NATURE VERSUS NURTURE

Subject: NATURE VERSUS NURTURE Fri Oct 12, 2012 11:54 am

This is the number one issue that happens with the OC. So many people want to have the broken family, the orphan, the mentally diseased. They don't quite think about this issue though and it's something that really adds that extra kick to your OC that makes them go from a Mary Sue to the badass that everyone wants their character to be.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE!

First off, I'll explain what we're talking about here.

HUMAN NATURE
This is what your character thinks, believes, feels, and acts all on their own. There's no "Well they come from a broken family." This is where no matter how pampered and taught they were, they still act and behave differently.

Some religions that you may see believe that the human soul is either uniquely good or uniquely bad. it doesn't matter what you try to teach them or try to beat out of them. They're just "a bad nut" or "a goody two shoes." You don't get a choice in their future. They just do what they want.

NURTURING

This is the most common idea to the OC and one that requires the most attention and thought. This is the idea that how the person was raised was how they grew up and became who they are. It's one idea that many people in real life like to believe is the only way people work.

The French as well as other cultures like the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Basically, if the child is out of control, it is due to the parent's teachings. If the family is broken and a bunch of unsavory people, then the child must be that way somewhere deep inside.

Some people when making their OC will try to defy that idea. the child comes from a broken family but has no mental or emotional damage. That's a nice idea, but no one escapes the full realm of emotions. Not logically. That is where someone really needs to step back and realize that their OC has a natural state that makes them that way that has absolutely nothing to do with their family. That makes a person have to think critically about the relevance of the family's state of being and status.

So when making a character, you need to ask yourself:

1) Is their personality a cause of nurturing or just human nature?

2) Does their background support the answer I gave for question one?

3) What makes the character unique through their nature or nurturing?

I hope this was helpful.