Toilet thoughts: Improvement on a charcter

[ConcubusBunny]

Hello my gals guys and enby pals.
I need advice on how to make my character more rounded. I've got a sorta good handle on some others, but one still bothers me.
My dizzy drunk, shameless, thoughtless, one track mind, barely focused salamander.
But I want a way to flesh them out more right now they are just sound like a single-minded ADHD ridden drunk that doesn't know what an inhibition is.
Any ideas?

 

[SailusGebel]

What?

 

[Jemini]

Round characters, by definition, are characters who change throughout the story. The opposite, flat characters, are characters who remain the same throughout the arc.

If you want to make this character more rounded, use his drunkenness and disjointed thoughts to get him into trouble a few times and then have him start trying to work through those problems. Not saying to eliminate them, but maybe have him discover some coping mechanisms in order to better manage his failings.

(There is also what's called a negative character arc, where a character changes by degrading and becoming a worse and less functional person. I'm doing that with my own MC in my story. Took a character that just seemed fairly well put together, but had one key flaw. A flaw that doesn't sound like a flaw at all when you first hear about it. I'm capitalizing on that flaw, illustrating why it really is a bad thing, and using it as the narrow end of the wedge to gradually chip away at the rest of her character. In your case though, I would have to say that since this character you are talking about is already so full of problems, it's best to make it a positive character arc and have him work through his problems.)

 

[rain-090]

Round characters, by definition, are characters who change throughout the story. The opposite, flat characters, are characters who remain the same throughout the arc.

If you want to make this character more rounded, use his drunkenness and disjointed thoughts to get him into trouble a few times and then have him start trying to work through those problems. Not saying to eliminate them, but maybe have him discover some coping mechanisms in order to better manage his failings.

(There is also what's called a negative character arc, where a character changes by degrading and becoming a worse and less functional person. I'm doing that with my own MC in my story. Took a character that just seemed fairly well put together, but had one key flaw. A flaw that doesn't sound like a flaw at all when you first hear about it. I'm capitalizing on that flaw, illustrating why it really is a bad thing, and using it as the narrow end of the wedge to gradually chip away at the rest of her character. In your case though, I would have to say that since this character you are talking about is already so full of problems, it's best to make it a positive character arc and have him work through his problems.)

What's the flaw?

 

[ConcubusBunny]

Round characters, by definition, are characters who change throughout the story. The opposite, flat characters, are characters who remain the same throughout the arc.

If you want to make this character more rounded, use his drunkenness and disjointed thoughts to get him into trouble a few times and then have him start trying to work through those problems. Not saying to eliminate them, but maybe have him discover some coping mechanisms in order to better manage his failings.

(There is also what's called a negative character arc, where a character changes by degrading and becoming a worse and less functional person. I'm doing that with my own MC in my story. Took a character that just seemed fairly well put together, but had one key flaw. A flaw that doesn't sound like a flaw at all when you first hear about it. I'm capitalizing on that flaw, illustrating why it really is a bad thing, and using it as the narrow end of the wedge to gradually chip away at the rest of her character. In your case though, I would have to say that since this character you are talking about is already so full of problems, it's best to make it a positive character arc and have him work through his problems.)

The thing is that I want them to think more on their actions and consider their friends more instead of going off their devices, but I still want them to keep the ditzy drunk nature they have, sorta their trademark.

 

[Zirrboy]

Kill them off and introduce a new character that fits your requirements

 

[Jemini]

What's the flaw?

She will do anything to protect the life, health, and wellbeing of her loved ones.

Chapter 1 opens with the MC selling their soul to heal their crippled granddaughter. That was meant as a bit of foreshadowing on how her character arc is going to look.

And, like I said. It sounds more like an outright heroic trait, until the 2nd book in which...

Spoiler

She literally tortures a man into doing what she wants him to do. True, he was a pawn sent to kill them, and the thing she was torturing him into doing was to have him participate in the plan to help save their lives by way of delivering a message to his boss, but the moment gives you a little hint at the darkness and just how far my MC is willing to "slip from the path" if protecting her loved ones is the justification.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

A flaw that doesn't sound like a flaw at all when you first hear about it. I'm capitalizing on that flaw, illustrating why it really is a bad thing,

hey buddy, who are YOU to say this flaw, whatever it is, is a bad thing? You know, people say alcoholism and drug addiction are bad too, but maybe THEY should mind their own FUCKING BUSINESS.

I mean, who are they to tell me what's good? IM happy with my addicitons. Sounds like yall the ones with a "problem", not us. Yeah. How do them apples grab you?

Just cuz our flaws lead to self-destruction and isolation from friends and family, DOES NOT MEAN you have the right to judge us. No, well, i guess you do...but not that we have to care what you think.

 

[SakeVision]

they are just sound like a single-minded ADHD ridden drunk that doesn't know what an inhibition is.

So they are me?

 

[PhillisCreziles]

Spoiler: How to Character [Level 1]

I am a simple person so here is my answer:
First look at your character's specs.
What do/don't they like?
What do/don't they believe in?
What are their goals?
What do they try to avoid?
What are they afraid/not afraid of?

Base a character on one character trait alone and then strap on other miniature character traits along. Throw them into the plot and make them face obstacles that will cause them to change over the course of the story, either through learning something or gaining something.
Changes could either be positive, negative or possibly even both.
Obstacles you could throw at your character really depend on your world's setting, characters, or your story's theme(s).

That's really about it.

Could probably give that salamander some backstory about his trauma in a war or something. Maybe he is drinking because he wants to soothe his trauma from war. Perhaps the salamander could give his honest thoughts to other characters or the protagonist on life or on other stuff.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Just give them a dream!

 

[BearlyAlive]

Give them some tragic reason for being an adhd addicted drunk ditz and then resolve it. There's no crappy character that can't be redeemed by a sappy backstory

 

[ConcubusBunny]

Give them some tragic reason for being an adhd addicted drunk ditz and then resolve it. There's no crappy character that can't be redeemed by a sappy backstory

Okay first off I don't want to redeem them, I want to make them more rounded and second they are born with adhd I have no idea what your implying but no one with ADHD has some backstory for ADHD