03-28-2019, 02:11 PM
Hello guys! I got bored so I decided on making a new guide for y'all because I see some people are having a tough time playing an intimidating character properly, so this is to help a little bit on those endeavors!
First things first: don't keep posting in all threads that your char is intimidating this, or intimidating that. (ex: "his intimidating gaze bore into her soul" or "his muscles rippled under his fur, making him look quite intimidating") This gets repetitive real fast and what I would consider lazy writing, not to mention people don't like being told how to feel about a certain character. Especially if the character is not actually intimidating. (and yes, I am guilty for writing like this too, sometimes. everyone makes mistakes like this, don't be hard on yourself if you find yourself writing like this! its a learning process) The "show, not tell" writing style is your friend when it comes to writing an intimidating character, and it actually works! Crazy, I know. It's a perfect way to make the reader actually feel intimidated if done right.
Here's the definition of the show, don't tell writing method:
"Show, don't tell is a technique used in various kinds of texts to allow the reader to experience the story through action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the author's exposition, summarization, and description."
This is telling:
"It was dark outside and the owls shrieked at shadowy figures. A cloaked man ran through the darkness."
This is showing:
"The cloaked man couldn't see well with how dark it was, knowing that it would only get darker as the winter solstice drew near and the days grew shorter. He picked up the pace as he saw figures moving around at the edge of his vision and winced as shrieking filled the air."
It takes a while to get used to the show, don't tell method, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty useful and effective.
So that's it! I know this guide is pretty short, but I that's all I can think of atm. If anything else comes up, I will edit this post, and if you want me to add something, just shoot me a pm! I'll reply back as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to ride this, and have a good day!
First things first: don't keep posting in all threads that your char is intimidating this, or intimidating that. (ex: "his intimidating gaze bore into her soul" or "his muscles rippled under his fur, making him look quite intimidating") This gets repetitive real fast and what I would consider lazy writing, not to mention people don't like being told how to feel about a certain character. Especially if the character is not actually intimidating. (and yes, I am guilty for writing like this too, sometimes. everyone makes mistakes like this, don't be hard on yourself if you find yourself writing like this! its a learning process) The "show, not tell" writing style is your friend when it comes to writing an intimidating character, and it actually works! Crazy, I know. It's a perfect way to make the reader actually feel intimidated if done right.
Here's the definition of the show, don't tell writing method:
"Show, don't tell is a technique used in various kinds of texts to allow the reader to experience the story through action, words, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than through the author's exposition, summarization, and description."
This is telling:
"It was dark outside and the owls shrieked at shadowy figures. A cloaked man ran through the darkness."
This is showing:
"The cloaked man couldn't see well with how dark it was, knowing that it would only get darker as the winter solstice drew near and the days grew shorter. He picked up the pace as he saw figures moving around at the edge of his vision and winced as shrieking filled the air."
It takes a while to get used to the show, don't tell method, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty useful and effective.
So that's it! I know this guide is pretty short, but I that's all I can think of atm. If anything else comes up, I will edit this post, and if you want me to add something, just shoot me a pm! I'll reply back as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to ride this, and have a good day!