User blog comment:Memai/Why I cannot take your OC seriously./@comment-4059927-20120208044011/@comment-4675595-20120208143718

I think everyone writes a character who is almost a carbon copy of themselves when they're starting out - after all, it's best to write what you know, and who do you know better than yourself? But, unless you're writing an autobiography, it's good to distance yourself from your character. For starters, don't name them after yourself :P

Also, try giving them some traits and opinions that you yourself don't share. Have them interpret things differently than you would, and handle situations in ways that you might not. For example, my OC, Stevie, is a compulsive liar who likes to push people's buttons, just because he wants to see how they'll react. He's also a shameless kiss-up, and takes all kinds of abuse from friends and enemies alike. He does a lot of things that I would never do, and says things that I don't necessarily agree with. You've seen him in action - Stevie's kind of a little shit.

If you can get a feel for the character's personality, it'll definitely help with their dialogue. Dialogue should feel natural to the character. Ask yourself what kind of wording they would use, and how it would be delivered - a character who's an avid reader might use bigger words, or words that are less commonly used, and almost always have good grammar. Someone who never reads would use simple words, maybe stumble over their phrases because they're not sure how to convey their thoughts. A character who wants to sound smarter than they are might use a lot of purple phrases, or even misuse complicated words. Someone timid might beat around the bush a little bit, whereas someone more straightforward would say exactly what's on their mind, with no sugarcoating. I recommend listening in to the people around you, and trying to observe who uses what sort of language - everyone has a different way of speaking, because everyone has a different personality.

Hope that helps :>