(even if you aren't vegan)
An Essay About Originality
by Skullbuggy
WHAT would you call originality? How can you define it? According to dictionary.com, the term "originality" is defined as such:
- "... freshness or novelty, as of an idea, method, or performance."
This can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, however, it is a quality that separates good writers from great ones. Now, I don't want to sound like I'm full of myself, but I consider myself a fairly original person. But this essay isn't about me, no; it's about you. I'm writing this to help you all out--to help the writers who feel that they need a boost. If you consider yourself "unoriginal" or "contrived" when it comes to character creation, let me give you a step in the right direction.
The first thing you're going to need to do in order to establish an identity for yourself as a writer is to establish your ideas before releasing them. This means you need to build on an idea and focus on it. Say, for example, you have an idea for a character. Do you know everything about him? Probably not. This is why you'll need to develop on it--unless you know everything, you can't let anybody else. That's one of my rules.
Start off by giving a physical description to yourself--draw it out, write a description, whatever. The important thing is to keep it original--the biggest mistake is comparing to real characters. Dont say that your character is "like Goku but with red hair", or whatever. Doing that just makes you look less original. Try to make an image in your head and presenting it in the most original way possible--that way, you can make your character seem good while not comparing.
Another thing to avoid is fan characters. I know I'm seeming harsh, but if I had a nickel for every Sonic fan character who was related to one of the established characters--well, suffice to say I'd be a rich, rich man. So keep it out of any franchise and establish a universe for a character that's all their own. Give them their own house, their own friends--their own planet, if you want. Just keep the borders sealed, if you catch my drift.
Let's take a look at personality, too. There's a concept I've heard of--and experienced--called the "Mary Sue". Let's keep that name in mind; it's very important when it comes to character creation. Now, according to the TV Tropes Wiki, a Mary Sue is an almighty character.
- "The very laws of the universe bend to accommodate her. If there's only one in a million chance she could succeed at something, she'll accomplish it with flying colors."
Case in point. A Mary Sue is, by far, one of the biggest signs of a new writer. Not a bad one, just a new one. Mary Sue is the one thing you want to avoid. It is an anti-target, of sorts. If you're not convinced already, let me ask you some questions.
Is your character... the child of a canon character? Do others obsess over your character? Do they have the perfect body? Are their powers so powerful, they must restrain it to a fraction of a percent? Are they really a million years old, but just look eighteen? Are they royalty for no reason? Are they just soooo likable? Are they rude but people like them anyway? Do they have a Japanese name, but they live nowhere near the place? Do you get disgusted when anybody says anything bad about your character?
I could go on, but I wont; somebody's going to hate me for it. But if you answered yes to any of those questions, chances are that you've got a Sue. And don't think it's cool to make the exact opposite of a Mary Sue--that there is an Anti-Sue, and just as unoriginal. And if the character is you? Yikes. That's not very good.
What you need to do is look at them as if they were real people. Would the things that they're able to do make them really human? After all, I doubt that a normal guy would carry around a Japanese sword just for the hell of it. And I honestly don't think a guy named Oroka Mojibake would come from Boston. You need to think--am I making a person or a video game character? And if you are making a video game character, still make its powers within reason.
Right now, this is all I can do to help you. A test like this can help you out as well. I'm Skullbuggy... good night.
