Creating Characters

[Robo Dojo]

I've been thinking up a story for a few years, and making up characters was one of my first problems.

At this point I have two good guys and a bad guy I feel really strongly about. But also I have a handful of supporting characters I'm not sure what to do with, but feel like I need to fill some kind of hole.

In the meantime, I'm also trying to make sure the main character doesn't get too much attention.

What sort of process do you take in making up characters?

[Mad But Happy]

When I create a character, I tend to base them off of one of several things...

1) Someone I know
2) Myself (Past and Present)
3) Historical figures

Now, please don't take that as "copying" or "stealing". It's just a starting point. If you base your idea off of something that already exists, and then build onto it, many times you will find that your idea changes radically from conception, and it becomes your own thing.

As my animation teacher said: "There's no such thing as an original idea, everything can be compared to anything else that exists. What you need to strive for is a BETTER idea."

I hope that helps