Writers! What's the one thing you feel like your writing/characters are incomplete without?

[Kaydreamer]

I'm a big fan of voices and accents, and it kills me how hard that is to convey in a comic as opposed to a novel. I can convey certain accents through dialogue, but I can't let myself go full ham with it, or it would become incomprehensible. But voices... that just has to come through secondary material, since my comic doesn't have narration. There's no way to describe what Character A's voice sounds like, other than through Character B speaking about what Character A's voice sounds like.

At least I know what they sound like.

[somewhatwallflower]

Oh, trust me. As a pro manhwa reader i can assure u we automatically give distinct voices to characters in our head based on their appearance and personalities​
But if you reallyyy want the readers to visualise better, u can collaborate with a friend or someone who likes voice acting and read out a chapter. Then leave the link to the audio file in ur comic so the main characters' voices will be sorted in readers' perception to ur needs

[somewhatwallflower]

Voice and personality keeps popping up in the replies. We really all simps for these two factors in characters aren't we?

[somewhatwallflower]

I know right! It's the same for me. Like, sometimes i can literally feel Lina's anxiety for perfection crawl under my skin, which is annoying because I'm quite a lazy person to see anything to that extreme.
That's why they say u need to have some screws loosened up to become a writer lol

[somewhatwallflower]

I'm not that good in drawing OCs so all the visualization takes place in my head lol
I usually start from their eyes, hair and demeanour then everything fits automatically like a puzzle game completing itself

[somewhatwallflower]

mental side notes don't work for me because I'm a really cynical and sarcastic person by nature. So if i start adding side notes there'd be no end to it, no high stakes situations that feel serious, and no cough romance cough
Even if I'm dying to do that, i can't (hehe)

[hadassahintheshell]

Hey this is an interesting question. I think I tend to establish how characters introduce and greet others first and foremost. Not just because that's how most of the characters tend to get introduced, but because that's sort of everyone's first mask. Their first layer of shielding and personal space as they gauge how they want to push the conversation.

After that, I tend to start asking, 'now what are these characters hiding' and their personality blossoms from there.

[lesson101]

I like to write my characters with their consistent personalities. There is not much personality development in my book because I personally believe that personality is difficult to change in just a short span. Well aside from when your story’s plot is to make the protagonist change from weak to strong. As for me, if my character is timid, they stay timid all throughout and if there are changes, it wouldn't be much. I like to write them emphasizing their expression and actions because that's what represents them the most. That's just for me.

[somewhatwallflower]

Ooo secrets that's an interesting point. Secrets do give most intriguing plot points too

[somewhatwallflower]

Yes, personalities are difficult to change but not impossible. For me, I do tend to develop personalities a bit. Because humans do change, and constantly keep changing everyday even if in bits & pieces.
But everyone has different opinions on that. So, good luck for ur perspective 🏾

[blackorchid]

Memes.

If you can't 'meme' your own character(s), do you even really know them?

[MeltingCORE]

I love giving my characters little quirks (like Stellar rubbing her sleeves when nervous) because it makes them feel more alive. I don't do this with every character but the main characters all have things about their speech or gait or clothes, etc that help breathe life into them. Also, I do enjoy thinking about what kind of music they would like!

[CodeMonkeyArts]

I am to second, third, fourth, all the folks who mention personality flaws. If a character doesn't have a flaw that I can't exploit and expose for all to see, then they just don't feel real.

Also, same with an interesting/tragic back story or fear.

How can I properly torment them?

[sxxaint]

this is so on point I can't write some of my characters without laughing at how much they hit the memes these days

[somewhatwallflower]

yessss, but my memes mostly lean towards dark humor so I don't think most people 'll enjoy them very much

[somewhatwallflower]

I do this too
Like Adham clicks his tongue in frustration
& Lina hides her prosthetic leg behind her real one when she's feeling insecure.
I agree with all my heart to ur statement

[somewhatwallflower]

We love tormenting our characters, don't we? It's therapy for us writers, which is kind of messed up if u think about it from a normal person's perspective

[CodeMonkeyArts]

Look I created them they are MINE to do as I please! I brought them into this world and I can take them out!

[Kuma]

I need to add elaborate descriptions and lore background details to most of what I write or I feel it empty. I can't just write the dialogue, I need to explain why that line has a socio-cultural meaning apart from the literal meaning.

[somewhatwallflower]

Yes​ we should promote having more character deaths just to make people cry, lol