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Post by zickachik73 on Sept 25, 2007 21:39:31 GMT -5
I think tens' Finn is a favorite of mine because she goes against almost all others that I've read. 
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Post by Tensleep on Sept 26, 2007 21:11:39 GMT -5
Aww, thanks Laura. She is one of those OC's I was talking about. There was no one like her, so I wrote her. She's not a Mary Sue, though she does have some MS tendancies, and she's not a tomboy, but does have some of the tendancies.
*shrugs* Blame my imagination.
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Post by anotherillusion on Oct 1, 2007 14:55:21 GMT -5
I've found I like to be introduced and learn about an OFC slowly when I read fanfic so I try and write similarly.
A lot of it, I think, is about balance as well. Balancing canon and original, etc.
Another Illusion
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Post by BlindedxxFalcon on Oct 7, 2007 11:40:15 GMT -5
I have three OC's that are currently not intoduced to ff.net. Sal, Rickey and Derek.
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Post by Tensleep on Oct 21, 2007 22:29:23 GMT -5
A lot of it, I think, is about balance as well. Balancing canon and original, etc.
I couldn't have said it better. Balance is key. If your OC takes over the plot, they're automatically a hated MS. But if they have so little to do with the plot, can one really warrant them being there...
Huh. Now I have to think on this...
Thoughts? How much OC is too much?
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Post by anotherillusion on Oct 22, 2007 3:20:48 GMT -5
Personally, I feel that too much OC is when every event around the story is governed by the OC. I love sub-plots and there to be more going on then just a romance, or whatever it is.
Another Illusion
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Post by BlindedxxFalcon on Oct 22, 2007 14:59:33 GMT -5
My OC's have pretty much become my life, even though I'm only 5 chapters in. I want to get the next chapter up by Wed., which means I would have to write it today, but that's not happening.
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Post by theinsider on Jan 13, 2008 18:37:02 GMT -5
I think a good original is born when they blend in with the story and sound like they were meant to be there all along. They have to have a reason for entering the main character's life (I hate the new-guy-in-town cliche), and they have to fit in with the story without totally taking over the plot. End of story.
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Post by ladeedooda on Jan 31, 2008 17:42:38 GMT -5
Um... hi. I'm new to the whole FF writing scene, I've been reading them for a long time but until now I didnt really have the guts to write one... I have an idea for an OC and I just wanted to be sure that the character wouldnt be like totally hated or completely unrealistic for the time period. I'll post her characteristics here------
Name- Carole Grace Fitzgerald
Age- 14
Grade- 12. should be in eighth, but she’s uber smart, w/ a genius IQ
Social class- greaser, but not your usual greaser girl. Quiet, reserved, doesn’t normally go out or talk to those in her neighborhood. Or anyone, really. At school she tries to be is invisible as she possibly can, because she gets made fun of for being 14 and a senior and for her clothes
Wardrobe- Old cardigans and sweaters that are all way to big. (hand-me-downs from her cousins.) Skirts that either she made or hand-me-downs. Big thick glasses that are broken and taped in the middle, and too small Mary-Jane’s with oversized socks.
Height- 5’2”
Weight-90 lbs. she doesn’t get out that much and her family never has good food in the house.
Home life- She hates it. She isn’t abused, just ignored. Completely ignored by her mother and father.
Appearance-
Eyes: One Blue-green, one brown
Hair: mud brown, shoulder-length, and boring
General facial appearance: Very boring, the kind of nameless faceless person you never take a second glance at. Comes in handy at her school.
Build- Pin strait, body of a ten-year-old. She is skinny and has barely any muscle. Very low self- esteem because of it
Quirks- She bites her fingernails
Hometown- Seattle, Washington
I think the whole "skipped four grades" thing may bother some of you, butt I'm pretty sure it did happed once in a great while back in the 60's. I do NOT want this to be a Mary-Sue. If it comes across as one, please tell me, so I can fix it. I am posting this here becase most of you guys are really great writers, and I know I'll get good feedback.
Thank you!!
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Post by Masquerade on Jan 31, 2008 18:06:05 GMT -5
Yeah, I think the only possibly unrealistic thing is, as you said, the skipping four grades. Hardly anyone would be able to do that. |
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Post by ladeedooda on Jan 31, 2008 20:07:58 GMT -5
I know, hardly anyone can do it now, too. It has still happened, though. I think. I'll probably tone that down a tad.
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Post by Nittanylizard on Jan 31, 2008 20:31:02 GMT -5
Hi, welcome to WSOTT! I'm so glad you came here for some input. As for your character (and keep in mind that these are just my opinions): Name - I like it. Fits the time period nicely. Grade - I'll get back to this one . Eye color - a lot of writers try to use strange eye colors to make their character unique, but it often just comes across as bizarre. I think you might do better by not calling much attention to her eyes. Height and weight - A character in one of my original stories who is 14 years old is 5 feet tall and 90 pounds. I did some research to make sure this wasn't too out of proportion. According to the current weight charts, she was just above the 5th percentile for her weight at that height. What that means is that almost 95% of 14-year-old girls who are 5 feet tall weigh more than 90 pounds. So she just squeaked in. I think in my last draft I added 5 pounds just to keep her from being oddly tiny, even though a large part of the plot hinged on some of her physical characteristics. I would suggest either adding on some pounds to your character, or making her a bit shorter. But even at 100-105 pounds and 5'2", she's tiny. And if she's tiny like that, it's fine to just give the reason as genetics, or that she's a picky eater. Hating home life, ignored by parents - I know it happens, but it seems that in Outsiders fanfics many authors use the character's home life to gain sympathy for their character. If she's got a fairly stable family life, though, she will actually stand out more to your readers. More of them will be able to relate to her. In this particular fandom, the bad home life angle has become cliche'. I think it would be nice to see a character who doesn't have a problem with her parents, but who has her own set of issues to deal with. For example, it sounds like she's very introverted. IMO, it would be refreshing to see an OC who has an actual relationship with her parents, like maybe her and her dad are close, but now that she's getting older he's having more trouble relating to her. She was a tomboy but now she wishes she looked more like a girl, that kind of thing. Glasses - was the taped-up part due to bad finances, like they broke and her parents can't afford new ones right now? This is used a lot in movies and shows to intensify geekiness (is that a word? ;D), but it could work if you focus some of her attention on it. Like maybe she asks her mom or dad at some point how long before she can get some new glasses. At one point you contradicted yourself - she gets made fun of at school, but at the same time she's invisible at school. I like the second, where she's not noticed, but the actual ignoring feels bullying at times (i.e. nobody offers her a spot at their lunchroom table, even though it's obvious she's wandering aimlessly with a tray; or maybe she catches somebody talking about her "rat's nest" hair behind her back). Hometown - Just give a decent reason for how they ended up in Oklahoma. Maybe Mom or Dad was from there, and they moved back to stay with grandparents or something when Dad lost his job. Something other than the random, "Honey, we've decided to move to Tulsa!" (I'm sure you've seen this one often enough as well, heheh). Now, back to what grade she's in - Going back to her getting along with her parents, I think this could work if she was home-schooled by her mom. They move because Dad is out of work, both parents end up scraping up jobs, and she has to go to school. When tested, she ends up 2 or 3 (or 4) grades ahead of everybody else her age. This would also explain why she's more reserved in school, if she's already shy and then she ends up in a school and is surrounded by kids who are older than her. Like she doesn't quite get the dynamics of a high school. I'm not sure what type of story you're going for, or if you have anything in mind beyond the character (nicely thought out, by the way), or when your story would take place. But if you're looking for suggestions - if it's a couple of years after the book and Ponyboy is in 12th grade (he would be 16), it would be interesting to see them have some type of interaction through school (class project, or something less predictable, lol). It would seem like he'd be able to relate to her after being put up a grade. Perhaps she could even feel intimidated by him at first (keeping in mind that in the book, he's already looking/acting kind of tough at just 14, and his friends could seem kind of scary) and doesn't feel comfortable about working with him/interacting with him. That said, I think it would work better as a non-romance, where he sort of becomes her mentor. You just have to watch for all of the cliche's that could come with that. It's really nice to see when somebody is putting a lot of thought into their characters. Congratulations on moving on to writing a fic of your own. Definitely come back to talk about your character and story some more, and feel free to post part (or all) of a chapter here if you want some comments on it before you post on ffnet. Welcome again, and I hope I didn't scare you away ;D. I love talking about writing almost as much as I love writing. And again, everything above was just my opinion, off the top of my head. If I advised against something but you feel like it works in your story, write it in and see how it works. And I'm sure you'll get some more suggestions. Good luck! Liz |
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Post by ladeedooda on Jan 31, 2008 21:00:48 GMT -5
Thank you so much! this was very helpful. I will edit her. I can make her better, stronger, faster. Okie dokie! Thanks again!
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Post by Nittanylizard on Feb 1, 2008 8:29:33 GMT -5
Just to be really confusing  , I wanted to follow my comments with this - It's entirely possible to write a good story with the character exactly as you have her written up. In this particular fandom, however, unless you've already done a lot of writing and know what you're doing, it's probably a good idea to stay away from some of the more common Mary-Sue-type characteristics that would stand out as red flags to the regular readers and possibly take away from the rest of the story for them. And I'll follow that with this comment - If you already have some good backstory for your character that involves some of the things I suggested changing, just go with what you think works. You can always get input from the actual story, and change it later if it didn't work as well as you'd hoped. In other words, I am not a professional ;D. Ultimately, do what works for your story. |
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Post by ladeedooda on Feb 1, 2008 21:43:04 GMT -5
I have the first chapter done if anyone wants me to PM it to them. I have no idea what to name it, though.
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, I wanted to follow my comments with this - It's entirely possible to write a good story with the character exactly as you have her written up. In this particular fandom, however, unless you've already done a lot of writing and know what you're doing, it's probably a good idea to stay away from some of the more common Mary-Sue-type characteristics that would stand out as red flags to the regular readers and possibly take away from the rest of the story for them.