I'm having trouble building the character of the MC, can anyone help?

UnderseaMortal

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I have difficulty building the MC character from my story.
Because at the beginning of the story I made him lose his memory.
then he was transferred to another world.
but later he will get various memories from other people who have lived in his world before.
so how should I create the unique character for the MC in my story???

this is the link for my story. but I feel that my MC doesn't have a unique character
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/102415/magus-in-another-world/
 

CupcakeNinja

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I have difficulty building the MC character from my story.
Because at the beginning of the story I made him lose his memory.
then he was transferred to another world.
but later he will get various memories from other people who have lived in his world before.
so how should I create the unique character for the MC in my story???

this is the link for my story. but I feel that my MC doesn't have a unique character
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/102415/magus-in-another-world/
Well first off, a character dont have to be unique. In fact i dont think most, if any character, actually is unique. Personality wise at least. Humans arent unique, kid. You arent special, thats just what people tell us as kids to motivate us. Dont buy into it.

Anyway right off the bat from chapter 1 i felt the dude was kinda bland. Or rather....mechanical, maybe? My inner reading voice was in a monotone. I didnt get why he thought "strangely i understand what is written on the ball"

Its just. anitpicky example, but why is it strange? He dont have memories. He doesn't know what he knows. There wasnt really anything to indindicate why it was strange for him to recognize the language.

Besides that, he doesnt really think like a person. Its stiff. You should loosen it up. Use this chart to help with that. Cuz people dont normally speak formally, you know? Also it feels like he takes in info but doesnt offer anything back. Maybe give him more reactions to things. Let him express his opinions. Like if something is an inconvenience maybe have him say, "well isnt that just fucking great" or something. How he reacts to things is the most important indicator of what kind of person he is. Without that of course he'd come off as dull. Even if you dont have memories, if you are originally an impatient person thats who you will be. Memories just add nuance or inhibition.
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NotaNuffian

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So the MC is a blank slate? I planning to make mine the reactive type of person, solely because
A. He is from an isolated village and the guy has been a quiet child
B. The world I am putting him into is a crapsack one, doesn't really help if the others in the world helps him to reinforce that thought and that an inner voice is constantly goading him to kill
C. He does become a semi murderhobo, often lashing out in rage because the world lashes at him.

The key point here is that the MC you have in hand is a blank with hidden depths, assuming he has skills and muscle memories that allows him to survive longer in the world even if the world is a peaceful one. Do you want him to be the curious kid with an adventurous spirit? Try a light-hearted tone but don't really glue the characters tight, our daily experience shapes our future behaviour, the adventurous character may be amplified or depleted or even hidden depending on the situations he faces and experiences he had.

He can be cautious/ overly cautious and tends to hide in the background, then it is the author's job to prod the little prick with a stick and put a spotlight on him.

You don't have to make a hero out of him, or let him have values at all, go wild, see and feel the screw ups, let the character grow or die as a psychopathic manchild.
 

UnderseaMortal

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Well first off, a character dont have to be unique. In fact i dont think most, if any character, actually is unique. Personality wise at least. Humans arent unique, kid. You arent special, thats just what people tell us as kids to motivate us. Dont buy into it.

Anyway right off the bat from chapter 1 i felt the dude was kinda bland. Or rather....mechanical, maybe? My inner reading voice was in a monotone. I didnt get why he thought "strangely i understand what is written on the ball"

Its just. anitpicky example, but why is it strange? He dont have memories. He doesn't know what he knows. There wasnt really anything to indindicate why it was strange for him to recognize the language.

Besides that, he doesnt really think like a person. Its stiff. You should loosen it up. Use this chart to help with that. Cuz people dont normally speak formally, you know? Also it feels like he takes in info but doesnt offer anything back. Maybe give him more reactions to things. Let him express his opinions. Like if something is an inconvenience maybe have him say, "well isnt that just fucking great" or something. How he reacts to things is the most important indicator of what kind of person he is. Without that of course he'd come off as dull. Even if you dont have memories, if you are originally an impatient person thats who you will be. Memories just add nuance or inhibition. View attachment 2118
thank you, that will really help my writing. I always felt that the character I made lacked personality.
 

UnderseaMortal

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So the MC is a blank slate? I planning to make mine the reactive type of person, solely because
A. He is from an isolated village and the guy has been a quiet child
B. The world I am putting him into is a crapsack one, doesn't really help if the others in the world helps him to reinforce that thought and that an inner voice is constantly goading him to kill
C. He does become a semi murderhobo, often lashing out in rage because the world lashes at him.

The key point here is that the MC you have in hand is a blank with hidden depths, assuming he has skills and muscle memories that allows him to survive longer in the world even if the world is a peaceful one. Do you want him to be the curious kid with an adventurous spirit? Try a light-hearted tone but don't really glue the characters tight, our daily experience shapes our future behaviour, the adventurous character may be amplified or depleted or even hidden depending on the situations he faces and experiences he had.

He can be cautious/ overly cautious and tends to hide in the background, then it is the author's job to prod the little prick with a stick and put a spotlight on him.

You don't have to make a hero out of him, or let him have values at all, go wild, see and feel the screw ups, let the character grow or die as a psychopathic manchild.
I'll try to make it flow
 

Thor

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Its just. anitpicky example, but why is it strange? He dont have memories. He doesn't know what he knows. There wasnt really anything to indindicate why it was strange for him to recognize the language.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself after you posted that huge picture :P (yeah I'm going to hell for this...)

In general, what cupcake said is true. People will always show certain personality traits even without memories that will directly translate into their thought process and how they will act or talk.

You could create a sheet for your MC with traits like confident, impatient, compassionate, impulsive ect. and develop how they act and talk based on those traits.
 

idaeasthesia

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I have difficulty building the MC character from my story.
Because at the beginning of the story I made him lose his memory.
then he was transferred to another world.
but later he will get various memories from other people who have lived in his world before.
so how should I create the unique character for the MC in my story???

this is the link for my story. but I feel that my MC doesn't have a unique character
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/102415/magus-in-another-world/

From a psychological perspective, even if you remove most if not all memories from a person, that person will still be inclined towards certain ways of thinking. The way we act, talk, build and all higher functions are more or less pre-determined at a biological level. This will intristically stay the same for most of a part. However, personality wise, we are more inclined to be influenced by environmental factors ie societal norms, family and community. This is quite handy to keep in mind.

In my story, I also deal with a certain character under the same circumstance ( beeg spoiler ). For me, I find it more interesting to mould a non human entity into a human like entity through environmental factors. There are so many things that can be explored like morality and humanity with physically being human out of the equation. "How does one become a human without being physically human?" Is essentially what I explored.

I'd agree with most of the advice above. Just keep in mind that we'll, a total memory wipe will just result in an overweight baby. You might want to avoid that plothole almost every story I've read regarding memory wiping don't.

As always, good luck and keep practicing!
 

NotaNuffian

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I'll try to make it flow
If somehow you are unable to really create a character trait even after you go through others' works, piece of advice, do more readings to try and ease your foot down, worse come to worse, take reference from real life examples.
 

Jemini

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I have difficulty building the MC character from my story.
Because at the beginning of the story I made him lose his memory.
then he was transferred to another world.
but later he will get various memories from other people who have lived in his world before.
so how should I create the unique character for the MC in my story???

this is the link for my story. but I feel that my MC doesn't have a unique character
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/102415/magus-in-another-world/

Well, character building is kinda my strong point, but it is for exactly that reason that I say that I really cannot build this character for you or even suggest a single feature about this character to you. All I can do is point you in the correct direction so you can do it yourself.

You see, character building is really a gut-level instinctual thing at it's best. What makes a character is not some phrase like "fun-loving" or "broody" or anything like that. What makes a character have character is their gut-level reactions to the events that occur around them, and their opinions on every little thing that catches their attention. It's thousands of small interactions, and how your character handles themselves in every single last one of those interactions.

So, really, the best way to build your character is to just have your character do things in the story. Give them some strong reactions or opinions to certain things. Like, maybe they think rye bread is delicious. Maybe they are annoyed by the cat that just won't leave them alone. Maybe they get uncontainably angry when they witness child abuse. Or, maybe they have the opposite reaction to all of these things. Maybe your character actually IS the abusive ass-hole who goes around hitting children, hates rye bread, but loves cats and sits in a dark room all night stroking a bushy cat sitting on his lap.

These are the things that make your character a character, and the best way to build your character is just to have them live in the world and expose them to situations, then have them react in the way you think they would. And, if you want your character to be more unique, simply put in a fairly unusual reaction to a few scenarios. The one important point is that their character remains consistent whenever a similar or related scenario comes up again in the future.

(A quick note here, having a character that is selflessly aultruistic and helps everyone in need is a sure way to create a bland character. If you are going to do that, at the very least take it to the extreme and have your character eat some negative consiquences for their kindness as a result. One of the best nice-guy characters I've ever seen is actually this guy who plays it a little tsundere. He will state that the lives and misfortunes of others don't matter to him, but in practice whenever he sees someone suffering directly in front of him he will wind up helping 100% of the time with a reaction like "I guess since I'm here and I just don't like what I'm seeing, maybe I'll help." So, it can be done, but it's more effective when it comes off as them critically failing to be callous and acting directly against the utilitarian philosophy they keep spouting rather than a goody two-shoes talking about helping everyone and going out of their way all the time.)
 

XianPiete

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I have difficulty building the MC character from my story.
Because at the beginning of the story I made him lose his memory.
then he was transferred to another world.
but later he will get various memories from other people who have lived in his world before.
so how should I create the unique character for the MC in my story???

this is the link for my story. but I feel that my MC doesn't have a unique character
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/102415/magus-in-another-world/


When I make a character I like to answer a few questions about them;

Why do they struggle? Revenge, curiosity, to become the best, etc.
What are their moral values? Murder, rape, theft, violence, etc.
Who do they care about? Themselves, a family member, a random beauty, a friend, etc.
How do they present themselves? Neat, dirty, slovenly, well-groomed, clean-cut, etc.
Then I look at the answers from above and I ask myself, "If I met this person, what would they be like?"
 

ChronicleCrawler

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I have difficulty building the MC character from my story.
Because at the beginning of the story I made him lose his memory.
then he was transferred to another world.
but later he will get various memories from other people who have lived in his world before.
so how should I create the unique character for the MC in my story???

this is the link for my story. but I feel that my MC doesn't have a unique character
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/102415/magus-in-another-world/
Okay though I find the theme interesting, I could also feel how kind of difficult it is to build such a unique character for him. I suggest the following:

1. As much as possible create a sense of conflict within the memories and your MC's character. Do not make it seem easy to accept. A sense of conflict will keep your readers intrigued.
2. Create a backstory for the MC - what is he like, what does he want? What are the things he hates or likes? His views on the world.
3. Create a sense of purpose! this is important - most readers (not all) would not like an MC w/o goals unless you're making a slice of life comedy or something.
4. If you still find it difficult - look for a model of sorts. You can use historical figures e.g. Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, King Arthur. etc. Then study their biography. Flesh their characters out then walla try to combine it.

Hope this helps. whew.
 

Yiphen

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Well, even if he lost his memories, that doesn't actually mean he's lost his intuitions. Speaking is pretty much based on intuition, because you don't think about how you respond to people who talk to you, you just do. For how you're doing it, you could make it so that he simply can't consciously "remember" the memories, but they're all still there.
For example, he looks completely inexperienced in combat but when a group of thugs tries to take advantage of that, he kicks their asses without even realizing how he did it. That would also influence how he speaks. Adding to the previous example, if he was a master, he would probably speak like, "young one," or "student." If he was a student learning how to fight, he would probably address the people older than him with "sir" or "teacher."
One thing to note is that if he really lost all of his memories, then he shouldn't actually remember how to speak. If you really want to do it that way, you would have to make the story one where he retells experience from a later point in time, as he would have no way of communicating when he first arrives.
What I do for characters is spend a bit of time trying to make a backstory for them. It's barely a page long, but it highlights important experiences they went through which would influence how they react in certain situations. So, if in the backstory they went through some sort of trauma with rape or murder, when they see such a thing, depending on their memories, they would either try to tone it out or have this urge seek vengeance for the victim.
As for how I think they would speak, the backstory generally plays some part. Its just a, "how do I think they would speak, given what I already know about them?" If I like how they sound/come off as, I keep using that way of speaking.
 

LiquidCeil

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I find character building to be the most enjoyable aspect of writing. For me, I have a rough idea of who the chara is, or who I want them to be, and then what they are going to do in my story. What is their role? Treat your characters as people, and if you imagine them like your child, you can learn about them by asking them questions! As I developed the outline of my story and decided what I want my children to do in the book, I then ask my character, "Why would you do that?" I just recently wrote a flashback scene for one of my MCs, and I was literally shocked, reading it over, then looking at the scenes that happened later. His actions just made more sense. With depth. I enjoyed reading my earlier content more, now that I knew why he was like this, rather than this aqueous: "he's insecure about his manhood", he has a trauma in his past that made him insecure. It doesn't even have to be a big event to change a character's worldview. People are weird like that. The smallest thing can affect the rest of their lives. So experience certainly plays a role in how a character developed.

And, the best part is, THE MOMENT your character starts moving around in your story, despite the memory loss, they will be adding on new experiences continuously that will shape how they think and act! So you have a great opportunity to show the evolution of a character's depth, from, as I take you want it, a blank slate. I don't necessarily agree that your character has to be colorful right off the bat, but the seeds should be planted, and it should bloom into a chromatic garden of personality!

How they react to things suggests a certain aspect of a character's nature, too. Sure. Are they a sponge? Just accepting everything, since nothing makes sense? Or are they skittish, and afraid of everything on instinct? Just overwhelmingly confused? Why IS something weird, while another isn't? What is the extent of the memory loss, that you can describe something by comparing it to something else? Where is the gauge for normalcy, and how did it get into the character's mind? When do the scales of a character's judgment begin to adjust? These are questions you should ask yourself.

As others above have suggested, a character's intrinsic wants, needs, inclinations, tastes, etc. all play a role and don't have to rely on experience. And they can be completely superfluous! These can be cute. They can be cool. They can be stupid. And they can be as unique and divergent as you like. While characters don't have to be "special snowflakes" in the way they think, they can still exhibit an array of interests and skills that together form a portrait. You don't have to be the bravest person in the world, or the most caring, or the most f***ed up, in order to be an interesting character to read. Honestly, the above examples can be quite bland in my eyes. One dimensional. They don't have to have a "thing". Archetypes are overrated. Regardless, hopefully, the image you create is of someone readers will love to love, or love to hate, etc. In general, though, my characters tend to be on the gray-scale. Nuanced. Human. They have reasons for doing things. And those reasons do NOT have to be big and dramatic. That makes them more real and interesting to me. So take what I say at its proper value.

Additionally, just because a character loses his memory, and idk how you handle that magically or technologically or whatever, doesn't mean that neural pathways aren't already formed in their mind. Human minds have trends in which they exhibit behaviors, regardless of their memories. This is why people with short term memory loss can have the same conversation over and over again. Fascinating videos. Look them up. And on a more profound level, if you are dealing with a soul, as long as the soul isn't wiped clean to a state of immortal purity, or scattered and reconstituted, it will also have some of the colors you seek to impart on your character. So don't be afraid to make your character a real, living, breathing, thinking, feeling person!

Hope this helps, and good luck.
 
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