Why is it more preferable to not give away too much unnecessary personal detail about your characters? Like their sexual orientation ?

Question

I was having this discussion with someone when we talked about how in the show The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman mentioned that he played around with the idea of Daryl being Asexual and thus why he's never put in any type of relationships, but in the end they didn't really do that. I felt like that was an unnecessary detail, like we didn't need a reason for why he isn't in a relationship or having sex with other people like the other characters do. I felt it doesn't add anything to the character and if anything takes away from his character. It'd just be spelled out in front of you, he's Asexual, so no relationship. Personally I liked the idea that his upbringing doesn't allow him to have any sense of romantic or sexual emotions for other people, or maybe even a trust issue thing. But if it's just spelled out for you why, you wouldn't be able to really think about the character in more depth. That's just my opinion.

Why would it be more preferable for a writer to not just give random details about their characters that in no way affects their character or story. My friend argued that it may not further the story, but it's just "nice to know". I remember the same thing happened with the kid who played Will on Stranger Things. Fans kept saying his character was definitely gay, and he made a statement about how "good stories aren't supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it"

Any thoughts or opinions on this?

Why would it be more preferable for a writer to not just give random details about their characters that in no way affects their character or story. My friend argued that it may not further the story, but it's just "nice to know". I remember the same thing happened with the kid who played Will on Stranger Things. Fans kept saying his character was definitely gay, and he made a statement about how "good stories aren't supposed to leave you with answers because then you never question yourself and you forget about it"

Any thoughts or opinions on this?

Elaine M · Answer

1. We don't need a laundry list of everything about them. 
2. Only give us what we need in the story.

MsBittner · Answer

Characters written for television generally have less depth and less completion than characters in novel-length fiction.

Authors or screenwriters provide the traits the audience needs to know, and authors may round it out with information to make the character feel more real by providing information not necessary for the story, included solely to develop character. Screenwriters don't have time for that.

The regulars here know I write erotica, where knowing the characters' sexuality is necessary, but I also write in other genres--and I still provide basic who-is-this-person information like sexual orientation, sociopolitical views, how educated they are, etc. because that's something you'd know about anyone who's more than a casual acquaintance.

Anonymous · Answer

Who says it's preferable? While you briefly mention the source material it's obvious that your main focus is the television show, and you go on to mention another TV program. There are dozens of characters in The Walking Dead. Many of the characters from the graphic novel never made it onto the show. Some of the characters on the show were created specifically for television. Your bizarre fixation on the sexuality of fictional characters isn't something that can be attributed to the creators' ambiguous depiction of the character, it's your own little peculiarity. You didn't post this question to find out why the creators never revealed the characters' favorite foods or middle names or SAT scores. You're here because you're obsessed with their sexuality. So don't pretend that this is a legitimate question about the creative process or artistic license or maintaining an air of mystery. You want to fixate on the sexuality of fictional characters and posting this question is feeding into that obsession. Come back here if you should ever start to read books. There are comment threads about TV show episodes that would be a lot more rewarding for someone like you.

Why is it more preferable to not give away too much unnecessary personal detail about your characters? Like their sexual orientation ?

Trending Questions