Hello there boys and girls, and welcome to part 4 of the Narrative Guide that will help you on your way to telling the world your story! Please have a seat and relax while we delve even deeper into the magical world of story-telling…

Last Issue

So far in this series, we've covered the basics of narrative, as well as specifics that are involved, namely story telling and the world in which said story takes place. In the last part of the series we looked at the world and the different influences it has on the story we're trying to tell. Now let's go a little deeper and look at the aspect that has the greatest impact on the story and often the world itself – characters.

The Spoony Bard

The characters in your story are probably the most important part of the entire story you're trying to get across. Why, you ask? It's simple: the story is experienced by your characters, the world is inhabited and perceived by them, and it is they who convey all of this through what they say (which we'll cover in part 5). Simply put, no characters, no story.

The biggest challenge with characters is the fact that people (or whatever shape your character takes) are extremely complex. Even in the cases where characters are simple, to create a relationship with the player playing the game is quite difficult. Let's try to simplify things by breaking a character up into their history, motivations, traits and skills:

History

As you might guess, this entails where the character comes from, and may have a large impact on the characteristics which follow (though this doesn't have to be the case). You look at the background from which the character came (royalty, military, poverty, etc), and look at the events which they were a part of (war, scientific discovery, family deaths, etc). Their history offers explanation as to why they are here, what relevance they have to the story, and what motivations they might have pertaining to what's happening around them.

Motivations

What drives the character? Why is he or she there? Characters need to have some form of motivation to drive the story forward. While not always necessary, motivations are usually tied to a character's history – being wronged in the past and seeking revenge, for example – or on the flip-side, simply a pure desire (such as saving the world).

Traits

We all know that not everyone we meet can be a nice person. With billions of different personalities around the world, you're going to find good guys, bad guys, silly guys, funny guys, annoying guys and complete jerks – and that's just a part of who we are. Don't cop-out on your characters, they need a little personality.

Skills

Swordsman. Scientist. Intergalactic Superhero. Everyone has a skill (Yes, even you!), and a lot of the time, it's a large determining factor in your characters. If you get a job in biochemistry, you identify yourself as a scientist to people; and you often (though not always the case) display the traits of those in that profession: logic, knowledge etc; and so too shall it be for your characters! What they do has a lot to do with who they are.

The big question now is what causes what? Are your characters motivated by their history, or their traits? Are their traits from their history, or from acquiring skills? Are their skills acquired from their history and so then impact their traits and motivations? Simply put, there is no wrong answer – it's up to you to figure and flesh out your own characters. Good luck!