Hey Guys!

I know ... I haven't posted in forever. I haven't had inspiration for this advice page until recently. I was suggested to explore an idea, and I thought hey, why not? Sounds great.

Granted, I may not be the best person to discuss this topic, considering the fact that I have written many cliched stories before (so embarrassing. I should delete them) but my writing has evolved a lot over the course of my fanfic career, and I can say with confidence that I can help you break the mold with your characters.

So, let's begin!

Wikipedia says: A stock character is a stereotypical fictional character who audiences readily recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. Stock characters are archetypal characters distinguished by their flatness; as a result, they tend to be easy targets for parody and to be criticized as clichés. 

Basically I'm going to teach you how to avoid using stock characters in your fanfics. To steer away from these stereotypical characters, you have to know who they are first. Therefore, I will educate you on some popular characters often used in AFF (which should be general knowledge, but it helps to reiterate). 

From my experience, there are two types of cliched characters in AFF. There is the General Character, and the Idol Character.

General Characters

1. The female protagonist is kind, smart, cute, shy, beautiful, and popular. She always gets the boy in the end and has some sort of family/school/relationship problem. She also must have a female best friend.
2. That female best friend is usually rude, pretty, and protective. She has self-esteem issues and always stands up for her fickle best friend, the main character who, through illogical attempts, miraculously gets the boy to fall in love with her.
3. The male protagonist is always in love with another girl. He derides the female lead or avoids her to an extent. He's either a bad boy or a good guy that nobody ever notices - except, of course, the female lead.
4. His friends are usually the rest of the members from the boy band he belongs to. Generally, he has that one nice friend that advises him on how to handle situations realistically, the stubborn friend who probably gets with the female lead's best friend, and the friend that provides comic relief.
5. The villain takes the form of a female ditz who hates everyone and everything except the boy of her dreams. Oh, don't forget - she's popular, too.

Idol Characters

1. If you write about Onew, you have to throw in a chicken joke in there ... somewhere.
2. If you write about Chen, you have to describe the magnificent structure of his godlike cheekbones at least once.
3. If you write about G-Dragon, he's probably a bad boy.
4. If you write about Yongguk, you better put him in a gang.
5. If you write about two different Korean bands, you have to make them enemies.

I'm exaggerating here, I'm only highlighting a few examples, and I'm making fun of myself, but you get the point. These characters are everywhere. And even though their personalities have been used and reused, with a tragic story thrown here and a nostalgic flashback thrown there, people still write about these characters, and people still read them. Why? Because even though people claim to like originality, people drift towards what is normal and comfortable. And if they can recognize a story arc as soon as they read that foreword with character profiles on it, then you bet they'll be clicking Next.

Can these characters make a good story? Sometimes. Do you want your story to be unique? Don't write about them. 

The reason authors use these characters is because they know these characters. They know their story even before its been written. They know who they'll fall in love with, what their problems are, and how to solve them. How can you use the framework of a stock character and change it into someone inflected with stunning and believable details? 

Here's a Character Map to aid you in deviating from the stream of stock characters.

Character's Name

|

|

Character's Role 

/    |    \

/      |      \

    Character's Interests            |           Character's Disinterests 

|

/          \

/               \

Successes                         Failures

\                /

\         /

Lessons

If you wrote about a stock character, their map would be like this:

The character's name is Lay. In the fic, his role is a jerk. He is interested in women but pretends to be disinterested in them. He succeeds in smooth-talking but fails in honest speech. The lesson he learns is that if he becomes a bumbling idiot, he gets the girl.

Be specific with your characters. Get to know them. Don't just use them because they are convenient to your story. Who are they? What do they like to do? Why is *this* their favorite color? Do they like to eat at 5pm or 7pm? Being detailed can help you avoid stock characters and bring interest to the readers, because nuances are rarely evident in common characters. How do you make them less common? Make them intriguing. 

My character's name is Lay. In the fic, his role is a scientist. He is interested in promotion, achievement, and eventually, a woman. He is disinterested in mockery and belittlement. He succeeds as an educator, but fails as a human. The lesson he learns at the conclusion of the story is that being a man does not make him superior, omniscient, or invincible. Instead, being a man means accepting vulnerability. 

I found this really cool Writing Chart that helps you understand your character better. It asks pretty extensive questions, but it helps in writing a well-angled character. If you can answer all the questions easily, then you're answering with a stock character in mind. If you have a difficult time completing it, then you aren't finished developing your character just yet. :)

You don't have to do the chart, of course (I certainly don't), but it's important to know your character if you don't want to resort to stereotypes. Some people are talented at avoiding cliches. Others simply do not use the entirety of their imagination. I know; I've been there, I did cliches, the stories . You've got a wonderful mind, guys; use it. Don't copy/follow/recreate what people have already seen. You've got to put a stamp on your characters. 

Let me know if you have questions. You're the coolest! 

How to write Korean Fan Fiction, a funny video.