For the authors who introduce their characters, why you do that?

[MagicalPen]

The title says it all, but lemme add somethings.

Isn't it joyful to get know MC(s) more with every chapter? Can't you tell that someone studies in college by highlighting his/her nervousness for some upcoming exams? or just tell that MC is not happy by describing his/her gloomy room and empty schedule? Or mention his/her age when he/she conducts a job interview.

I don't hate it because WN are supposed to be light, but not to light to make a passage about MC's life sounds like a job resume.

Story is made of bunch of scenes, not dry factual informations. It throws me off track, and feels so amateurish and I can't stress this enough.

For example:

Hey.. nice to meet you.

Hmm, so where do I start... I'm blabla. I study bliblob and I work here/there/somewhere as [Insert job you hate], and today I feel like introducing myself even though the story is beginning in the middle since I've working here for months.

 

[YuriDoggo]

My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone.

Edit: I voted the last option.

Edit 2: Serious answer- the example you gave I would never recommend but if it's first person, then the personality of the character who is narrating will play a big role in if the introduction is jarring. A flamboyant person's self introduction, no matter how grandiose, wouldn't be out of place, but a more introverted POV character might let the reader find out more about them over time. An eccentric with a few screws loose like Yoshikage Kira could be on either end of the spectrum or both at once depending on the time.

 

[MrTiemos]

It depends on the story, but generally the author will want the reader to feel a connection to their character(s), so by having a brief introduction that connection would be established to a certain extent. After all, would you want to read about someone you know absolutely nothing about? How can you picture them?

 

[Scribbler]

It depends. It's not about what you do i.e. show vs tell, it's about how you do it i.e. your execution. There is no definitive good or bad. Think not of the answer but of the question.

Guys, we should really make a common Q and A thread and pin it, because I feel like I've read this question and many like it before, many times.

 

[YuriDoggo]

@Scribbler Link the last thread?

 

[Scribbler]

@Scribbler Link the last thread?

Show vs tell is a common concept in the writing world. Many new writers are set on show being better than tell since their writing mostly consists of tell, and they assume that that must be the reason why their writing is bad. But that is not so, my friend. It is bad simply because they are new writers.

It matters not if the same question was repeated, it is the theme and purpose which I find so tiresome. And I find explaining myself to be tiresome and wasteful as well, since I assume everyone already knows such common things.

 

[TotallyHuman]

Really depends

 

[MagicalPen]

Still can't they just add a sidekick, damn clueless about everything, like most characters in SAO. It could be a friend, childhood love, teacher, or just some random kid.

I'm saying this because it feels awkward when characters get too interactive with the reader. for example, when MC says "Nice to meet you." to the reader.

I understand first POV, but doesn't it feel like abuse when overestimating it. It scrapes the fun off the story. The most famous novels don't do it so where these authors pick such habits? I dunno.

(BTW I tried to remove first choice since it seemed out of place, but couldn't :3 )

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Still can't they just add a sidekick, damn clueless about everything, like most characters in SAO. It could be a friend, childhood love, teacher, or just some random kid.

I'm saying this because it feels awkward when characters get too interactive with the reader. for example, when MC says "Nice to meet you." to the reader.

I understand first POV, but doesn't it feel like abuse when overestimating it. It scrapes the fun off the story. The most famous novels don't do it so where these authors pick such habits? I dunno.

(BTW I tried to remove first choice since it seemed out of place, but couldn't :3 )

fun is entirely subjective. Just because you dont like it doesnt mean others wont either. Lots of stories, really famous stories, break the fourth wall. FOr instance, spiderman and deadpool comics. Sometimes they overdo it, but most of the time its just so fun. Why? Because then you arent just reading about someone, you feel like you're there talking to them and that makes you feel way more included than first person normally can. There's jokes and banter that you dont merely read or hear, but feel part of.
The most famous novels and stories YOU'VE read dont do it. I've read several that do, and i enjoyed them.

Moving on, the introduction of characters...yes, if its written like a resume its boring as hell. Which is why you gotta spice it up. Best example off the top of my head....its like, my glossary. I didn't just jot down the characters' likes and dislikes, i gave it a fuck load of personality. I introduced them like, and i quote from some of my readers, "a reality dating tv show with good plot." Since, you know, normal glossaries are just like those "resumes". Least this way its more interesting.

As for introducing a character in-story like showing the reader their actions in response to situations...that is a fine way of doing it as well. I think someone mentioned that already. Not even just that, but their thoughts too. There's little "comments" that you can have your character make which let their personalities and emotions in that moment just bleed through, and i think thats the best way of doing it. Not saying just, "I hate the desert. I always get so sweaty." But more like, "Never liked the desert. The heat is one thing but getting swamp ass from all the sweat is just fucking unbearable." Maybe bad example, all i could think of, but i you get the point. Pretty clear difference.

People always get so obsessed over showing vs telling. Which is stupid. You dont show a damn thing, these aren't pictures or paintings. You just gotta tell shit better.

Yes i know they're being metaphorical. My words still stand.

 

[Kotohood]

For me, I don't introduce the main character except for a brief sentence on how he looks like or something.

For side characters, I only give a brief explanation of what they look like and probably a short sentence on their relationship to MC.

If you are talking about the full-on backstory of the characters then no lol. People are there to read a story not a biography.

 

[tombstone490]

OK now I'll just say it, yes it is quiet nice to learn more about the MC as the story progresses but you can do that even with an introduction, let's say for example that the story is narrated like the MC is telling us the story, in this case I think it's natural that the MC gives a bit of a rundown of who he is (not necessary tho if you want or could you could keep the mistery in it) but I think it largely depends on what type of story you're reading

 

[gaylolis]

I never really did it. I just get the readers to know the mc through their antics. my main characters can't really be described by these things. it felt kinda limiting to me.

tho when i read others' writings, i prefer if they just go straight to the point.

to me, introduction isn't really necessary. making me actually care for them is.

 

[TheLovelyFire]

It depends on how it done because it just all tell and it get boring fast, unless you add something to keep the reader interest like making it a prologue in itself.
Exampe:
My name is **** and (Mc background) this is all came to ***** which is where this began.

But if it not being used in the way it seem the Mc is talking to a reader, then you could just use a side character to explain the Mc circumstances like in an interview.
Example:
"I see you study **** in *****. I may be intruding too much in your personal life, but it seem ******** happen**** ago. Is this correct, *** ", the interviewer spoke to *** for clarification on their resume/ interview.

 

[GDLiZy]

I did it with my protagonist, and I must admit that it's an amateurish and non-engaging way of introducing the main cast. Although it laid the groundwork for the story, there're ways to have it more interesting.

However, now I almost always never introduced a character more than their name. It would be along the way that the readers would gain more about their past and history, as well as their morality. Make for a really good plot-related information.

 

[Khiricastares]

I find introducing a character is a shortcut, one which people may take for different reasons.

You remove the potential to show who they are when you tell people what they are meant to be like. Granted, sometimes the story might not need strong characters or people might not care, but from a writing perspective it is lazy. As well as the fact that telling people who they are may then conflict with what they are like in the story.
Since you haven't set any actual behaviors, personality or traits and describing someone won't give people the same image, but multiple varying ones from person to person. So introducing a character can often lead to them seeming poorly written or dissonant when compared to the "ideal" as described and I find that tends to make people lose interest.

It's not a taboo, but for anyone introducing their characters like that and talking to reader etc. Those tropes all scream bad writing to me, so I tend to stay far away, even if the actual story and ideas may be good, i'll never know due to the poor introduction.

Edit - Descriptions are a different thing entirely. Telling the reader what they look like is an important part of who they are.

 

[Nahrenne]

I didn't like any of the choices for the question, so I'll just say that it depends on the style of the text/story and the personality of the character being introduced.
Also, character introductions aren't only done in writing, other forms of media have done it as well:
Films - Bridget Jones' Diary
Games - usually dating simulators do this
TV series - I think The Vampire Diaries did this, as well as maybe Gossip Girl?

My point is that it's not a case of being amateurish, but a case of being done right for the style being used.

I hope my views came across.

X

 

[Elateam]

To add on to what Nahrenne said, from the literature I researched the folktales and the famous epics tend to have a character/familial backstory that ends up being used to foreshadow the tragedy or drive the tension. For example, Mahabharata details two groups of families who derive their right to rule from the same ancestor; however, one group is the main successor but are younger than the other group who are much older but are technically the second family in succession. This ends up with both of the families claiming the throne which drives the tension from the beginning.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, that would be a nice plot for a general story . But the point is that it really depends on how that kind of introduction is used to drive the story. In an epic/folktale it would work fine, but for a story like mine, it would not work as well

 

[YuriDoggo]

What's with the condescending tone of the last option by the way. @MagicalPen Being a bit close-minded there.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

In regards to making character, i tend to avoid showing their appearance, the more i thought about it, the more confusing i would give description about his/her looks. Its like trying to solve a simple math problem and ended up trying to solve calculus.

As for their characters, i tend to make my protagonist related to me but not too relatable. In my first novel, i made my protag a loner(my experiences as one). My other novel decrips of a tortured protag(from my experience in suffering in RL). And so on and so forth.

For Example:

My name is Arcadia Blade. I'm 21 years old and live in a poor countryside. I live a normal life and was constantly being bullied by my siblings.

One day, i was drowing in the sea as my father had carried me too far from the land and couldn't touch the ground. The reaper of death finally came and tried to take my life but by some unknown reason, i woke up in dry land.

From then on, my presence became as thin as a ghost, the goddess of luck had abandoned me, my sick body became an undying one that could survive a truck and my mind was driving me nuts.

I don't know why thia had happened to me as i only wanted to live a normal life but soon know that i became a 'Main Character'.

 

[MagicalPen]

What's with the condescending tone of the last option by the way. @MagicalPen Being a bit close-minded there.

It was meant as joke, btw I tried to change the choices but couldn't :3

But yeah, I guess after reading your valuable views, guys. I think I'm more open to the methods.

It's good if well executed like for dramatization, and especially if it highlights what's special about the MC. And comes out as dull or boring if there's nothing remarkable.