#characterwriting

⟢ Please support me by reposting, liking, following, and commenting on this post. If it doesn't resonate with you, please remember that a birth chart must be read as a whole.

If your Mercury is in Capricorn, in the 10th house, or tied to Saturn, writing can feel slow and deliberate. You don’t just say things, you go over them, question them, and reshape them until they feel right. There’s a constant pressure to be clear and precise. At first, it can feel like you’re holding yourself back but later, it becomes your strength. You choose your words carefully, and for that reason, they carry weight.

Genres: literary fiction, essays, long-form narratives

Examples: Joan Didion, "The Year of Magical Thinking" (2005); Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety (1987)

If your Moon is in Gemini, in the 3rd house, or tied to Mercury, you tend to run your feelings through words. You’re not just feeling something, you’re already thinking about it at the same time. Your mind keeps talking, even when you’re alone. That shows in how you write. It sounds like someone speaking, like thoughts happening in real time, sometimes going around the point before getting there. It feels natural, like you’re working it out as you go.

Genres: contemporary fiction, dialogue-driven narratives, essays

Examples: Nora Ephron, "Heartburn" (1983); Zadie Smith, "White Teeth" (2000)

If Mercury is in Scorpio, in the 8th house, or tightly aspected by Pluto, you don’t trust what’s visible. You write what sits underneath. Tension, control, unspoken motives. Your stories don’t explain everything, they imply it. There’s intensity in your voice because you don’t look away.

Genres: psychological fiction, noir, introspective prose

Examples: Donna Tartt, "The Secret History" (1992); Bret Easton Ellis, "American Psycho" (1991)

If your Sun or Mercury connects to Uranus, or sits in Aquarius or the 11th house, your writing may be observant, not immersive. You notice patterns, contradictions, and the way people function inside systems. Even personal stories expand into something collective. Structure may not be linear, but the perspective is sharp.

Genres: dystopia, social commentary, speculative fiction

Examples: Aldous Huxley, "Brave New World" (1932); Kazuo Ishiguro, "Never Let Me Go" (2005)

If your Moon is in Taurus, in the 2nd house, or connected to Venus, you don’t write emotions directly. You translate them into texture, space, atmosphere. Things are felt before they’re understood. Your writing slows down time instead of pushing it forward.

Genres: slice of life, descriptive fiction, slow narratives

Examples: Banana Yoshimoto, "Moshi moshi" (2014); Peter Mayle, "A Year in Provence" (1989)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Credits to @ariaiscursed and @academiaatitsfinest (images) and to @saradika-graphics (divider)

HOW TO WRITE SMART CHARACTERS (or: how to write witty characters as a non-witty author)

Make them think before they speak

Give them time to plan off-screen

Let them notice small details others ignore

Have them ask the right questions, not just give answers

Let them predict consequences before others do

Give them expertise in one specific area

Have them connect two unrelated ideas

Let other characters seek their advice

Show them changing their strategy when something fails

Have them explain complex ideas simply

Let them win arguments by reframing the problem

Give them moments where they say very little but it matters

EXTRA TIP:

You have a secret weapon. And it's called editing! Real people must respond instantly. But writers get unlimited time to craft the perfect line. So your character doesn't need to be fast. They just need to say the smartest thing eventually.

I hope this helps!

🎯 new post is up on @thewriteedvice: “How to Fix a Flat Main Character” aka the carousel that made me realize my MC is just a sad little narrative sponge 😐

this one’s for writers who: — keep saying “they’re just quiet” — accidentally wrote a background character in the lead role — realize their protagonist is just reacting to plot like they’re in a wind tunnel

💡 save the post for later. 🧃 scream in the comments. ✍️ then go make your MC want something already.

📍 find it now on IG (@thewriteedvice)

like imagine spending your whole life acting superior to everyone else. being racist. being homophobic. talking down to people like you’re inherently bigger or better than them in every conceivable way

and then the universe goes “okay. counterpoint.” and suddenly you are six inches tall trying not to get blown away by a desk fan

it has the same energy as Mike Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory except instead of being punished for being an arrogant TV-obsessed menace, it is specifically terrible bigots getting hit with the world’s most ironic consequence

because shrinking is fundamentally a loss of assumed dominance. all that swagger evaporates REAL fast when a housecat becomes an apex predator to you

suddenly you are dependent on the kindness and patience of other people. suddenly the world is not built around your comfort anymore. suddenly you are discovering empathy via the horrifying experience of needing a boost to climb onto a couch cushion

The longer I write this story, the more I realize the real danger in it isn’t magic or political power.

It’s the fear of needing other people. Especially when connection feels more dangerous than loneliness.

This was supposed to be a post about the positive aspects of Veilguard, but somehow it spiraled into how I’d rewrite the scene between Davrin and Eldrin. Happy reading, I guess? Let’s start with the original dialogue snippet as it plays out. You meet an elf named Eldrin who clearly knows Davrin. Eventually, you ask him to tell you something about Davrin:

Eldrin: “He sang a lot.”

Rook: “This guy?”

Eldrin: “He’d sing to the halla.”

Rook: “You mean the Grey Warden standing next to me?”

Davrin: “Now hold on—I’d get tired herding them, so I’d hum to keep myself awake, and they slowed down to listen!”

Rook: “So naturally you broke into song.”

Davrin: “Only when humming didn’t work. Just getting the job done.”

Eldrin: “And now the job is caretaker to a griffon.”

Rook (Choice): Diplomatic/Amused/Stern

Eldrin: “Seems my old lessons sunk in. Not every creature in the forest is quarry.”

Davrin: “I didn’t ignore everything you said.

I like this scene. It’s fun, cute and wholesome. That said, it’s not perfect. The dialogue is clunky for one. So let's tackle it!

New Scene Setup: In a quiet clearing of the Arlathan Forest, an older Dalish elf stands beside a lone halla, stroking it gently. Around him, the faint hum of activity carries from other elves tending to their duties, though they keep to themselves. As you approach, the elf looks up, his posture stiffening. His expression is wary, but when his gaze lands on Davrin, his shoulders ease, and a faint smile forms on his lips.

You exchange pleasantries, and then ask him to share something about Davrin. He chuckles softly before speaking:

Eldrin: (Pauses thoughtfully, then grins) “He used to sing to the halla.” Rook: (Amused, raises an eyebrow) “Is that so?” Davrin: (Slightly defensive) “Now hold on—" Eldrin: (With a knowing smile) That’s right. As I recall, you had a thing for 'The White Stag’s Lament'. Always humming about Ghilan’nain and her journey home. Even the halla seemed to know it by heart after a while. Davrin: (There is a shift in his expression when Ghilan’nain is mentioned) "I wasn't doing it for fun. Herding halla’s exhausting, so I hummed to stay awake. That they slowed down was just a bonus." Eldrin: (Teasing) “Funny, I seem to remember a lot more singing than humming.” Davrin: (half-joking, half-defensive) "I only sang when humming didn’t work!"

(At this point, Assan interrupts, trotting up to Davrin and nudges him for attention. Davrin hands him a snack and pats him on the head.)

Eldrin: (smiling) “I see some of my old lessons finally stuck."

(Davrin shrugs, but there’s no hiding the softness in his expression as Assan nudges him for another pat.)

Davrin: (glances at Eldrin, voice is softer) “I didn’t ignore everything you said... some of it stuck, whether I wanted it to or not.”

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert, I’m just doing this for fun. I'm not taking a jab at the original author of this scene. I have the luxury of shitposting on the internet, which gives me ultimate creative freedom without the constraints of actual game development, take this for what it is.

💭 SUMMARY — CHARACTER SALVAGE DOCTRINE

Studios keep serving mascots. Hollow shells in spandex. Quips instead of scars. Posters instead of people.

But characters don’t become myth until you give them three things: 🔺 Intimacy -- what they’d protect more than their own skin. 🔺 Contradiction -- the fracture that makes perfection impossible. 🔺 Duty -- a vow larger than ego.

Rey should’ve been the monster. Finn should’ve been the prophet with blood on his hands. Carol should’ve carried her dead squadron into every battle. She-Hulk should’ve been divine law for monsters.

Do that, and even the blandest corporate archetype stops being forgettable. They bleed. They scar. They become scripture.

That’s the Blacksite method: You don’t sand them down. You cut them open. You force myth into the wound.

🧠 Read the full Character Salvage Doctrine here: 👉 https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-writing-how-137189992?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

🛡️ Blacksite Literature™. Scrolltrap psychology. 📖 Characters reborn as myths, not marketing.

Characters are obviously a very important part of our writing. They're what the story centers around (other than the plot) and play a very big role in a lot of the books and other writing we read.

A lot of the characters, however, are not written properly. And I especially mean the characters that are way too perfect. The kind, gentle, energetic and optimistic character who can do no wrong. They. Are. Annoying. Or maybe the MC is depicted to be the good guy, but he's completely selfish and condescending.

So how exactly do we make a character, unlike the ones we hate? Easy. Write characters properly. That's easier said than done though.

Let's see how we write them!

Give them good and bad characteristics

Personally, I like to give three good characteristics and three bad characteristics to my characters. For example, let's say we take a character, "Mara". Mara's good characteristics could be she's assertive, hard-working and brave. But her flaws could be she's impatient, sensitive and can't handle it properly when she doesn't get what she wants.

This here is a flawed character. She isn't 100% good, but she isn't 100% bad. She's somewhere in between, describing real-life people in real life. Of course, you don't have to do this exactly, writing is different for every person. Just do what's comfortable for you!

2. Character development

While it isn't that bad if a character remains stagnant/flat throughout the writing, it is very satisfying to see a character begin to develop and mature throughout whatever you're writing. Maybe a character is completely selfish and condescending in the beginning but as the story progresses, they begin to become a better person. Of course, don't remove all the flaws at the end of the story, but it would definitely be enjoyable to read about a character who slowly begins to change and mature.

3. Make them struggle

Struggles, struggles, struggles, struggles. We all go through them in our life and is completely normal to be challenged as our life goes on.

So imagine how annoying it is to see this perfect character just get everything they want in life. They want to get an A for an exam they didn't study for? They got it! They want to defeat an evil, powerful queen in about one day without struggles? They got it! They want to be the richest person in the world overnight without doing anything? They got it! You get the point.

Using struggles to make your character's journey harder is one great way to make the reader sympathize for your character and it makes the reader root for the character as well. This character has worked so damn hard for this, so do you know how depressing it would be if they didn't get it? That is what readers want. Characters who struggle to get what they want because it shows how much the reader wants it, it can make the reader sympathize with the character and can make the character relatable.