Write Better Characters! ( GREENE SCREEN )

Some tips from a goblin about how to write some more depth to your characters.

[DanielGreeneReviews]

I see people are upset about the fart joke and stabbing the child. The irony is that proves the exact point I was making. #NoRegrets

[timomahony]

Or what could happen is everyone could write worse characters for like a generation or two and then I can swoop in with my mediocre characters and revolutionize the genre.

[muhammadhashir]

Daniel: People will judge you with what u do
Proceeds to shit fire
Daniel: see, i just did that
Daniel is officially the most rich and diverse character of all time

[KarlKristofferJohnsson]

That point about character consistency and hypocrisy reminded me of something my creative writing teacher taught me: "You need to know the rules. Then you can break them as much as you want."

[mariotrujillo]

"Kids who have never seen peace and kids who have never seen war have different values!"
part a quote from one piece

[UdyKumra]

Another thing I've noticed in great characters is the presence of contradictions. Not necessarily direct hypocrites—though these are certainly one form—but where there is some misalignment in a character which creates internal conflict. This instantly makes characters more compelling in my opinion.

Szeth from The Stormlight Archive is a great example of this—an assassin who hates himself for his job. Or Lightsong from Warbreaker, a god who doesn't believe in his own divinity. Nona from Book of the Ancestor, a kind-hearted lovable and adorable nun who is a ruthless killing machine. Tyrion Lannister, the abused and traumatized son of the most ruthless lord in A Song of Ice and Fire, who nonetheless is cheerful, kind, witty, and smarter than everyone around him. Tau from The Rage of Dragons, a kind-hearted member of a genetically inferior race of humans with a soft upbringing who becomes the most powerful warrior in the world in his quest for vengeance.

[astraestus]

Greene screene Daniel Greene is the best Daniel

[legenddairymilk]

Daniel Greene Screene is best Daniel besides drunk daniel

[danielr]

Ah... the Greene Screen. You know you're in for a treat when Daniel has transplanted Rosharan physics into the real world and is currently chilling on the side of a building.

[bluerectangle]

Notes from the video: -
THE 3 FUNDAMENTALS OF CHARACTER-
1. Internal Dialogue
2. Actions
3. Relationships(Look at Dresden Files for great execution for this)

OVERLOOKED ASPECTS OF CHARACTER-
PLACE IN SOCIETY AND UPBRINGING
Every aspect of a character is dictated by their place in the social hierarchy and their childhood. (A good example of this is A Song Of Ice And Fire which uses this to build character efficiently.)

CHARACTER THEMES/PURPOSE
A character can be enhanced if their moral philosophy is well-defined. Such characters stand out. The character can be used to embody certain themes and allow you as the author to play with these ideas.(A good character example would be Galad from the Wheel Of Time.)

HANDLING CONFLICT
Use conflict to both define your character and allow character to treat conflicts in a way that is true to their personality and upbringing. When a conflict arises, focus on how different everyone deals with conflict. Not everyone tackles a conflict in the same way. One may use speech and logic while the other may use strength and aggression. Some face the challenge head-on while others may run away.(A good example is Kings Of The Wyld)

HYPOCRITICAL CHARACTERS
Writing hypocrisy can be incredibly hard. But doing so would cause a large amount of discussion from the readers. Allow these characters to embody an idea as mentioned earlier but they never do so. (A good example is the First Law series and the Poppy War.)

[gauracappelletti]

Therapist: wide daniel can't hurt you, He's not real
Wide daniel:
1:37

[khfanboy]

When you mentioned how different characters respond to conflicts differently, it reminded me of our introduction to the Ta'veren trio in Wheel Of Time.

It's not really a "conflict" as such, but I distinctly remember when Padan Fain arrives with news from outside Two Rivers, a massive crowd forms, blocking the trio from seeing what's going on. Each of them then make their way through the crowd in a different way. Mat barges past people, I think, and I definitely remember Perrin gingerly sliding his way through the crowd despite his size, timidly apoligizing to everyone as he went.

It's probably a bit obvious, but that moment always stuck with me because it instantly lets you know, roughly, what each of these characters are like, at least when the story starts, based entirely on how they tackle the problem of navigating a crowd.

[ryanratchford]

I've missed your takes on writing! Good to see what you have to say! You're extremely articulate and thoughtful.

[sparkinstarfall_FD]

For some reason, I read 'GREENE SCREEN' as 'GREENE DANIEL', weird. Speaking off, where he at? I need to tell him about the Chronicles of Amber.

[therenegadebard]

It's also important to slowly reveal a character's individuality and do so using multiple scenarios. Using your Tyrion example. You slowly learn the true depth his dedication to family despite his treatment. You learn how far that goes, and where the breaking point is. But you don't learn this all at once.
Addendum: Don't expect to flesh out a character in the first draft. It's a detailed process that takes time to see where a character should go.

[muhammadhashir]

Damascus steel knife mic holder daniel is your official name now. I feel blessed at attending your christening...



Sorry for making it weird

[benellis]

You’re writing advice is like SUPER helpful. Thanks a bunch!

[starmillion]

Thank you man, I've been wanting to write for years and your videos gave me the kick I needed. Love the videos, love the lack of socks!

[norsekingcole]

Think about the lie your character believes. Think about the differences between what they want and what they need. Think about the change they will have to undergo relative to the protagonist. That is your story.

[emmerzk]

This is super helpful advice! I’m in the middle of the first draft of my first book & while it occurred to me that character B reads social queues from character A, it didn’t occur to me that the same would happen in the reverse. Sounds kinda obvious, but like you even said, if they come from different social backgrounds (peasant vs royalty), they’re both going to have their own cultures and expectations and ways of viewing things based on experience. It’s not a one-sided thing. This is how normal life even works as we make judgement calls on those we are surrounded by, just by what we see and hear. This will definitely help me flesh my MCs out for draft 2, so thank you!!