Am I killing my writing skills?

Anonus

As you may or may not be aware, I write "episode" teleplays for 101 Dalmatians: The Series (a version of the show that ran for five more seasons than it did and had nine more special episodes after that), Cirque du Yogi (a sketch comedy show based on the Hanna-Barbera short cartoons of the '50s and '60s), and Space Ghost (an action-comedy continuation of Space Ghost Coast to Coast).

But between the three, there are very few recurrent characters of my own creation (and SG has none so far). The demon Polydamas Hesperos (101) and the cause junkie Tabitha Tacknose (CDY) are probably my favorites.

I just worry that in dealing mainly with characters I didn't create, I'm fucking myself up.

Princess Alice

Why would that be fucking you up?

Anonus

Because I fear my imagination is dying.

Princess Alice

Nah. I mean, it takes imagination to write, even if you didn't make up all the characters by yourself!

One-Winged Eagle

It's about discipline and hard work and a desire to explore territory that is unfamiliar to you but closely relates to your own experience.

Are you doing that?

Anonus

Somewhat?

One-Winged Eagle

Then no, you're not killing your writing skills.

Although now that I think about it, that's not actually skill, that's artistic approach. Developing skill is making a thing, showing people, and correcting the flaws by making more things and then showing more people.

Imipolex G

Writing about existing characters can be a stepping stone to creating your own.

In any case, I think the important thing is to just keep writing, that's how you build up skill. I haven't been great about this, myself.

Salix Babylonika

I don't think so, though I will say that personally I'd be much more interested in your writing if it weren't about a mid-90s cartoon that I have never seen, since you do seem to be quite creative.

Corvina

My father has expressed this worry about me. I hope it isn't true....

Tre

Central Avenue said:

Nah. I mean, it takes imagination to write, even if you didn't make up all the characters by yourself!

This.

You're not alone in this, either: every storyboarder/writer on TV that isn't a show's original creator has to do this too, as do those who are tasked with adapting a work from one medium to another.

I may end up in that latter camp soon if my more fanfic-y urges get the better of me.

Anonus

I've hurt myself, I fear.

Red Barons is all-original characters, barely has a premise, and I can't get all that invested in it. All the "worldbuilding" seems to involve how and why humanity went extinct and the multicolored pigs and other animals replaced them as Earth's dominant species.

I've been having a blast looking at seaside New England towns though (not to mentioning wondering what the leads would think of the remains of "Boh-stawn")

Salix Babylonika

if you can't get into it you should just do something else.

there's no point in forcing yourself to make something you won't like.

Anonus

No it's fun! I just worry that it's not fun enough yet.

Anonus

But of course I'm a one-trick pony. All of my stories are either comedy shit or involve strange phenomena or monsters.

Salix Babylonika

first of all that is at least three distinct tricks.

Secondly, who cares?

thirdly, if you're uncomfortable with it, try intentionally writing something outside of your comfort zone.

One-Winged Eagle

Look right now, all I can do is Chinese stuff. Sutra Stories and Under Heaven, Underworld were the same project that I just sliced in two.

I can't do science fiction, I can't do European fantasy, and my one attempt at superheroes just gradually fizzled out.

It's fine.

Hexartes

No matter what, you're not killing your writing skills.

If you want to write purely as a personal expression, which is absolutely great, just keep doing what you're doing.

If you want to write to appeal to others, 1. There's nothing wrong with maintaining things that appeal to you, eg network shenanigans, branding, Dalmatians, teleplays, but 2. You will have to find ways to make those things compelling to others as well.

Hexartes

Like that's the main thing. There's nothing wrong with the fact that you're writing in a format that appeals to you, and just because that doesn't always appeal to others doesn't mean you're "killing" your skills. But wanting to appeal to others is still a valid aim. You just need to be able to bridge that gap between your esoteric interests and what you're audience cares about.

Tachyon

Sometimes what you write for yourself will be interesting to other people.

Sometimes it won't be, and if it isn't you can't force readers to find it interesting.  You can modify your approach, or not.

MissUtilis

I don't write exclusively about esoteric interests of mine...

But yeah

I'm starting to worry that I'm not enough of a "people person" to be up to the job of writing believable, relatable characters.

Hexartes

Yes, because all good writers are, uh, as it were, "people people."

One-Winged Eagle

Every good writer needs a Thing that makes them unique. Some writers are Good because of their viewpoint. Others are Good because they can produce something unique. And some are Good because they mix together things they loved as a kid. It can be literally anything, and there is a ton of variability. 

And even then, good writers aren't necessarily the successful ones.

Toolsie

The way I create believable characters is I just create a character on the spot who acts as a "placeholder", and begin working on this placeholder character to shape them into a fully fledged character in their own right with hopes, dreams, flaws, the works. I do this for every important character in my works. It takes time, but it's worth it when it comes to an important scene and I know how my character will react to it.

It also helps to get inside their heads. What are they thinking at certain times of the day? Are they angry all the time? Do certain sights and smells make them want to vomit? Little details that help flesh out your characters and make them human.

Imagine you're having a lengthy interview with your character. Ask them questions and make notes down. It may seem stupid, but it helps a great deal.

"This has been Toolsie's Words of Wisdom."

Toolsie

Creating characters has nothing to do with being a "people person". I'm not a people person, I often avoid people like the plague. It's all to do with just knowing how to create a believable character who could pass as a person if they were taken out of the story and plopped into the real world. It takes time and practice, but can be done.

MissUtilis

I'm just thinking about how of all of the parents shown so far in Red Barons, Sarah, Susan's mother, is already the most defined one. Reddy's parents Ruby and Auburn are kind of airheaded, but Sarah is not.

MissUtilis

Sarah operates the household on a tight budget, worries about money a lot, and worries that she and Susan will be seen as poor.

Toolsie

That's a good starting point. She's worried about money and is worried that she will be seen as poor. Why does she worry? Did she come from a wealthy background and js worried that she'll shame her parents by appearing poor? Is it more a personal thing where she wants to be seen as wealthy and elite, but just doesn't have the money to do so? There's a reason she runs things on a tight budget and worries about money a lot. You just need to get inside her head and figure out why.

Toolsie

This small piece of information about why she's so stingy with money may be mentioned once and never again. But knowing why she does it can help influence your writing and how you write her.

Viani

MissUtilis said:

I don't write exclusively about esoteric interests of mine...

But yeah

I'm starting to worry that I'm not enough of a "people person" to be up to the job of writing believable, relatable characters.

Not all characters have to be 100% relatable. 

Even just the 1% sliver, of personalization or anthropomorphization can aid in the relatability of characters. Then, you just scale that 1% up in times where it is most needed.

Take Smeagol from LOTR for example. Everyone has desires, and sometimes we have desires so self-consuming that we would literally kill to get them, and become hollow and inhuman from being denied them.