Lost a character

[Zamora Baltiste]

So in the past couple of days I've been really buckling down and trying to get into my characters head so I can write them, the only problem is that I can't do that. I've tried soooo hard and written a couple of posts successfully but whenever I read them they just seem so ridiculous and not like Zamora at all. I know that in Riverfall there is that curse(?) that changes personalities but I can't even submit these posts under that. Its driving me crazy cause when I came up with her I had all these ideas and muse and I was so excited to write for her but now its like its all gone. Does anyone have any experience with this and if so how do you get over it? I've had this in the past but what I've done is just of shelved the character for a little while until I could come back to it but I've already put so much work into this one that I don't want to just bounce to a new character. Any suggestions that anyone could give would be amazing.

[Evalin]

I actually know a bit about what you are going through, and I will give you a bit of advice I received a while back. If you try to force something that feels unnatural then no matter how much you try it will never be right. Also, it is very likely that Zamora is actually different than you expected her to be. There have been times Evalin has reacted in a way I never would have expected, but sometimes it is a part of your writing spirit trying to break out and show you something you never thought of before. In the end, you may not actually understand your muse as well as you thought after all and that is OK! Character's are meant to grow and change, and just because you have this seemingly clear idea of what they should be in your head does not mean that that is how they will stay forever. So why not try writing as it comes naturally. Who knows, you may just like what you see.

[Ornea]

I don't know which angle you have started to write from.

But as you seem stuck, I would advice you to write about her in a serious but emotionally neutral situation. Solo work threads and a solo for seasonal XP are perfect for this. I know it may seem boring...but it can also be a pro that work threads can be allowed to be a bit boring and if they get just a little bit entertaining that's just a nice bonus. That way you can keep a relaxed attitude and not be too self-critical, which can also help you out of the stuck.

Try to write at least one work thread as a story about how Zamora takes the measures of a customer (a vague NPC), designs the new piece of custom armor, goes on to the smithing and shapes the metal parts, creates possible leather parts, assembles this to make the piece of armor, tries it on the customer, makes adjustments, and finally finishes the job, delivers the armor and gets paid.

Write about what she does, but also about her thoughts during the work process, how she behaves when she interacts with the customer, how she reacts to tricky problemsolving while she is working, how she reacts to possible mistakes she might do, and so on.

For the seasonal XP you can let her visit the Arma'Drex (she is in RF I take it). Let her go there to do intelligence. She can inspect the armor they offer and react to it, make mental notes about things she finds good and can want to use in her own crafting, speak with the armorsmith to figure out how they are thinking, find out if she is competitive and thinks of them as people she needs to beat and be better than, or if she has a special niche she wants to work with and they can be people to cooperate with.

This can tell you more about your PC, who she is and how she is. And at same time you'll write some good short stories, get the job threads done and progress her skills.