Apr 10 2009
“How can I write a character that’s smarter than I am?”
Here are some tips to help you write a super-intelligent character even if you are pretty ordinary yourself.
1. Try not to focus on him talking intelligently– what can he do that’s intelligent? When you’re thinking about this character’s actions, he should be able to come up with cunning plans and brilliant moves. Try to keep these as simple as possible. After the hero carries out his plan, ideally your readers will say “damn, why didn’t I think of that?”
2. Don’t have him talk too much. Characters that ramble tend to come across as ineffective gasbags. In particular, cut the mumbo-jumbo.
3. Put extra care into researching his field. For example, talk to someone experienced in his field or read a book about it. If you don’t know his field very well, it will be very glaring that he doesn’t know his field. That’s especially problematic for a character that’s supposed to be a genius. For example, on Heroes, Denko is supposedly a master investigator but is completely clueless about how to actually investigate a crime. He ends up getting vocational help from Sylar, a serial killer. Smooth.
4. Check out TV Tropes for a list of some of the implausible conventions of your medium. For example, a supersmart person in the universe of Spiderman would wonder why Mary Jane has been kidnapped so many times by Spiderman’s villains. In real life, kidnapping is extremely rare and never happens more than once to the same person. A smart person would notice that something really weird is going on with Mary Jane and investigate further. Why is it always Spiderman that rescues Mary Jane instead of Wolverine or Daredevil? Even a cursory investigation would suggest that Mary Jane is probably very close to Spiderman. Check out some of the implausible conventions of your field. How could you exploit them to make your character look smart?
That makes a lot of sense. I planned on writing at least one super-smart character into Showtime, so this really helps.
I find the Ender’s Game series as very helpful for genius characters. For example, I’ve noticed that most genius’ are slightly arrogant, or may seem that way because of their brilliance.
To make interactions with other characters more realistic, other people could be slightly threatened or irritated by their genius.
Is it possible to write a super smart character that doesn’t come off as arrogant? How would you then emphasize how smart he/she is?
Hmm. If you want him not to sound arrogant, I’d recommend toning down the jargon and mumbo-jumbo. I think Reed Richards sounds arrogant because most of what he says is sci-fi gibberish. I’d recommend having him speak as though he were addressing a layman he respected. When the character goes mumbo-jumbo, readers will not be able to relate to him.
Huh, I’m not B.Mac, but maybe I could make a suggestion? If they don’t come off as arrogant, maybe they’re humble or lazy or bumbling or absentminded.
In writing a novel, you can display their intelligence by how they view the world around them, and how they interact with the world.
If they’re not arrogant, they’ll probably add “sorry” when they correct somebody. Or “I think”, which could be funny in the right context. I think.
Thanks for this article. Since Tristram is much more knowledgeable about computers than I am, I needed to know how to go about it. He is over-the-top arrogant at times, but only if he’s really annoyed.
Livian: “Which is the cable you’re talking about?”
Tristram: (Groans) “The collection of small wires wrapped in a plastic coat, plugged into that small indentation. Can you just let me do my job?”
Requiem: “How will you go about transferring the money?”
Tristram: “First I will trace the pattern of the binary signal to the account and then-
(Requiem widens his eyes)
Tristram: “Okay, I forgot I was talking to a bunch of technophobes. Basically I follow the path the money went down. Happy?”
Requiem: “How will you go about transferring the money?”
Isn’t Requiem supposed to be really young? If so, I’d recommend replacing “go about transferring” with a simpler synonym. (“How are you gonna get the money?”)
Tristram: “First I will trace the pattern of the binary signal to the account and then-
(Requiem widens his eyes)
Tristram: “Okay, I forgot I was talking to a bunch of technophobes. Basically I follow the path the money went down. Happy?”
That sounds good, but I think that “Okay, I forgot I was talking to a bunch of technophobes” could be more stylish.
Okay, thanks!
How about this:
Tristram: “First I will trace the pattern of the binary signal to the account and then-
(Requiem widens his eyes)
Tristram: “I forgot that you’re all technophobic. Basically I follow the path the money went down. Happy?”
It’s better, but I think that it has the potential to be funny. Right now, I don’t feel it is.
Okay, how about this:
Tristram: “First I will trace the pattern of the binary signal to the account and then-
(Requiem widens his eyes)
Klemente: “We’re idiots. Explain it like you would to a brain dead mule.”
Tristram: “Basically I follow the path the money went down. Happy?”
I needed this for Connor. Where else can I learn to write a genius eleven year old?
(I have him mention reading the encyclopedia at least once, but I need more than that.)
– Wings
“I needed this for Connor. Where else can I learn to write a genius eleven year old?”
I’d advise you read Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow. Also try Encyclopedia Brown.
Thanks. 🙂
– Wings
I’m trying to create a character that is a prodigy too. Or mayhaps not a prodigy, but someone who shouldn’t have EVER existed, and therefore has a photographic memory, to the extent of either precognitive or telepathic (or a combination) powers. At time she exhibits some I’m-way-smarter-than-any-grown-up attitude , sometimes. Some in her town already know why she’s like that. So, any help?
Look on my review forum for the other question!
Gurion, is that character a hero? If so, I think there might be serious likability and relatability issues. A character that flaunts how much smarter he is than his readers might be off-putting. On the other hand, it could work if he did so in a genuinely witty and stylish manner, particularly if he were a minor character. What do you think about Catastrophe?
No, she’s not a superhero, BM.
Not to sound snotty or snappy.
No, I meant “is she a protagonist?” If she’s a prominent character that we’re supposed to like, likability will be more of a problem than if she’s a villain or a side-character.
Ohh… she is the protagonist, actually.
Hmmm, yeah, good point. But I’m taking a diet from the Mary Sue kind of protagonists.
Hmph.
Maybe they only start-up with the ‘You’re not supposed to exist’ thingy when strange things start happening in her village.
Or maybe, her parents were (maybe they got kicked out) a part of some order that prohibited having children, since their kids almost always appeared to be abominations, and are…well….
Or he. I might switch it back to a male protagonist.