How do *you* get into your characters' heads?

[Riven Wight]

Thank you, @Ruby, for moving this! Also, yes. I know how that can feel. I love when characters become more than just simple characters, and take over of their own accord. Sort of making them the writers instead of you. Which is probably something that does not sound crazy to only a writer. Heh. Wishful thinking every writing session would end up like that!

Almost all my characters have a portion of me in them.

@tsukune

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Type 1: Characters that represent different parts of me: I love to make characters that represent me when I am angry, when I am silly, when I am happy, when I'm in a more intelligent mood, etc. So it's easy for me to delve into them and become them.

@POOHEAD189

Confirmation of my belief that every character a writer creates has some portion of their creator in them--no matter how small, or be they the hero or the villain--whether the writer intended it or not! It just comes out in different degrees, creating different personalities based on who the character really is. I believe you find that even in published novels, not just roleplays. A character could seem to be completely different from the writer him/herself in many (if not most) aspects, yet still have that small bit of the writer in them, either amplified or diluted.

@Lady Amalthea: Theme songs! I commend you for being capable of finding those in the first place. I've tried doing that, but it never pans out, for one reason or another. Kudos, and glad that works for you!

@vancexentan: Yes! I am not alone! That's pretty much what I was trying to get at in my initial post. But you said it so much better.

[Liotrent]

Well, if I were to get into a character, I put myself in that situation as that character, and talk to myself out loud while playing everyone else in that situation. I just act it out, scream, shout, whatever! Heck I even roll in my bed, and act out fight scenes and love scenes (It helps if you have props and costumes). While I'm definitely not an A-list actor, nor am I an actor in general, it really puts me in the mood.

Some roles are like the badass, don't care about nothin', types with deep backstories; others it's the meek and meager, scrawny child, innocent in every way; and others still, the grizzled veteran, sometimes crazy, sometimes PTSD ridden, sometimes just quiet; it all really just comes down to how the scene plays out, and how you've written your character to be like in his background. The tiniest actions from other players can trigger good character to character discussions or just general apathy.

Not sure if this will help you, but it works for me.

[Feyblue]

This might seem a little odd, but usually, I associate each character I create with a certain spoken voice - usually an actor/voice actor from a game, movie, anime - whatever's the last thing I watched that left enough of an impression on me that it's the first thing I think of when creating a character, and thus "cast" the voice/actor I'm thinking of as the character. At that point, I have not only a defined mental image for the character - how they look and how they move - but also a defined voice in my head that I can imagine delivering their lines. Oftentimes, just to make sure it sticks, I'll do my best impression of that particular voice and act out their lines to get a particular feel for how they sound and the way they'd respond to given comments. At a certain point, I just stop thinking about it, and let the scene play out with the "voice" speaking each line as it occurs to me, such that it's more like watching a pre-scripted episode of a TV show or a video game cutscene than coming up with something in pieces.

[Riven Wight]

@Liotrent
... I now kinda wish I could be a fly on your wall.

That is one I have not tried! I have used props for inspiration (weapons, jewelry, cloaks, a railroad spike...) and tried out some actions to make sure they were actually possible, but not gone full-out like that. Very interesting! Thanks for sharing that!

[TwelveOf8]

My method is a little different though no doubt it would have been utilized by many a writer whether they've been aware of it or not. I think in a very rpg style. That means that I mentally assign a set of attributes to each character as well as a corresponding numerical value to each of the attributes on a scale from one to a hundred. These scales and their assigned values dictate how the character reacts to not only the circumstances in which they find themselves but the world itself. Of course I create a detailed backstory that somewhat explains the distribution of the numerical values on the various stats within each character, though I do like to leave an air of mystery.

Let's say that character A is talking to character B. The former has a lower charisma rating than the latter but a higher wisdom rating. You can see the dynamic that will form between these two hypothetical characters already. The former can very well be a nerdy shy type who can be genuinely nice as well as a fountain for sage advice. The latter can be likable but perhaps a little too self-righteous. It's almost like the characters write themselves.

[AlteredTundra]

All of my characters are an extension of myself. For better or worse, they are me, so I have no problem drawing upon their essence, and thinking like them. Of course, some of them are easier to write for because some are direct representations of me, while others are just a small percentage of me. That being said, given I'm inspired enough to write for them and get into their minds and mannerisms and practically anything and everything that makes them who they are. They also are a compilation of tropes and various concepts I think would work for them. Sometimes it falls flat, but sometimes I get an idea that works.

I think music helps a lot as well. As Lady A had pointed out, music is inspiration. Again, for better or for worse, music can literally help define a character when they're their best or break them apart by rendering them to their worst. I may not always find the best theme for my characters right away because I struggle to find that right song for them, but once I do, I end up finding ten more just like it. This ends up with me building a small playlist for them.

[Silver Carrot]

Not many of my characters are based on me. Often, they're based on a combination of other characters from things I've watched or read, so a good litmus test for when I'm stuck is 'what would those characters do'?

Failing that, imagine then being played by a certain actor or actress. What would they do?

[GeekFactor]

I agree. And that is for both Roleplays and Novels. When the character writes the post/story, not you.

@POOHEAD189

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. When you feel like the character existed already, and is simply finding a voice through you. It's sublime.

[GeekFactor]

Well, if I were to get into a character, I put myself in that situation as that character, and talk to myself out loud while playing everyone else in that situation. I just act it out, scream, shout, whatever! Heck I even roll in my bed, and act out fight scenes and love scenes (It helps if you have props and costumes). While I'm definitely not an A-list actor, nor am I an actor in general, it really puts me in the mood.

Some roles are like the badass, don't care about nothin', types with deep backstories; others it's the meek and meager, scrawny child, innocent in every way; and others still, the grizzled veteran, sometimes crazy, sometimes PTSD ridden, sometimes just quiet; it all really just comes down to how the scene plays out, and how you've written your character to be like in his background. The tiniest actions from other players can trigger good character to character discussions or just general apathy.

Not sure if this will help you, but it works for me.

@Liotrent

Can we please get a visual example of how you RP out a solo love scene?

I'm kidding ;)

[GeekFactor]

I think it's fascinating that different people work in different ways when it comes to writing creatively. For instance, I rarely have music on when I write. I find that music puts me in a certain mood, and I'd rather let the scene/character dictate that, than an outside stimulus, if that makes sense. I prefer to write in absolute, total silence, as that helps me imagine the setting for my RP much more vividly. If I have music playing, I can't hear the birds, the wheels of the peddler's cart, the howl of the wind.

Another odd thing is that I generally have no idea of what voices sound like in my RP. I don't imagine voices for my characters, nor for anyone they interact with, beyond a vague "pleasant" or "deep" or "feminine". I wish I did. I'd love to hear their voices.

[SleepingSilence]

I've always just sort of had an interest in acting. I was in theater in school. I did voice acting for a few youtube things. Vocal impersonations. That sort of stuff. I'm actually pretty decent at acting. Which sort of helps get me into the mindset of the characters I write. I also love weaving visual narrative in music, which is why I adore concept albums as much as I do. For those who couldn't care less about lyrics. As a writer, who actually tries to take his work seriously. It makes a difference in appreciating the great vs the good enough. When I write a character, I'll just be able to become that character, with very minimal time. I just have a really fluid imagination, so I often don't purposefully base characters of anyone I know.

Confirmation of my belief that every character a writer creates has some portion of their creator in them--no matter how small, or be they the hero or the villain.

I honestly consistently write characters that do not represent me in any fashion. Maybe, I write how I perceive the world. If that counts as a part of me, but it certainly isn't direct. I'd also say, more consistently people from writing mary sue's to complex characters in fantasy. People don't write to be like themselves. People write heroes they aspire to be, or villains that fill out darkness that most people would never even imagine doing. At least that's what I tend to see.

[Nemaisare]

I'm pretty sure most of what I do to get into my characters' heads has already been written down here, in some form or another, but I think it's cool to see different methods people use. And how they interact with the voices in their heads. I like that it's not an end all, be all, one size fits all type deal. There isn't any one method that fits everyone, and, honestly, now and again I find myself jumping back and forth between them.

Sometimes, I need silence to get into the right headspace. Sometimes I need music, any sort, just to motivate me to get the words out. And sometimes it needs to be a specific song, played on repeat for days... Just because it suits the character and the mood I want them in perfectly.

Ordinarily, I'd say I'm one of those people who takes aspects of themselves to stick into their characters, and this would not be wrong, but it also confuses me no end when I realise I've gone and written many fantasy creatures of a differing gender and species than myself without batting an eye. Gotta wonder what about that character was an aspect of me, but I'm still sure it's there somewhere, because I write best what I know. This doesn't mean I only use personal experience to express myself, because there's a lot of things I haven't experienced in this world, and definitely plenty I never will in a fantasy world. But I build off what I know. And what I know is body language.

So, often times, if I'm stuck finding the words to explain how a character is feeling in a certain moment, I'll find myself not quite acting it out, but making the expression I want, or doing a gesture I know the character would make and trying to combine them. Somehow, it helps me understand the emotions of that moment by echoing the movements and mimicking what their feelings bring them to do. If that makes any sense at all? I guess it's sort of like how smiling is supposed to make you happy. If I know how a character is reacting but am not quite sure why, I can just take into account the motion and their facial tics and try to go from there. So, yes, I'm one of those people who will be making faces at her computer for no particular reason. Fun times...

I find it works wonders for me to record, or at least remember (I'm usually too lazy to make actual lists), certain gestures and expressions characters make in different situations that shape the way others see them and flavour their interactions with the world. From what it means when they rub their neck to what makes them laugh or why, even just how they talk and what words they use. Even just knowing that a girl plays with her sleeve cuffs so often they're frayed on near every outfit she's got, and whether it's from boredom or nerves or something else. Which, in turn, helps me when I'm doing my silly miming game trying to figure out how to describe a mood or explain an action.

[Dolerman]

Power drill or a chisel usually does the trick.

[shamrocknroll]

This is why I have a theme song for each character. Music is a powerful thing, finding a song for them helps me get in their head. Just a quick listen and I am ready to go.

@Lady Amalthea

This is what I do, I kinda follow my favorite actress Tatiana Maslany in that regard. Every part she plays has a different type of music. For example her nerdy character is techno, her housewife is Broadway and her punk character is The Clash. I don't have a theme per say though like Maslany I have a genre

As a rule of thumb when I'm playing women, they're serious if they're men they're goofballs. That's just how I've always been. Due to my serious preference towards RPing I play women mostly.

[Burning Kitty]

I wear their face like a mask.

[The Elvenqueen]

Lots of theme songs. Every single one of my characters has a Spotify and/or Youtube playlist that I play in the background whenever I write about/for them. Couples/pairings and certain friend or family groups sometimes also have their own playlists dedicated to them as well depending on the dynamic and whether I could find enough songs to make a playlist out of.

The idea is that the songs in the playlist always remind me of certain parts of their history/biography (often at different parts of their life, some songs will refer to their early history while others refer to more current history and so on), their personalities and motivations, and thus I am motivated and remember why they are who they are, as I'm writing about them. It's worked pretty well for me so far :) 90% of my characters started off as a really simple one sentence or paragraph concept describing the basic idea of them and then became more fleshed out as a result of a combination of developing their playlist and just "winging it" in some roleplays as they go along :)

Alternatively, re-reading previous posts/scenes from the RP also helps because I can then see how they used to be at different portions of their life and compare how much they have changed/grown as a result of the people they have interacted with throughout the course of the RP.

And as cliche as it may seem, sometimes "just rolling with it" and writing whatever pops into my head works too. Sometimes the characters run away with me and decide what they want to do all by themselves (which, granted, sometimes also creates more problems than it solves! particularly with certain characters ;) )

[DoomFlavored]

My personal method tends to be a bit more... mechanical. I sort of 'logic' it out where I think about "what" the character would do in a situation. In my head it sounds dry and boring, but it works as a baseline. I figure out my plan, and how the character would respond, and then I start putting it into actual writing with more embellishment, and then it just kinda flows from there.

After I figure out what they would do and how they would react as a base level, the rest comes more easily and naturally and then their personality really starts to burst free.

Also theme songs. Theme songs are good.

[numachi]

When making characters (and immersing myself in them), I write up little details about them. I try to get to know my characters some more. Like, does ABC get along with their mother? Why not? Would there be a chance of reconciliation? What is XYZ's "happy place"? How did they pick this place? What do they do here? etc. I fall into a rabbit hole of things like that. The details could be as deep as those or really inconsequential like what their favorite cereal is or something. Basically, I often ask myself "why this? why that? how even?". Then I try to connect the dots.

If this doesn't work, I look up things that would remind me of the character. This could be past writings, my notes about the character, aesthetic photos, music, outfits, just whatever. Tumblr, Pinterest, and TVTropes are particularly helpful when it comes to this.

[Burning Kitty]

Original characters do what I would do in that situation. With one super major exception, if I had super powers I would totally go evil.

[Penny]

I usually give my characters two or three guiding attributes, some positive and some negative. A character might be brave jaded and traumatized for example. Whenever I'm unsure about what a character will do, I go back to those aspects and a response usually writes itself.