#bio tips

I see certain phrases, and variations thereof, in a lot of character profiles/bios. And that’s not a problem. The problem is, they’re very vague, and not helpful for painting a distinct, unique picture of a distinct, unique character, which is what I assume you want to do. Here are some examples of what I’m talking about: - “My character likes having fun” Most people like having fun, but what “fun” is is different to different people. Do they like a night at the club? Staying in with a book? Fancy galas? Rodeos? Concerts? Gardening? Give examples of what your character enjoys! Similarly, if they like music or art or books, consider giving some examples of genres/artists/authors they prefer in particular. - “My character dislikes stupid people, mean people, bigots, bullies, etc.” Most people dislike those they see as cruel or stupid, but what they define as such varies by the individual. For instance, ask a liberal feminist and conservative MRA what they view as the height of idiocy and injustice, you’ll get very different answers! Instead, try to be more specific, like “my character dislikes the free market being limited by social politics” or “my character dislikes people who drive slow in the left lane” or “my character dislikes people who say hunters are cruel to animals while eating meat that was likely farmed in deplorable conditions”—all these things say different things about the character as an individual! - “My character is super nice and loyal to her friends, but if you piss her off or hurt her loved ones then watch out!” This is one that I see a LOT. The first part is almost unnecessary—most people are nice to their friends and loved ones—and the second part is painfully vague. Just what is it that she DOES to those who hurt her friends? What does she qualify as “hurt”—are we talking bodily harm, or did they just say something mean? Does it matter if the person she’s taking revenge for didn’t ask her? Or asked her NOT to? Does it matter if the person “hurting” their friend was hurt by that friend first? How far does she go? Being more specific tells us if she’s someone who will cut someone out of her life if her friend tells her they’ve been behaving in socially toxic ways, to someone who systematically socially sabotage someone, trash their car, and kill their cat just because they MIGHT have looked at one of “her” people funny, and any number of other personality types in-between. - “My character would do anything for her friends” This is less a problem of specificity, and more of people not considering what “anything” actually means. Giving someone a ride home at 2 AM is one thing. Helping them hide a body or lying for them in court to cover that they sexually assaulted someone is another. Remember, ‘anything’ doesn’t just cover heroic things, but evil and disgusting things as well, so rethink when you claim just how loyal your character is, because there’s a certain point when it’s no longer a good trait. Of course, if that’s what you WANT, that’s one thing, just in a lot of cases I don’t think that’s what the player was meaning to imply. And, as with the rest, specifying their range and limits helps paint a much better picture of someone—for instance, I’m someone that a lot of my friends talk to about their problems, and I think I’m a very good, very sympathetic listener who gives pretty good advice. But I’m also unlikely to give people a ride somewhere or drive out to pick them up, as driving scares me enough when it’s just ME in the car. Doesn’t that tell you a lot more about me as a person? Same for if I were a character! TL;DR Specifics are your friend

Suggestion: If you’re writing a canon character, it’s a good idea to have a bio/about, even a short one. Even if you’re also linking their Wiki. This lets people who aren’t familiar with your muse get a quick look at what they’re like and who they are, without needing to read a whole long Wiki. And it lets people who DO know who they are, know how you’re playing them, any canon divergences, etc. This is especially helpful if the character you’re playing is from a series----because you can note at which point in the series your portrayal is from, or if your portrayal is set after the series finishes, etc---and especially for comic book characters, who have often been through decades of writers, stages, retcons, etc. For instance, maybe you write an X-Men character but only the 80s comics version, or the only the version written by one or two particular writers, etc. Or maybe an event happened in their canon that you don’t include for your version. Many writers do this, and it’s always handy for new followers to know what parts of canon you’re following or not, especially when the canon is BIG. And if you’re following everything, it helps to note that too!

I’ve written HERE and HERE about how to be more specific about your muse in their bio, and now here’s another post about it---if you would describe your muse as nice, kind, caring, etc., describe in what ways they SHOW that. Different people have different ways of showing they care to others. For instance, I show kindness by being interested in what people have to say and trying to support them emotionally and creatively. I try my best to be a good listener and to offer advice when I can, and when I can’t, to at least be an empathetic shoulder to cry on and vent to. My dad shows kindness through acts of service, like when he would go out during winter in the morning, without being asked, to warm up my car for me before work. My dad is not good at anything emotional, but he’s very good at practical things like that. I’m not good at anything practical, but I think emotional intelligence is a strength of mine. We both show kindness and love in the ways that work for us, but because we’ve very different people, with different strengths and weaknesses, the way we show this is very different. Basically, it’s like the concept of a “love language” but applied to kindness in general instead. Also, WHO are they kind to? Just close friends? People who have wronged them? People who they will never meet? Are they the type that won’t give a dollar to a homeless person for various reasons (scared of them, believe they will use it on drugs, etc.) but does donate large amounts to charity---or are they reverse, where they’ll directly help someone immediately in front of them, but don’t feel the same about indirectly helping people they don’t see or meet. Time, money, services, thoughtful gifts, sending someone pictures or things relevant to their interests (lots of people send me rat pics because they know I love rats!) , and emotional labor are all different ways someone can show kindness to others, and different people are kind in different ways. So figuring out what ways your character is “kind” (and who they are kind to, and when/in what circumstances, and what makes them NOT be kind) can be much more helpful for making their bio stand out and be more specific to them, than just saying that they’re “kind”. (Same for the different ways people can be mean!)

When writing bios, specifics are your friend. For instance, under “Dislikes” I almost always see some variation of “Mean people, stupid people, bullies, bigots, etc” The thing is, almost EVERYONE dislikes these…but also many people have very different definitions of what qualifies as each one. For instance, the average person has a very different conception of what “bigotry” looks like than someone who is active in the social justice scene; they tend to imagine large and overt acts of direct bigotry, rather than small or “invisible” discriminations. And to some people, “bigotry” is things like affirmative action or women not dating them. Now, that may be stupid, but it’s their perception and it says something distinct about them that helps you imagine better what kind of person this is. Speaking of stupid, what someone considers “stupidity” is a very personal thing, with an even wider range. To some people, simple spelling mistakes in the age of autocorrect are the height of stupidity, while other people find it stupid to be overly pedantic about such things. In fact, the things that this character considers “stupid” might not be stupid at all to the person reading it! What someone considers “stupid” can say a whole lot about them, so putting down that they just dislike “stupid people” or “stupidity” is not only unhelpfully vague and generic, it misses out on a chance to really give a sense of who your character is through what their pet peeves are. It tells me a lot more about someone if she can’t stand conspiracy theorists, climate change deniers, and Creationists than if her bio just said she didn’t like “people who believe dumb things”