Post by dior on Jan 16, 2014 12:38:03 GMT -5
Although I've called this Your Backstory and You, it really should be Your Backstory and You and the People Who Are Going to Read It. And then I went and changed the title totally thinking that someone else might have some good suggestons. Feel free to chime in with your own thread! Just remember, we only have 96 more chances to inform people!
First off, a don't. Don't be an orphan. Middle Earth has more than enough of them. Every third bio I read seems to include "orphaned at a young age" or "saw his parents murdered by orcs" If you feel the need to explain why your mommy isn't running around with you and holding your hand, here are some other options
Ran away from home because of creepy Uncle Radagast
Was out picking mushrooms and got lost
Pregnancy, either yours or someone that you're hiding from
Fortune and glory
Looking for work
Looking for love
Looking for the troll who killed your cat
Hey Moria is open! Let's get some gold!
Looking for your own personally invented ring/grail/relic (remember that one I'll come back to it later)
Saruman owes you money
Secondly, Don't make everyone who reads your bio break out the "Why So Serious" meme. Yes, some lives are full of tragedy. Most of them are not. Elves are elvish, not emo. Also, if you enjoy doing the golf chip emote, please don't describe your character as grave and forbidding. Even if your character did have some great misfortune in his or her life it doesn't mean that they would be telling total strangers about it right from the start.
Do come up with something mildly interesting of note that your character may have done in the past. Something that other people can read about and then say ICly "Hey aren't you the woman who dropped the cupcakes last Yule?" which they are much more likely to do than say, "Oh hey I know you. You're the guy who is still going on about his parents being dead. You realy need to get over that, one third of the people here have dead parents." Again, I present options
Once got drunk and passed out in front of the statue in (insert town here) before the mayor was to make a speech
Rescued Lalla
Left Sarah Oakheart to die in the cave
Has balanced a tankard on your forehead in every pub in the area
Once shot an arrow backwards using a mirror (and then shot the target/horse/best friend/random person)
Ran into a burning building and saved a kitten
Punched a bully who was picking on someone who was wearing an identical outfit
This is where I tie in with the Looking for your own personally invented ring/grail/relic from before. Your character could have once knocked on the door of everyone in (insert random town here) and asked them if they had seen any mermaids/walking trees/a bracelet that looked gold during the day and silver at night. Another character can then ask, "Hey did you ever find that mermaid?" if they had ever been in that town.
Try to make your backstory informative and let it lead people to interact with your characters. There should be things in your bio that others can latch onto and run with. If your character is from the outskirts of Dale and so is mine, they might not have known each other, but they might know some of the same people.
First off, a don't. Don't be an orphan. Middle Earth has more than enough of them. Every third bio I read seems to include "orphaned at a young age" or "saw his parents murdered by orcs" If you feel the need to explain why your mommy isn't running around with you and holding your hand, here are some other options
Ran away from home because of creepy Uncle Radagast
Was out picking mushrooms and got lost
Pregnancy, either yours or someone that you're hiding from
Fortune and glory
Looking for work
Looking for love
Looking for the troll who killed your cat
Hey Moria is open! Let's get some gold!
Looking for your own personally invented ring/grail/relic (remember that one I'll come back to it later)
Saruman owes you money
Secondly, Don't make everyone who reads your bio break out the "Why So Serious" meme. Yes, some lives are full of tragedy. Most of them are not. Elves are elvish, not emo. Also, if you enjoy doing the golf chip emote, please don't describe your character as grave and forbidding. Even if your character did have some great misfortune in his or her life it doesn't mean that they would be telling total strangers about it right from the start.
Do come up with something mildly interesting of note that your character may have done in the past. Something that other people can read about and then say ICly "Hey aren't you the woman who dropped the cupcakes last Yule?" which they are much more likely to do than say, "Oh hey I know you. You're the guy who is still going on about his parents being dead. You realy need to get over that, one third of the people here have dead parents." Again, I present options
Once got drunk and passed out in front of the statue in (insert town here) before the mayor was to make a speech
Rescued Lalla
Left Sarah Oakheart to die in the cave
Has balanced a tankard on your forehead in every pub in the area
Once shot an arrow backwards using a mirror (and then shot the target/horse/best friend/random person)
Ran into a burning building and saved a kitten
Punched a bully who was picking on someone who was wearing an identical outfit
This is where I tie in with the Looking for your own personally invented ring/grail/relic from before. Your character could have once knocked on the door of everyone in (insert random town here) and asked them if they had seen any mermaids/walking trees/a bracelet that looked gold during the day and silver at night. Another character can then ask, "Hey did you ever find that mermaid?" if they had ever been in that town.
Try to make your backstory informative and let it lead people to interact with your characters. There should be things in your bio that others can latch onto and run with. If your character is from the outskirts of Dale and so is mine, they might not have known each other, but they might know some of the same people.