Writing a Likable Character Who is Mentally Unsound?
Asked by: Steve Martinez
How do you write mentally unstable characters?
Mental illness is complex.
- Make the character relatable. …
- Keep the narrative front and center. …
- Balance internal and overt symptoms and behavior. …
- Specify the disorder, at least in your head. …
- Get the details right.
How do you portray a broken character?
Simply put, to fix a broken character, make them like no character you have ever seen before. If you can describe your character (or story for that matter) by comparing it to one existing thing, you have failed. Because what is the point of you writing it then? It’s clearly been done before.
What are the characteristics of a mentally unstable person?
Symptoms
- Feeling sad or down.
- Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate.
- Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt.
- Extreme mood changes of highs and lows.
- Withdrawal from friends and activities.
- Significant tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping.
How do you write an obsessive character?
One way to make your character’s obsession convincing is to find something in your life that aligns with it. Perhaps you can relate through a different obsession of your own. Or imaginatively scale up an interest or pleasure to the point where it takes on obsessive traits.
How do you write a psychopathic character?
How to Write a Psychopath
- They’re manipulative.
- They’re good liars.
- They don’t understand emotions.
- They can’t form relationships.
- They have to be in control.
How do you write a mental illness?
Avoid derogatory language. Terms such as psycho, crazy and junkie should not be used. In addition, avoid words like “suffering” or “victim” when discussing those who have mental health challenges. Preferred: She has a mental health illness.
How do you write a traumatized character?
Show the characters processing their trauma and trying to resolve their issues. How do their brains connect the moment to reminders of the past? Give your characters a backstory, but don’t let the traumatic event dictate their entire lives. Real people never want to be defined by a single thing that happened.
How do you fix a boring character?
Impact way this is the way that most people think where they have their characters. They go through something. And then their characters come out differently. This is what we see a lot in movies.
What is a broken character?
Broken is a term used in many games, particularly fighting or otherwise competitive ones, to describe characters, techniques or other elements or combinations of elements so overpowered that they make the game stop functioning as intended and/or severely skew the game’s balance in a player’s favor, making alternatives …
How do you write a character driven short story?
How to Write a Character Driven Story
- Give Your Character a Backstory. …
- Make Sure There’s a Conflict. …
- Provide Your Character With a Clear Point of View. …
- Respect Your Character’s Integrity. …
- Outline Your Story in Advance. …
- Raise the Stakes. …
- Include a Twist. …
- Highlight Cause and Effect.
How do you force a character to interact?
Here are some techniques you can use for your own characters:
- Create a reason for them to spend regular time together. …
- Allude to time spent together. …
- Entwine Their Lives. …
- Give them a Common Enemy. …
- Put them in a Stressful Situation. …
- Getting a Glimpse into the Other Person’s World. …
- Surprising Commonalities.
What makes a good character-driven story?
Character-driven stories are focused more on character development than they are on plot. Character-driven stories are often found in literary fiction. A good short story is often focused on one or two fleshed-out characters as opposed to a detailed plot.