Writing Memorable Characters

One of the first things a character must be to feel compelling is to have an identity. They should stand out on the page without being overwhelming. By taking a look at the "Planet of Hats" trope and Gaiman's "Funny Hats" concept, we can create some really special characters for our stories-but where do you take it once you've established the basic setting and the quirk that character has? To explore the answer to that question, we're going to have to take a look at Mass Effect 2.

Script and VO by Adam Bassett
Animation by Cole Field

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[TheMpoMan]

Keeping a balance between "having something identifiable" and "not simplifying too much" is definitely a struggle. Always something I'm trying to keep too of mind, especially when it comes to designing societies, where I definitely find it harder to achieve than on an individual character. Although obviously doesn't make it easy for individual characters.

[The_Nightsong]

you're using Mass Effect!!! They are my favorite games of all time!!!!

[Tutoriala]

The Wheel of Time did something really interesting with the Planet of Hats idea. Every culture has a basic stereotype--Cairhien is filled with absurd levels of politics and propriety, Aiel are honorbound warriors who are so far removed from everyone else that it's Culture Shock 101, Two Rivers are Standard Hero Village Home with a grand past, Domani are beautiful, so on and so forth. Every character we meet proceeds to immediately show how the stereotype is not exactly accurate. These Planetary Hats are really useful to give us basic exposition about characters we'd otherwise need paragraphs of text to explain, and the care Robert Jordan took to ensure that each character is far more than that stereotype keeps anything from feeling two-dimensional. This generally avoids the problem with stereotypes in real life, such as how they are A) not necessarily accurate (causing Problems) and B) being assigned to real people (as opposed to fictions where our opinion can be carefully tuned by the writer).
TL;DR, stereotypes in fiction (especially fantasy) can be useful shorthands to automatically associate enormous amounts of exposition (textual and subtextual) with a new character. They just need to be used deliberately and designed in such a way as to not get in the way of more specific characterization.

[Ryak]

I love all the hats adding up in the background lol

[Avionne_Parris]

Great video, Adam! This is actually great timing as my shelved project, YA anime fantasy involves a huge cast of characters.

There are 6 clans who must be distinguished from one another so I painted each with a broad brush: Clan X is aggressive while Clan Y is peaceful.

However, each clan has characters who are exactly as the group norm (as this is true to their character and they tend to fall in line with the herd) but also characters who defy the norms and are completely different (foreshadowing their later rebellion against society).

I love the idea of using hats in this way as huge casts can get muddled personalities or monolith cultures. Because if I can't distinguish my own characters, how can my readers do the same? Granted, I will be privy to WAY more character information than the reader which is why it's important for us to step back and examine our work as a reader, not a writer.

[SylarGrimm]

And what about a character who purposefully defies their monocultures stereotypes? I’m currently writing a Sci-Fi of my own and have a character from an alien race where he breaks all of their expected stereotypes. This makes him an outcast to his own people and confuses others because he’s not like the others of his race which they’ve met.

[GreenBlueWalkthrough]

I do it an odd way... I write all my character as if I knew them it helps that I am a mix between and plotter and a panser... So for the main character of the story I think long and heard about who, what they are and give them an apt name which in my text format you see when ever they talk, a brief description when you meet them focusing on what they are doing and how the talk... And maybe who they dress themselves I never go into their face unless it stands out as I can't Rember faces just features. And most importantly I write them as if I knew them IRL so in the 3rd, 2nd and 1st approach I have with writing I write them as they are in the moment with the narrator and the viewer watching from the sidelines of the story and the narrator hinting at their past or future Sutley. As for background characters I don't describe them unless I need to as I want the viewer to be able to place them shelves in their shoes if they wish like how people say "I was a ewoke" Or better how your Multiplayer spartan in Halo is you in the setting.

[PhoenixCrown]

I really like the funny hats method when it's used to show how ignorant these stereotypes can be. My story has 2 mortal races, the civilized techy one and the natural barbarian one. Our main character is one of the "civilized, " and his world view changes drastically when he finally meets one of the "barbarians, " because what he's been told through his government, schools etc. is way off. Why would they lie?

[mattosso]

FYI It's pronounce Neil "Gay-min" (not guy-min")