How to Write The 100 Fanfiction ✓

17 | characterization

one thing that is so vital to fanfiction but is often overlooked is characterization. what is that, you ask? i'm going to give you a definition from google because i don't trust myself to explain it in a way that makes sense: "a description of the distinctive nature or features of someone or something." basically, you can think of it as the way a person (or character, in our case) acts, thinks, feels, etc. it's the way that they are.

most writers focus wholly on the plot of their fanfiction (or, sometimes, the romance) but characterization can truly make or break a story. you can have the best, most unique plot ever along with incredible writing, but if the canon characters seem foreign to the readers, they might quit your story after a few chapters.

nothing -- nothing -- is more frustrating to me than people making pre-existing characters shallow and one-dimensional. or if they completely make them ooc (out of character) and make them act in ways that they never would in canon. unless your story is set in an alternate universe in which character alteration is necessary/fitting, you'll want to avoid this at all costs.

i'm going to use clarke as an example again because everyone hates on her, but mostly does so without considering the depth of who she is. many authors paint her out to be a selfish bitch who is a killjoy and nags on people all the time, especially in season one. that's fine if your character disagrees with her/doesn't like her -- heck, my the 100 oc is her best friend from childhood and they've had countless fights that have tried and tested their bond. however, make sure her words and actions are not completely out of character.

despite the fact that my oc is frustrated with clarke throughout season one because of her hardness and seemingly lack of attention toward her (sometimes appearing to forget she exists), i am quick to remind my readers that she acts this way because she has so much on her mind, feels immense pressure, and is frazzled with all that she has to do. she doesn't do it on purpose. while i do portray many of her negative traits that are also present in the original show, she doesn't act unnecessarily bitchy or cold-hearted. and i also make sure to include the positive ones.

another thing that people tend to do is make bellamy into this... selfish asshole throughout all of the seasons. was he a bit of an asshole in season one? you betcha. was he only an asshole? no way, josé. we saw his softness in regards to charlotte, his unending love for his sister, his self-hatred during the day trip episode, and his protectiveness over the rest of the delinquents.

in order to make sure you have a character written correctly, you have to remove your own personal opinions. don't like finn? cool. don't make him act ooc just because you hate his guts after season two. you have to examine his character from the inside out. what is he? hopeful, loyal and protective to a fault, determined, sometimes deceitful, witty, occasionally quick to anger and to find people's faults, judgemental, etc.

once you have all of that figured out, you can start to piece together your character's personal opinions about them. again, not your own, but your character's. this will help you determine which of the traits you are likely to highlight. if you dislike someone, you'll probably notice the bad instead of the good, but that doesn't mean they should always be doing the bad. unless, you know, that's how they were written, like emerson or tsing or cage wallace.

thank you for reading and i hope this helps you! if you have any suggestions as to what you want me to write about that i haven't touched on yet, leave them in the requests chapter before the first tip. i'm also open to asking any questions you may have to the best of my ability.