First of all, I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this since I am not very good at expressing my insecurities so thank you.
I have this bad habit of getting stuck in my own head, whenever I draw or write there is this voice in the back my head saying, "you know this is terrible, right?" Then I start deleting posts of my drawings or I start drastically changing my character because I see one mistake I can't stand. This is what goes on in mind when my inner doubt reads my character:
She's too OP!
She is a total Mary sue!
Her personality isn't consistent!
This backstory is a sob story!
This doesn't make sense!
No one would like this or to with this!
This is wrong, that is wrong, everything is wrong!
Then I go searching for criticism left and right because I want to know what I am doing wrong. Does anyone else have this issue?
I have this bad habit of getting stuck in my own head, whenever I draw or write there is this voice in the back my head saying, "you know this is terrible, right?" Then I start deleting posts of my drawings or I start drastically changing my character because I see one mistake I can't stand. This is what goes on in mind when my inner doubt reads my character:
She's too OP!
She is a total Mary sue!
Her personality isn't consistent!
This backstory is a sob story!
This doesn't make sense!
No one would like this or to with this!
This is wrong, that is wrong, everything is wrong!
Then I go searching for criticism left and right because I want to know what I am doing wrong. Does anyone else have this issue?
I think you should take your time with character, I mean you don't get what you want right away, you could look for inspiration in books or other medias. If it doesn't work once try few more times until it works.
My two cents goes like this; being a little critical is a good thing, it helps drive improvement, but there is a point where it gets in the way of forward movement. That said, don't delete stuff! Keep it, so you can look back on it in a few years 
One thing I really, really regret is deleting all of my old stuff when I wasn't happy with it anymore, because now I can't look back at the "origin stories" of my ideas, in other words, where it all began or where certain ideas developed, or how much I've improved. Compare to your own growth and development, and never compare your work to someone else's.
If you're worried about tropey characters, I wouldn't be. The whole point of RP is to create something you'll have fun with. Just because it has been done before doesn't mean that it's not going to be fun when it's your turn to create something like that
One thing I really, really regret is deleting all of my old stuff when I wasn't happy with it anymore, because now I can't look back at the "origin stories" of my ideas, in other words, where it all began or where certain ideas developed, or how much I've improved. Compare to your own growth and development, and never compare your work to someone else's.If you're worried about tropey characters, I wouldn't be. The whole point of RP is to create something you'll have fun with. Just because it has been done before doesn't mean that it's not going to be fun when it's your turn to create something like that
RimCaster wrote:
I think you should take your time with character, I mean you don't get what you want right away, you could look for inspiration in books or other medias. If it doesn't work once try few more times until it works.
Thank you for the advice.
AIFruit wrote:
My two cents goes like this; being a little critical is a good thing, it helps drive improvement, but there is a point where it gets in the way of forward movement, because you're too concerned about dotting on past creations. That said, don't delete stuff! Keep it, so you can look back on it in a few years One thing I really, really regret is deleting all of my old stuff when I wasn't happy with it anymore, because now I can't look back at the "origin stories" of my ideas, in other words, where it all began or where certain ideas developed, or how much I've improved. Compare to your own growth and development, and never compare your work to someone else's.
If you're worried about tropey characters, I wouldn't be. The whole point of RP is to create something you'll have fun with. Just because it has been done before doesn't mean that it's not going to be fun when it's your turn to create something like that
One thing I really, really regret is deleting all of my old stuff when I wasn't happy with it anymore, because now I can't look back at the "origin stories" of my ideas, in other words, where it all began or where certain ideas developed, or how much I've improved. Compare to your own growth and development, and never compare your work to someone else's.If you're worried about tropey characters, I wouldn't be. The whole point of RP is to create something you'll have fun with. Just because it has been done before doesn't mean that it's not going to be fun when it's your turn to create something like that
Thank you for responding, appreciate it!
What you are experiencing is so common that I'd argue it's not just normal, but typical. "You are your own worst critic" and all.
Something that might help is to take some time looking up the the purposes and reasons for tropes and such. OP isn't inherently bad - depends how the character is to be used. A "sob story" isn't inherently bad - it can work out beautifully. Even a Mary Sue can have a good function in the right sort of story - and we tend to be overly quick to label things "Mary Sue" when they aren't really.
I think going looking for a critique is great! You may not always be able to get one in a timely manner though, so it's important to review what you've heard before and see if it might be applied to the current case. It can also be helpful to just set the thing aside for awhile, long enough for your mind to sort of flush it out, and then come back to review it with a fresh eye yourself. When you do, it may also help to pretend that you're reviewing someone else's work.
Something that might help is to take some time looking up the the purposes and reasons for tropes and such. OP isn't inherently bad - depends how the character is to be used. A "sob story" isn't inherently bad - it can work out beautifully. Even a Mary Sue can have a good function in the right sort of story - and we tend to be overly quick to label things "Mary Sue" when they aren't really.
I think going looking for a critique is great! You may not always be able to get one in a timely manner though, so it's important to review what you've heard before and see if it might be applied to the current case. It can also be helpful to just set the thing aside for awhile, long enough for your mind to sort of flush it out, and then come back to review it with a fresh eye yourself. When you do, it may also help to pretend that you're reviewing someone else's work.
I mean, my answer isn't going to be long or at all helpful, but basically:
Enjoy yourself / your writing / your characters. Are they a mary sue? Cool, that's fine, so long as you're having fun with it! If you want criticism, that's not wrong, but just make sure you don't let it destroy your drive!
Obviously that depends on like... who you are I guess. EX: As a white afab-person, if I make a POC character and get criticism on how I'm portraying them and/or how I could do it better, I should definitely take it into consideration.
But if it's just a character who's a vampire werewolf fairy princess with a rainbow vomit design who also controls every magic source on the planet? So long as you're having fun with that character, then screw what other people think.
Trying to grow is never bad, but also be sure to have fun with what you're doing.
Enjoy yourself / your writing / your characters. Are they a mary sue? Cool, that's fine, so long as you're having fun with it! If you want criticism, that's not wrong, but just make sure you don't let it destroy your drive!
Obviously that depends on like... who you are I guess. EX: As a white afab-person, if I make a POC character and get criticism on how I'm portraying them and/or how I could do it better, I should definitely take it into consideration.
But if it's just a character who's a vampire werewolf fairy princess with a rainbow vomit design who also controls every magic source on the planet? So long as you're having fun with that character, then screw what other people think.
Trying to grow is never bad, but also be sure to have fun with what you're doing.
Try to imagine an annoying little gremlin with a super annoying shrieking voice is saying these things to you, and remind yourself not to take these thoughts too seriously. After all, it's just an annoying little gremlin shrieking nonsense at you, what does that silly creature know about crafting characters and stories?
While it's never a bad thing to be receptive to growing and being a better you, these kinds of thoughts are not constructive, they're destructive, and that means they're not helpful. When it comes to writing, thoughts that are not helpful or enjoyable aren't valuable and should be discarded.
While it's never a bad thing to be receptive to growing and being a better you, these kinds of thoughts are not constructive, they're destructive, and that means they're not helpful. When it comes to writing, thoughts that are not helpful or enjoyable aren't valuable and should be discarded.
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