I feel like if they want their audience to relate to the character they should just focus on a specific thing that part of the audience can relate too instead of just having a blank character that none of the audience can relate too
I hate when authors have side characters that are much more interesting or entertaining than the main character. The main character doesn’t have to be a blank slate to be relatable to the audience.
I agree. I think the more developed a character is the more relatable they are to us as readers. More information gives us common ground to find with the character and see ourselves in them.
Exactly! I love it when the side characters are interesting, but when they're more compelling than the MC, all I'm going to be able to think about is how much I'd rather the side character was the main
YES. This is my main gripe about 95% of main characters for sure. The side characters always seem much more compelling to me and it shouldn't be that way.
@@starryeyes999 Oh, Harry got this this gross scar when he was a baby. He was in the car with his parents when they crashed... into a crocodile. His parents got eaten, but then the crocodile took out a knife and gave him a scar. At least, that's what his liar aunt and uncle told him.
"If the only reason you can further your plot is by making your characters really _really_ stupid, then you need a stronger plot" *Game of Thrones season 8 flashback intensifies*
I thought Season 5 was it started going all awry. Thank God for a couple of episodes that were very well directed, but the story itself... No, no, no... Read the books instead.
@@arnold20139 Eh, not necessarily. Younger people with extreme backstories can work. You just need to be careful not to overuse the backstory and follow through with how that backstory molded the person in question. Trauma and how it affects people can be interesting to read and write if executed correctly. Though I am just an amateur so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
@@arnold20139 I actually suggest you not to delete it, just make the bad things that happened to him be connected to one another in an organic and believable way, and not "his parents died, a neonazi killed his dog and afterards a lightning striked him".
i think this can be done well but can easily become cliche if not worked through mindfully. I think if a traumatic story is introduced, the character should still be seen as dealing with the aftermath or something like that. Or they have recovered/learning to deal with it/heal. I think Sixof Crows did this well, merging sad backstories into actual important aspects of the characters and plot
I find this ironic when a lot of young people (including me) have had that trauma to last too many lifetimes. Not everyone has to, yes, but sometimes its what helps to shape them into the person they are now. I can get the overuse of that, yes, but I know a lot of people who have had trauma or PTSD levels. I think its overused because its actually common.
Exactly, people think that all introverts are just extremely shy and socially awkward or weird and suck at making friends. Introverts are just people who like being alone and feel more comfortable that way. Just cuz i am an introvert doesn't HAVE to mean that i have social anxiety and that i suck at communicating with others.
Thank you! I am an extrovert (slightly more ambiavert) but 80% of my family is introverted. My mom is an introvert. She enjoys small groups of people. It's not that introverts can't go to a party and socialize, they can, but they'd rather stay home with a few good friends and play cards or watch a movie. I'd like to see anything where the introverted MC saves the day, and at the party/celebration thing and after an hour or two the main group of friends go back to the MC's house and just crash. Read books, write letters, pet cats, ect. And their happy with doing that.
Being an introvert may also just mena you're an empath and need the time to recharge and time alone is more soothing to your soul. It doesn't mean you don't know how to function in social situations 🤦🏼♀️😂
YES and that also works the other way around - being shy doesn't mean that you're an introvert or have social anxiety! It drives me nuts when people use these three terms as synonyms...
yeah i think it has to do with trying to stand out, however there's nothing wrong with either; there's no right or wrong way to be a girl. i'm a total girly girl and hate sports and outside, but i don't think i'm weak or overemotional. there's really no wrong way to be a girl and i wish that was more reinforced than 'girls always have to be ladylike' or 'girls are emotional' or 'girls who wear makeup have an inferiority complex'. because there's a girl out there that absolutely enjoys wearing shorts, a girl who has a lot of self-control, and a girl that enjoys makeup but not because she's insecure. it's stupid these stereotypes are so badly reinforced because they're not right at all.
Likewise, not 'being like other girls' shouldn't be seen as insulting those other girls. For example, I'm not like other girls... That doesn't make me better or worse, it doesn't mean I dislike how other girls are. BUT it's not accurate to say I am a good representation of "girls". But I'm still female. I don't lose my gender because pink makes me barf. Pink makes me barf because I grew up being told if I didn't like it I was wrong. So I wore frilly dresses and had my hair done. But eventually, I realized I was being forced to be someone I'm not and I turned my back against everything "girly". But I'm still a girl, I don't hate other girls. I don't look down on them, I don't pretend to be a "guy", I'm not confused by my gender. I'm not doing it to be strong, I'm doing it to be me. It's just me.
I feel like there's a rule where YA main characters must let out a breath that they didn't realise they were holding. Edit: I do this too, just not all the time. I wanted to comment something that's all lol
"When a protagonist cannot make an intelligent decision to save their lives and is constantly choosing the dumbest, most illogical path for the sake of furthering the plot, it drives us nuts" You've just called out 80% of the horror movie industry.
"Readers chat about what we like and don't like to read in books." Me, an author here to learn about what readers appreciate: Oh okay, I'll just watch from the window.
I read a book while ago where the main character was more of a "popular" type of girl in the highschool standards or whatever. And it was honestly refreshing to see someone wear a dress and not instantly hate it. Or have basic blond hair and go hang out with people. Feels like a lot of books that I read start up with: "I'm not like other girls. I hate dresses. I'm just normal. I wear t-shirts and jeans and sneakers. I don't go outside. Yet I get to date this inhumanly handsome guy with an 8-pack"
And they’re usually tied in with being ‘slutty’ too, which is it’s own bag of worms but the whole thing is just so icky. Like the girly girl enemy of the not-like-other-girls main character will wear skimpy clothing and flirt with the love interest and it’s just like can we not do this in 20 freaking 20.
I hate main character girls who are mean AS HELL and get a free pass. Katniss did it well. Please don’t make your main character a bully cause she’s a “powerful woman.”
@@legrandliseurtri7495 katniss was a jerk sometimes, but we understand why, and we don't hate her for it, but we also don't excuse it edit: deleted the extra e in we. That was an accident!
I think what was done well about Katniss was that she didn't get a free pass. She wasn't likable; people were drawn to her abrasiveness because it was real and honest
It’s because we readers know what she’s been through. She’s had to support her family since her father died when she was young. It would be surprising if she didn’t end up a bit jaded and abrasive because of what she went through.
Profile pic matches the comment. Imho many of the stuff here doesn't apply to good rated anime/manga. But I guess that's the same for books. In OPM the twist are the side characters. Saitama is the mc but has not the most "screen time". You see the side characters struggle and fight. Saitama is more joker appearing when everyone else had their chance. Also he isn't able to kill a small mosqito and has other flaws ;)
One is really good with that kind of characters. He's much more of a psychological writer than a plot focused writer. Not just OPM but mob psycho is also a great work from ONE that makes super strong never losing characters relatable.
The "She's not like other girls" could actually be really sweet if it's done right. "She's not like other girls, she's my daughter. She is the greatest blessing the world could bestow." "She's not like other girls. I can trust her with my heart." "She's not like other women. She cared about me before she even knew me. She was my mom."
With female leads, it bugs me when a flock of guys are all interested in her. A bigger annoyance is when the flock grows over a series instead of the rejected love interests moving on with their lives. Instead, they wait in the background, forever pining over protagonist woman and their chance to have a five-minute relationship, as if they live in a one-woman world. For both male and female protagonists, I hate when they waffle in a life or death situation. Moralizing over killing an antagonist when they are literally in the moment of attempting killing the hero drives me up a wall.
Makes me think of a kid's french serie which I like(I read it a few times after all), but my god the main girl has like 5 love interest. So I mostly re-read it for the cool side-characters, in particular her badass evil sister.
Darren Garoutte the first one - TWILIGHT We read it in a book club, and only three of us were concerned and annoyed at the fact every male character had a crush on Bella. I gagged when Edward said every boy in the school were instantly in love with her in the first day
me, a real girl: i like romance. main character girl A: falling in love is beneath me! main character girl B: i don't even care if the person im with is possesive, i need romance me: um, am i supposed to relate?
OMFGGG I could not agree more! I love romance, but why is every romance toxic?? I just want a nice/sweet romance between two people with actual personalities!
@@clioalexandra6485 I know I’m going to sound like a weeb saying this. But there a *super* dark anime called Banana Fish that has the best (romance) I’ve ever seen. I say (romance) because its basically just a situation of platonic soulmates. Edit: its gay. Don’t get me wrong. But it’s isn’t *Yoai* I promise.
@@clioalexandra6485 i guess perhaps its because when writers write a book, they're thinking about conflict. They're not aiming to write a happily ever after romance where nothing ever happens and everything that befalls MC and their lover is all great and smooth sailing. They need to add conflict to make things interesting. Conflict is part and parcel of every book. It is also why writers do start worrying too much about the conflict that the romance starts to feel toxic to readers. Too little conflict and there is no book, too much conflict and there is toxicity and tropes. Just some thoughts as a reader and a person starting to write.
I like side character that has their own goal and intention in mind. They should not be mindless being that only support the goal of the main character.
Agreed, I like when all the characters in a story are fleshed out. I do agree it's better when the side character helps the protagonist out of wanting to achieve a goal of their own, than just wanting the protagonist to succeed. Although I am fine with some side characters who just want to be a supportive friend.
I think my personal favorite are side characters who's goals and ambitions actively interfere with or jeopardize the main characters goals. One of the most notable examples of this that comes to mind is Gollum.
Yess, I mean nothing against Gryffindors but there's just sooo many of them in media! We really need some more rep for the other houses/types of people
I was going to say similar... I don't mind starting a story with a MC who has already been trained, I just want them to have had time to be be trained, it's okay if they're a prodigy, but prodigies need training too. I'm honestly a little tired of seeing every facet of the MC's training, I'm okay with the occasional back flash, I would be okay with seeing the MC train another character, I would even be okay if we came in right at the end of training. I'm even okay with other characters just reminiscing about their school/training days I just want to know they earned it.
@@ryuukake I'm writing story where the MC was basically one man army at one point in the history, now she just wants to have normal life and is the mentor type for two young people
@@galactick3816 That sounds like it could be fun. Room for some comedy, a serious tone. I like the idea of writing through the mentors perspectives. I'm working one as well, He's an arms instructor, and we see the students succeed and fail from his perspective as, well as the "heroes" perspective a little.
@@galactick3816 Sounds like will probably have some wholesome character bonding moments and development. It sounds like a solid foundation to work with. Hope it goes well.
"I hate when all the side character's entire being just revolves around the MC" *cough* everyone in Keeper of The Lost Cities drooling over Sophie Foster *cough*
Aurora Nightingale I really hate the series but the author's got me hooked so I can't stop reading it. 😂 The plot's pretty good and the writing style is just my type. It's just the characters (especially the main characters) that annoy me. My favorite character is Dex but he's mostly ignored and barely gets any screen time? Book time? What's that called again? 😂 Sophie kinda ruins the books for me. I'm not done reading all the books that are out yet but I just find it really hard to enjoy a series when I don't like the protagonist. Really wish she wasn't so overpowered and have billions of boys drooling over her.
ah i love those books and i dont know why. my older brother's favorite character was always fitz and he was so mad when his character was ruined just for a love triangle (honestly same with dex, he just disappeared! just because of the love drama) with a few exceptions, there is no character development. keefe is my favorite, which is common, but i think its common because he's the only character written actually well
@@addisongernenz3359 hey, if you like the seires, you like the series. It’s cool. I’m only half way through the fourth book now and keefe isn’t so bad. I still like dex the best. I personally don’t think the series is that bad. It’s just the characters (particularly the protagonist ) that make it harder for me to enjoy it.
I personally love when’s the main character is morally conflicted or feels heavy guilt after their past decisions. I hate when characters-especially in fantasy- can just kill how many people they want and not feel any guilt at all because they are just trying to achieve their goal. Unless they are a literal psychopath that doesn’t feel any emotion at all or that is part of character, they should second guess themselves. I find it so unrealistic when an author makes this totally caring person that is supposed to be all good that can just take the lives of others just because those others are on the “bad side”. Not only is it unrealistic, it is upsetting and makes it harder to feel bad for this main character.
ikr and also all these people are so confident in whatever decision they took. After killing a 100 people aren't you going to wonder ifwhat you've done is a bad choice or was there a better way to do this? no, its all " I think its okay because i'm on the good side"
@@feenitacharles905 Or maybe they could be like that in the beginning but slowly realise that this mentality is wrong and come to realise that people do not come in black or white but shades of grey, and the reasons for someone's actions and their situations should also be taken into account, rather than just classifying them as 'good' or 'bad' and then second guess or regret their actions?
Married to a girly girl, and I have never thought of her as weak. Especially after being in the room while she gave birth to our daughter. Honestly, I think it's an odd quirk of the creative industries that tend to portray women in this light, perhaps because so many conflicts are centered around physical altercations rather than tests of will or cunning. I know of no men who think their wives are weak, regardless of their likes and dislikes. It might behoove authors to pay closer attention to the couples they know and create characters based on real people rather than other literary characters.
One word: Patriarchy. Society believes men to be stronger than women, meaning masculine women are seen as strong as they have stereotypical traits of men (strong, brave, etc).
Which society do you mean? Hollywood or maybe the publishing industry. But the average person I know doesn't see it that way. Feminine women possess a different kind of strength, something it seems many of the creatives in our country have difficulty portraying adequately. I don't think it's a as simple as a one word or even one concept response. People have layers. They believe things for more than one reason, most of the time.
@@johnsterling4558 I agree. It's more like hollywood/publishing industry etc, doesn't think of the lifes and struggles of females, as interesting or important as those of males. They think that people wouldn't want/like to experience a story of a 'realistic' (by that I mean layered and complex ) female charackter.
Well -- blank slate protagonists are a thing, but they're not necessarily for reader participation, to my knowledge. It's more for stories where the focus is not on the characters, such as cosmic horror or exploration of a new planet/place (i.e. Journey to the Center of the Earth, First Men in the Moon, The Green Book, Here There Be Tygers). Non-character-driven stories are often my favorite kind, so I'm totally fine with blank slates -- but I'm not projecting myself onto the character, either; it's just that if they were too colorful they would distract from the main point of the story. I love invisible protagonists/narrators, as a reader and a writer, for stories where personality would just get in the way. Sometimes the protagonist is mostly a POV -- eyes to see a planet or a terror or a world or a God.
@@anonymouswitness3835 Hmm I can see your point, though I feel that most of the time these types of blank slate characters turn out to make the story bad, or just leave you with a ‘it would have been better if the character...’
@@One.Zero.One101 It's not an excuse. Think about a story like Journey Toward the Center of Earth or Out of the Silent Planet. If the protagonists were more "exciting" it would detract from the excitingness of the surroundings.
I do think sometimes “blank slate” main characters are stealthy author-self-insert characters. And they are boring people because they author is a boring person. (No shade, most real people are boring compared to book characters.)
"Blank Slate" characters are more a product of gaming, tabletop or video, where at times your representation is a wooden Meeple, a plastic knight, or an armored space marine.
@@Ann-ds2tm Oh, they exist. You just haven't met them yet. I know people that share their mondaine experiences as a fascinating highlight. One of my mother's accuaitances can ramble for hours about every little detail of her life. Her tooth operations, the one time she twisted her ankle and the whole process of getting her to the hospital, her petty marital problems, her children and her meticulous opinions on how they handle their education careers, how the sound of her husband waking up ruins her morning.... I dunno, I wouldn't say interesting people spend their time focusing or talking about these things all the time.
Hoe Bitch I'm so glad you understand!! I may have been born with the chromosomes and primary sex characteristics of one sex, but I was also born with a brain that said something else. I can't choose to identify with the gender I was assigned with at birth, I was born non-binary even though I didn't figure that out for a long time!! (If this isn't what you meant, kindly remove your rude remarks from all public platforms as you will only add to the many issues trans people everywhere already face.) To all my lovely trans ladies, stay gorgeous and strong! You are valid as women and as human beings!! Take care of your beautiful selves
Well this is a touchy subjects people, personally I don't form opinions until I have enough details but in my (admittedly limited) experience and basic biological knowledge, if you have the organs and chromosomes and basically, biologically, ARE one gender then most of the time that's just what you are. Facts don't really listen to us, Believe me I have shouted and screamed at them enough to know it's mostly a lost cause. As for being non binary, look I don't really understand what that is. I've heard people say it's that they don't identify as male or female, but until I know what it IS rather than what it isn't I'm still kinda in the dark. If you don't want to identify as your gender despite checking all the marks to be apart of said gender then that's fine, I personally don't see any bloody point but that's just my pov. The problem arises when you're clearly one gender but identify as the other. This isn't me complaining about pronouns or how awkward it is to refer to someone with a knee length beard as she but rather when societal norms for one gender are given to the other because of what they identify as. I worded that terribly but for an example, say if a man is sentenced to prison for rape, but identify as female because they said so, and are locked in a female prison, and just repeats his crimes all over again. I'm pretty sure this happened once too. Anyway that's the issue I was trying and probably failing to highlight So finally, look if you want to identify as non binary despite as you mentioned clearly being a gender, than sure, I don't care just don't get pissy if I accidentally refer to you as he/she. However if you are clearly one gender but then identify as the other, then I have problems.
@@ASmartNameForMe Well, there is a difference between gender and sex. You can get hormone therapy to partially change your sex. Biologically, sex is defined using 4 things: Hormones, gonads, exterior genitalia & chromosomes. If all 4 are female type, you are a female. If all 4 are male type you are a male. Sometimes one or more of these attributes are flipped or doesn't fit into either category, which make you a non-female and a non-male. By getting sex reassignment surgery you can get close to the sex you want. This surgery isn't perfect (yet). We can influence the hormones very well, the others are worse, and chromosomes are very out of reach. Please note that your neural system isn't part of what defines male or female, biologically speaking. Gender is a different matter though. That's a social construct. I won't get into that because I want to sleep.
There's this YA book, Hexed by Michelle Krys, which is kind of like that. The story as a whole doesn't focus on the MC's social life, it's more in the background, but she does start off as the 'typical' cheerleader, basketball team boyfriend, and at the end she is best friends with the weird girl, and in a relationship with kind of a weirdo. He's a nice weirdo though. The ratings aren't that good, but I enjoyed the book very much, and I appreciated a 17 year old protagonist that didn't act like she was 37. edit: football team boyfriend, not basketball.
Hey, if you need more ideas to add to the "Dear Authors" series, holler at us. Personally, I'd like to see a Dear Authors... Magic Systems, Romances, or Fantasy Races? Just spitballing here so far...
Which do you prefer: Hard or Soft magic systems? I prefer hard magic systems. It gives magic a limit, but it's still AWESOME! I haven't read a lot of books with a magic system, but I have seen great magic systems in shows. Bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender is written beautifully. It makes so much sense, but it's still mysterious (especially with the spirits). When I first watched the show, it didn't even register that moving water with your mind or making a fire with the snap of your finger was magic. It just seemed like a cool ability, like how birds can fly and basilisk lizards can run on water. Alchemy in Full Metal Alchemist (the 2003 version, I haven't watched FMAB yet) is also awesome. It's also described as a science. And it seems like anyone can learn it. I prefer magic systems that aren't just spells. I don't want to watch a show or read a book that's on the lines of "Well, if I say this spell, it will make a rabbit appear. I don't know how it appears, but that doesn't really matter." I like understanding at least some aspect of the system. It's okay if some stuff is left out to be mysterious, since magic deals with the unknown, but I wanna understand SOMETHING. Like, how did you realize saying a certain spell would make a rabbit appear? Did you make the rabbit out of thin air, or did it teleport from elsewhere? I NEED TO KNOW!
Captain Crunch Rick Riordan has some awesomely written female side protagonists. Honestly if someone can't find a single male author who can write good female characters then there's either something wrong with your choice of books or you're specifically looking for something in a specific genre that caters to that sort of archetype.
can i just say, badly written and objectified female characters are written and created more, MUCH MORE by men, and women writing bad female characters is not in any way excused because of this, but it's also reflected by the types of characters they were exposed to in media. but yeah, both ways it's just awful, because it's the same shit result of bland or sexualized useless or stupid female characters.
ren There are plenty badly written female characters, and most of them are definitely written by females depending the medium. Cartoons and comics being the main ones, since people at the top defeats writers and have them write only for characters that share their same skin color or sex. Weird world we live in with all of this race and gender baiting when we could just be writing good character no mater the traits they have. Even female authors struggle with this as they make females masculine to make them seem “stronger” or whatever, and it gives the wrong idea.
i wish i commented this on the post but i love it when there are flaws in the villain the main character sees in himself. it’s so interesting to see how he overcomes and struggles with this insecurity.
I love this, the main character in my story deals with this and there's this antagonist that everybody sees as the" bad guy" but she struggles when it's time to fight him because she sees herself in him and starts to wonder if maybe she isn't "the good guy" after all
Same! I'm tired of seeing friends and side characters who have one purpose and don't even seem like a real person. They're either a yes man, flat, or just there to forward the plot a couple times.
I hate when just to further the plot the characters get into some petty argument that has nothing to do with the story and doesn’t add to it at all. It’s almost like they wrote the whole book, then were told it wasn’t long enough, so they went back and added a fight that the main character reflects on every 3 pages or so.
On the idea of romance and friendships I'd like to add that girls and boys can be friends without either person ever having a crush on the other. Idk if this is an actual problem in books but it feels like it in too many mainstream media.
Oh yeah, as an introvert I DESPISE when introversion is treated like a character flaw. As for personality-less characters, I agree, I only ever hear about them as a host for the reader when it's non-writers or very inexperienced writers talking. Any author I've heard giving advice about main characters has talked about them needing personality. I've never met anyone who likes a blank slate.
I wonder if people who claim blank slates are good are conflating that idea with audience surrogate characters, because the latter can be useful in some stories
a character with a bit of a profile but no real personality isn't a blank slate. If you wanna write a story (let alone novel) with a blank slate protagonist, everything has to be tailored around that. The lack of descriptions of the main character needs to tie in with the point of the book. as for introversion, neither introversion nor extraversion is anything you're going to see in a healthy human. An introverted human would basically be a catatonic, while an extroverted human would basically have no consciousness. What really exists is people with stronger introspection (which is healthy) vs. people with stronger projection (which is unhealthy). People who spend way more time pointing out flaws in others, vomit their opinions all over the place and want to give everybody orders instead of getting shit done themselves, are a problem. Calling them extroverted is glorifying the problem. Introspection would be required to solve a lot of problems in the modern world, and that's why it's been stigmatized by a lot of people who are part of the problem.
@@kristall5928 I think you misunderstand what an introvert is. An introvert is tired out by social interaction, an extravert is energized by it. Being an introvert doesn't mean being shy or disliking people/social interaction, though many introverts fit that description. It's not a flaw, it's just an aspect of how your brain works. If you have social anxiety (as I do), that certainly is something to overcome, but being more introspective and not enjoying social situations as much as others is not a flaw
@@svenherzig6290 I'm not sure you know what introversion and extraversion are? Have you read anything that professionals have said on the matter, or are you just vomiting your opinions?
Oop 😂😂😂 I’m writing one story with a messy dark haired boy with mommy and daddy issues, but in my defense it makes sense with the plot and it kinda shapes who he becomes as a person later on in life
17:18 this is actually one of the reasons why the Percy Jackson movies were bad. They had Percy learn everything too quickly making Annabeth look more of a side character than the 2 MC
If the movie was longer it would show more of Percy's growth and then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad movie. The problem is that movies are not suppose to be adapted from books but rather a TV series. Cause then you could show the character's development more than in a movie
The only main character I do like is Katniss Everdeen I feel like she doesn’t try to be “different” from everyone else and she doesn’t want people to see her as a hero
I want to read Hunger Games so bad but I haven't yet :D. My favorite main characters of all time aren't even from a book series, they're from a show. A really good show made by some of the same people that made Avatar the Last Airbender (the show is called The Dragon Prince and I really recommend it to anyone who loves Avatar or to anyone in general its just an overall awesome series) and they characters I just immediately fell in love with. I only hate one character and he isn't a bad character at all I just don't like what he does or his personality as a person becuase he hurts the characters I love
Ya know what sold me. The platonic friendship mention. I'm so freaking done with every relationship being some sort of romantic relationship. I've been writing a trio of characters for a very long time that two of them are goddamn best friends since they were little shitty ten year old rivals who hated each other's guts and then got punished by having to do their final exam to become rangers by camping in the wilderness for two weeks with only each other where they finally had to learn about each other instead of just hating how the other acts. So now twenty or so years later and years of combat experience with each other having saved the others life multiple times yeah they are close as goddamn brothers, but no they aren't interested in each other. One is in a very healthy relationship with a very nice lady who is a kick-ass ninja (and also a balanced feminine character not just a tomboy soldier. Hell she uses "feminine" things like shopping and clothes to help distance her from the hard life of combat. When you spend all day in combat boots, heels are a nice change of pace). I digress though. Friends deserve to stay friends. Those relationships are worth just as much.
A good book is The Medoran Chronicles, the main trio all date outside of the friend group and the female love interest is strong but she's also really feminine.
Characters who are geniuses can be amazing, as long as they struggle with the isolating effect their genius has on them and they have a love/hate relationship with their gifts (feeling their genius is both a blessing and a curse).
Ever read Artemis fowl, the guy is arrogant which is a character flaw that covers up thus aspect of having a relationship with you gifts. And what about anti social geniuses like Zorian Kazinski, yes yes I know that Zorian is a learned genius that only picks up a book to read or to study because of jealousy of his more talented brother or because of family pressure, but at the end of the day he is a genius, just not one that was born but created.
The problem with genius characters is that the writers are not. Most of us aren't geniuses, of course, but a lot of writers haven't figured out how to credibly fake genius while writing those characters. All too often, the information supplied by geniuses comes across as some kind of magic pixie dust instead of being rooted in logic (which is the tender of actual geniuses). We shouldn't have to say, "Wow! That character is a genius, so I have to accept this info at face value even though he makes no sense to stupid me". Instead, we should be able to say, "Wow! That character is a genius, and his logic is impeccable. Now I understand!"
"Never have I ever hear an author say 'I intentionally made my character as boring as boring could be because I want my readers to project themselves onto the character'." Guess she's neither seen anime nor read any manga or a light novel.
10:50 This is especially a problem with medicine/injuries. A doctor will always do chest compressions when someone flatlines. A bullet wound is a huge injury, it shouldn’t disappear after a day of rest. Adrenaline doesn’t make you better at fighting, it makes you worse. Pain killers aren’t cure-alls, an injury doesn’t go away just because you can’t feel it. There’s so many more I could mention
Y E E T very informative. I haven’t read up on medical stuff and how to deal with emergencies as I don’t even have a proper plot planned out yet, but when I’ll get there, I’ll be sure to properly research. Thanks.
@@user-bj4iq7fs1e my best guess is that adrenaline makes you more reckless, and really emotional so they'll ignore techniques, rationality and critical thinking (that is extremely advantageous especially during a fight)
Funnily enough, every example of the "not like other girls!" protagonist that I've seen really isn't... all that masculine? Tomboyish, sure. Maybe they'll wear a hoodie and sneakers instead of a miniskirt and heels. Maybe they'll play a sport or drop a few swear words. But they're always still conventionally attractive. I've never seen a butch woman with a shaved head or tons of muscle as a POV character in mainstream media. Women get pushed to the margins if they're seen as too extreme in ANY direction. But those kinds of women - the goths, the girly-girls, the butches, the nerds, the jocks - still exist. Don't they deserve to see themselves in media, too?
I.J. Perez Very good points and I completely agree. I myself am a girly girl, and it’s sad how we’re portrayed sometimes (e.g. weak, slutty, superficial, vain)
One thing I really hate: When the main character describes the upcoming plot twist so vividly you think they've figured it out by now right? But noooOoOO they wait until the end of the book to actually come to that conclusion. You know, by the time the reader has already figured it out and is just super annoyed at the main character for being so dumb Bonus: when the character starts off like the one "bad at everything but still likeable" character, then all of a sudden they have the highest rank in the story for no reason. like they messed up constantly yet still get the high rank just because they're the protagonist? It just doesnt make sense
Like Peter Parker in Homecoming? Failing at everything, did one thing good at the end and "hey, do you want to be an Avenger?" (that's why I actually love Peter Parker in Avengers... but not his own movie lol). Oh and also, the movie Death Note. The guy is supposed to be super intelligent, but unable to see his girlfriend is the one who killed the cops. It couldn't have been more obvious, even she were screaming it! I know love makes you blind, but still.
Do you mean like in divergent? It was kinda the same thing but if it happens more gradually is it better to read? For example when that character keeps on building themselves and practicing until they're better?
I guess the first step would be not to use plot devices that in reality would revolutionize the society and/or wreck the economy by their mere existence. Unless, of course, the story is set into a world where such changes have taken place.
@@pRahvi0 for sure, I actually hate things like being able to just conjure up whatever from thin air like in Harry Potter. If that's a bloody possibility, then how the fuck does anything have any real value anymore aside from wonds and magical tomes I guess
You're right that it can quickly get boring if it is just forced on you in a massive info dump. Though I have experienced a story that was so badly constructed, the characters were like cardboard cutouts and world building was practically non existent. To sum up the world building: It's 2095 Japan, magic is now a science and a war has happened. The only thing left that was remotely interesting was how society functioned and how everything was run politically by the powerful factions and how the general public viewed people who wielded magic abilities. It took 14 volumes before a character got enough personality for me to just care remotely about them.
Not going to spoil anything bc I know you’re watching Avatar! But I’ll say this: the characters in avatar have inner struggles about what decisions they should make and it’s amazing
Just "write your female characters as if they were humans", wasn't it something like that George RR Martin said? :D I feel like the "I am not like other people" trope (for boys and girls) are the writer really trying to "make the character complicated", but it fails because it just comes off as desperate, and hamfisted.
@@One.Zero.One101 I write myself (haven't published anything... yet), and while you could put overused tropes under "laziness", I really don't think that is fair. Breaking with tropes can be really hard, because a lot of the time, what we like to write and read are things that makes us go "cool" or "awesome". At least that is how we hope it turns out. And when you want to do that, you easily fall into tropes, because you think about things that made you go "cool" or "awesome". Making you own thing that is not only subverting but also actually good is really really difficult. So while I will critize writers for using tropes (because no one is above critizism), I don't think the use of them falls under laziness. That's like calling some random person lazi for not doing a marathorn. Maybe it is true, but it is really not that simple.
"DO YOUR RESEARCH" Omg, it's so TRUE. I mean, I have a tendency to overdo the research and procrastinating my writing with it, but it's annoying when an author did nothing to check at least the most basic facts about the subject of their book. Last month I found on Goodreads a book which was described as a fluffy ya romance about ice skating, ice hockey and baking cookies. I do not bake, but ice skating is my life. And I was so freakingly angry when I started reading and found out that the author probably doesn't even know that figure skaters and hockey players are wearing different types of skates (not to mention the fact, that a female single skater who won Olympics 4 times (!) and jumps triple axle at her 60s (!!!) is very unrealistic character...) Plus, I cannot agree more about the Gentlemen Bastards series!
A fluffy ya romance about ice hockey, ice skating, and baking- if it weren’t for the fact that the main character is female, I’d assume you were talking about check please!
@Davina Jou Research is never truly unnecessary, not if you write. ;) But the lack of research; oh. my. god; how I hate it. I read a book, which was written as a historical fantasy novel. The idea was pretty good, but you could tell so easily that the author didn't do any research into historical attire, because it was wrong, wrong, wrong. (!) And no; I'm not an expert of historical costuming, but we're talking strapless dresses decades before they were invented, corsets as outer wear (Dear God, please save me), laces as the ONLY decoration on the dresses (no frills, pleats, embroidery, draping), and absolutely no actual fashion for the men. The author clearly never did so much as a Google search just to look at a few fashion plates from the time period to describe her characters dress. The bad descriptions of their clothing drove me nuts. Do your research.
@Davina Jou That's a fair point. Trudi Canavan said she had the same problem; she spend so much time researching and world building that it took her about twenty years to publish. But when she *did* publish she had it all planned out and could use her background material to write several books. :P It's really all about balance.
'Not like other girls' is the most redundant character 'trait' ever.... because ALL girls are 'not like other girls!' It's called INDIVUALITY, and it's the reason humans are *born,* not made on a factory production line.
Yes to the introversion one. I've seen characters grow more confident and outspoken but that doesn't mean they are now extroverts. I think there is still a misconception about introversion & extroversion today. Introverts need time alone to recharge; being with people too long can make them feel drained. Extroverts however get energy from being around people. You can be a shy extrovert and a loud introvert. Being shy and quiet doesn't make you an introvert just like being loud and talkative doesn't make you an extrovert.
@Liza Johnson I wouldn't say she's ALL girly either but that's kinda the point, ya know? She likes feeling nice and gettin all dressed up. I think she's a great girl character because of how normal she is. She doesn't fit neatly into only one category, which is how all of us normal people are :)
6:06 actually is my pet peeve. People who only read YA and then complain about characters being young or common tropes. Like read adult books, there are tons of different characters and plots there!
As a young person, I love YA fiction, but I agree with you wholeheartedly. YA and adult fiction bring different things to the table. There are different types of depth to both the characters and the plots, meant to appeal to the age groups they target. YA is meant for young adults, so most of the characters will be young adults. If you don't like how young they are, then read adult fiction. I do agree with this video in that there should be more variety in YA. If I could easily find adult fiction I liked the characters and plots from, then yeah, I'd read that because there's a lot more variety. I happen to like YA. But the tropes are still annoying.
I'm sorry but one thing I really can't stand is when they are too modest. "I'm not good at this" - you are though "I'm not attractive" - you are though "People don't like me" - THEY DO THOUGH KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS OR AT LEAST A FEW OF THEM. Like gosh.
Can relate IRL. When a person has very low self-esteem it can be exhausting talking to them. I can imagine it's the same living in such a person's head for the duration of a book.
@@AGirlCalledJim it's more when the people show off their lack of esteem more than others. I know a lot of people who HATE themselves but you really wouldn't knowing because they don't want anyone knowing. It's only because I've known a lot of them for a good 12 years that I know but to an average onlooker they wouldn't show it at all
For anyone planning to watch it, spoilers for Haikyuu in season 1 and 2 ahead: So I think an example of this type of character that is actually done well is Tsukishima. He has an inferiority complex, but it shows pretty subtly through his actions and his manner of speech, so you only really catch it if you’re intentionally looking out for it (only noticed upon a rewatch). So this inferiority complex aspect of his personality doesn’t overshadow the rest of his character, but because it’s foreshadowed, when it’s revealed more clearly later on, it doesn’t come out of nowhere.
One thing I hate is the typical female character that are like "I'm not that pretty or I just look average" at the beggining of the book and then they start describing themselves and you realise they are describing someone very atractive. 😂🔫
Aelin has no qualms in talking about how amazing she is. One of the things I love about her 😂 There are soooo many memes out there about it, I love it.
I feel like having a balnk slate character is more prevalent in video games to immerse the player. Halo for example would not have been so atmospheric if Master Chief had more personality.
But then again, there are wonderful exceptions to video games too. Tales from the Borderlands for example; that game wouldn’t have been NEARLY as hilarious and memorable if not for Rhys.
Random Promises • Yeah, definitely. A lot of shooter games are wonderful with blank-slate characters for example, but I still do wonder what they would be like with more distinct characters too.
People always say this, but I like characters with an actual personality more in games too. I couldn't get into Halo because of that. IMO the place for a "blank slate" is at the start of a game where I can actively fill up that personality, such as (and I know it's an old game but a new one is coming soon so it's on my mind) in Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines. That game was fantastic for immersion, because they give you multiple possible personality routes.
As an aspiring author, I find these "Dear Author" videos helpful. I just have to say, to the people who complain about the "not like other girls" trope in YA- yes, it's annoying when the character fails to recognize how much she IS like other girls, but can we stop pretending that this trope is MEN'S fault? I'd be willing to bet a majority of the authors who use this trope are women and that, like many authors, they felt like outsiders in some way while growing up and are using fiction to exorcise some demons. Face it, girls can be mean to each other and their weapon of choice tends to be social ostracization. Not to mention, feeling like an outsider at some point seems to be an inevitable part of transitioning from childhood to adulthood as you realize and grow into your individuality. So, yes, by all means let's see some great female friendships in books - they are worth celebrating! But let's not pretend this trope came out of nowhere, or that snipey competition among girls isn't a thing, or that girls and women don't frequently create this culture among themselves, all on their own.
I totally agree with you! I have some friends who see themselves as "not like other girls" and all of them have one thing in common -- they were the girls who were alone in school. Didn't have many friends because couldn't really get along or the girls didn't want to talk with them. They were the ones who sat with earphones or the ones who read books while all the other girls in class seemed to talk, joke, and laugh with friends. And because of this, such a mentality as "I'm not like other girls stemmed from." I think in a way, this makes them feel special or else they might've been insecure with thoughts such as, "I don't have any friends. I'm such a loner. There must be something wrong with me."
I agree. The most I’m not like other girls book I have ever read was by a women. It is mostly men who write and created these types of characters, men aren’t the people who are at fault though. I am a female by the way.
@@dazeadil1590 It honestly wasn't. Men had nothing to do with the "not-like-other-girls" trope, as men were too busy creating the "damsel-in-distress" trope. Their female characters were feminine, supportive, friendly, and weren't afraid to rely on someone whenever they needed help OR make friends with other female characters (the good ones: others were just boring love interests who couldn't defend themselves). Women started the trend of "not-like-other-girls" in response to this: their female characters were masculine, strong, independent assholes who were *hated* by almost every other female in the book while lusted after by all the men. Since other women ate the trope almost as fiercely as they STILL eat love-triangles today, men started using it as well. It's a trend for women started by women, so I've never understood how men get blamed for it, but men get blamed for everything, so... We even get blamed for writing bad female characters when some of the WORST female characters were written by women. Remember Twilight, the "cultural phenomenon" that inspired a generation and shaped the face of the entire YA genre? Remember Bella, the girl who fell in-love in a week, dated a guy for a few months, got dumped, curled up in a fetal position in the middle of a forest and later threw herself off a cliff? Remember 50 Shades, the Kissing Booth, and After?
Yeah it's not too often that the main character ends up being my favourite😂 Also the projection thing is the lamest excuse especially because I way prefer putting myself in the shoes of a more interesting character (probably escapism lol)
I think that's great. There have been lots of times I wanted side characters to stand up to the main protagonist because of their rudeness, narcissism, etc.
I think that's true about writing most characters that are assholes, the author comes off as being non-self aware when they have characters that are assholes that are never acknowledged (edited for my bad spelling)
Yes and no narcissistic people don't change easy. It's in the vain of harder to therapy personality disorders. They can change but not completely in a book maybe in a series. More likely small changes. But call them out always have fun!
Ya I agree, I think with development it happens very subtlety. Cause if they are changed all the way then they're basically not the same character, as character's usually still keep most of personality through their development.
The only time I saw a "I'm not like other girls" done right was in a fanfiction (yes). By the end of it, the protagonist had realised he was actually not a girl at all, but a guy. A trans guy. And rejecting femininity was just a coping mechanism for his dysphoria.
12:13 a character can win every fight and still be compelling. You just need to give them challenges that they need to get out of without their fighting prowess.
Very true. There are ways to make endearing characters even if you know they won't necessarily lose. And you can give them a flaw in their prowess that makes them just as vulnerable as everyone else so that the stakes stay as high for them and they can't just throw fists with no consequences or precautions. Or you can go full Saitama and have the character be so utterly bored with life because nothing is a challenge anymore.
Ryan Pratt Like Percy Jackson. Dude used his brawn and brains in fights. Him and Annabeth always work together. They think of how characters were originally defeated in the myths and implement those tactics in battle.
Ryan Pratt Exactly, it's much worst to see characters who always loose and can never get thrown an bone lol. I think it can be engaging when you have a really good 'hero' type and equally good 'villain' to challenge each other. And not be lazy with it.
Like mob in mob psycho 100. He is powerful but he struggle with his grades, he isn't athletic and he's socially awkward. Since is a shounen you would expect him to keep getting stronger with his power, but in the end is more like he has to get emotionally stronger.
About the 'Do your research' part I actually have an interesting story. My main character, as a child, got stuck in a forest. Lost, alone, and in winter... naturally he quickly got on a verge of freezing to death. Now, I was being very lazy back then, and didn't research anything. A wolfie, still a pup, found the boy, sniffed him, licked his face several times, cuddled with him for a bit, before he was called back by his pack. But he brought the pack back to the boy, and they, after inspection, decided to warm the boy up, saving his life. Later, when caught prey was being divided among them, they left a piece also for the boy. Now, I made this whole wolf behavior up. I thought it makes enough sense for them to not only not eat the boy, but also take care of him, because the pup's scent was on him. Then I gave my story to a friend to read. She actually got very interested about this, did the research, and excitedly told me, that she was impressed about how 'I got it right', because apparently wolves truly would take care of a person after said person was licked by one of them. I can't even describe how proud I felt back then! Now, it's been more than ten years. And although this part of the story didn't make it in final version, I still think about it sometimes, because I am putting my entire trust in that friend of mine. I still didn't do any research about this myself. :D :D
@@geniushamster2036 No, I havent and Im not going to, Im sorry. I write only for myself, because it's fun, that's all. But thank you 😊. Im glad that my ideas are interesting 😉
Sounds like you have a fairly good understanding of the world. Be careful when researching though, because sometimes you can get incomplete information that can screw with your story unnecessarily
"when the only reason you can further your plot is when making your characters really dumb you just need a stronger plot. " This is so true, I write (as a hobby) and I know when it's time to drop a book or when it's time to go back and revise and see what I messed up on. Sometimes it's like you get so stuck on 'this is what has to happen how do I get there? If I can get there the story will be okay ' That you don't realize you fucked everything up. If you write you'll know what I mean and if you read then you might be confused. We don't plan every little detail We plan the major points and then we plan how to get to those points. (Depending on what type of writer you are) personally if I sit there and I plan everything out I don't get inspired. I get the major points set up (like the death and everything else and why people are the way they are) and then I figure out the major plot pushers.
I don't force myself to write everything on the spot as well. I usually have concepts/ somewhat of an idea of what I wanna do. Somtimes I'll have an idea, but I can't connect it to my concept. I don't delete the idea tho. I save it for another concept if I'll have one. It's kinda like a puzzle. After some time I collect more n more n pieces then it makes click and I connect everything
Okay so I know Im really late but Im still saying it : I HATE when in books (and movies), the main character and their side characters friends are in the same trouble and every other side characters who are trying to help them only search for the main. Like for exemple, the main and their friends are stuck in a fight and every other side characters are basically only saying "Where is main character" and they just forget out the others. Like they are there too guys! They are in the same situation and you know them as well as you know the main ^^’
Exactly!Lets make up a secnario where the main character who we'll call Megan and her friend who we'll call Alicia are in trouble,i want to see their friends going "Where are Megan and Alicia!?They were supposed to be back by now!".I also hate it when the side character friend has a love interest,but when they and the MC are missing or something,said love interest asks where the MC is!I think it would be more logical if the love interest of the friend wondered where his partner or crush is rather than tjeir friend or a random they just met
@@luma16 Even better, they forget about the main character and just ask for the side character! Main characters don't always have to be the centre of attention, in fact in the book I am writing Pandora (the main character) is not the leader of the group, instead this is her friend Grey, because there is no reason for Pandora to be the leader. Don't make your main characters the leader/centre of attention because they're the main character, make a good reason for it!
Dear authors, Diversity in books I also agree with the "wanting to be like other women" point because women are amazing and our goal personality trait shouldn't have to be masculine
I can't tell the difference between girls and boys except for how they go to the bathroom and child birth. I always write personality first and gender is always an after though.
Triasha Chaudhury: I don’t disagree that diversity is good, but I’m not wanting to push authors into having to add characters of every ethnicity. That leads to authors (whether they be white, black, Hispanic, or anything else) making those characters just about their ethnicity. Some authors do it by making the character mention their race every second or showing the character have to deal with racism at every single turn. Some authors make the character a political device. Many times, the character can never just be an interesting character outside of their race. For instance, I’m Tejano, and I am honestly pretty jaded from seeing every Hispanic character being or intimately knowing an illegal immigrant. Then, the same people talk about trying to overturn stereotypes. I shouldn’t have to say this, but most Hispanic people living in the US were born in the US. Their parents were born in the US too. I’d much rather see a hispanic person in a book that is a character before they are Hispanic.
@@Matt-kr9bo The "everyone who's Hispanic must speak Spanglish & be adjacent to an illegal immigrant@" is also the sign of a writer who's never lived south of Portland, Oregon. Coastal carpetbaggers, the lot of them.
I'm curious, do you think the goal for men and boys should be to become more like women? If at any point in your answer you start saying: "but that's different", then pause, take a few seconds, and really think about it. It's not different at all. Boys are amazing too, and there is nothing wrong with encouraging girls to discover this.
7:55 YES! I remember when I first learned about the basics of photography, and spent an entire week in an area dedicated to being beautiful just for photographers, I couldn’t stop admiring puddles. The way the light bounced off them, the reflections being disturbed so slightly causing a huge catastrophe in ripples. It was amazing. Authors really should change the way they describe things based on the POV they’re in.
Even though I don’t actually read many books, I write books and stories, and I use your videos to decide what to do, and what not to do in my stories, and it’s really helpful, thanks
@@mattpfarr6129 writing is just story telling u can watch movies, TV, nd anime to learn to do this nd published others often copy others work nd write the same formulaic books some ppl would just like to find their own way of storytelling in the form of a book instead of making copy cats
If you haven't already you should check out the live action Peter Pan movie from 2003. It's closer to the book than the Disney movie and Peter, Wendy, and Hook are really well-casted.
I love when the MC actually wants to go on their adventure instead of being thrust into it against their will. I hate when they are thrown into this epic adventure and then they're like "I just wanna be normal." Like really, I get that these adventures can be painful and gnarly stuff can happen but still, I feel like so many people, especially young people, long for an escape or just something exciting or extraordinary, so when the MC is a teen who's not enjoying life, it seems weird for them to wish they hadn't gone on their quest or go back to their normal life like nothing happened once it's over.
Can I just say a character doesn’t have to have divorced or dead parents to be interesting? Like I’d like to read a book where the parents are actually supportive all the way through and not on the brink of divorce
That actually reminds me of a book i needed to read for school!(Its in my language and i am pretty sure there isnt a translation because our books rarely ever get translated and i think its partially because our books usually take place in places in our country so it would be difficult for a foreigner to understand)Basically the MCs are these 3 young boys living in this town,they all live in the same building and stuff.One of the boys gets on a bus with stuff to feed his grandma's dog because she is away,he doesnt return.So everyone is super worried.And his parents arent constantly arguing,yes they are arguing but its because they are stressed because their child just dissapeared,they support eachother through it.And other parents help too.And through the entire story two of the three boys are constantly getting help from adults,the adults still act like adults but they help them as best as they possibly can to find their friend.His vanishing was actually connected to a robbery that went down a few hours(i think)before and im honestly sad i didnt finish it.
Yes! And if you want your main character to not have parents around make your MC an adult! Being 20-25 allows them to live alone but still have friends and go on adventures without someone calling the police because they haven't been to class for three weeks.
I’ll attribute this to laziness. They want to give the main character a burden or a tragic backstory but they’re too lazy to think of anything else apart from dead parents.
Falling into a trope isn't always a bad thing in my opinion. As long as that trope isn't overused and the author does something to subvert that trope (it doesn't have to be a big subversion, as long as it exists) so the character doesn't become too predictable. Edit: typo
dan_minighiti Yeah. Is it even possible to have a story completely tropeless? There are some situations when even subverting/avoiding the trope is a whole trope of itself!
Dream Master Ok exceptions. I think the main character being unsympathetic could be a really interesting arc. As long as the author doesn’t praise this, it has amazing potential. (There’s also exceptions where the author can praise this, and it still passes but continuing anyways) I also think if the main character is a total cliché, ew, unless it’s done in a satire way which is hilarious sometimes. Tropes, I don’t thinks they’re a bad thing at all. You can’t have a story that doesn’t have tropes because there are just too many stories out there. You just have to have a unique twist on it. But if the main character isn’t real, no go sir. Almost guarantee no exceptions
How does “projecting yourself onto a character” even work? It just shows that the author was lazy to write a character’s personality! Like... what books out there do that?!
I am not sure about a whole book written with this in mind but it could make sense for a short story. Especially if written in second person. This is really common in video games but that makes more sense since you are actually making the decisions. Choose your own story books also make sense to do this way. But again, I don't think that can last an entire novel length and remain engaging.
The character or the book series? Cuz, in the latter half of HoO(After Son of Neptune) they downplayed his intelligence and skill which is because Percabeth needed a dynamic to follow. It was and can be cute and fluffy, true, but wouldn't a couple eventually breaking off because they aren't compatible be more relatable? Because even if Aphrodite exists, Love is fallible and temporary and even more special when you find it? They also got pushed to the side in favor of Jason and Piper(which I can understand) after teetering on one-dimensional(which I can't). ToA is neat but you can't make it work after another on the Greco-Roman Pantheon.
That's why I liked Naruto. He sucked at fighting for a long time and we saw him struggle through training to learn each new jutsu. So it was so satisfying!
Naruto's sad past kept repeating so many times that I dropped the series. Think about it, Naruto's parents saved the village and left their kid an orphan. And this village not only makes him live alone, but also treats him like a monster instead of the son of martyrs? Lousy writing for reader's pity.
@@angelas5099 well, even though I never actually watched that anime, I gotta admit that if I was one of the villagers I too would have been afraid of Naruto. The villagers never acknowledged him as a human child in the first place since he's the host to the Nine Tailed Fox. And if I'm correct, he also struggles being exepted by the villagers throughout the series despite proving his loyalty time and time again. And the fact that despite the pain he goes through throughout the series he's still smiling, doing pranks and cracking jokes even if it ends up failing at times. Hell, even during those times they acknowledge the fact that it wasn't the time for humor in the first place. The fact that he became the Hokage by the end of his story and is still hokage in his son's story shows that the villagers excepted him. But even then I'm pretty sure there are still people in the village that resent him. Hell, he spoils his kids and showers them with affection whenever he can cause he's never had parents since the day he was born. In one of Baruto's small arcs(???) He went back in time with susuke and managed to spend time with his dad's past self and learn about him. He learned that his own dad was an orphan since birth, and only the Hokage and the Ramen Noodle restaurant owner and the owner's daughter were the closest people he'd consider family before he got into team 7. Which is brought up regularly because he didn't know in the first place, and admit it, if you were a kid and looked at a picture of your parent that you've never seen before but only heard about, you wouldn't recognize them till you were flat out told who they were. And Naruto seems like that type of person.
@@angelas5099 to be fair, only the higher ups even know about Naruto's parents. They only see him as an annoying kid that always pulls pranks on people and the weird kid that didn't have parents to raise him right. Though I will agree that the backstory gets brought up just a little too much
@@ididnosuchthing345 Regarding you point of the villagers being scared of Naruto: Even if the didn't know that Naruto was the son of the previous hokage, who somehow disappeared with his wife and baby. How did the people find out Naruto is host of the nine tail fox? 🤔 Even as Naruto grew up, people would not have a reason to fear him unless he did something like the nine tail fox would. The peoples' fear of a power has been well executed in Yona of the Dawn, where Shin-Ah (one of the dragons) is feared and lives in isolation since he was a kid. Townspeople in Naruto are stupid and tolerate child abuse. Who lets a little kid live alone and eat instant ramen?! And those cockroaches in his house... 😵 Yona of the dawn is better in every way.
“not every 20 year old has enough trauma for three lifetimes.” Steven Universe: 👁️👄👁️ Edit: yes I know, they showed it well and how the trauma happened, it was a joke-
Experiencing that trauma alongside the character makes it feel more realistic than packing it all into a backstory. Watching Steven go through everything that he went through and having the way it affected him as purely show don't tell until it all came crashing down is so much better than if Rebecca just went "he has a dark past". At least, that's how I see it.
@@junipersolis so u basically prefer the main characters to have all the reasons for their trauma to be shown to u and not just a backstory ? Not hating, just asking for research purposes....
10:44 "...author writes about a hobby that I care about... and gets all wrong" As an engineer and scientist, I get so frustrated whenever someone, especially a kid, is a "tech genius" or just "into science" and their role is to come up with all sorts of wacky gadgets that mainly function by emitting light and breaking laws of physics. Or if there is any device anywhere with a screen and input function - lets say a digital alarm clock - expect someone "hack" it and use it to also "hack" every object with more parts than a hammer in the entire city block.
@@moronbuns665 On one hand I get it's just silly exaggeration and mostly due to the fact that the the author usually isn't a tech genious themselves nor has anyone like that in their betareaders (would it be that hard to get one or two? Or are they just too over-employed to spend time for beta reading fiction?). On the other hand, I just wish I could read a story where the geniousness doesn't manifest itself in quantum physics and stuff like that, but instead in mundane everyday solutions that most of science and engineering is about.
One of my characters is actually a history buff who ends up in a Medieval fantasy world and, despite not knowing how to sword fight and the like, becomes an invaluable asset to his designated "save the world" squad because of his history-spanning knowledge of clever solutions that Medieval peoples just simply hadn't developed yet (stuff like modifying a crossbow to be far superior by drawing inspiration from a later-era design that hadn't been invented in their world yet, or advising them on what tactics to use based on the outcomes of battles he studied that were under similar circumstances).. ik this was more about digital tech but it seems to apply well enough hehe
I wish when authors make a disability the main part of there stories, that they would not only just research online, but actually talk to people with these disabilities if possible. I mean, I read a book about a quadriplegic man and I reached reviews about the book from people who were quadriplegic and they didn't like it.And I also i wish people with disabilities were in stories that weren't about the disability they have. I mean, I have a brother who lost his legs, but that's not the only thing about him. I wish they would just include them without making the disability their whole story. Even if they just include a side charecter with a disability
Hope six of crows is super good cause Kaz is disabled and you can really understand and lowkey get into it because the author has the same disability and shizzle
You should read Insignificant Events in the Lives of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. It's a about a girl that was born with no arms, and along with the everyday struggles of being born without arms, and the looks and the social stuff and everything with that, that's not the whole book about her life without arms. There is a mystery, and all sorts of stuff that everyday people with arms problems. I love this book and I totally recommend it. It also has a sequel.
I have a character going through a quiet arc displayed only in design She's only ever in a wheelchair Still in a wheelchair but wearing leg braces Leg braces and crutches sometimes but the chair is most common Crutches most of the time Almost always with just the leg braces I never want any of this to be told in dialogue or exposited I also have quite a few instances of people just chucking their prosthetic limbs at people being irritating
Here’s something I hate: when main characters take on the usual determined, good-hearted, powerful kind of personality. It makes it seem boring or typical to like them. This is why I like to read books with multiple main characters. All of them have distinctive, contrasting personalities. Books with a single main character always seem to make their mc perfectly in the middle of all the personalities, like they’re just made to fulfill the place of the hero. Having multiple mc’s makes it easier to cover all the spaces, but just having one main character who has a distinctive personality or moral compass is really more preferable. If you ask someone their favorite character in such series and they respond with the mc, you should be able to think that’s a cool choice instead of thinking they’ve just chosen the go-to character
Exactly dude, so my disappointment is extreme when I find a book with multiple main characters and POVs and then... They all have the same personality anyway
YES I totally agree!! I'm writing my book where the "MC" status is basically shared between 3 characters, because they all contribute to the plot equally in their own way, and their personalities are all drastically different!
It happens to me, when i write, i start with one main character, but the amount of main characters just build up, so i end up with things like sub-main-characters and the likes.
![Dear Authors... Main Characters [Part 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QCIlJJh9ydo/mqdefault.jpg)
![Dear Authors... Main Characters [Part 2]](/img/tr.png)
"I'll make this character bland and boring so the readers can relate to that character.". That's a bit insulting.
😂 I think "a blank space so the reader can insert themself" is a better way of putting it.
Well, they better off making a silent video game protagonist if that was their intention.
I feel like if they want their audience to relate to the character they should just focus on a specific thing that part of the audience can relate too instead of just having a blank character that none of the audience can relate too
Summarized 90% of male anime protagonists.
@@vividlantern8854 Who are you thinking about for example?
I hate when authors have side characters that are much more interesting or entertaining than the main character. The main character doesn’t have to be a blank slate to be relatable to the audience.
I agree. I think the more developed a character is the more relatable they are to us as readers. More information gives us common ground to find with the character and see ourselves in them.
Exactly! I love it when the side characters are interesting, but when they're more compelling than the MC, all I'm going to be able to think about is how much I'd rather the side character was the main
YES. This is my main gripe about 95% of main characters for sure. The side characters always seem much more compelling to me and it shouldn't be that way.
An interesting side character showing up is an easy way to punch up a slow scene, but when these characters start stealing the show, it's a problem.
jaden herrera You didn’t have to scream STEPHANIE MEYER’S TWILIGHT as loudly as you just did. But it be the truth and nothing but the truth.
"Not every 20 year old has enough trauma for three lifetimes"
Fanfiction authors: *heavy breathing*
Every sonic fanfic
Harry Potter: **screaming in a corner**
@@starryeyes999 Oh, Harry got this this gross scar when he was a baby. He was in the car with his parents when they crashed... into a crocodile. His parents got eaten, but then the crocodile took out a knife and gave him a scar. At least, that's what his liar aunt and uncle told him.
@@greenapple7887 lmao
fanfiction author: *releases a breath they didnt realize they were holding*
"If the only reason you can further your plot is by making your characters really _really_ stupid, then you need a stronger plot"
*Game of Thrones season 8 flashback intensifies*
Oh god nooooo, I’d just about managed to blank it out 😂😩
Honestly S7’s mistakes were worst, the only way they could get the Night King over the wall was have our protagonists give them a dragon
I thought Season 5 was it started going all awry. Thank God for a couple of episodes that were very well directed, but the story itself... No, no, no... Read the books instead.
Oana-Maria Uliu agreed! Basically once they ran out of books to use as source material, everything slipped.
To be fair, Ned Stark was really dumb in the first book and this is what made the plot moves forward
“...not every 20 year old has enough trauma for three lifetimes.”
Me: screaming in the corner and shredding my story to pieces.
Pavla Leitgebová Yea I hear you on that, now I have to rewrite one of my male characters for a story. Lol 🍸
@@arnold20139 Eh, not necessarily. Younger people with extreme backstories can work. You just need to be careful not to overuse the backstory and follow through with how that backstory molded the person in question.
Trauma and how it affects people can be interesting to read and write if executed correctly.
Though I am just an amateur so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
@@arnold20139 I actually suggest you not to delete it, just make the bad things that happened to him be connected to one another in an organic and believable way, and not "his parents died, a neonazi killed his dog and afterards a lightning striked him".
i think this can be done well but can easily become cliche if not worked through mindfully. I think if a traumatic story is introduced, the character should still be seen as dealing with the aftermath or something like that. Or they have recovered/learning to deal with it/heal. I think Sixof Crows did this well, merging sad backstories into actual important aspects of the characters and plot
I find this ironic when a lot of young people (including me) have had that trauma to last too many lifetimes. Not everyone has to, yes, but sometimes its what helps to shape them into the person they are now. I can get the overuse of that, yes, but I know a lot of people who have had trauma or PTSD levels. I think its overused because its actually common.
Introversion isn't a flaw. It also doesn't mean you are shy or socially weird. That assumption also drives me nuts in real life.
Exactly, people think that all introverts are just extremely shy and socially awkward or weird and suck at making friends. Introverts are just people who like being alone and feel more comfortable that way. Just cuz i am an introvert doesn't HAVE to mean that i have social anxiety and that i suck at communicating with others.
Thank you! I am an extrovert (slightly more ambiavert) but 80% of my family is introverted. My mom is an introvert. She enjoys small groups of people. It's not that introverts can't go to a party and socialize, they can, but they'd rather stay home with a few good friends and play cards or watch a movie.
I'd like to see anything where the introverted MC saves the day, and at the party/celebration thing and after an hour or two the main group of friends go back to the MC's house and just crash. Read books, write letters, pet cats, ect. And their happy with doing that.
Being an introvert may also just mena you're an empath and need the time to recharge and time alone is more soothing to your soul. It doesn't mean you don't know how to function in social situations 🤦🏼♀️😂
YES and that also works the other way around - being shy doesn't mean that you're an introvert or have social anxiety! It drives me nuts when people use these three terms as synonyms...
Everytime someone says Introvert characters are boring or I wanna read about a character who is goofy, full of life and interesting, I roll my eyes.
"being like other girls isnt a bad thing" YES YES YES
yeah i think it has to do with trying to stand out, however there's nothing wrong with either; there's no right or wrong way to be a girl. i'm a total girly girl and hate sports and outside, but i don't think i'm weak or overemotional. there's really no wrong way to be a girl and i wish that was more reinforced than 'girls always have to be ladylike' or 'girls are emotional' or 'girls who wear makeup have an inferiority complex'. because there's a girl out there that absolutely enjoys wearing shorts, a girl who has a lot of self-control, and a girl that enjoys makeup but not because she's insecure. it's stupid these stereotypes are so badly reinforced because they're not right at all.
Likewise, not 'being like other girls' shouldn't be seen as insulting those other girls. For example, I'm not like other girls... That doesn't make me better or worse, it doesn't mean I dislike how other girls are. BUT it's not accurate to say I am a good representation of "girls". But I'm still female. I don't lose my gender because pink makes me barf. Pink makes me barf because I grew up being told if I didn't like it I was wrong. So I wore frilly dresses and had my hair done. But eventually, I realized I was being forced to be someone I'm not and I turned my back against everything "girly". But I'm still a girl, I don't hate other girls. I don't look down on them, I don't pretend to be a "guy", I'm not confused by my gender. I'm not doing it to be strong, I'm doing it to be me. It's just me.
I came here for this
Is this..is this a JOJO reference?
@@randompromises1038 your ans is absolutely Right, I couldn't agree more...
I feel like there's a rule where YA main characters must let out a breath that they didn't realise they were holding.
Edit: I do this too, just not all the time. I wanted to comment something that's all lol
I'm surprised that none of these characters have died due to holding their breaths for so long ☠
LMAOOO
I’m never going to Unnotice this!
So true!
is your profile picture from anything
"When a protagonist cannot make an intelligent decision to save their lives and is constantly choosing the dumbest, most illogical path for the sake of furthering the plot, it drives us nuts"
You've just called out 80% of the horror movie industry.
Hello?? Who's there?? I'm not afraid of you!
The Last of Us Part II has left the chat...
This is literally how real girls make decisions...
@@superitgel1 Care to elaborate further?
@@superitgel1 Did I understand you wrong or did you just say that all girls are dumb and make stupid decisions?
"Readers chat about what we like and don't like to read in books."
Me, an author here to learn about what readers appreciate: Oh okay, I'll just watch from the window.
same
We’re learning in silence so we can be better in the pages.
Same
Me, a reader turned author, thing, kind of, sort of: "So... which category do I fall to again?"
Just write the book you want to read
I'm a girly girl, I have always been a girly girl and I hate that characters like me are portrayed as weak
Or portrayed as useless or stupid. Or in Contemporary they tend to be the bad guy of the book, the ones who the mc hates because they are girly.
Or the bully. It sucks, I was bullied myself and don’t wanna be portrayed as someone I’d personally like to beat into a pulp.
I read a book while ago where the main character was more of a "popular" type of girl in the highschool standards or whatever. And it was honestly refreshing to see someone wear a dress and not instantly hate it. Or have basic blond hair and go hang out with people.
Feels like a lot of books that I read start up with: "I'm not like other girls. I hate dresses. I'm just normal. I wear t-shirts and jeans and sneakers. I don't go outside. Yet I get to date this inhumanly handsome guy with an 8-pack"
And it's also rare for a girly girl to be the MC unless she's gonna change into a completely different type of person.
And they’re usually tied in with being ‘slutty’ too, which is it’s own bag of worms but the whole thing is just so icky. Like the girly girl enemy of the not-like-other-girls main character will wear skimpy clothing and flirt with the love interest and it’s just like can we not do this in 20 freaking 20.
"because they are human!"
my characters who are rats: 👁👄👁
LOL same. Mine is a bear.
Mine is a fairy
Some characters in my story are gods from different mythologies around the world and "monsters"(like baba yaga and krampus)
@@luma16 me too! I like Greek mythology and I might sprinkle some other mythology in there too like Ra
Mines a vampire 🤣
me, realizing my characters aren’t as bad as I thought: huh.
Literally I was ready to be fully attacked before I remembered generic YA
Same
I hate main character girls who are mean AS HELL and get a free pass. Katniss did it well. Please don’t make your main character a bully cause she’s a “powerful woman.”
I'm confuse, are you saying Katniss is a good example or not?
@@legrandliseurtri7495 katniss was a jerk sometimes, but we understand why, and we don't hate her for it, but we also don't excuse it
edit: deleted the extra e in we. That was an accident!
I think what was done well about Katniss was that she didn't get a free pass. She wasn't likable; people were drawn to her abrasiveness because it was real and honest
@@taylor_green_9 abrasive isn't being a bully. You can just be a likeable ass. Jack Nicholson did it famously in As Good as it Gets.
It’s because we readers know what she’s been through. She’s had to support her family since her father died when she was young. It would be surprising if she didn’t end up a bit jaded and abrasive because of what she went through.
"We don't want heroes that win all the time, we don't want heroes as bland as a sandbox!"
Me who loves One Punch Man: "Ok."
Except One Punch Man is satirizing that trope.
Wins in fights, but life?
Profile pic matches the comment.
Imho many of the stuff here doesn't apply to good rated anime/manga. But I guess that's the same for books. In OPM the twist are the side characters. Saitama is the mc but has not the most "screen time". You see the side characters struggle and fight. Saitama is more joker appearing when everyone else had their chance. Also he isn't able to kill a small mosqito and has other flaws ;)
One punch man acknowledges how boring his life is. OPM is satire and I love the series.
One is really good with that kind of characters. He's much more of a psychological writer than a plot focused writer. Not just OPM but mob psycho is also a great work from ONE that makes super strong never losing characters relatable.
Here's a plot twist: We are all *exactly* like other girls.
Other girls ended up in jail for pimping out children too?
@@necromelodia2432 m o r e t h a n y o u c a n I m a g i n e
@@necromelodia2432 *Pardon*
The man of true words
The "She's not like other girls" could actually be really sweet if it's done right.
"She's not like other girls, she's my daughter. She is the greatest blessing the world could bestow."
"She's not like other girls. I can trust her with my heart."
"She's not like other women. She cared about me before she even knew me. She was my mom."
With female leads, it bugs me when a flock of guys are all interested in her. A bigger annoyance is when the flock grows over a series instead of the rejected love interests moving on with their lives. Instead, they wait in the background, forever pining over protagonist woman and their chance to have a five-minute relationship, as if they live in a one-woman world. For both male and female protagonists, I hate when they waffle in a life or death situation. Moralizing over killing an antagonist when they are literally in the moment of attempting killing the hero drives me up a wall.
Makes me think of a kid's french serie which I like(I read it a few times after all), but my god the main girl has like 5 love interest. So I mostly re-read it for the cool side-characters, in particular her badass evil sister.
"Moralizing over killing the antagonist"
Batman must really drive you crazy then lol
Darren Garoutte About the Hero moralizing over killing the antagonist part- What a coincidence that I just finished watching Trigun XD
Darren Garoutte the first one - TWILIGHT
We read it in a book club, and only three of us were concerned and annoyed at the fact every male character had a crush on Bella. I gagged when Edward said every boy in the school were instantly in love with her in the first day
@MusicisLife8393 I'm interested, how many boys were pining after the main girl in that lady's story?
me, a real girl: i like romance.
main character girl A: falling in love is beneath me!
main character girl B: i don't even care if the person im with is possesive, i need romance
me: um, am i supposed to relate?
this is so accurate lmaoooo there's never a happy medium
OMFGGG I could not agree more! I love romance, but why is every romance toxic?? I just want a nice/sweet romance between two people with actual personalities!
@@clioalexandra6485 I know I’m going to sound like a weeb saying this. But there a *super* dark anime called Banana Fish that has the best (romance) I’ve ever seen. I say (romance) because its basically just a situation of platonic soulmates.
Edit: its gay. Don’t get me wrong. But it’s isn’t *Yoai* I promise.
@@humanisme6746 oh yes while the romance is more of a sub plot its still very important to the story and characters
@@clioalexandra6485 i guess perhaps its because when writers write a book, they're thinking about conflict. They're not aiming to write a happily ever after romance where nothing ever happens and everything that befalls MC and their lover is all great and smooth sailing. They need to add conflict to make things interesting. Conflict is part and parcel of every book. It is also why writers do start worrying too much about the conflict that the romance starts to feel toxic to readers. Too little conflict and there is no book, too much conflict and there is toxicity and tropes. Just some thoughts as a reader and a person starting to write.
I like side character that has their own goal and intention in mind. They should not be mindless being that only support the goal of the main character.
Agreed, I like when all the characters in a story are fleshed out. I do agree it's better when the side character helps the protagonist out of wanting to achieve a goal of their own, than just wanting the protagonist to succeed. Although I am fine with some side characters who just want to be a supportive friend.
I think my personal favorite are side characters who's goals and ambitions actively interfere with or jeopardize the main characters goals.
One of the most notable examples of this that comes to mind is Gollum.
you mean one piece?
@@furiouschicken1
Not really, I know they have different goals but they're basically helping Luffy to find the one piece.
@@oneautumnleaf5270 im not talking about the strawhats :D Im talking about everybody else, Law, Buggy, Smoker, Kinnemon, Bege, Doflamingo, Etc
NEXT TIME, please: Dear Authors... love stories.
oh i have a LIST of issues i have with love stories lmfao
@@user-hf4qy3mt6z XD
oh boy ohhhh boy that one.
@thefemalearrow Also, stalkers believe stalking is romantic. It actually is not.
It is so boring when two main characters in love story meet
by accidentally bumping into each other, bleh.
"Introvert who stays an introvert." Bilbo Baggins. That's who comes immediately to mind.
Basically, we need protagonists that aren't gryffindors.
Too many gryffindor protagonists.
YES- we need Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and Slytherins too- mix it up a little!
Chloë Joëlle Frostthorn the protagonist of my story is a total hufflepuff so I guess that’s a start
Yess, I mean nothing against Gryffindors but there's just sooo many of them in media! We really need some more rep for the other houses/types of people
Yes, my newest main character (I never finish my stories) is such a slytherin
My child (main character) is a nerd
And she is quite intelligent
But she is undeniably a complete dumbass
I personally don't have issue with overpowered characters, but the plot shouldn't be focused on the thing that MC is unbeatable at
I was going to say similar... I don't mind starting a story with a MC who has already been trained, I just want them to have had time to be be trained, it's okay if they're a prodigy, but prodigies need training too. I'm honestly a little tired of seeing every facet of the MC's training, I'm okay with the occasional back flash, I would be okay with seeing the MC train another character, I would even be okay if we came in right at the end of training. I'm even okay with other characters just reminiscing about their school/training days I just want to know they earned it.
@@ryuukake I'm writing story where the MC was basically one man army at one point in the history, now she just wants to have normal life and is the mentor type for two young people
@@galactick3816 That sounds like it could be fun. Room for some comedy, a serious tone. I like the idea of writing through the mentors perspectives. I'm working one as well, He's an arms instructor, and we see the students succeed and fail from his perspective as, well as the "heroes" perspective a little.
@@ryuukake well it's fantasy, and since MC can't take anything seriously unless lives are at stakes it is quite comedic for the most part
@@galactick3816 Sounds like will probably have some wholesome character bonding moments and development. It sounds like a solid foundation to work with. Hope it goes well.
"I hate when all the side character's entire being just revolves around the MC"
*cough* everyone in Keeper of The Lost Cities drooling over Sophie Foster *cough*
Yep
Aurora Nightingale I really hate the series but the author's got me hooked so I can't stop reading it. 😂 The plot's pretty good and the writing style is just my type. It's just the characters (especially the main characters) that annoy me. My favorite character is Dex but he's mostly ignored and barely gets any screen time? Book time? What's that called again? 😂 Sophie kinda ruins the books for me. I'm not done reading all the books that are out yet but I just find it really hard to enjoy a series when I don't like the protagonist. Really wish she wasn't so overpowered and have billions of boys drooling over her.
I swear to god that’s why I hate her so much, she felt overpowered bc everyone’s lives seemed to revolve around her
ah i love those books and i dont know why. my older brother's favorite character was always fitz and he was so mad when his character was ruined just for a love triangle (honestly same with dex, he just disappeared! just because of the love drama) with a few exceptions, there is no character development. keefe is my favorite, which is common, but i think its common because he's the only character written actually well
@@addisongernenz3359 hey, if you like the seires, you like the series. It’s cool. I’m only half way through the fourth book now and keefe isn’t so bad. I still like dex the best. I personally don’t think the series is that bad. It’s just the characters (particularly the protagonist ) that make it harder for me to enjoy it.
I personally love when’s the main character is morally conflicted or feels heavy guilt after their past decisions. I hate when characters-especially in fantasy- can just kill how many people they want and not feel any guilt at all because they are just trying to achieve their goal. Unless they are a literal psychopath that doesn’t feel any emotion at all or that is part of character, they should second guess themselves. I find it so unrealistic when an author makes this totally caring person that is supposed to be all good that can just take the lives of others just because those others are on the “bad side”. Not only is it unrealistic, it is upsetting and makes it harder to feel bad for this main character.
ikr and also all these people are so confident in whatever decision they took. After killing a 100 people aren't you going to wonder ifwhat you've done is a bad choice or was there a better way to do this? no, its all " I think its okay because i'm on the good side"
This actually sounds like a good way to make a villain character actually.
@@feenitacharles905 Or maybe they could be like that in the beginning but slowly realise that this mentality is wrong and come to realise that people do not come in black or white but shades of grey, and the reasons for someone's actions and their situations should also be taken into account, rather than just classifying them as 'good' or 'bad' and then second guess or regret their actions?
There are 7.7 billion people on this planet killing a hundred or two won't be such a tragedy
This is one of the reasons I like Tris Prior, she probably got PTSD from killing Will.
Married to a girly girl, and I have never thought of her as weak. Especially after being in the room while she gave birth to our daughter. Honestly, I think it's an odd quirk of the creative industries that tend to portray women in this light, perhaps because so many conflicts are centered around physical altercations rather than tests of will or cunning. I know of no men who think their wives are weak, regardless of their likes and dislikes. It might behoove authors to pay closer attention to the couples they know and create characters based on real people rather than other literary characters.
One word: Patriarchy. Society believes men to be stronger than women, meaning masculine women are seen as strong as they have stereotypical traits of men (strong, brave, etc).
Which society do you mean? Hollywood or maybe the publishing industry. But the average person I know doesn't see it that way. Feminine women possess a different kind of strength, something it seems many of the creatives in our country have difficulty portraying adequately. I don't think it's a as simple as a one word or even one concept response. People have layers. They believe things for more than one reason, most of the time.
@@johnsterling4558
I agree. It's more like hollywood/publishing industry etc, doesn't think of the lifes and struggles of females, as interesting or important as those of males.
They think that people wouldn't want/like to experience a story of a 'realistic' (by that I mean layered and complex ) female charackter.
Funny how you see that as strength but others would say "Shooting a baby out the vag doesn't mean you're strong".
D4 C Says those who’ve never done it or watched it.
“Oh no! this character has a personality, I can’t participate in the story....” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
If I wanted to pretend to be in a book I'd read a choose your own adventure
Well -- blank slate protagonists are a thing, but they're not necessarily for reader participation, to my knowledge. It's more for stories where the focus is not on the characters, such as cosmic horror or exploration of a new planet/place (i.e. Journey to the Center of the Earth, First Men in the Moon, The Green Book, Here There Be Tygers). Non-character-driven stories are often my favorite kind, so I'm totally fine with blank slates -- but I'm not projecting myself onto the character, either; it's just that if they were too colorful they would distract from the main point of the story. I love invisible protagonists/narrators, as a reader and a writer, for stories where personality would just get in the way. Sometimes the protagonist is mostly a POV -- eyes to see a planet or a terror or a world or a God.
@@anonymouswitness3835 Hmm I can see your point, though I feel that most of the time these types of blank slate characters turn out to make the story bad, or just leave you with a ‘it would have been better if the character...’
@@anonymouswitness3835 I’ll never buy that excuse until an author comes out and admits “I intentionally made my main character boring”.
@@One.Zero.One101 It's not an excuse. Think about a story like Journey Toward the Center of Earth or Out of the Silent Planet. If the protagonists were more "exciting" it would detract from the excitingness of the surroundings.
I do think sometimes “blank slate” main characters are stealthy author-self-insert characters. And they are boring people because they author is a boring person. (No shade, most real people are boring compared to book characters.)
I believe no person on this planet is boring. But sometimes they seem boring because they struggle showing their inner world to the outside.
No one is really boring but it's not easy to speak about our inner self. Even the most experienced writer find it difficult.
"Blank Slate" characters are more a product of gaming, tabletop or video, where at times your representation is a wooden Meeple, a plastic knight, or an armored space marine.
@@Ann-ds2tm Oh, they exist. You just haven't met them yet. I know people that share their mondaine experiences as a fascinating highlight. One of my mother's accuaitances can ramble for hours about every little detail of her life. Her tooth operations, the one time she twisted her ankle and the whole process of getting her to the hospital, her petty marital problems, her children and her meticulous opinions on how they handle their education careers, how the sound of her husband waking up ruins her morning.... I dunno, I wouldn't say interesting people spend their time focusing or talking about these things all the time.
Blank characters are supposed to be self-inserts for the readers to immerse themselves in the story easily.
"You're not like other girls.."
"Yes I am. I identify as female, don't I?"
Really. That's what it means. You can make it more, but you don't have to.
You can’t identify as female... it’s something you’re born with not something you choose
Hoe Bitch I'm so glad you understand!! I may have been born with the chromosomes and primary sex characteristics of one sex, but I was also born with a brain that said something else. I can't choose to identify with the gender I was assigned with at birth, I was born non-binary even though I didn't figure that out for a long time!! (If this isn't what you meant, kindly remove your rude remarks from all public platforms as you will only add to the many issues trans people everywhere already face.)
To all my lovely trans ladies, stay gorgeous and strong! You are valid as women and as human beings!! Take care of your beautiful selves
Well this is a touchy subjects people, personally I don't form opinions until I have enough details but in my (admittedly limited) experience and basic biological knowledge, if you have the organs and chromosomes and basically, biologically, ARE one gender then most of the time that's just what you are. Facts don't really listen to us, Believe me I have shouted and screamed at them enough to know it's mostly a lost cause.
As for being non binary, look I don't really understand what that is. I've heard people say it's that they don't identify as male or female, but until I know what it IS rather than what it isn't I'm still kinda in the dark. If you don't want to identify as your gender despite checking all the marks to be apart of said gender then that's fine, I personally don't see any bloody point but that's just my pov. The problem arises when you're clearly one gender but identify as the other. This isn't me complaining about pronouns or how awkward it is to refer to someone with a knee length beard as she but rather when societal norms for one gender are given to the other because of what they identify as. I worded that terribly but for an example, say if a man is sentenced to prison for rape, but identify as female because they said so, and are locked in a female prison, and just repeats his crimes all over again. I'm pretty sure this happened once too. Anyway that's the issue I was trying and probably failing to highlight
So finally, look if you want to identify as non binary despite as you mentioned clearly being a gender, than sure, I don't care just don't get pissy if I accidentally refer to you as he/she. However if you are clearly one gender but then identify as the other, then I have problems.
@@ASmartNameForMe
Well, there is a difference between gender and sex.
You can get hormone therapy to partially change your sex. Biologically, sex is defined using 4 things: Hormones, gonads, exterior genitalia & chromosomes. If all 4 are female type, you are a female. If all 4 are male type you are a male. Sometimes one or more of these attributes are flipped or doesn't fit into either category, which make you a non-female and a non-male. By getting sex reassignment surgery you can get close to the sex you want. This surgery isn't perfect (yet). We can influence the hormones very well, the others are worse, and chromosomes are very out of reach. Please note that your neural system isn't part of what defines male or female, biologically speaking.
Gender is a different matter though. That's a social construct. I won't get into that because I want to sleep.
@@gammarayneutrino8413 gotcha, thanks for the info
I want a character who starts out popular and something else happens to make them less popular and how they learned to be ok with that
Oo so kinda like Bethany from Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle? I LOVED her character development!!
I recommend Fight for her
Sounds a bit like my MC.
There's this YA book, Hexed by Michelle Krys, which is kind of like that. The story as a whole doesn't focus on the MC's social life, it's more in the background, but she does start off as the 'typical' cheerleader, basketball team boyfriend, and at the end she is best friends with the weird girl, and in a relationship with kind of a weirdo. He's a nice weirdo though.
The ratings aren't that good, but I enjoyed the book very much, and I appreciated a 17 year old protagonist that didn't act like she was 37.
edit: football team boyfriend, not basketball.
that's a HS nerd revenge story
Hey, if you need more ideas to add to the "Dear Authors" series, holler at us. Personally, I'd like to see a Dear Authors... Magic Systems, Romances, or Fantasy Races? Just spitballing here so far...
I myself woud love to see an episode of fantasy races
@@littlestbud Oh Oh me too.
Which do you prefer: Hard or Soft magic systems?
I prefer hard magic systems. It gives magic a limit, but it's still AWESOME! I haven't read a lot of books with a magic system, but I have seen great magic systems in shows.
Bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender is written beautifully. It makes so much sense, but it's still mysterious (especially with the spirits). When I first watched the show, it didn't even register that moving water with your mind or making a fire with the snap of your finger was magic. It just seemed like a cool ability, like how birds can fly and basilisk lizards can run on water.
Alchemy in Full Metal Alchemist (the 2003 version, I haven't watched FMAB yet) is also awesome. It's also described as a science. And it seems like anyone can learn it.
I prefer magic systems that aren't just spells. I don't want to watch a show or read a book that's on the lines of "Well, if I say this spell, it will make a rabbit appear. I don't know how it appears, but that doesn't really matter." I like understanding at least some aspect of the system. It's okay if some stuff is left out to be mysterious, since magic deals with the unknown, but I wanna understand SOMETHING. Like, how did you realize saying a certain spell would make a rabbit appear? Did you make the rabbit out of thin air, or did it teleport from elsewhere? I NEED TO KNOW!
Lol, can someone tag Daniel Greene in these comments 😅
I really need that fantasy races one
Are we gonna sit here and act like women aren’t making bad women characters as well? It’s not just the “progressive masculine mind.”
Thank you.
Anybody can write the opposite sex poorly, all that matters is the writing quality.
Captain Crunch
Rick Riordan has some awesomely written female side protagonists. Honestly if someone can't find a single male author who can write good female characters then there's either something wrong with your choice of books or you're specifically looking for something in a specific genre that caters to that sort of archetype.
can i just say, badly written and objectified female characters are written and created more, MUCH MORE by men, and women writing bad female characters is not in any way excused because of this, but it's also reflected by the types of characters they were exposed to in media.
but yeah, both ways it's just awful, because it's the same shit result of bland or sexualized useless or stupid female characters.
ren There are plenty badly written female characters, and most of them are definitely written by females depending the medium. Cartoons and comics being the main ones, since people at the top defeats writers and have them write only for characters that share their same skin color or sex. Weird world we live in with all of this race and gender baiting when we could just be writing good character no mater the traits they have.
Even female authors struggle with this as they make females masculine to make them seem “stronger” or whatever, and it gives the wrong idea.
ren I can name you just as many if not more badly written female characters made by female creatives compared to the male ones.
me, writing a book: *panicked note-taking*
What book are you writing?
Saaaaaaame
Lol same
fr **re-edits whole plot**😭
Adhwnwjtqj such a mood D:
Oooh how about a “Dear Authors...Mentors or Parental Figures”
I want that
I would recommend you to watch mob psycho 100 just because of Reigen. He is such an interesting mentor. He is my favorite character of the show.
We need mentors like Haymitch
OMG YESSS
YESSS
i wish i commented this on the post but i love it when there are flaws in the villain the main character sees in himself. it’s so interesting to see how he overcomes and struggles with this insecurity.
I love this, the main character in my story deals with this and there's this antagonist that everybody sees as the" bad guy" but she struggles when it's time to fight him because she sees herself in him and starts to wonder if maybe she isn't "the good guy" after all
Shit that's so cool I love you
Ahh yes the "we're not so different, you and I" is one of my favourite tropes ;;
Yeah that's a really good trope. Like Harry and Voldemort. I really like seeing that trope as well.
I agree with you
Me, an aspiring writer who found this in their recommended: YES YES, TELL ME MORE
I see a lot of people suggesting a Dear Authors about romance and I’d like to suggest a Dear Authors... Friendships! 😄
Would like to see that too!
Same! I'm tired of seeing friends and side characters who have one purpose and don't even seem like a real person. They're either a yes man, flat, or just there to forward the plot a couple times.
I hate when just to further the plot the characters get into some petty argument that has nothing to do with the story and doesn’t add to it at all. It’s almost like they wrote the whole book, then were told it wasn’t long enough, so they went back and added a fight that the main character reflects on every 3 pages or so.
On the idea of romance and friendships I'd like to add that girls and boys can be friends without either person ever having a crush on the other. Idk if this is an actual problem in books but it feels like it in too many mainstream media.
Nicole V. Or a Dear Authors... Relationships. This could include both romantic and platonic relationships!
Oh yeah, as an introvert I DESPISE when introversion is treated like a character flaw.
As for personality-less characters, I agree, I only ever hear about them as a host for the reader when it's non-writers or very inexperienced writers talking. Any author I've heard giving advice about main characters has talked about them needing personality. I've never met anyone who likes a blank slate.
I wonder if people who claim blank slates are good are conflating that idea with audience surrogate characters, because the latter can be useful in some stories
a character with a bit of a profile but no real personality isn't a blank slate. If you wanna write a story (let alone novel) with a blank slate protagonist, everything has to be tailored around that. The lack of descriptions of the main character needs to tie in with the point of the book.
as for introversion, neither introversion nor extraversion is anything you're going to see in a healthy human. An introverted human would basically be a catatonic, while an extroverted human would basically have no consciousness.
What really exists is people with stronger introspection (which is healthy) vs. people with stronger projection (which is unhealthy). People who spend way more time pointing out flaws in others, vomit their opinions all over the place and want to give everybody orders instead of getting shit done themselves, are a problem. Calling them extroverted is glorifying the problem. Introspection would be required to solve a lot of problems in the modern world, and that's why it's been stigmatized by a lot of people who are part of the problem.
I'm an introvert and it can be a flaw. I don't see why you're so upset about this? Overcoming it could be helpful for me but maybe that's just me
@@kristall5928 I think you misunderstand what an introvert is. An introvert is tired out by social interaction, an extravert is energized by it. Being an introvert doesn't mean being shy or disliking people/social interaction, though many introverts fit that description. It's not a flaw, it's just an aspect of how your brain works.
If you have social anxiety (as I do), that certainly is something to overcome, but being more introspective and not enjoying social situations as much as others is not a flaw
@@svenherzig6290 I'm not sure you know what introversion and extraversion are? Have you read anything that professionals have said on the matter, or are you just vomiting your opinions?
Not every main character has to be a boy with messy dark hair and daddy issues...
My boy main character with nicely combed ginger hair but still having daddy issues: "Do I count oooorrr...?"
My boy main with dark purple hair and mommy issues: uhhhhh
My character has long white hair and daddy issues
Percy Jackson and Harry Potter:Hehe,im just gonna....ya know..go..
Oop 😂😂😂 I’m writing one story with a messy dark haired boy with mommy and daddy issues, but in my defense it makes sense with the plot and it kinda shapes who he becomes as a person later on in life
It's true; girls are layered, like ogres. Or was it onions? Damn, I always get those two mixed up!
Everyone likes a parfait.
@@kimbarbeaureads
No one likes Donkeys.
You made me snort so hard lol
All three make people Cry so i see no diffrence
@@Bl4ckfailer
Those must be some vile girls you are around with.
17:18 this is actually one of the reasons why the Percy Jackson movies were bad. They had Percy learn everything too quickly making Annabeth look more of a side character than the 2 MC
If the movie was longer it would show more of Percy's growth and then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad movie. The problem is that movies are not suppose to be adapted from books but rather a TV series. Cause then you could show the character's development more than in a movie
@@mobiledatano1787 good thing they're becoming a TV series now. Can't wait!
@@Moxy125 The Percy Jackson books are becoming a TV series?
@@bluejam7634 yeah. It'll be a live action. It'll come on Disney Plus.
The books were amazing,the movies were shit
The only main character I do like is Katniss Everdeen I feel like she doesn’t try to be “different” from everyone else and she doesn’t want people to see her as a hero
Yes.
How many books have you read?
The ONLY protagonist that you like? Girl, maybe you should ask for some recommendations from someone 😅
I want to read Hunger Games so bad but I haven't yet :D. My favorite main characters of all time aren't even from a book series, they're from a show. A really good show made by some of the same people that made Avatar the Last Airbender (the show is called The Dragon Prince and I really recommend it to anyone who loves Avatar or to anyone in general its just an overall awesome series) and they characters I just immediately fell in love with. I only hate one character and he isn't a bad character at all I just don't like what he does or his personality as a person becuase he hurts the characters I love
im kind of sick of characters like her i feel like other authors all try to make main females like her now
Ya know what sold me. The platonic friendship mention. I'm so freaking done with every relationship being some sort of romantic relationship. I've been writing a trio of characters for a very long time that two of them are goddamn best friends since they were little shitty ten year old rivals who hated each other's guts and then got punished by having to do their final exam to become rangers by camping in the wilderness for two weeks with only each other where they finally had to learn about each other instead of just hating how the other acts. So now twenty or so years later and years of combat experience with each other having saved the others life multiple times yeah they are close as goddamn brothers, but no they aren't interested in each other. One is in a very healthy relationship with a very nice lady who is a kick-ass ninja (and also a balanced feminine character not just a tomboy soldier. Hell she uses "feminine" things like shopping and clothes to help distance her from the hard life of combat. When you spend all day in combat boots, heels are a nice change of pace).
I digress though. Friends deserve to stay friends. Those relationships are worth just as much.
Jeffrey i really love trios, or when the main characters are more than 2 people so there are characters who are just friends
A good book is The Medoran Chronicles, the main trio all date outside of the friend group and the female love interest is strong but she's also really feminine.
Wow, that's one long run-on sentence. Also, a brief description of the premise woulda sufficed.
Those sound like some really fun characters to read about! Good luck writing!
Where can I read your book? It sounds great!
Characters who are geniuses can be amazing, as long as they struggle with the isolating effect their genius has on them and they have a love/hate relationship with their gifts (feeling their genius is both a blessing and a curse).
I don't know man?
Ever read Artemis fowl, the guy is arrogant which is a character flaw that covers up thus aspect of having a relationship with you gifts. And what about anti social geniuses like Zorian Kazinski, yes yes I know that Zorian is a learned genius that only picks up a book to read or to study because of jealousy of his more talented brother or because of family pressure, but at the end of the day he is a genius, just not one that was born but created.
@@nickolasdiamond5619
No, I've never read Artemis Fowl, but I have heard of it.
@@MrJordwalk advice: don't watch the kids movie they made and go read the books, you only need to read the first chapter to get hooked.
The problem with genius characters is that the writers are not. Most of us aren't geniuses, of course, but a lot of writers haven't figured out how to credibly fake genius while writing those characters. All too often, the information supplied by geniuses comes across as some kind of magic pixie dust instead of being rooted in logic (which is the tender of actual geniuses). We shouldn't have to say, "Wow! That character is a genius, so I have to accept this info at face value even though he makes no sense to stupid me". Instead, we should be able to say, "Wow! That character is a genius, and his logic is impeccable. Now I understand!"
"Never have I ever hear an author say 'I intentionally made my character as boring as boring could be because I want my readers to project themselves onto the character'."
Guess she's neither seen anime nor read any manga or a light novel.
What manga do you have in mind?
Just... way too many...
@@ryanstarlight8018 Literally EVERY SINGLE MANGA THAT HAS A PROTAGONIST DENSER THAN A FUCKING ROCK.
That's weird because I've read a ton of shonen mangas and I've never seen anything like that. Are you thinking about ecchis or harem mangas?
@@ryanstarlight8018 Harem mangas lmao. Not shounen ones, should've specified, my bad.
10:50 This is especially a problem with medicine/injuries. A doctor will always do chest compressions when someone flatlines. A bullet wound is a huge injury, it shouldn’t disappear after a day of rest. Adrenaline doesn’t make you better at fighting, it makes you worse. Pain killers aren’t cure-alls, an injury doesn’t go away just because you can’t feel it. There’s so many more I could mention
Y E E T very informative. I haven’t read up on medical stuff and how to deal with emergencies as I don’t even have a proper plot planned out yet, but when I’ll get there, I’ll be sure to properly research. Thanks.
What does adrenaline do? Does it just give you energy?
@@user-bj4iq7fs1e my best guess is that adrenaline makes you more reckless, and really emotional so they'll ignore techniques, rationality and critical thinking (that is extremely advantageous especially during a fight)
@@sofea6861 Oh, okay! Thank you!
@@sofea6861 I mean, you'd be scarier at least
The "we made MC protagonist boring on purpose" is literally most of the isekai/harem protagonists in anime.
As a weeb, can confirm.
As a weeb,I can confirm.
As a weeb, I can confirm.
AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA YES
As a weeb, I can confirm
Funnily enough, every example of the "not like other girls!" protagonist that I've seen really isn't... all that masculine?
Tomboyish, sure. Maybe they'll wear a hoodie and sneakers instead of a miniskirt and heels. Maybe they'll play a sport or drop a few swear words. But they're always still conventionally attractive. I've never seen a butch woman with a shaved head or tons of muscle as a POV character in mainstream media.
Women get pushed to the margins if they're seen as too extreme in ANY direction. But those kinds of women - the goths, the girly-girls, the butches, the nerds, the jocks - still exist. Don't they deserve to see themselves in media, too?
I.J. Perez Very good points and I completely agree. I myself am a girly girl, and it’s sad how we’re portrayed sometimes (e.g. weak, slutty, superficial, vain)
It’s the incels fault, they keep making everything all about them
One thing I really hate:
When the main character describes the upcoming plot twist so vividly you think they've figured it out by now right? But noooOoOO they wait until the end of the book to actually come to that conclusion. You know, by the time the reader has already figured it out and is just super annoyed at the main character for being so dumb
Bonus: when the character starts off like the one "bad at everything but still likeable" character, then all of a sudden they have the highest rank in the story for no reason. like they messed up constantly yet still get the high rank just because they're the protagonist? It just doesnt make sense
So corrin, from fire emblem fates?
Like Peter Parker in Homecoming? Failing at everything, did one thing good at the end and "hey, do you want to be an Avenger?" (that's why I actually love Peter Parker in Avengers... but not his own movie lol).
Oh and also, the movie Death Note. The guy is supposed to be super intelligent, but unable to see his girlfriend is the one who killed the cops. It couldn't have been more obvious, even she were screaming it! I know love makes you blind, but still.
Do you mean like in divergent? It was kinda the same thing but if it happens more gradually is it better to read?
For example when that character keeps on building themselves and practicing until they're better?
Dear authors: actual Economy and politics, and yes, you can organically sneak it in without boring everyone with a random huge information dump
It doesn't have to be political intrigue to involve politics!
I guess the first step would be not to use plot devices that in reality would revolutionize the society and/or wreck the economy by their mere existence.
Unless, of course, the story is set into a world where such changes have taken place.
@@pRahvi0 for sure, I actually hate things like being able to just conjure up whatever from thin air like in Harry Potter. If that's a bloody possibility, then how the fuck does anything have any real value anymore aside from wonds and magical tomes I guess
You're right that it can quickly get boring if it is just forced on you in a massive info dump.
Though I have experienced a story that was so badly constructed, the characters were like cardboard cutouts and world building was practically non existent. To sum up the world building: It's 2095 Japan, magic is now a science and a war has happened.
The only thing left that was remotely interesting was how society functioned and how everything was run politically by the powerful factions and how the general public viewed people who wielded magic abilities.
It took 14 volumes before a character got enough personality for me to just care remotely about them.
But I really want you to understand the Marxist perspective on a magical post-scarcity society!
"I like liking characters" -quote of the year.
Not going to spoil anything bc I know you’re watching Avatar! But I’ll say this: the characters in avatar have inner struggles about what decisions they should make and it’s amazing
I love how they have unique personalities too. Many times writers just copy-paste the personality and that gets boring.
Maybe you could do Dear Authors... Side characters
WHY DO THEY ALL DIE
Avery White *shreds up my story*
Just "write your female characters as if they were humans", wasn't it something like that George RR Martin said? :D
I feel like the "I am not like other people" trope (for boys and girls) are the writer really trying to "make the character complicated", but it fails because it just comes off as desperate, and hamfisted.
Bit rich from that dirty old man. Basically all his female characters are just then to be raped and for people to drool over.
@@michaeljenner2325 Are you really going to Ignore everything else about them?
@@michaeljenner2325 do you even watch the show? Have you seen Arya Stark? And Brienne?
I attribute it to laziness. It’s faster and easier to copy paste a trope than to add to it and make it your own or to subvert the trope.
@@One.Zero.One101 I write myself (haven't published anything... yet), and while you could put overused tropes under "laziness", I really don't think that is fair. Breaking with tropes can be really hard, because a lot of the time, what we like to write and read are things that makes us go "cool" or "awesome". At least that is how we hope it turns out. And when you want to do that, you easily fall into tropes, because you think about things that made you go "cool" or "awesome". Making you own thing that is not only subverting but also actually good is really really difficult.
So while I will critize writers for using tropes (because no one is above critizism), I don't think the use of them falls under laziness. That's like calling some random person lazi for not doing a marathorn. Maybe it is true, but it is really not that simple.
Your voice is never terrible, dont worry.
"DO YOUR RESEARCH"
Omg, it's so TRUE. I mean, I have a tendency to overdo the research and procrastinating my writing with it, but it's annoying when an author did nothing to check at least the most basic facts about the subject of their book. Last month I found on Goodreads a book which was described as a fluffy ya romance about ice skating, ice hockey and baking cookies. I do not bake, but ice skating is my life. And I was so freakingly angry when I started reading and found out that the author probably doesn't even know that figure skaters and hockey players are wearing different types of skates (not to mention the fact, that a female single skater who won Olympics 4 times (!) and jumps triple axle at her 60s (!!!) is very unrealistic character...)
Plus, I cannot agree more about the Gentlemen Bastards series!
A fluffy ya romance about ice hockey, ice skating, and baking- if it weren’t for the fact that the main character is female, I’d assume you were talking about check please!
@Davina Jou Research is never truly unnecessary, not if you write. ;) But the lack of research; oh. my. god; how I hate it. I read a book, which was written as a historical fantasy novel. The idea was pretty good, but you could tell so easily that the author didn't do any research into historical attire, because it was wrong, wrong, wrong. (!) And no; I'm not an expert of historical costuming, but we're talking strapless dresses decades before they were invented, corsets as outer wear (Dear God, please save me), laces as the ONLY decoration on the dresses (no frills, pleats, embroidery, draping), and absolutely no actual fashion for the men. The author clearly never did so much as a Google search just to look at a few fashion plates from the time period to describe her characters dress.
The bad descriptions of their clothing drove me nuts. Do your research.
@Davina Jou That's a fair point. Trudi Canavan said she had the same problem; she spend so much time researching and world building that it took her about twenty years to publish. But when she *did* publish she had it all planned out and could use her background material to write several books. :P It's really all about balance.
I live in the Sonoran Desert and even I know that figure skaters and ice hockey players use different skates
'Not like other girls' is the most redundant character 'trait' ever.... because ALL girls are 'not like other girls!' It's called INDIVUALITY, and it's the reason humans are *born,* not made on a factory production line.
Yeah I think In the Well of Ascension Tindwyl have that exact response when Elend said Vin wasn’t like other women
Yes to the introversion one. I've seen characters grow more confident and outspoken but that doesn't mean they are now extroverts. I think there is still a misconception about introversion & extroversion today. Introverts need time alone to recharge; being with people too long can make them feel drained. Extroverts however get energy from being around people. You can be a shy extrovert and a loud introvert. Being shy and quiet doesn't make you an introvert just like being loud and talkative doesn't make you an extrovert.
Shout out to my girl, Elle Woods. Girly girl and strong
Kat Hunnicutt Julie Garwood also😉
Annabeth Chase
Piper Mclean. Hermione Granger
@Liza Johnson I wouldn't say she's ALL girly either but that's kinda the point, ya know? She likes feeling nice and gettin all dressed up. I think she's a great girl character because of how normal she is. She doesn't fit neatly into only one category, which is how all of us normal people are :)
Isabelle Lightwood💅👠
*I'm not like other girls...*
I'm actually a hobbit in really tall high heels
I'm a spider, 19, and interested in the web.
REEEEEE
are they size 13, men's size?
6:06 actually is my pet peeve. People who only read YA and then complain about characters being young or common tropes. Like read adult books, there are tons of different characters and plots there!
As a young person, I love YA fiction, but I agree with you wholeheartedly. YA and adult fiction bring different things to the table. There are different types of depth to both the characters and the plots, meant to appeal to the age groups they target. YA is meant for young adults, so most of the characters will be young adults. If you don't like how young they are, then read adult fiction. I do agree with this video in that there should be more variety in YA. If I could easily find adult fiction I liked the characters and plots from, then yeah, I'd read that because there's a lot more variety. I happen to like YA. But the tropes are still annoying.
I can't stand YA fiction. I need my early 20th century and 19th century novellas
Connor Leonard l feel the same way, and it makes me feel like a grandma :/
I read a lot of ya but I still don't like too young mc. I like 17-18 mc. 16 to me too young to be a hero that need to save the whole Galaxy or world.
I'm sorry but one thing I really can't stand is when they are too modest.
"I'm not good at this" - you are though
"I'm not attractive" - you are though
"People don't like me" - THEY DO THOUGH
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS OR AT LEAST A FEW OF THEM. Like gosh.
Can relate IRL. When a person has very low self-esteem it can be exhausting talking to them. I can imagine it's the same living in such a person's head for the duration of a book.
@@AGirlCalledJim it's more when the people show off their lack of esteem more than others. I know a lot of people who HATE themselves but you really wouldn't knowing because they don't want anyone knowing. It's only because I've known a lot of them for a good 12 years that I know but to an average onlooker they wouldn't show it at all
For anyone planning to watch it, spoilers for Haikyuu in season 1 and 2 ahead:
So I think an example of this type of character that is actually done well is Tsukishima. He has an inferiority complex, but it shows pretty subtly through his actions and his manner of speech, so you only really catch it if you’re intentionally looking out for it (only noticed upon a rewatch). So this inferiority complex aspect of his personality doesn’t overshadow the rest of his character, but because it’s foreshadowed, when it’s revealed more clearly later on, it doesn’t come out of nowhere.
One thing I hate is the typical female character that are like "I'm not that pretty or I just look average" at the beggining of the book and then they start describing themselves and you realise they are describing someone very atractive. 😂🔫
Aelin has no qualms in talking about how amazing she is. One of the things I love about her 😂
There are soooo many memes out there about it, I love it.
The part about introversion is SOO true because I am an introvert and it's NOT changinggg!!!
I feel like having a balnk slate character is more prevalent in video games to immerse the player. Halo for example would not have been so atmospheric if Master Chief had more personality.
But then again, there are wonderful exceptions to video games too. Tales from the Borderlands for example; that game wouldn’t have been NEARLY as hilarious and memorable if not for Rhys.
@@izstrella i think it just depends on how involved the protagonist is with the plot imo
Random Promises • Yeah, definitely. A lot of shooter games are wonderful with blank-slate characters for example, but I still do wonder what they would be like with more distinct characters too.
@@izstrella Yeah, if we have our character who speaks and is in a plot driven game, then it needs the MC to have a strong personality as well.
People always say this, but I like characters with an actual personality more in games too. I couldn't get into Halo because of that.
IMO the place for a "blank slate" is at the start of a game where I can actively fill up that personality, such as (and I know it's an old game but a new one is coming soon so it's on my mind) in Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines.
That game was fantastic for immersion, because they give you multiple possible personality routes.
As an aspiring author, I find these "Dear Author" videos helpful. I just have to say, to the people who complain about the "not like other girls" trope in YA- yes, it's annoying when the character fails to recognize how much she IS like other girls, but can we stop pretending that this trope is MEN'S fault? I'd be willing to bet a majority of the authors who use this trope are women and that, like many authors, they felt like outsiders in some way while growing up and are using fiction to exorcise some demons. Face it, girls can be mean to each other and their weapon of choice tends to be social ostracization. Not to mention, feeling like an outsider at some point seems to be an inevitable part of transitioning from childhood to adulthood as you realize and grow into your individuality.
So, yes, by all means let's see some great female friendships in books - they are worth celebrating! But let's not pretend this trope came out of nowhere, or that snipey competition among girls isn't a thing, or that girls and women don't frequently create this culture among themselves, all on their own.
I think it definitely comes from the teenage girl fantasy of being "different", which is why we mostly see it in YA books written by female authors...
I totally agree with you! I have some friends who see themselves as "not like other girls" and all of them have one thing in common -- they were the girls who were alone in school. Didn't have many friends because couldn't really get along or the girls didn't want to talk with them. They were the ones who sat with earphones or the ones who read books while all the other girls in class seemed to talk, joke, and laugh with friends. And because of this, such a mentality as "I'm not like other girls stemmed from." I think in a way, this makes them feel special or else they might've been insecure with thoughts such as, "I don't have any friends. I'm such a loner. There must be something wrong with me."
I agree. The most I’m not like other girls book I have ever read was by a women. It is mostly men who write and created these types of characters, men aren’t the people who are at fault though. I am a female by the way.
@@dazeadil1590 It honestly wasn't. Men had nothing to do with the "not-like-other-girls" trope, as men were too busy creating the "damsel-in-distress" trope. Their female characters were feminine, supportive, friendly, and weren't afraid to rely on someone whenever they needed help OR make friends with other female characters (the good ones: others were just boring love interests who couldn't defend themselves). Women started the trend of "not-like-other-girls" in response to this: their female characters were masculine, strong, independent assholes who were *hated* by almost every other female in the book while lusted after by all the men. Since other women ate the trope almost as fiercely as they STILL eat love-triangles today, men started using it as well. It's a trend for women started by women, so I've never understood how men get blamed for it, but men get blamed for everything, so...
We even get blamed for writing bad female characters when some of the WORST female characters were written by women. Remember Twilight, the "cultural phenomenon" that inspired a generation and shaped the face of the entire YA genre? Remember Bella, the girl who fell in-love in a week, dated a guy for a few months, got dumped, curled up in a fetal position in the middle of a forest and later threw herself off a cliff? Remember 50 Shades, the Kissing Booth, and After?
@@6ixlxrd Being strong and independent doesn't make you an asshole.
When you realize that you're the main character to your story, but a side character in literally *everyone* else's story.
And a villain in some of the other people's stories.
This is literally how real life goes
Yeah it's not too often that the main character ends up being my favourite😂
Also the projection thing is the lamest excuse especially because I way prefer putting myself in the shoes of a more interesting character (probably escapism lol)
Is it okay if the MC is a narcissist, but the other characters call them out on it and they eventually become less narcissistic?
I think that's great. There have been lots of times I wanted side characters to stand up to the main protagonist because of their rudeness, narcissism, etc.
yeah it's the best if some problems arose and they learn their lesson from the consequences
I think that's true about writing most characters that are assholes, the author comes off as being non-self aware when they have characters that are assholes that are never acknowledged
(edited for my bad spelling)
Yes and no narcissistic people don't change easy. It's in the vain of harder to therapy personality disorders. They can change but not completely in a book maybe in a series. More likely small changes. But call them out always have fun!
Ya I agree, I think with development it happens very subtlety. Cause if they are changed all the way then they're basically not the same character, as character's usually still keep most of personality through their development.
The only time I saw a "I'm not like other girls" done right was in a fanfiction (yes). By the end of it, the protagonist had realised he was actually not a girl at all, but a guy. A trans guy. And rejecting femininity was just a coping mechanism for his dysphoria.
Cool!
I. Love. This.
omg where can i read?????
What does dysphoria mean?
@@handhelder823 the opposite of euphoria. Basically to be uneasy or dissatisfied.
I have studied so much lately that i immediately read „MC“ as „Marginal Costs“ ... Cant wait for exam time to be over! 😂
Hope your exams go well!!👍
And that’s on economics
Good luck lol
Janini 123 I hope your exam went well! ♥️😊
I'm still reading it as Master Chief. All those years of Halo have taken their toll...
12:13 a character can win every fight and still be compelling. You just need to give them challenges that they need to get out of without their fighting prowess.
Very true. There are ways to make endearing characters even if you know they won't necessarily lose.
And you can give them a flaw in their prowess that makes them just as vulnerable as everyone else so that the stakes stay as high for them and they can't just throw fists with no consequences or precautions.
Or you can go full Saitama and have the character be so utterly bored with life because nothing is a challenge anymore.
Ryan Pratt
Like Percy Jackson. Dude used his brawn and brains in fights. Him and Annabeth always work together. They think of how characters were originally defeated in the myths and implement those tactics in battle.
Ryan Pratt Exactly, it's much worst to see characters who always loose and can never get thrown an bone lol. I think it can be engaging when you have a really good 'hero' type and equally good 'villain' to challenge each other. And not be lazy with it.
Like mob in mob psycho 100. He is powerful but he struggle with his grades, he isn't athletic and he's socially awkward. Since is a shounen you would expect him to keep getting stronger with his power, but in the end is more like he has to get emotionally stronger.
About the 'Do your research' part I actually have an interesting story. My main character, as a child, got stuck in a forest. Lost, alone, and in winter... naturally he quickly got on a verge of freezing to death. Now, I was being very lazy back then, and didn't research anything.
A wolfie, still a pup, found the boy, sniffed him, licked his face several times, cuddled with him for a bit, before he was called back by his pack. But he brought the pack back to the boy, and they, after inspection, decided to warm the boy up, saving his life. Later, when caught prey was being divided among them, they left a piece also for the boy.
Now, I made this whole wolf behavior up. I thought it makes enough sense for them to not only not eat the boy, but also take care of him, because the pup's scent was on him. Then I gave my story to a friend to read.
She actually got very interested about this, did the research, and excitedly told me, that she was impressed about how 'I got it right', because apparently wolves truly would take care of a person after said person was licked by one of them. I can't even describe how proud I felt back then!
Now, it's been more than ten years. And although this part of the story didn't make it in final version, I still think about it sometimes, because I am putting my entire trust in that friend of mine.
I still didn't do any research about this myself. :D :D
Wow, that's some pretty good guessing! Your story sounds super interesting! Good luck writing!
Did you publish this, cause I would like to read it
@@geniushamster2036 No, I havent and Im not going to, Im sorry. I write only for myself, because it's fun, that's all. But thank you 😊. Im glad that my ideas are interesting 😉
@@rinhayes6200 that's fine, I also write for myself :)
Sounds like you have a fairly good understanding of the world.
Be careful when researching though, because sometimes you can get incomplete information that can screw with your story unnecessarily
Dear Authors: Suspense and tension
"when the only reason you can further your plot is when making your characters really dumb you just need a stronger plot. "
This is so true, I write (as a hobby) and I know when it's time to drop a book or when it's time to go back and revise and see what I messed up on. Sometimes it's like you get so stuck on
'this is what has to happen how do I get there? If I can get there the story will be okay '
That you don't realize you fucked everything up. If you write you'll know what I mean and if you read then you might be confused. We don't plan every little detail We plan the major points and then we plan how to get to those points. (Depending on what type of writer you are) personally if I sit there and I plan everything out I don't get inspired. I get the major points set up (like the death and everything else and why people are the way they are) and then I figure out the major plot pushers.
I don't force myself to write everything on the spot as well.
I usually have concepts/ somewhat of an idea of what I wanna do.
Somtimes I'll have an idea, but I can't connect it to my concept. I don't delete the idea tho. I save it for another concept if I'll have one.
It's kinda like a puzzle. After some time I collect more n more n pieces then it makes click and I connect everything
Writing a really dumb character can work if it’s like forest gump or has more comedy implications or something else
Okay so I know Im really late but Im still saying it : I HATE when in books (and movies), the main character and their side characters friends are in the same trouble and every other side characters who are trying to help them only search for the main. Like for exemple, the main and their friends are stuck in a fight and every other side characters are basically only saying "Where is main character" and they just forget out the others. Like they are there too guys! They are in the same situation and you know them as well as you know the main ^^’
Exactly!Lets make up a secnario where the main character who we'll call Megan and her friend who we'll call Alicia are in trouble,i want to see their friends going "Where are Megan and Alicia!?They were supposed to be back by now!".I also hate it when the side character friend has a love interest,but when they and the MC are missing or something,said love interest asks where the MC is!I think it would be more logical if the love interest of the friend wondered where his partner or crush is rather than tjeir friend or a random they just met
And that is why I'm making multiple main characters with different goals and interests and relationships
YES I love that!! Me too!
@@luma16 Even better, they forget about the main character and just ask for the side character! Main characters don't always have to be the centre of attention, in fact in the book I am writing Pandora (the main character) is not the leader of the group, instead this is her friend Grey, because there is no reason for Pandora to be the leader. Don't make your main characters the leader/centre of attention because they're the main character, make a good reason for it!
Literally just Goku.
Dear authors, Diversity in books
I also agree with the "wanting to be like other women" point because women are amazing and our goal personality trait shouldn't have to be masculine
I can't tell the difference between girls and boys except for how they go to the bathroom and child birth. I always write personality first and gender is always an after though.
@@icecreamhero2375 same here. Personality has no gender
Triasha Chaudhury: I don’t disagree that diversity is good, but I’m not wanting to push authors into having to add characters of every ethnicity. That leads to authors (whether they be white, black, Hispanic, or anything else) making those characters just about their ethnicity.
Some authors do it by making the character mention their race every second or showing the character have to deal with racism at every single turn. Some authors make the character a political device. Many times, the character can never just be an interesting character outside of their race.
For instance, I’m Tejano, and I am honestly pretty jaded from seeing every Hispanic character being or intimately knowing an illegal immigrant. Then, the same people talk about trying to overturn stereotypes.
I shouldn’t have to say this, but most Hispanic people living in the US were born in the US. Their parents were born in the US too. I’d much rather see a hispanic person in a book that is a character before they are Hispanic.
@@Matt-kr9bo The "everyone who's Hispanic must speak Spanglish & be adjacent to an illegal immigrant@" is also the sign of a writer who's never lived south of Portland, Oregon. Coastal carpetbaggers, the lot of them.
I'm curious, do you think the goal for men and boys should be to become more like women? If at any point in your answer you start saying: "but that's different", then pause, take a few seconds, and really think about it. It's not different at all. Boys are amazing too, and there is nothing wrong with encouraging girls to discover this.
7:55 YES! I remember when I first learned about the basics of photography, and spent an entire week in an area dedicated to being beautiful just for photographers, I couldn’t stop admiring puddles. The way the light bounced off them, the reflections being disturbed so slightly causing a huge catastrophe in ripples. It was amazing. Authors really should change the way they describe things based on the POV they’re in.
Even though I don’t actually read many books, I write books and stories, and I use your videos to decide what to do, and what not to do in my stories, and it’s really helpful, thanks
Most common advice from published authors to aspiring writers is to read...a lot.
As someone who loves to write but procrastinates simple tasks (like reading) like there's no tomorrow: same
@@mattpfarr6129 haha never becoming a famous writer then ig 🤷🏽♀️ well, I’m gonna just be an animator
@@mattpfarr6129 writing is just story telling u can watch movies, TV, nd anime to learn to do this nd published others often copy others work nd write the same formulaic books some ppl would just like to find their own way of storytelling in the form of a book instead of making copy cats
also when she said “characters have layers” am i the only one who thought of shrek?
avery hill i thought i was alone shsjsjsjsj
No
arsenic the loser *finger guns* that sounds like a personal problem
I suggest everyone to see 'Avatar the legend of Aang". Is one of the best animated series i've seen with strong and interesting characters development
YES YES YES
also the CHARACTERS. I have never been so emotionally attached to fictional beings, and I relate to sokka wayyyy too much.
The character development in avatar the last airbender especially with prince zuko is really good
the characters are so amazing and aren't all the typical badass and emotionless guys and tomboyish nOT liKe tHe oTHeR giRLs.
Last air bender is great. Best thing I've I've ever seen to this day.
That "I have never seen a romantic love as strong as this platonic friendship" thing got me. That's Harry and Hermione for me lol
An interesting narcissistic character: Peter Pan (in the book, not the movie. I don't like the movie at all, there he's just really annoying).
If you haven't already you should check out the live action Peter Pan movie from 2003. It's closer to the book than the Disney movie and Peter, Wendy, and Hook are really well-casted.
I love when the MC actually wants to go on their adventure instead of being thrust into it against their will. I hate when they are thrown into this epic adventure and then they're like "I just wanna be normal." Like really, I get that these adventures can be painful and gnarly stuff can happen but still, I feel like so many people, especially young people, long for an escape or just something exciting or extraordinary, so when the MC is a teen who's not enjoying life, it seems weird for them to wish they hadn't gone on their quest or go back to their normal life like nothing happened once it's over.
You should really check out "Your lie in April"
It's a beautiful anime, the main character is a pianist
Agree so much on authors doing research. I’m a horse girl and almost every book I’ve read with horses in it is all wrong. It’s sad.
Hendrik Scheepers
Lol, wut?! I haven’t been around horses since I was like 15- & that sounds *every* kind of wrong!
@@hendrikscheepers4144 "To my bewiderment she was protecting her horse eggs perched in a tree."
@@Chosen1Creator 0.0 what the frick
"Splitting wood" sounds like a euphemism for farting, which might also be appropriate for a young tomboy
What about "cutting the cheese"?
Can I just say a character doesn’t have to have divorced or dead parents to be interesting? Like I’d like to read a book where the parents are actually supportive all the way through and not on the brink of divorce
That actually reminds me of a book i needed to read for school!(Its in my language and i am pretty sure there isnt a translation because our books rarely ever get translated and i think its partially because our books usually take place in places in our country so it would be difficult for a foreigner to understand)Basically the MCs are these 3 young boys living in this town,they all live in the same building and stuff.One of the boys gets on a bus with stuff to feed his grandma's dog because she is away,he doesnt return.So everyone is super worried.And his parents arent constantly arguing,yes they are arguing but its because they are stressed because their child just dissapeared,they support eachother through it.And other parents help too.And through the entire story two of the three boys are constantly getting help from adults,the adults still act like adults but they help them as best as they possibly can to find their friend.His vanishing was actually connected to a robbery that went down a few hours(i think)before and im honestly sad i didnt finish it.
Yes! And if you want your main character to not have parents around make your MC an adult! Being 20-25 allows them to live alone but still have friends and go on adventures without someone calling the police because they haven't been to class for three weeks.
I’ll attribute this to laziness. They want to give the main character a burden or a tragic backstory but they’re too lazy to think of anything else apart from dead parents.
If the main characters are fleshed out and sympathetic and don't fall into any tropes or cliches, then they're okay in my book ;)
Falling into a trope isn't always a bad thing in my opinion. As long as that trope isn't overused and the author does something to subvert that trope (it doesn't have to be a big subversion, as long as it exists) so the character doesn't become too predictable.
Edit: typo
dan_minighiti Yeah. Is it even possible to have a story completely tropeless? There are some situations when even subverting/avoiding the trope is a whole trope of itself!
Musical___ Potato 🤣🤣🤣 That was amazing, thank you.
Dream Master
Ok exceptions. I think the main character being unsympathetic could be a really interesting arc. As long as the author doesn’t praise this, it has amazing potential. (There’s also exceptions where the author can praise this, and it still passes but continuing anyways)
I also think if the main character is a total cliché, ew, unless it’s done in a satire way which is hilarious sometimes.
Tropes, I don’t thinks they’re a bad thing at all. You can’t have a story that doesn’t have tropes because there are just too many stories out there. You just have to have a unique twist on it.
But if the main character isn’t real, no go sir. Almost guarantee no exceptions
Trying to avoid tropes is a trope in itself, just sayin’ 😏
When we do the love interest one I will have A LOT to complain about lol
How does “projecting yourself onto a character” even work? It just shows that the author was lazy to write a character’s personality! Like... what books out there do that?!
Trust me, it's not that hard. You'll find a lot of isekai story protagonists are like this.
Choose your own story books maybe? IdK
I am not sure about a whole book written with this in mind but it could make sense for a short story. Especially if written in second person. This is really common in video games but that makes more sense since you are actually making the decisions. Choose your own story books also make sense to do this way. But again, I don't think that can last an entire novel length and remain engaging.
@@mattpfarr6129 ehhh projecting yourself onto a character is more like self-inserting yourself into a story.
Twilight
Anyone: says anything
Merphy:
GENTLEMEN BASTARDS SERIES😂
Bro it’s amazing, don’t hate
"We feel like we got to know a person rather than just read words on a page." THERE IT IS. That's the core of a good character
Yesss
in conclusion: Percy Jackson is flawless the end
Damn right. Pray to all 12 Olympian gods that the Disney Plus series is gonna be good
The character or the book series?
Cuz, in the latter half of HoO(After Son of Neptune) they downplayed his intelligence and skill which is because Percabeth needed a dynamic to follow. It was and can be cute and fluffy, true, but wouldn't a couple eventually breaking off because they aren't compatible be more relatable? Because even if Aphrodite exists, Love is fallible and temporary and even more special when you find it? They also got pushed to the side in favor of Jason and Piper(which I can understand) after teetering on one-dimensional(which I can't). ToA is neat but you can't make it work after another on the Greco-Roman Pantheon.
@_gredandforge _ _After_ SoN, sir.
Except for the movies
confirmed.
Last time I was this early I couldn’t read
...This comment was low-key dark as hell 😂😂😂
@@jackinthebox1993 well his name is the cynical.. lol
That's why I liked Naruto. He sucked at fighting for a long time and we saw him struggle through training to learn each new jutsu. So it was so satisfying!
Naruto's sad past kept repeating so many times that I dropped the series. Think about it, Naruto's parents saved the village and left their kid an orphan. And this village not only makes him live alone, but also treats him like a monster instead of the son of martyrs? Lousy writing for reader's pity.
@@angelas5099 well, even though I never actually watched that anime, I gotta admit that if I was one of the villagers I too would have been afraid of Naruto.
The villagers never acknowledged him as a human child in the first place since he's the host to the Nine Tailed Fox. And if I'm correct, he also struggles being exepted by the villagers throughout the series despite proving his loyalty time and time again.
And the fact that despite the pain he goes through throughout the series he's still smiling, doing pranks and cracking jokes even if it ends up failing at times. Hell, even during those times they acknowledge the fact that it wasn't the time for humor in the first place.
The fact that he became the Hokage by the end of his story and is still hokage in his son's story shows that the villagers excepted him. But even then I'm pretty sure there are still people in the village that resent him.
Hell, he spoils his kids and showers them with affection whenever he can cause he's never had parents since the day he was born. In one of Baruto's small arcs(???) He went back in time with susuke and managed to spend time with his dad's past self and learn about him. He learned that his own dad was an orphan since birth, and only the Hokage and the Ramen Noodle restaurant owner and the owner's daughter were the closest people he'd consider family before he got into team 7.
Which is brought up regularly because he didn't know in the first place, and admit it, if you were a kid and looked at a picture of your parent that you've never seen before but only heard about, you wouldn't recognize them till you were flat out told who they were. And Naruto seems like that type of person.
@@angelas5099 sorry for ranting. But I really needed to let that out. And I'm very sorry if I made any inaccurate statements.
@@angelas5099 to be fair, only the higher ups even know about Naruto's parents. They only see him as an annoying kid that always pulls pranks on people and the weird kid that didn't have parents to raise him right. Though I will agree that the backstory gets brought up just a little too much
@@ididnosuchthing345 Regarding you point of the villagers being scared of Naruto: Even if the didn't know that Naruto was the son of the previous hokage, who somehow disappeared with his wife and baby. How did the people find out Naruto is host of the nine tail fox? 🤔 Even as Naruto grew up, people would not have a reason to fear him unless he did something like the nine tail fox would. The peoples' fear of a power has been well executed in Yona of the Dawn, where Shin-Ah (one of the dragons) is feared and lives in isolation since he was a kid. Townspeople in Naruto are stupid and tolerate child abuse. Who lets a little kid live alone and eat instant ramen?! And those cockroaches in his house... 😵 Yona of the dawn is better in every way.
“not every 20 year old has enough trauma for three lifetimes.”
Steven Universe: 👁️👄👁️
Edit: yes I know, they showed it well and how the trauma happened, it was a joke-
Experiencing that trauma alongside the character makes it feel more realistic than packing it all into a backstory. Watching Steven go through everything that he went through and having the way it affected him as purely show don't tell until it all came crashing down is so much better than if Rebecca just went "he has a dark past". At least, that's how I see it.
@@junipersolis so u basically prefer the main characters to have all the reasons for their trauma to be shown to u and not just a backstory ? Not hating, just asking for research purposes....
SU handled it fairly well.
10:44 "...author writes about a hobby that I care about... and gets all wrong"
As an engineer and scientist, I get so frustrated whenever someone, especially a kid, is a "tech genius" or just "into science" and their role is to come up with all sorts of wacky gadgets that mainly function by emitting light and breaking laws of physics.
Or if there is any device anywhere with a screen and input function - lets say a digital alarm clock - expect someone "hack" it and use it to also "hack" every object with more parts than a hammer in the entire city block.
I honestly could never do that. Before I write about anything I make sure to do my research and inform myself. Don't wanna spread false info
@@moronbuns665 On one hand I get it's just silly exaggeration and mostly due to the fact that the the author usually isn't a tech genious themselves nor has anyone like that in their betareaders (would it be that hard to get one or two? Or are they just too over-employed to spend time for beta reading fiction?).
On the other hand, I just wish I could read a story where the geniousness doesn't manifest itself in quantum physics and stuff like that, but instead in mundane everyday solutions that most of science and engineering is about.
One of my characters is actually a history buff who ends up in a Medieval fantasy world and, despite not knowing how to sword fight and the like, becomes an invaluable asset to his designated "save the world" squad because of his history-spanning knowledge of clever solutions that Medieval peoples just simply hadn't developed yet (stuff like modifying a crossbow to be far superior by drawing inspiration from a later-era design that hadn't been invented in their world yet, or advising them on what tactics to use based on the outcomes of battles he studied that were under similar circumstances).. ik this was more about digital tech but it seems to apply well enough hehe
I wish when authors make a disability the main part of there stories, that they would not only just research online, but actually talk to people with these disabilities if possible. I mean, I read a book about a quadriplegic man and I reached reviews about the book from people who were quadriplegic and they didn't like it.And I also i wish people with disabilities were in stories that weren't about the disability they have. I mean, I have a brother who lost his legs, but that's not the only thing about him. I wish they would just include them without making the disability their whole story. Even if they just include a side charecter with a disability
Hope six of crows is super good cause Kaz is disabled and you can really understand and lowkey get into it because the author has the same disability and shizzle
You should read Insignificant Events in the Lives of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. It's a about a girl that was born with no arms, and along with the everyday struggles of being born without arms, and the looks and the social stuff and everything with that, that's not the whole book about her life without arms. There is a mystery, and all sorts of stuff that everyday people with arms problems. I love this book and I totally recommend it. It also has a sequel.
I have a character going through a quiet arc displayed only in design
She's only ever in a wheelchair
Still in a wheelchair but wearing leg braces
Leg braces and crutches sometimes but the chair is most common
Crutches most of the time
Almost always with just the leg braces
I never want any of this to be told in dialogue or exposited
I also have quite a few instances of people just chucking their prosthetic limbs at people being irritating
Here’s something I hate: when main characters take on the usual determined, good-hearted, powerful kind of personality. It makes it seem boring or typical to like them. This is why I like to read books with multiple main characters. All of them have distinctive, contrasting personalities. Books with a single main character always seem to make their mc perfectly in the middle of all the personalities, like they’re just made to fulfill the place of the hero. Having multiple mc’s makes it easier to cover all the spaces, but just having one main character who has a distinctive personality or moral compass is really more preferable. If you ask someone their favorite character in such series and they respond with the mc, you should be able to think that’s a cool choice instead of thinking they’ve just chosen the go-to character
Exactly dude, so my disappointment is extreme when I find a book with multiple main characters and POVs and then... They all have the same personality anyway
YES I totally agree!! I'm writing my book where the "MC" status is basically shared between 3 characters, because they all contribute to the plot equally in their own way, and their personalities are all drastically different!
It happens to me, when i write, i start with one main character, but the amount of main characters just build up, so i end up with things like sub-main-characters and the likes.
08:49
*looks at japanese harem visual and light novels*
hmmm...