Where to get good insperation for writing?

[Fanifacation]

I'm looking for a couple of recomendations for games, books, comics, and any other resorces with good character writing. Something that could teach me what makes "character" but not be a boring 5 page article about the origin of modern storytelling or something.

I've been reading a lot of webcomics as my source of character writing but i feel like its not enough for me to really learn. I prefer reading humorious stuff since i seem to understand the characters better based aroung their humor.

Please, anything you can recomend to me can help.

I'm sorry if I came off as some guy who's bored and wants somone to give him something to look at. I really dont know how else to word this.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Comedy Rotten]

Hmm... So you're looking for media that will help you understand character development? As awful as it is, there are some pretty interesting infographs on Pinterest that are very useful and helpful. Besides that though, character writing is something that finds its best inspiration in reality because you (generally) want characters that seem real. I often pick out friends and accentuate and down-play specific characteristics. Though, I doubt you want to hear about character writing techniques, so I'll provide you with a few suggestions that I think have very notable characters.

Chrono Trigger: Yes, this is a game, but the execution and how the characters are slowly revealed throughout the game drives home the idea that people want to connect with the characters and sympathize with them.

Avatar - The Last Airbender: No, I'm not a middle-school student. This TV series (and the comic books) has very good character development and a spattering of light-hearted (sometimes cheezy) humor and fun.

History: This is really more of a category, but look up people in history. History tells the tales of real people who have come and gone; they have some of the best tales to tell. (Attila the Hun, William Wallace, Joan of Arc, Charlemagne, etc.)

A bit more on the comical side... You could always check out Dr. McNinja. It's pretty "out there," but funny, quirky, fast paced, and filled with lots of very unique characters.

One last thing, if you're looking to write a very intensive storyline, yWriter6 should definitely be on your list for writing software.

 

[DanMunchie]

First up, if you're going to be a writer, please work on your spelling - I counted 8 errors in your original post.

When you say character development - are you referring to the creation of interesting characters, or to their progression through a story?
For the former - as Comedy said, write from real life - write characters around interesting people in your own life and you'll find that developing or modifying their personalities to suit your story will be easier (and less stereotypical) than inventing a character completely from scratch.

For good examples of character development in terms of their evolution, I'd recommend the following:
- Breaking Bad (particularly Walter)
- Venture Bros (particularly Hank and Dean)
A good example of a character failing to evolve despite their circumstances (which also makes for a great story)
- Shameless (particularly Frank and Fiona, though Lip is a good example of the opposite)

 

[Fanifacation]

Well in my case i meant the creation of interesting characters. I have character development down, its just hard for me to make one stand out at the start.

I already know about a few of the examples you guys gave me but there are a few i havent seen before so i'll check them out.

Thanks alot!

 

[Yal]

i tink you can maek interasting churacters if your'e baing them 1 real ppl

Grammar bashing aside - and take note that obviously misspelled text will ruin any good characterization - trying to make your characters speak like real people WILL make them more believable. A bunch of things I've noticed in good writing...

• When people speak naturally, they need to, you know, think and stuff, and might not always find the, err, right word instantly. You shouldn't, you know, overdo it, but a bit of visual thinking and inhaling and stuff can make stilted dialogue a bit more believable.
• Keep sentences short. People use ellipses a lot... and they use commas a lot less often.
• Try to keep stuff RELEVANT. Real people use tons of random polite goo to patch out their conversations, but adding that to every conversations just makes it harder to filter out the interesting parts. Especially NPCs you talk to for hints and flavor text should go straight to the point.
• Try to keep characters DIFFERENT. It's a lot easier to tell people apart if they react differently to stuff, if they have different speech patterns and 'catchwords' (like, the lazy ditzy guy might, like, y'know, speak like, y'know, this while the local scientist is prone to utilize more archaic words out of subconscious habit).
• Try to minimize expository dialogue. If characters sport exposition, game instructions and tutorial text, it's very hard to make them act naturally or beliavably. Start with characters and add text later instead of vice versa.
• Definitely seconding the 'base characters on real people you know but flanderized' thing... it gives you a pretty good "cheat sheet" for how a character would act (ask yourself how your friend would act, or even ask them how they would react).

 

[Fanifacation]

@Yal @DanMunchie
Yeah, sorry about the spelling errors. Part of it is due to my dyslexia but most of it is my own incompetence. Its about a 40%-60% split, or more like a solid 75%, maybe 80%, ok it's definitely a 96.82% incompetent. I did the math.

 

[Ninety]

This is targeted at game writing although it's a little basic http://finalbossblues.com/i-want-characters/