Alright guys. This here’s one of my newest characters. His name’s Maverick and he needs a little sister. I need some input so that I could brainstorm a good one.
If you visit my page you’ll notice that all I’ve ever created are male OCs and now I’m quite lost and totally undecided on how to create a female one. I’ve been racking my brain for a couple hours now, just browsing and looking at pictures. All I got is a headache.
Anyway, what I need are some good ideas to start with. I want her to be at least 18 years old though. Thank you!
I've also just recently got more into female characters so feel free to hit me with some brainstorming questions. I have the day off so I'll be pretty responsive!
Maybe his sister is much more mature than he is and is constantly scolding him for his behavior?
"Mav, put that banana down or eat it. You look ridiculous."
"Does every meeting have to be an argument?"
Etc. She can be a bit younger, and definitely smaller. That would be a neat dynamic. Maybe the only person he listens to is her and people wonder why. They know they're siblings, but just a big guy like him shutting up when a little lady tells him to. Either she has connections to like, law enforcement, government etc, or you can go the fantasy route and give her some supernatural thing going on. This could be her being a vampire or werewolf, but if you ask me, something better can be come up with, maybe she has some sort of magical affinity and can like, blast him if he pisses her off enough.
"Mav, put that banana down or eat it. You look ridiculous."
"Does every meeting have to be an argument?"
Etc. She can be a bit younger, and definitely smaller. That would be a neat dynamic. Maybe the only person he listens to is her and people wonder why. They know they're siblings, but just a big guy like him shutting up when a little lady tells him to. Either she has connections to like, law enforcement, government etc, or you can go the fantasy route and give her some supernatural thing going on. This could be her being a vampire or werewolf, but if you ask me, something better can be come up with, maybe she has some sort of magical affinity and can like, blast him if he pisses her off enough.
Who were Mav's parents, and what was their lifestyle? Were they always ashamed of his destructive youthful antics, or did they encourage them either by being righteous d-holes themselves or through a negligent parenting style? Were they absent?
I think going back a step will help you determine more of his sister's background. For example, depending on how much younger she is, she may have had to put up with his growing pains as she was beginning to grow up, so she may have had to assume a more responsible mantle--or perhaps she's the shining example his parents wished he could emulate. Maybe she looks up to him and thinks he can do no wrong, which might mean that she's also a trouble-maker, in her own way.
Considering how built Maverick is, maybe consider if his sister has the potential also for great strength. People are really quick to jump the gun on size differences but I think that women who are tough and/or athletic because it runs in the family are a little more rare--but that's ultimately up to your sensibilities.
Ultimately, writing a female character can be as close to your experience of writing a male character as you like. If you're uncomfortable with writing for a very femme woman, consider dialing it back. Give her a central focus (running a family business, whether by-the-books or under-the-table, maybe? Bringing in bounties, raising a family as a young-mother? Going hard on a school specialty or apprenticing under a renowned specialist in some field you find interesting?) and build her character up from a mixture of her current goals and fears and her background experiences. That can help shake loose any 'oh no, how do I females' worries.
I had the same when I was younger, learning to write men. It's a matter of practice. If your first draft seems weird in any way, keep working on her--you've got a great main character, so she's bound to be awesome, too.
I think going back a step will help you determine more of his sister's background. For example, depending on how much younger she is, she may have had to put up with his growing pains as she was beginning to grow up, so she may have had to assume a more responsible mantle--or perhaps she's the shining example his parents wished he could emulate. Maybe she looks up to him and thinks he can do no wrong, which might mean that she's also a trouble-maker, in her own way.
Considering how built Maverick is, maybe consider if his sister has the potential also for great strength. People are really quick to jump the gun on size differences but I think that women who are tough and/or athletic because it runs in the family are a little more rare--but that's ultimately up to your sensibilities.
Ultimately, writing a female character can be as close to your experience of writing a male character as you like. If you're uncomfortable with writing for a very femme woman, consider dialing it back. Give her a central focus (running a family business, whether by-the-books or under-the-table, maybe? Bringing in bounties, raising a family as a young-mother? Going hard on a school specialty or apprenticing under a renowned specialist in some field you find interesting?) and build her character up from a mixture of her current goals and fears and her background experiences. That can help shake loose any 'oh no, how do I females' worries.
I had the same when I was younger, learning to write men. It's a matter of practice. If your first draft seems weird in any way, keep working on her--you've got a great main character, so she's bound to be awesome, too.
Everyone else had great suggestions for you already. But, anyway, yeah, think back a bit to get a start on her. How was their childhood growing up? Was Maverick more of an adult figure in her life than any parental figures? Were they close? Did he pick on her all the time? Does she look up to him? Did something happen that made them having a falling out?
Answering any of those sorts of questions should put you in the right direction to start getting an image of her in your head.
I had a terribly difficult time the first time I started writing dudes, but it's easy now. You'll get there!
Answering any of those sorts of questions should put you in the right direction to start getting an image of her in your head.
I had a terribly difficult time the first time I started writing dudes, but it's easy now. You'll get there!
You guys are amazing.
This response is more than what I imagined and I'm seriously pumped up for her now.
I might just take you up on that offer! Expect something in your inbox from me soon.
That would be perfect. He is a kid-at-heart and that would certainly mean somebody else would be handling the burden in the family. A "small but terrible" kid sister is already an exciting concept I can definitely see her being one.
Having a parent-less backstory does add spice to their story and would perfectly fit the cliche of a younger sibling being the more responsible one. I can balance that with a darker circumstance of him doing shady odd-jobs just to keep them both afloat, while she'd be the counterbalance as the righteous one and his anchor in life.
I won't make her a doo-goody little Miss Perfect by giving her a sense of guilt that while she detests what her big bro is doing, she can't really have him stop for the sake of their livelihood.
My my my. This is deep, twisty, and delicious.
I agree, everyone had such an amazing array of concepts that I think I have a solid grip on how she'd ultimately be. Brother-sister wise though, I'm guessing they would be close. Despite him being older, she'd be more responsible. So that would make them on equal footing more or less. They would need each other and between the two of them, no one is actually on top. They'll be equal, co-dependent, and utterly devoted to each other.
*rubs hands*
Hmmm, I have a firm stable image in my mind who she is, I think. Time to find the perfect image to embody that idea.
This response is more than what I imagined and I'm seriously pumped up for her now.
pockets wrote:
I've also just recently got more into female characters so feel free to hit me with some brainstorming questions. I have the day off so I'll be pretty responsive!
Dragoncat wrote:
Maybe his sister is much more mature than he is and is constantly scolding him for his behavior?
"Mav, put that banana down or eat it. You look ridiculous."
"Does every meeting have to be an argument?"
Etc. She can be a bit younger, and definitely smaller. That would be a neat dynamic. Maybe the only person he listens to is her and people wonder why. They know they're siblings, but just a big guy like him shutting up when a little lady tells him to. Either she has connections to like, law enforcement, government etc, or you can go the fantasy route and give her some supernatural thing going on. This could be her being a vampire or werewolf, but if you ask me, something better can be come up with, maybe she has some sort of magical affinity and can like, blast him if he pisses her off enough.
"Mav, put that banana down or eat it. You look ridiculous."
"Does every meeting have to be an argument?"
Etc. She can be a bit younger, and definitely smaller. That would be a neat dynamic. Maybe the only person he listens to is her and people wonder why. They know they're siblings, but just a big guy like him shutting up when a little lady tells him to. Either she has connections to like, law enforcement, government etc, or you can go the fantasy route and give her some supernatural thing going on. This could be her being a vampire or werewolf, but if you ask me, something better can be come up with, maybe she has some sort of magical affinity and can like, blast him if he pisses her off enough.
dray wrote:
Who were Mav's parents, and what was their lifestyle? Were they always ashamed of his destructive youthful antics, or did they encourage them either by being righteous d-holes themselves or through a negligent parenting style? Were they absent?
I think going back a step will help you determine more of his sister's background. For example, depending on how much younger she is, she may have had to put up with his growing pains as she was beginning to grow up, so she may have had to assume a more responsible mantle--or perhaps she's the shining example his parents wished he could emulate. Maybe she looks up to him and thinks he can do no wrong, which might mean that she's also a trouble-maker, in her own way.
Considering how built Maverick is, maybe consider if his sister has the potential also for great strength. People are really quick to jump the gun on size differences but I think that women who are tough and/or athletic because it runs in the family are a little more rare--but that's ultimately up to your sensibilities.
I think going back a step will help you determine more of his sister's background. For example, depending on how much younger she is, she may have had to put up with his growing pains as she was beginning to grow up, so she may have had to assume a more responsible mantle--or perhaps she's the shining example his parents wished he could emulate. Maybe she looks up to him and thinks he can do no wrong, which might mean that she's also a trouble-maker, in her own way.
Considering how built Maverick is, maybe consider if his sister has the potential also for great strength. People are really quick to jump the gun on size differences but I think that women who are tough and/or athletic because it runs in the family are a little more rare--but that's ultimately up to your sensibilities.
I won't make her a doo-goody little Miss Perfect by giving her a sense of guilt that while she detests what her big bro is doing, she can't really have him stop for the sake of their livelihood.
My my my. This is deep, twisty, and delicious.
pltjess wrote:
Everyone else had great suggestions for you already. But, anyway, yeah, think back a bit to get a start on her. How was their childhood growing up? Was Maverick more of an adult figure in her life than any parental figures? Were they close? Did he pick on her all the time? Does she look up to him? Did something happen that made them having a falling out?
Answering any of those sorts of questions should put you in the right direction to start getting an image of her in your head.
Answering any of those sorts of questions should put you in the right direction to start getting an image of her in your head.
*rubs hands*
Hmmm, I have a firm stable image in my mind who she is, I think. Time to find the perfect image to embody that idea.
Wicked! I love when a character concept gels. 
Absolutely. But having a too specific image in mind is double-edged; while she's definitely solid enough in my head, finding a perfect image is difficult. I have two photos here that I think I can play around with. Considering that most of my stories are modern/real-life, with a little action on the side, I can't deviate much. Anyway, I found a couple girls that seems ideal:
Girl 1 - She has the same jacket, the same dark hair, and badassery going on. But she looks too Asian for them to be related, I think. And with a gun holstered at her side, it's like Maverick's girl version, instead of a responsible sister... and I don't really need a twin sister.
Girl 2 - Now this girl is more subtle. She fits the bill; young and petite enough to look the part of a responsible little sister, the leather jacket and black attire even to the boots, and she's even doing her hair up into a ponytail like she means business. My only qualm would be the hair color, but there's dye so it's okay.
Well! At first I was just posting these to ask opinions. But after typing it out, I feel like I have decided who to go with.
Girl 1 - She has the same jacket, the same dark hair, and badassery going on. But she looks too Asian for them to be related, I think. And with a gun holstered at her side, it's like Maverick's girl version, instead of a responsible sister... and I don't really need a twin sister.
Girl 2 - Now this girl is more subtle. She fits the bill; young and petite enough to look the part of a responsible little sister, the leather jacket and black attire even to the boots, and she's even doing her hair up into a ponytail like she means business. My only qualm would be the hair color, but there's dye so it's okay.
Well! At first I was just posting these to ask opinions. But after typing it out, I feel like I have decided who to go with.
Glad to help! I assume you're going with number 2 then?
Yep, sounds like the second one fits your bill. Are you making her for a specific thread, or are you still just noodling around with building up Maverick's story?
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