How to Create Your Own Original Character (OC) From Scratch

What is an OC? An OC is a fictional character created by an artist or storywriter that can be a human, animal, or creature, made by an individual rather than a media company. 
​by Zeke Hughes

OC (original character): What is an OC? An OC is a fictional character created by an artist or storywriter that can be a human, animal, or creature, made by an individual rather than a media company. An OC can even be a brand-new hero or villain made for a book, comic, or game that the creator is writing themselves.

​Creating an OC’s design:
When creating an OC's design, the most common approach is mixing core concepts, drawing from multiple inspirations, and building outward from personality or world-building traits. This involves merging two unlike ideas, such as an animal with an elemental power or an occupation with a quirky trait. You could also draw from several different sources, which could include fashion styles, different eras from history, or your personal favorite forms of media; you could even use real things that are occurring within the world. For those who make an OC that resembles real-world things and/or problems, these real-life connections play a big part in the creation of their OC, which could even be based on problems the creator is going through or having to live with. The creation of an OC could just be a random idea that pops into your mind; it could even happen when you're thinking or listening to music. Music has been a huge influence on people's creation of an OC. Some even base the OC on the emotions they feel at the moment.

Creating an OC’s lore/backstory:
When you're creating an OC, you could just build stories and lore for your original characters (OCs) by combining random daydreams, core psychological motivations, and world-building frameworks. When you make a character's design, you might feel as if it's missing something: a story that could allow the character to actually stick out. Some stories could be dramatic, serious, or even just nonsense. Stories shouldn't have to be strict and held back. Using your imagination allows you to create a world of story behind them. You can use inspiration from the real world or a form of media that you like. A story could be dark, sunshine and rainbows, or even just downright problematic. Writers often break a history down into the status quo (life before), a pivotal event (the turning point or catalyst), and the aftermath (how the event permanently changed their behavior and worldview).

Giving an OC life:
How do you give your OC life? Well, let's put it simply. It starts with a name, a personality, and a role to play. When creating names, people come up with names for an original character (OC) by matching their personality, culture, and setting using a mix of research, thematic wordplay, and generation tools. Some websites you could use for creating a name for an OC include Reedsy and Novelcrafter. When defining what role an OC would play out, creators often start with a familiar archetype—like the reluctant hero, charming rogue, or loyal sidekick—and twist specific traits to make the character unique. When creating a personality for an OC, creators build personalities for their OC by blending outside inspiration, psychological frameworks, and character design elements into a cohesive trait set. Writers often design an OC's personality to bounce off someone else, creating opposites, friendly rivals, or mirroring hero-villain dynamics.

Showing off your OC to the world:
​When you're finished with creating that OC, how can you show it off to the world? Well, it's simple: you show it on apps like Reddit, DeviantArt, Toyhouse, and Unvale. But is there now an app where you can chat with others and play as your OC? Well, OCSN is the one for you! OC Social Network (OCSN) is a social media-style mobile app designed for human-driven roleplay, allowing you to post, chat, and interact as your original characters (OCs) or existing fictional canon characters in a Twitter-style format.

Now that you have created your OC, go out into the world, show off your imagination, and allow your stories to become real for all to see!