling all girls... Help me create a girl!

Three Fish

practical experience, FTW

KingM

amyashley

Stunt-Writer

Ol' Fashioned Girl

Hand? What hand?

Stunted

Ich heiße Superphantastisch!

ex_machina

Enjoy the show.

27Froggie29

amyashley

Stunt-Writer

AlwaysJuly

slugging through

amyashley

Stunt-Writer

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

LaceWing

aekap

New kid, be gentle!

lm728

i'm baaaacccckkkkkk

MAP

CheG

Three Fish

practical experience, FTW

mellymel

backslashbaby

*

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

PrincessofPersia

Tracey N

Calling all girls... Help me create a girl!

practical experience, FTW

Stunt-Writer

Hand? What hand?

Ich heiße Superphantastisch!

Enjoy the show.

Stunt-Writer

slugging through

Stunt-Writer

my name is hannah

New kid, be gentle!

i'm baaaacccckkkkkk

practical experience, FTW

~~~~*~~~~

Dragon of the Multiverse

Know what you write...

*