#oc tip

To begin with, I’d like to say if you want to write your character a certain way, do it. There’s no one way to write well, and no one thing that makes a character “well written” or not. This is just an opinion meant to help, take or leave it if you see fit. That said, one thing about an OC that can put off readers (in fic) or potential partners (in RP) is if something prominent about the OC seems copied from something prominent about one or more of the canon characters, especially if that thing was especially special, rare, traumatic, etc. Examples: - A Harry Potter OC whose parents were also murdered by Voldemort, leaving them with an unusual scar and unwanted fame because Voldemort failed to kill them - An Avengers OC who was kidnapped and brainwashed by HYDRA into becoming their incredibly deadly assassins/supersoldier. Bonus if they were US soldier and/or this happened in WW2 and they’ve not aged since and/or they were a former friend or loved one of an Avengers canon. - A Steven Universe OC who is the child of a rebel Gem and a human and grew up on Earth aware of Gems  The reason that this is off-putting to readers and partners is that it makes them feel there is a lack of creativity here. This may or may not be the case; your OC may be incredibly creative in other regards. But when people notice that your character has a big part of them copied from another character, especially when that part is such a defining part of the canon, they’re only going to see a copycat, and feel that the writer is not original. This will turn many of them off, fairly or not, from reading your fic or RPing with you. There’s also the fact that in a story, each character fills a niche or role; if an original character is created that fills a role that has already been filled in canon, it feels superfluous and strange. This is also a reason many readers may not want to read about your OC; if a canon is already filling the same role, why not just read stories about that canon, or watch the movie/read the book/etc again? Some people will make their OC extremely similar to a canon for shipping purposes, believing the shared traits will make them a better couple and come together easier. This is a gamble at best. Shared experiences can absolutely be a basis for bonding, and someone who understands your trauma in particular is very validating for many people. But a relationship based purely on shared trauma is not healthy or sustainable. More than that, many readers will, again, be turned off by it, finding it lazy and even offensive to duplicate trauma for the sake of shipping. If you want to write your OC as having trauma that gives them common ground with a canon, that’s a-okay. But there’s a better way to do than just coping the event, and a way that feels much more realistic and organic. That is to look at WHY the event was traumatic, and make a different event that was traumatic for similar reasons. For instance, Bucky Barnes’ specific situation was unique, but the loss of agency and autonomy involved can be found in many other situations that another person could go through. Your character doesn’t need to have been turned into a living weapon by supervillains to have experienced being treated as an object instead of a person against their will.  This can also work for non-traumatic events too. Just look what the underlying components of the events are, and put them in a different situation. It allows the characters to be relatable to one another without it feeling contrived.  People don’t need to have gone through the exact same things down to the letter to find commonality and relatability. And readers will find it far more believable! Note that this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let your character have ANY of the same traits or backstory of a canon character. Just very specific, defining traits that are canonically unique to that character, especially in combination. For instance, Hermione Granger being a Muggleborn who defies expectations is not unique to her, and your character can easily have that in common with her while being a unique character and not seen as a rip-off. Being a half-Gem half-human like Steven Universe is unique in canon, but an OC could still be that and not seem like a copycat if done well; and after all, it’s possible it could have happened twice. But if they’re the same age as Steven, and also grew up on Earth, while also being aware of Gems, perhaps having their own rebel Gem surrogate family, and their mother having been someone important in Gem terms, and so on. . . that’s where readers are probably going to lose interest and call bullshit.  Again, do what you think works best for your OC. If you really want to have your OC be a certain way, that’s totally up to you at the end of the day. No one can make rules about how they have to be, including me. But people can decide what they like and don’t like, so if you’re looking for more writers and/or RP partners, considering what may be more off-putting or enticing is helpful. But remember, write for yourself first!