Writing Tip #3

I think I'll try to make these daily, since I'm on the 3rd and it's the 3rd. :P

Tip #3: Think of your character in the wrong setting.

Adaptability is one of the best things about humans. We're able to adjust to a different environment when necessary to stay alive. Think of how your wizard would react to suddenly appearing in 2011. Would he try to blend in? Maybe the sensory overload would be too much and he'd go insane. How characters react to drastic changes says a lot about their personalities, their willpower, and their survival instincts.

In most cases, I believe it would be easier on a character to go backwards in time. We all know how people dressed in the middle ages, and we could blend in appropriately if sent back in time. If your character is fighting and killing in a modern war, he would probably find a way to do the same thing if we put him back in the Roman empire.

I think it's interesting to think about how we and our characters would take on a role in a world completely new to us. What would you do if you arrived in a world that required your concentration to learn how to cast spells? What class would you take on in a D&D universe? I think that, in any world, we are drawn to the things we feel suit us. A doctor in this world might go for a WWII medic or a magical healer, depending on the setting we throw him into.

It says a lot about your character when you can look at a setting and say, "If my story were this kind of story, he would be that, without a doubt."