I need some advice

[Ducky123]

(Hope this is an appropriate place for this thread...)

Hey guys,
lately, there is this idea buzzing around in my head... The idea is writing a story that has many LBT characters but is playing in 2014 so the characters will be human beings. I plan to write it like I was writing a youth novel... I already figured out quite some plot elements and I have started creating the characters based on character sheets. So far so good; here's what troubles me and what I'm asking advice for:

1: Setting... Every story plays somewhere. LBT plays in the Great Valley, the Mysterious Beyond etc., Harry Potter plays in Hogwarts, The Simpsons play in Springfield etc... Unfortunately, I have huge trouble coming up with a setting for my story... I have a very rough imagination but as soon as it goes into details I'm lost. Has anybody experience with this? How are you creating/coming up with your setting for stories, fics and Roleplays? Some advice would be much appreciated, yep, yep, yep... (if you need more details, I'll tell you more about it...)

2: I have trouble imaginating my characters. In particular, I struggle with giving them a look... and since I can't really draw from imagination, I can't really create them that way... Again, I'm having a pretty good description in the character sheets but I can't picture them in my head
Again, I'm asking our fellow authors of fiction and roleplayers

For the time being, that's it I might have some questions that have to do with the plot itself later... those general questions are more important though...

If you're interested in hearing some more details about the plot, just ask me and I'll tell you

Thanks in advance!

~Ducky123~

[bushwacked]

I guess for the idea of how the characters physically look, you could get some ideas based off their personality. So say if a character's cheerful and happy, they'd probably be more likely to wear colourful clothes, stand straighter, stuff like that. Or if they're moody, maybe they'd wear darker colours and wouldn't really care about their appearance. Try and get in your character's head and imagine what they'd like to look like.

 It's pretty simplified, but it might give you at least a starting idea  

[Ducky123]

Thank you

For Ducky (whom I started with because she'll be the main character ) I do imagine her wearing colourful dresses and such for example...

[Picherity]

Sorry if this reply is very late, but I thought I could input something here:

1. Since many of the characters are from LBT, why not imagine the setting as a kind of modern equivalent of the Great Valley? It could be any place where lots of characters gather and meet in their day to day lives; it could be a school, or a park, or a playground, or even an entire town, like a small rural town where all the characters live together and know each other.

2. Bushwacked's ideas are good. Try to imagine that you are a particular character, and think what THEY would want to wear, and how THEY would want to have their hair, etc. For physical appearance you could also imagine how their lifestyle affects what they look like. For example, while this might sound harsh, Spike would almost certainly be overweight. xD And this is just my own imagining, but I think of Cera being short but sturdy and quite strong for a girl, while Pietrie I think of as very skinny and pale and wide-eyed. But that's just me; go with your own imagination.

I'd love to hear more about the plot! If you have any other questions also, I'd love to help out!

Cheers, Matthew

[Ducky123]

Thanks for the advise, better late than never they say, right?

Since many of the characters are from LBT, why not imagine the setting as a kind of modern equivalent of the Great Valley? It could be any place where lots of characters gather and meet in their day to day lives; it could be a school, or a park, or a playground, or even an entire town, like a small rural town where all the characters live together and know each other.

My idea was a sort of rural, small town so I guess that's what I'm gonna use. There will be a school of course (they're just about teens after all ^^) and I'm sure I can use a park or playground too

Bushwacked's ideas are good. Try to imagine that you are a particular character, and think what THEY would want to wear, and how THEY would want to have their hair, etc. For physical appearance you could also imagine how their lifestyle affects what they look like. For example, while this might sound harsh, Spike would almost certainly be overweight. xD And this is just my own imagining, but I think of Cera being short but sturdy and quite strong for a girl, while Pietrie I think of as very skinny and pale and wide-eyed. But that's just me; go with your own imagination.

Yeah, I know what you mean Spike being fat... sounds good Well, I have a special plot for Spike and I'm not sure if him being fat works well with that but it'd explain very well, why he's a good eater
Ducky is the only character I have figured out very well already and I imagine her to be a young, pretty girl who's rather girly, wearing dresses and colourful stuff and doing pretty things with her long hair.
Petrie being skinny is what I imagine as well. He'd have hair that never seems to do what he wants (kinda like Harry Potter ) and I imagine him with glasses.
Cera will be a strong girl but also a quite sexy one at that (as opposed to Ducky).
Littlefoot would be more average, maybe more of a sportive guy? Oh well, I should try to work on this but I never get around to