The Bowie Mask: How to Step Into Your Character’s Headspace
Ever feel like your characters are just… cardboard cutouts? You’re writing the dialogue, but it feels flat, like you’re just reading a script instead of living the moment. Sometimes, the problem isn't your plot: it's your proximity to the character.
David Bowie knew this struggle better than anyone. His personas; Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke, weren't just flashy costumes: they were creative filters. They were tools he used to bypass his own inhibitions. He understood that if you want to write something truly evocative, you have to stop "writing" and start "becoming."
If you’re stuck on a character’s voice, don’t just sit at the keyboard and think about them. Adopt a "persona." Treat your writing session like a costume change. When you step into that headspace, your vocabulary shifts, your sentence structure tightens, and suddenly, you’re not choosing words, you’re speaking from a perspective.
Putting on the Mask: A Harry Potter Example
Let’s take Regulus Black. He’s a minor character with a massive, tragic arc. If you’re trying to write him, don't just aim for "sad" or "scared." That’s too broad.
1. Build the Persona (The Filter): Before you type, ask yourself: What is his specific "voice"?
The Filter: Regulus is defined by the suffocating pressure of an ancient, aristocratic lineage and the cold, crushing realization that his "hero" (Voldemort) is a monster.
The Persona: Imagine yourself as a boy who is physically freezing, trapped in a house that hates him, speaking in hushed tones because he’s terrified of being overheard by the portraits on the walls.
2. The Drafting Session: When you sit down to write, don't just think "Regulus feels guilty." Instead, adopt the mask of that cold, observant, disillusioned boy.
Instead of: "Regulus felt bad about the Death Eaters."
Try (The Mask): "The air in the drawing-room always tasted of dust and rot. He traced the silver embroidery on his robes—a uniform for a war he’d already lost. It wasn't about regret; it was about the sickening realization that the 'purity' he’d been promised was just another word for decay."
See the difference? By "wearing" the persona of the cold, trapped heir, your word choices (rot, decay, uniform, silver) shift to match his specific worldview.
The next time you’re stuck, stop trying to describe your character. Put on their mask. Who are you "becoming" today?
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I wanted to try voice acting for my OC, Crym, as if she was in the TFC fandom herself despite not being an actual TFC OC.
But why not just do it for fun I tell myself.
I highly doubt my skills are as good as @darthsuki’s voice acting though. He actually gave me a little inspiration to try for some small voice acting of my own OC’s which I plan to try for more in the future. 😋
I’m planning to make Crym’s medieval story soon and start working on her lore soon so yeah.. writings gonna be fun.🤔
one thing that I love about your eleutherophobia fics (among many many things) is that, despite being free of a Yeerk haunting his mind, Tom has now unwittingly replaced that with a reader listening to every thought and memory that he cares to share with us through the first person point of view. He’d be mortified if he ever broke the fourth wall ;)
thanks for your lovely writing and blog! definitely part of what’s keeping me going in these very weird times
Thank you! And yeah, I think a lot about the unique narration style in Animorphs, because I'm trying to imitate it. There's always an awareness that the characters are telling a story — the books open with the narrator going "I can't tell you my last name", and Marco especially will use imperatives like "don't tell anyone I said that." Clearly you is the reader, and each of the kids is meant to be aware that the reader is there.
There are some fascinating hints (handwaving Jake's line in #53) about who each narrator considers their audience. The Chronicles all state outright that each is an account of oneself (X) consciously crafted for one particular audience: Elfangor's talking to Tobias, Aldrea and Dak to Seerow Jr., Visser One to the Council (and Eva), and Toomin to Rachel. Ax says that he's narrating for his fellow andalites, so that they can better understand Earth (#8). Jake implies he's narrating for his great-grandkids: "I'll need to buy a footlocker" (#31). Tobias at one point implies he's talking to his imagined therapist (#23), but I also think you could argue that he's talking to the Ellimist (#13) or his dad (#33).
The others are a little trickier. Cassie seems to have Jake's same educational bent, but I'd argue she's trying to teach about the biology rather than the ethics of the war. Marco is probably talking to a kid his own age who thinks they're reading a sci fi novel. He's defensive ("call me Mr. Ruthless" as he feels empathy for baby seals), he's misdirecting ("now you know how I got a blowhole" instead of clarifying his role in the war), and he's desperate to impress ("I'm slightly not tall"). But he also references the reader "vegging out" and "watching TV." Rachel? I'd argue Rachel is talking to her own adult self. She doesn't care what others think of her, but she cares a lot about living with herself. She's trying to define who she is and who she wants to be, more than anyone else on the team.
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How the fuck do you write dialogue for different characters? It’s so hard to make their different personalities shine. I feel like all of my ocs have the same personality lol
Hey! I totally get that frustration. When you’re staring at a blank page, it’s easy for every character to start sounding like a carbon copy of your own internal monologue. For me, the secret is finding the rhythm of the soul behind the words.
I tend to treat my fanfiction with the same technical rigor as my published work since FWC is my life's work (started the original Bianca when I was 17 in 1997), so I’m a bit of a stickler for linguistic consistency. Whether it's an OC like Mordecai, who carries the archaic, predatory elegance of a Roman-era vampiric incubus, or a canon powerhouse like Sephiroth, you have to treat their voice like a unique musical instrument.
Writing dialogue isn't just about what they say. It's about the cadence, the sentence structure, and the weight of their presence. I spend an obscene amount of time—honestly, over 10k hours invested in the OG and even more in the rest of the Compilation—just listening to sound files and analyzing speech patterns. For canon characters, I actually keep save files on my PS5 at specific story beats in Remake and Rebirth just to hear the shift in Sephiroth or a character's delivery in the story. You have to learn the rules of their voice before you can play with them in your own stories.
To show you exactly how I navigate these different frequencies, I’m going to use three specific fics I’ve written as examples throughout my explanation: Lanterns over Rinnos, Fragments of a Broken Man, and The Dream that Never Dies.
Cadence
Characters don’t just speak. They project their standing in the world. Pre-Nibelheim Sephiroth has a voice rooted in professional and a bit of his traumatic past. It’s calm, authoritative, but still grounded in a human connection. Post-Nibelheim, Jenova’s influence creates a grandiose and cryptic quality.
The more his god complex grows, the more he speaks in abstracts and riddles. When he tells Bianca, "I am the key. And you, my love, you are the lock," in The Dream that Never Dies, he isn't just talking. He’s orating. He uses metaphors because, in his mind, he has transcended literal, mortal speech. This is my direct analysis of his character based on his Japanese pronoun switching from 'ore' to 'watashi' and then back to 'ore' at the end of Remake.
To apply this to your OCs, ask yourself:
Does this character feel superior, inferior, or equal to the person they are talking to?
A character with a high status or a complex ego will use longer, more flowery sentences or rarely interrupt themselves.
Conversely, a character who is grounded or lower in status might use clipped sentences or more informal slang. Notice how Bianca, despite being a goddess in the FWC universe, often speaks with a raw, 1990s-informed directness compared to Sephiroth’s ethereal droning. This contrast was chosen deliberately to make their personalities pop.
Era Markers
Voice is often a product of the time and place the character originates from. Since I write Bianca as someone who lived through the 1990s, her internal and external dialogue carries that specific flavor—even when she's in a fantasy setting. It’s subtle, but it grounds her.
In Lanterns over Rinnos, her interactions are warm and modern, focusing on emotional intimacy. Contrast that with an OC like Mordecai, my ancient incubus. If a character is ancient, their sentence structure should feel heavy. I accomplish this with Mordecai by using more formal, Latinate vocabulary to reflect his Roman roots.
If your OCs all sound the same, try giving them Forbidden Words or Signature Syntax. Maybe one character never uses contractions (like "do not" instead of "don't") because they are formal or non-human. Maybe another uses specific slang that feels unique to their background.
When Bianca tells Sephiroth, "You’ll freeze before you admit you’re cold," it’s a very human, grounded way of speaking that emphasizes her role as his emotional anchor in the Redemption!AU.
Let Silence and Action Speak
Dialogue isn't just the words in quotes. Ut’s the way the character breathes between the lines. Sephiroth’s voice is defined as much by his unreadable silences as it is by his words.
In Lanterns over Rinnos, his response to a snowball isn't a witty quip. It’s a slow, deliberate turn and a faint, awkward smile. This tells the reader everything they need to know about his internal struggle to reconnect with his humanity without him having to say a single word.
For your characters, think about their body language and quirks. Does your OC fidget while they talk? Do they stare intensely like a predator, or do they look away? Those are questions I always ask when I write post-Fall Bianca.
In Fragments of a Broken Man, Bianca uses her wings and her physical presence to manipulate the Remnants. When she calls Loz baby and cradles his jaw, that action reinforces her motherly (albeit manipulative) dialogue, so she can help lead the Remnants towards the Second Reunion, securing the return of Sephiroth.
If you describe the way they deliver the line—the sneer, the hesitation, etc—the personality will shine through even if the words themselves are simple.
Differentiate Through Motivation (Why is my character doing this)
Every character wants something from a conversation. Sephiroth speaks to Cloud to provoke hatred. He speaks to Bianca with gentleness and reverence, mimicking how he spoke to Jenova and stroke her tank during the Nibelheim Incident.
In The Dream that Never Dies, his dialogue is described as a vise tightening. It’s predatory and possessive. He isn't just sharing information. He’s trying to reclaim his Queen and turn her into what he needs her to be to survive what is coming: growth through pain is very much his thing at this point in Sephiroth's story. Every line he speaks is designed to break her resolve.
When you write, ask yourself: "What is this character trying to do to the other person with this sentence?"
If your OCs feel identical, it’s likely because they all have the same goal in the scene. Try giving them conflicting motivations. One character might want to de-escalate with humor, while another wants to maintain control through intimidation.
For example, in Fragments of a Broken Man, Kadaj’s voice is sharp and defensive because he’s protecting, while Bianca is warm because she’s playing a role to gain their loyalty. Those different whys naturally create different hows in their speech.
The "Read Aloud" Technique
This is my holy grail. I always read my work out loud during the editing phase. If I’m writing Sephiroth, I’m listening for that specific cadence I’ve memorized from the games. If a line feels too fast or too chatty, I know it’s not him.
Use resources like WikiQuote to study the literal sentence structures of canon characters. Do they use a lot of commas? Do they end on high notes or low notes? For example, Post-Nibelheim Sephiroth often uses "very good" or "I see": short, patronizing affirmations that reinforce his position as a master over a puppet.
When you read your OCs' dialogue out loud, try to give them different vocal placements.
If you can’t hear the difference when you speak their lines, your readers won't be able to hear it when they read. Practicing the cadence of characters like the Remnants—Loz’s childlike simplicity versus Kadaj’s desperate fury—will help you develop the ear for your own original cast.
Keep at it. I like to think writing is a muscle that only gets stronger with training.
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