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Hi, y'all, and sorry for the lateness! I promise, I'll get more on top of this next month. 
So last month, our theme was about writing characters who are unlike you. We didn't get as much feedback as we did for these sections last year, but it's all good advice, and hopefully more people will reply as we get back into the swing of things!
Now, onto characters:
Well, I just take people surrounding me as the models for the character. I mean, in the end, a character has to be modeled either by you or by someone that you've been around for some time (this could be a real person as well as a character...) Otherwise the character would not even probably come to your mind. For example, if I'm writing about some terrifically mean character that my main character despises and with whom I cannot build some empathy with, I take "the girl that I hate" in real life as the model for the character, so that I can still guess the character's behavior.
However, you also said "characters very unlike you:" Well, many of my characters are very unlike me, but in the end I am the one thinking for them, being them, and seeing them when I write them. So, no matter how the puppet looks like, I am still the one pulling the strings behind it.
I think I mostly agree with Wella. You are, after all, creating the character, so you can never write someone who is entirely unlike you; and using people you know as models is a great way to populate your world with believable secondary characters instead of archetypes.
I will add that I find the further out of a character's head you are, the easier it is to make them unlike you. When I write in the first person POV, I can't usually bear to have the character whose head I'm in, say, have a smaller vocabulary than me; but if it's a character my protagonist is going to observe/interact with, I can stray much further from myself, because I only have to deal with the outward behaviors and mannerisms, not the internal monologue.
You've only been yourself, but you've probably interacted with loads of people who are nothing like you.
I think the best way to make sure a character doesn't seem forced - especially one who's unlike you, whose motivations and actions you will actually have to work out, rather than just know - is to consider their backstory. You don't have to have it fully planned out, but there must be reasons why they are the way they are. If it's a villain, then what is it that drove them to their megalomaniac, murdering, nasty, rude ways? (Or whatever other ways your villain has...) If it's a friendly character, then why are they friendly to your protagonist? What is it that's set them on that route, as opposed to some other one? I've always found that the strongest characters are the ones that any reader can understand, at least to some degree; they're more interesting, and more 3D, even if you don't give us the backstory - their personality will still feel consistent if you've worked from this solid base. (Of course, remember that most characters will go through a character arc over the duration of your story. This may affect how they react to situations, so someone who may have done one thing at the start of your story may not even consider it as a possibility by the end.)
When writing in first person, it's definitely harder (in my opinion) to keep characters from becoming too similar to you. But again, I think it's mainly an issue of knowing your character well enough. I have friends who aren't like me at all, but because I know them, I can predict how they would act in most situations. This isn't to say that your characters should or have to be directly based on people you know (not necessarily ones you like) for you to write about them, but it illustrates how well you should understand them. Every character - just like real people - should be different, and will be an amalgamation of many different character facets and flaws, which will in turn play off each other in different ways. Be aware of at least the main motivators your character has, if not every tiny little detail. Referencing similar people you know from life can be helpful though, especially when it comes to dialogue.
If it helps, when you come to points where your character has to make a decision, then you could think of it a bit like an RPG: at situations like this in such games, you'll be given several options. Step back from your character for a moment, and just look at the situation, and consider different ways it could go, and different options that could be chosen, assuming you had no idea who was making the decision. Then pick up your character again, and look at that list - it might be that none of them suit your character, but it's a good way of keeping a broader picture in mind for character development, and makes sure you have to step out not only of the character you're writing, but also of your own opinions
Thank you to you wonderful commenters! Everyone else, hopefully this month's theme will be more inspiring for you!
The theme for the next Tips & Tricks section is...
Transitions
There are so many ways to transition between scenes in a story - how do you decide which to use? Is there a particular one (e.g. "cut to black") that you use more than others? Is it possible to overuse one type of transition? More personally, how do you get into the mood for writing the next scene? Do you ever get stuck finishing a scene, and not know how to move on? If you have more than one writing project on the go at once - or have just finished one and are moving on to the next - how do you get your mind out of one work and into the next one?
I'm looking forward to hearing your responses!
So last month, our theme was about writing characters who are unlike you. We didn't get as much feedback as we did for these sections last year, but it's all good advice, and hopefully more people will reply as we get back into the swing of things!
Now, onto characters:
Well, I just take people surrounding me as the models for the character. I mean, in the end, a character has to be modeled either by you or by someone that you've been around for some time (this could be a real person as well as a character...) Otherwise the character would not even probably come to your mind. For example, if I'm writing about some terrifically mean character that my main character despises and with whom I cannot build some empathy with, I take "the girl that I hate" in real life as the model for the character, so that I can still guess the character's behavior.
However, you also said "characters very unlike you:" Well, many of my characters are very unlike me, but in the end I am the one thinking for them, being them, and seeing them when I write them. So, no matter how the puppet looks like, I am still the one pulling the strings behind it.
I think I mostly agree with Wella. You are, after all, creating the character, so you can never write someone who is entirely unlike you; and using people you know as models is a great way to populate your world with believable secondary characters instead of archetypes.
I will add that I find the further out of a character's head you are, the easier it is to make them unlike you. When I write in the first person POV, I can't usually bear to have the character whose head I'm in, say, have a smaller vocabulary than me; but if it's a character my protagonist is going to observe/interact with, I can stray much further from myself, because I only have to deal with the outward behaviors and mannerisms, not the internal monologue.
You've only been yourself, but you've probably interacted with loads of people who are nothing like you.
I think the best way to make sure a character doesn't seem forced - especially one who's unlike you, whose motivations and actions you will actually have to work out, rather than just know - is to consider their backstory. You don't have to have it fully planned out, but there must be reasons why they are the way they are. If it's a villain, then what is it that drove them to their megalomaniac, murdering, nasty, rude ways? (Or whatever other ways your villain has...) If it's a friendly character, then why are they friendly to your protagonist? What is it that's set them on that route, as opposed to some other one? I've always found that the strongest characters are the ones that any reader can understand, at least to some degree; they're more interesting, and more 3D, even if you don't give us the backstory - their personality will still feel consistent if you've worked from this solid base. (Of course, remember that most characters will go through a character arc over the duration of your story. This may affect how they react to situations, so someone who may have done one thing at the start of your story may not even consider it as a possibility by the end.)
When writing in first person, it's definitely harder (in my opinion) to keep characters from becoming too similar to you. But again, I think it's mainly an issue of knowing your character well enough. I have friends who aren't like me at all, but because I know them, I can predict how they would act in most situations. This isn't to say that your characters should or have to be directly based on people you know (not necessarily ones you like) for you to write about them, but it illustrates how well you should understand them. Every character - just like real people - should be different, and will be an amalgamation of many different character facets and flaws, which will in turn play off each other in different ways. Be aware of at least the main motivators your character has, if not every tiny little detail. Referencing similar people you know from life can be helpful though, especially when it comes to dialogue.
If it helps, when you come to points where your character has to make a decision, then you could think of it a bit like an RPG: at situations like this in such games, you'll be given several options. Step back from your character for a moment, and just look at the situation, and consider different ways it could go, and different options that could be chosen, assuming you had no idea who was making the decision. Then pick up your character again, and look at that list - it might be that none of them suit your character, but it's a good way of keeping a broader picture in mind for character development, and makes sure you have to step out not only of the character you're writing, but also of your own opinions
Thank you to you wonderful commenters! Everyone else, hopefully this month's theme will be more inspiring for you!
The theme for the next Tips & Tricks section is... Transitions
There are so many ways to transition between scenes in a story - how do you decide which to use? Is there a particular one (e.g. "cut to black") that you use more than others? Is it possible to overuse one type of transition? More personally, how do you get into the mood for writing the next scene? Do you ever get stuck finishing a scene, and not know how to move on? If you have more than one writing project on the go at once - or have just finished one and are moving on to the next - how do you get your mind out of one work and into the next one?
I'm looking forward to hearing your responses!
Contest!
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Check it out here:
https://blackmanaburning.deviantart.com/journal/Draw-My-OCs-Art-Contest-Giveaway-700472810
OK, I'm new. And I want this to succeed
Hi ya all. I am just saying "hi" to everyone. I'm the newest Co-Founder of the group and want to say that I want to see this group succeed in the future. I want to ask if anyone has suggestions for the direction of the group I am all ears and want to make sure this groups succeeds.
Nathan
Dead
Hello all. As one of the original founders, it saddens me to say that this group is officially dead. The founders have moved on and there is nobody left to manage this place.
I am willing to pass the torch to anyone willing to step up to the plate. If, in two weeks, I hear nothing back then I will close the group.
Thank you all for your passion,
Moss
Dead.
Hello all. As a co-founder of this group I am very sad to say that the we, the, original founders of this group, have long since moved on. The group is dead and it's making me very sad.
I would be more than happy to pass the torch if someone wants to step up. If, within the next two weeks, nobody steps up then.... I'm afraid I'll have to close the group.
Thank you for all your passion and dedication,
Moss
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Darn it, missed that last one... on the upside, everyone else basically covered what I was going to say 
Ah well, at least I have something to say about transitions:
Before you can talk about what your favorite scene transition type is, you really need to pinpoint the basic types of scene ending (or beginning, replace start for stop and it's the other one) available to you as a writer. There are basically three approaches you might take: the dramatic, the comedic, and the lull. You also need to know when it's appropriate to switch scenes.
The lull is the simplest - just cut the action off when the characters are relatively still, or (when a conversation is involved) two characters stop interacting or degrade into smalltalk (You might directly imply the latter or leave it to the audience's imagination, either works.) The emotional level of the story might be still be high - perhaps a character just lost his job, and walks off into the rain; or a happy couple is cuddled up on the couch together (In the case of an opening, perhaps a group of characters is about to bust in on the bad guy - there's tension, but no surprises yet) - but the basic continuation is no longer relevant or interesting. If you come to a lull, it's time for you to start a new scene (unless you're trying to show a situation is really boring, which can be interesting...)
The dramatic cuts off before a lull point, leaving unresolved questions about how what was going resolves. It's a cliffhanger. (Cutting between two different groups of people having related conversations in different places at the same time might also qualify) Dramatic ends are more emotionally charged. You know 'em when you see them. Dramatic opens occur when something interesting or relevant has happened, but the audience is left in the dark for some period of time. Dramatic cuts can be really fun, but avoid having too many dramatic cuts from one plotline to the next in a row without going back to resolve earlier events. (Actually, forget that: as a rule of thumb, if you have more than six relevant plotlines, some of them probably are not as relevant as you think...)
Comedic ends (or end/beginning pairs) are also easy to spot, and are valuable even in a much more serious work. Examples - a long action sequence that ends just as one of the main characters begins to explain what actually happened to an authority figure, a beginning where the punchline only of a joke is spoken by a character, or a scene cut of the "oh, X won't happen"/X happened variety. Subtler incarnations might include ending with a visual gag (The video game Portal is an example - a running gag involves there being cake at the end, and lo and behold, there is...)
Naturally, most endings are somewhere in between the three, and different levels of peace/drama/humor lend themselves to different writing styles. For a good example of scene changes, I'd look at one of Terry Pratchet's novels - he has no chapter breaks, just smaller scene changes, and he uses them to great effect.
Personally, I tend to prefer an emotionally steady ('lull') opening to an independent story's first scene, with a mixture of the other methods to suit the general mood of the piece. Even in the case of a one scene story, it's important to think about what note the story begins and ends on! A lot of it has to do with the audience you're writing for too. When in doubt, find an author you think transitions between scenes well, and read a lot of their stuff, paying careful attention to how they do it. (That works with everything writing related, actually. It's the best way to learn.)
If you are literally saying "cut to black" when not writing a film script or intentionally emulating that style, you may want to rethink your technique a little... using lots of clique phrases like that is often the hallmark of an inexperienced writer, which is the last way you want to present yourself! That said, imagining your story as a movie is a useful exercise, and can help you figure out not just how to transition effectively but how to decide what details to describe.
I don't usually have problems transitioning between scenes. If you get hung up on a particular scene (or section of a scene), take out a spare sheet of paper/word and rewrite it, perhaps in a couple variations, until you get really bored of repeating the same scenario over and over. Then, take the best result and use that (or cut and paste bits from a number of them, that works well too!)
If you really, genuinely can't figure out what to do next, chances are the scene hit a lull. Take the opportunity to cut to the next one; if anything else important happened in the previous that you couldn't figure out how to write, you can reveal it slowly (perhaps as part of a conversation between two other characters - it's a little clique, but whatever.)
If you're having trouble getting in the mood, grab some fitting music (or better yet an entire playlist) that fits the mood of what you're going to write.
Having more than one writing project can be tricky. I keep mine in genre-separated 'folders' in my head. Get a good feel for your characters, and avoid writing two characters who are exact clones except for name and/or appearance.
Lastly: never, ever, ever be afraid of paragraphs. Paragraphs are your friend. Use them to indicate short pauses in dialogue, changes in topic, or what would correspond to switching cameras in a movie. Leave a bigger space or use a centered line of little symbols to indicate a scene change.
I had more I wanted to say, but oh well. This should work well enough for today
Ah well, at least I have something to say about transitions:Before you can talk about what your favorite scene transition type is, you really need to pinpoint the basic types of scene ending (or beginning, replace start for stop and it's the other one) available to you as a writer. There are basically three approaches you might take: the dramatic, the comedic, and the lull. You also need to know when it's appropriate to switch scenes.
The lull is the simplest - just cut the action off when the characters are relatively still, or (when a conversation is involved) two characters stop interacting or degrade into smalltalk (You might directly imply the latter or leave it to the audience's imagination, either works.) The emotional level of the story might be still be high - perhaps a character just lost his job, and walks off into the rain; or a happy couple is cuddled up on the couch together (In the case of an opening, perhaps a group of characters is about to bust in on the bad guy - there's tension, but no surprises yet) - but the basic continuation is no longer relevant or interesting. If you come to a lull, it's time for you to start a new scene (unless you're trying to show a situation is really boring, which can be interesting...)
The dramatic cuts off before a lull point, leaving unresolved questions about how what was going resolves. It's a cliffhanger. (Cutting between two different groups of people having related conversations in different places at the same time might also qualify) Dramatic ends are more emotionally charged. You know 'em when you see them. Dramatic opens occur when something interesting or relevant has happened, but the audience is left in the dark for some period of time. Dramatic cuts can be really fun, but avoid having too many dramatic cuts from one plotline to the next in a row without going back to resolve earlier events. (Actually, forget that: as a rule of thumb, if you have more than six relevant plotlines, some of them probably are not as relevant as you think...)
Comedic ends (or end/beginning pairs) are also easy to spot, and are valuable even in a much more serious work. Examples - a long action sequence that ends just as one of the main characters begins to explain what actually happened to an authority figure, a beginning where the punchline only of a joke is spoken by a character, or a scene cut of the "oh, X won't happen"/X happened variety. Subtler incarnations might include ending with a visual gag (The video game Portal is an example - a running gag involves there being cake at the end, and lo and behold, there is...)
Naturally, most endings are somewhere in between the three, and different levels of peace/drama/humor lend themselves to different writing styles. For a good example of scene changes, I'd look at one of Terry Pratchet's novels - he has no chapter breaks, just smaller scene changes, and he uses them to great effect.
Personally, I tend to prefer an emotionally steady ('lull') opening to an independent story's first scene, with a mixture of the other methods to suit the general mood of the piece. Even in the case of a one scene story, it's important to think about what note the story begins and ends on! A lot of it has to do with the audience you're writing for too. When in doubt, find an author you think transitions between scenes well, and read a lot of their stuff, paying careful attention to how they do it. (That works with everything writing related, actually. It's the best way to learn.)
If you are literally saying "cut to black" when not writing a film script or intentionally emulating that style, you may want to rethink your technique a little... using lots of clique phrases like that is often the hallmark of an inexperienced writer, which is the last way you want to present yourself! That said, imagining your story as a movie is a useful exercise, and can help you figure out not just how to transition effectively but how to decide what details to describe.
I don't usually have problems transitioning between scenes. If you get hung up on a particular scene (or section of a scene), take out a spare sheet of paper/word and rewrite it, perhaps in a couple variations, until you get really bored of repeating the same scenario over and over. Then, take the best result and use that (or cut and paste bits from a number of them, that works well too!)
If you really, genuinely can't figure out what to do next, chances are the scene hit a lull. Take the opportunity to cut to the next one; if anything else important happened in the previous that you couldn't figure out how to write, you can reveal it slowly (perhaps as part of a conversation between two other characters - it's a little clique, but whatever.)
If you're having trouble getting in the mood, grab some fitting music (or better yet an entire playlist) that fits the mood of what you're going to write.
Having more than one writing project can be tricky. I keep mine in genre-separated 'folders' in my head. Get a good feel for your characters, and avoid writing two characters who are exact clones except for name and/or appearance.
Lastly: never, ever, ever be afraid of paragraphs. Paragraphs are your friend. Use them to indicate short pauses in dialogue, changes in topic, or what would correspond to switching cameras in a movie. Leave a bigger space or use a centered line of little symbols to indicate a scene change.
I had more I wanted to say, but oh well. This should work well enough for today