RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Felix Sideris · **07-25-2013, 04:58 PM**

Like many role players and writers out there, I struggle with starting a good character background or history. Once I am going, I can usually flow and come up with a decent piece of work, but I thought I would turn to the community this time around and see what you more talented writers can give for advice!

So, what is your advice on writing a character's history/background? Any tips? How in-depth? What perspective should I write it in?

I know a lot of it is based upon personal preference, which is what I am asking for! What do you guys like? What sticks out the most, or what do you like to see, when you read another person's character history?

Thank you all very much for the help!

FreelanceWizard · **07-25-2013, 05:14 PM**

Well, if you look at L'yhta's wiki page and her 100 Questions, you can see that I tend to write really long character backgrounds. Smile

I personally feel that where a character's been is often very informative as to where they're going, and writing a background from birth to the present day forces you to think about things like family relationships, how they feel about morality and different races, why they've chosen the life of an adventurer, how their personality developed, etc. Usually, I write backgrounds in 3rd person omniscient, which I realize is out of vogue right now, but it works for me.

In terms of what I like to see in others' backgrounds? That they have them, naturally. Smile

Beyond that, I like to see reasons why their character chose their current path and no big deviances from lore. If it's in first person, I especially like it when the character isn't the most reliable narrator of their own past, as people often forget, intentionally omit, or simply lie about their life story. (Astute readers may notice this in differences between L'yhta's wiki and L'yhta's 100 Questions.)

Really, though, just having a background is the important thing. You can be less detailed now and leave some blanks that you can fill in the future as you come up with ideas or want to add hooks or connections to other characters.

Martiallais · **07-25-2013, 05:29 PM**

Generally I try to start with an idea of what sort of character I want to play/roleplay, then I spend a while reading up on & researching lore (including things that might stretch/bend the lore somewhat without breaking it).

After that, I like to walk through this site and answer the questions noted there (I tend to keep word docs with notes on my characters).

http://rpg.ashami.com/

Of course, I leave things open to change as I roleplay them (because sometimes the idea dictates things, odd as that sounds), but generally working through the entire 'character sheet' gives me a fairly good idea of how to get into the character's head and figure out their 'voice'. After that, I tend to fill in things and events which would have happened to help and/or hurt the character in their history.

As for how in-depth, it varies. Generally though I prefer to have the major events in my mind with space open for filling in smaller events that effect them as well. Like Freelance mentioned, I try to have some variation between what a character might give in their history and what actually happened.

Lren · **07-25-2013, 05:42 PM**

(07-25-2013, 05:29 PM)Zarek Wrote: Generally I try to start with an idea of what sort of character I want to play/roleplay, then I spend a while reading up on & researching lore (including things that might stretch/bend the lore somewhat without breaking it).

After that, I like to walk through this site and answer the questions noted there (I tend to keep word docs with notes on my characters).

http://rpg.ashami.com/

Of course, I leave things open to change as I roleplay them (because sometimes the idea dictates things, odd as that sounds), but generally working through the entire 'character sheet' gives me a fairly good idea of how to get into the character's head and figure out their 'voice'. After that, I tend to fill in things and events which would have happened to help and/or hurt the character in their history.

As for how in-depth, it varies. Generally though I prefer to have the major events in my mind with space open for filling in smaller events that effect them as well. Like Freelance mentioned, I try to have some variation between what a character might give in their history and what actually happened.

This is a VERY good way to start things off, one that I tend to go along with too! Sometimes it helps to have a character in mind too, then to hop into a small RP session with them. Get a live feel for them, so to speak. Makes it easier to decide if you like them, then you can continue progression from there.

Martiallais · **07-25-2013, 05:45 PM**

(07-25-2013, 05:42 PM)Lren Wrote: This is a VERY good way to start things off, one that I tend to go along with too! Sometimes it helps to have a character in mind too, then to hop into a small RP session with them. Get a live feel for them, so to speak. Makes it easier to decide if you like them, then you can continue progression from there.

Thanks! Funny enough I use that same method you mentioned too sometimes. Big Grin

Only downside to that one, I think, is it's a little easy to potentially fall back into 'familiar' character personas (I know I have 2 or 3) to fill in the gaps as well. But, when it works it works really well!

Lren · **07-25-2013, 05:52 PM**

(07-25-2013, 05:45 PM)Zarek Wrote:
(07-25-2013, 05:42 PM)Lren Wrote: This is a VERY good way to start things off, one that I tend to go along with too! Sometimes it helps to have a character in mind too, then to hop into a small RP session with them. Get a live feel for them, so to speak. Makes it easier to decide if you like them, then you can continue progression from there.

Thanks! Funny enough I use that same method you mentioned too sometimes. Only downside to that one, I think, is it's a little easy to potentially fall back into 'familiar' character personas (I know I have 2 or 3) to fill in the gaps as well. But, when it works it works really well!

Yeah, that is very true. Just one of those things you have to keep in the back of your mind. XD

Desphiria · **07-25-2013, 05:57 PM**

Woow Zarek, that thing you posted up looks REALLY helpful! I think I'm gonna look that over. Thanks for this. However, I'm afraid I can't really give many tips because I suck at starting backgrounds too.

Ildur · **07-25-2013, 07:52 PM**

I'm not particularly fond on extremely detailed backgrounds on my characters. I tend to forget details, things that I wrote down as important or defining end up not being so, quircks change or are never used...you get the idea. I prefer to start with a simple concept and play the character once or twice and let it grow organically. I remember the details better in those cases.

I also have a big problem called 'I don't read' (yes, I know it's a flaw), so I'm not particularly fond of other people having very long and detailed backgrounds unless I'm invested in a plot with them, or their character managed to call my attention during an actual scene. But then I'd probably only read the basic information and try to get all the other details by interacting in-character.

With that said, I do write backgrounds for my characters. They are pretty barebones, to the point (sometimes, anyway) and aren't good literature (you can see for yourself on the wiki page of my main character). They are more like internal notes than anything else: if I forget anything, opening the page and looking it up should be easy since it's a short profile. It doesn't work with special mannerisms and quircks, though. I had a character in TERA whose biography said she always had to have something in her hands. It never came up in actual roleplay and, by the time I remembered or read it in the background, it was a bit too late because I had spent various hours where she had absolutely nothing between her hands.

So my advice is to make a basic draft. Then roleplay a bit in a casual scene (like a tavern, or a random walk-up in the street) to see how the character develops organically from there (and to see how you play him or her), and then go back and try to marry your draft with your roleplay, filling out details that seem necessary to define the character as a person.

Felix Sideris · **07-26-2013, 12:19 AM**

(07-25-2013, 07:52 PM)Ildur Wrote: I'm not particularly fond on extremely detailed backgrounds on my characters. I tend to forget details, things that I wrote down as important or defining end up not being so, quircks change or are never used...you get the idea. I prefer to start with a simple concept and play the character once or twice and let it grow organically. I remember the details better in those cases.

I also have a big problem called 'I don't read' (yes, I know it's a flaw), so I'm not particularly fond of other people having very long and detailed backgrounds unless I'm invested in a plot with them, or their character managed to call my attention during an actual scene. But then I'd probably only read the basic information and try to get all the other details by interacting in-character.

With that said, I do write backgrounds for my characters. They are pretty barebones, to the point (sometimes, anyway) and aren't good literature (you can see for yourself on the wiki page of my main character). They are more like internal notes than anything else: if I forget anything, opening the page and looking it up should be easy since it's a short profile. It doesn't work with special mannerisms and quircks, though. I had a character in TERA whose biography said she always had to have something in her hands. It never came up in actual roleplay and, by the time I remembered or read it in the background, it was a bit too late because I had spent various hours where she had absolutely nothing between her hands.

So my advice is to make a basic draft. Then roleplay a bit in a casual scene (like a tavern, or a random walk-up in the street) to see how the character develops organically from there (and to see how you play him or her), and then go back and try to marry your draft with your roleplay, filling out details that seem necessary to define the character as a person.

Beginning part sounds like me. I have a bad habit of not reading, it is hard to read walls of text, which is why when I type on the forums I usually type in broken paragraphs just because it is easier to read, at least, for me it is.

But, I know what you mean. I am filling out his 100 questions in first person, as if my character was getting interviewed, then I am going to run through Ash's RPG character guide and I think by then I will have a solid background outlined that I could attempt to write.

I'm not good at articulating myself outside of Roleplay, so maybe I will just write a first-person background, like a journal or something. We'll see I guess!

When I come up with something, I'll be sure to post it so all of you guys can critique me Big Grin

!

Background/History writing tips

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes