Waaaaaah! (The sound of a pen scratching.) LOGO.
Hellooo everybody! There is a TON of bad writing advice floating around the internet, and truthfully,
a lot of it comes from people who haven't actually finished a written project. Which, to be fair,
checks out. And there's some ESPECIALLY bad writing advice when it comes to creating characters.
You don't give any character advice, do you? Oh, thank you! You give kisses! You give kisses!
Today, I'm breaking down the 10 WORST tips I've seen for creating characters. You've probably
seen some of this advice before, maybe on Reddit. Probably came from someone's mom's basement...you
know the type. Don't implement ANY of these tips unless you want your characters to blow
major ass. Before we get started, I want to give a shout out to Milanote, who has generously
sponsored today's video! If you're interested in creating layered, complex, multi-dimensional
characters, I HIGHLY recommend checking out Milanote, because they make the process
SO much easier! Milanote is an easy to use tool that allows you to organize projects into visual
boards. What I like about it is it's completely different from traditional software. Most software
exists in a linear document, which isn't exactly intuitive, because creativity is not linear
AT ALL. Milanote, on the other hand, is like working on a studio wall or poster board. It allows you to
take your jumble of ideas and move them around however you please, which makes it PERFECT for
brainstorming. Milanote serves as a creative hub for whatever you're working on, like your
author platform, plotting your next book, and of course, creating and organizing characters, as
you can see right here, as I organize Tobias - one of my main characters for The Savior's Series.
You can easily map out all of your characters, their relationships to one another, their arcs
throughout the book or series, even their character charts and face claims. You can also share your
characters with your critique partners, if you want comments or feedback. Like I said, I am a HUGE fan
of Milanote! I already have a bunch of boards for planning the next book in my series - TSA. I have a
board specifically for my YouTube channel, and of course, I've got boards for planning my characters.
Even better, right now you can try out Milanote for free! I repeat: FREE! As in, ZERO DOLLARS! I've
got Milanote linked below! Try them out for free or upgrade to premium! They are great for planning
your book, planning your author platform, and of course, planning out your characters! Speaking of
creating characters, I'm going to break down the 10 tips for creating characters that you should NEVER
under ANY circumstances implement, because they're terrible. Is it good advice? (Butter’s Voice) No, it's terrible advice. Waaah!
(Normal Voice) If you want more writing advice, be sure to subscribe to my channel and ring that bell! I
post videos on Wednesdays, as well as bonus content on Mondays! And sometimes Buttercup shows up
and graces us with her fluffy presence! And don't forget my dark fantasy romance novel The Savior's
Sister is out right now! You can get it in ebook, paperback, and hardback at ALL major retailers!
I have the links listed below! On to the shitty advice in three, two, one, go! Number One (1): Wing it! The
best character is the one you put NO thought into whatsoever. Character profiles, character boards,
character face claims - all trash! Who cares if it's vital to have an understanding of your character's
personality and behaviors? Who cares if characters are one of the top reasons readers pick up books
in the first place? It's not like human beings are complex, layered creatures whose personalities and
lifestyles are easily affected by compelling forces like trauma, upbringing, family, and even
race or gender. And there DEFINITELY aren't entire fields of study devoted to understanding even a
small segment of this information, let alone humanity as a whole. If you want to guarantee
you've written a solid character, make ‘em up as you go along! Think of all the inconsistencies as
a charming little guessing game for your reader. Number Two (2): Emulate! Wanna write but lack creativity?
Then now is the perfect time to emulate! You only got into writing because you were obsessed with The
Wheel of Time, anyway. Now you're gonna duplicate it from top to bottom, starting with your characters.
The great part about this is it's easy! You take a popular fictional character, and then change
one, maybe two, traits. Bonus points if those two changed traits are also YOUR traits! For example,
he used to be the Witcher. Now he's the Witcher AND an incel. Nailed it! Instead of Bilbo Baggins, you're
unleashing Dildo Grabbins. Instead of writing Harry Potter, you're whipping out Harry Pooter.
Character creation doesn't need to involve thought or invention. After all, popular media only exists
to be vaguely but not legally plagiarized. Number Three (3): Self insert. “But Jenna, I don't want to
write an original story! I just want to create a world where I can fulfill my greatest fantasies.”
Have I got a solution for you! Introducing self inserts: the easiest characters to write, because
they're you - except better in every way. Tired of never getting the girl? Then write a self insert,
and you'll ALWAYS get the girl, at least if she's fictional. You always wanted to be respected, but
instead of behaving in a way that garners success, simply write yourself into a book as a wizard, a
royal, or a wealthy heir adored by all. Fictional love feels ALMOST as good as the real thing!
Self inserts are the perfect character, because absolutely NO ONE can relate to them. We don't have
massive titties that defy gravity, and we actually have to have some semblance of a personality if
we want to get laid. But self-inserts don't have that limitation, do they? Self-inserts;
because achieving your goals in the real world is too damn hard. Number Four (4): Cast so white. I see
you got 20 characters there, and all of them are white. Wow, such creativity... However did you manage?
White people only make up a fraction of the world's population, so it makes complete sense that
they make up 100% of your cast. But what about queer characters? Neurodivergence? Physical disability,
or body diversity? Oh, all of your characters are cis white neurotypical able-bodied human beings?
Perfect! I literally don't know a single person who fits that description, but I TOTALLY believe that
20 of them exist in your book. Besides, two of those 20 characters are women. Not one, but two! A whole
ten percent! You're really making a statement. Talk about wokeness to the max! I bet they even have
agency! Give this neckbeard a trophy! Number Five (5): One dimension is enough. Layers are for onions, not
people. When crafting a character, all you need is one trait. Some archetype or box to shove
your character into. Is your character a healer? Congratulations! They get to heal people! That's it.
Is your leading lady a cheerleader? Then keep her as peppy and one note as possible, and you're good
to go! This practice can apply to ANY trait. Your hero must be heroic. Your damsel must be distressed.
And don't forget, if your character is a person of color, lgbtq+, or from any marginalized group
at all, that is the only dimension they need. Skin color can totally be a personality trait!
Just like sexuality or mental illness. My singular trait is generalized anxiety disorder.
You can tell, because I'm a fucking mess! Number Six (6): Write what you know, and ONLY what you know.
If you don't have the same exact traits as your characters, how will you ever expect to understand
them? It's not like basic deduction, comprehension, and empathy exist! It's also not like we can just
listen to people share their experiences and learn from their journeys. “But Jenna! Writers write about
werewolves, wizards, and serial killers all the time!” That's because those writers ARE werewolves,
wizards, and serial killers! Helloo! How else are they going to understand those characters? Certainly not
through research or thinking. I only write about 33 year old caustic women who own their own business
and loathe humanity at large, because a fedora on Reddit told me that's the only character
I'm qualified to write! Characters with literally zero differentiation and absolutely no opposing
traits are SO compelling. Number Seven (7): Positive traits are for Mary Sues. Your main character
is kind sometimes? Pfft! Talk about a Mary Sue! It's human nature to be flawed beyond comprehension,
so if your character - particularly a MAIN character - has any common sense, or integrity, or even an
OUNCE of human decency, you're taking crazy pills! No one is good. No one has any good traits at all!
I am LITERALLY a walking piece of shit. In fact, for every good trait your character has, you should
add two to three flaws to balance it out. Your main character has table manners, but they're also cruel,
abusive, and misogynistic. That's a hero I can depend on! Remember, a good character is a
character with one positive trait hidden in a sea of diarrhea. Bare minimum ethical standards don't
exist in the real world, so they shouldn't exist in your fictional world! Number Eight (8): Treat every
character like the main character. We already covered that it takes time and care to craft a character...
or maybe we covered the exact opposite? I really don't care. But some writers wonder, “Do I need to
create a Milanote board for every single one of my characters?“ The best rule of thumb is to treat
ALL of your characters like the main character. Every. Single. One. The villain? Of course! They're an
important character. Chart the shit out of them! The love interest? Absolutely! A lot of readers read
books for the love interest alone. A friend of a friend who drives the main character to school one
time? Duh! Their tumultuous backstory is relevant to nothing at all! The background character that has
one line and is never even given a name? ESPECIALLY them! You need to know every detail of their torrid
love affairs and golden shower kinks. Some people think this advice maybe shouldn't be taken so
literally, but those people need to die in a fire. Character charts for every single character, or I'm
calling the police! Number Nine (9): You only get ONE comic relief. ONLY ONE, because it's not like funny
people exist in droves. Listen, this is literature. It's not supposed to be realistic or relatable
to real life. You're allowed to write one funny character, and it's their job to shove obnoxious
jokes down the reader's throat, and then disappear from the plot until the next force-feeding. I know
the comic relief is usually the most annoying, hated character in the book, but they need to exist,
because Disney said so. And no other character is allowed to be funny under ANY circumstance, because
a sense of humor is an EXTREMELY rare trait. It's right up there with mansplaining and sexual
activity. And Number Ten (10): Fuck the villain. Not literally! Unless he's hot, then probably. You don't
need to put any thought into creating the villain. They're the villain. They're evil. Boom! Ya done.
Evil is their single motivation. Evil is their sole character trait. Evil is the driving force of their
entire being. What ELSE is there to figure out? Backstory? Intention? Personality and weakness? None
of that is relevant to the villain. They're just there to laugh maniacally and then reveal their
entire plan in an unprompted monologue. Don't waste your time crafting an ‘original,‘ ‘complex’ villain,
because those don't exist. So that's all I got for you today! If you didn't catch that, while all
of this advice is definitely floating around the internet, it's also terrible. Please DON’T
implement ANY of these tips into your writing. Plan your characters. Give them layers and dimension.
Make them diverse and relatable! And thanks again to Milanote for sponsoring today's video! I cannot
emphasize enough how helpful this platform is, specifically for creating characters! If
you're looking for an easy to use platform with a gorgeous layout that will help you expertly craft
your characters, check out Milanote right now! You can use them for FREE! Milanote is linked below!
Build a character board for free or upgrade to their premium platform. Either way, you are going to
love it! So do it! Click the link! Yeah! Don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on
Wednesdays, and if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell! My dark fantasy romance
The Savior’s Sister is available right now in ebook, hardback, and paperback! You can get it at
all major retailers, so pick up a copy today! I got the info below! And be sure to follow me on social
media! I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook - and of course, you can Tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
(Older Male Voice) This is Wembleton! If you haven't subscribed to Jenna's channel, then by all means, go for
it! The people will love you for it! Go on! Press the button. Ding that bell! See you soon!