Hi all! I'm having difficulty keeping my character in character and not letting my own thoughts/opinions get mixed in. Is there any advice you could give me to help write characters that are very different from me? Thank you
One idea is to write up character profiles for each. Flesh them out. Write a one-page summary that tells the story from their viewpoint. What is their role in the story? What are their goals, motivations, conflict and epiphany? How do they change? It's all about defining the character. Here's one template to follow when creating a character profile: https://jerryjenkins.com/character-profile/
Our writing is a product of our thoughts and opinions. That's where it all comes from. I don't think trying to fight against that is beneficial to a writer. Now, that's not to say you are going to have a bunch of characters just like you. Of course you're not. That would be silly. If you're trying to write from a POV that's very different than your personal take on the world or that so-called human condition writers like to say, well, that could be quite difficult to pull off as authentic. But then I might ask why you were trying to do that? What is the point of this character's POV in this story and maybe the message of this story overall? And maybe answer those questions might help you with what exactly what needs to be done or at least some clarity as to what you're struggling with and why. Just some thoughts.
A character profile will be a big help. I would suggest looking into acting as well. Things like method acting can help you slip into your character mentally.
