I recently just wrote a story where the main character is silent. The whole first chapter he's only just viewing what is taking place around him curiously, as the whole first chapter takes place in a festival. Every time he even tries to talk he's either cut off by someone or something catches his attention, thus luring him away from talking. I don't know for how long I can actually keep him that silent, though I do know at one point he is going to have to talk for the story to get on with the plot. Though, it does revolve around other characters as well, which kind of helps in filling in the silence.

So I just wanted to know what you guys thought about primarily silent or just thoughtful characters.

• Have you ever had one or encountered one? (Be it in a roleplay or story)

• What were your thoughts on he/she/it?

• Do you think it's particularly easy to write through their eyes or, in the case of being in a roleplay and it's someone else's character, replying?

In my case, I find silent characters in stories to be interesting up to a certain point before all the silence begins to get to me. Though, I've seen that people have problems with silent characters and tend to talk much more than talkative types.

I like silent characters because you're more up to action and less to boring convarsations. The story could be exited if a character is silent. It gives more space for concrete action if you don't let to talk any personage.

Depends entirely on the execution. If a silent character is otherwise bland as well then it doesn't make for much of a story, does it? It's difficult to connect to flat characters, or even to want to connect to them at times.

I myself have played many a 'quiet' character. I do enjoy them, some have been better or more enjoyable than others, but to me when an otherwise silent character finally speaks up it means a lot more than when a blabbermouth says the same thing. xP

Conversation doesn't have to be boring, either, just saying. xD

My pet Kriena's character is mute, although she needs her back story reworked. So I have roleplayed with a mute character before. Roleplaying with her was surprisingly easy, probably because who she was being roleplayed with talked a lot.

She communicates primarily with sign language, and her secondary form of communication was writing notes. However in the roleplay she was in, she didn't have a lot of time to do either one of those things, so she communicated with actions. She (unfortunately) gives off a helpless vibe due also being shy, but she's able to defend herself, and in fact save the character I mentioned before.

I'm curious though as to why you're keeping your character silent, if they're not intentionally mute? In the case that they get distracted by things, why aren't they voicing their thoughts, or apologizing for not being able to answer anything? (Geeze I hope that didn't come off as chastising. ;-; I'm genuinely curious and I'm actually quite interested in silent characters.)

When I am writing a silent character, I have to give them a way to communicate, even if the character is truly mute. I've come across a few different ways (in no particular order and probably not a complete list of possibilities):

1. Action: How the character reacts to his environment can say a lot about his personality, but in writing it can still be difficult for readers to connect with him if there is no inclusion of what he's thinking or *feeling. That said, if you let your silent main character become almost a secondary character to his environment, it can be interesting. You just have to make sure there is further reason he had to do what he did, a common thread so to speak, especially if the situations seem otherwise unrelated at first.
   *Feelings can be expressed through body language.
2. Have a secondary or a second main character who speaks for him: Since what I write always features a couple or an eventual couple, I like to have the speaking partner speaking for the silent one or other characters speaking to the speaking character about the silent character (even if they don't have anything nice to say).
3. Sign language: You'd have to be sure to establish the every time the character "speaks", he is using signs.
4. Thoughts: Similar to sign language, you have to make it is clear he is thinking not speaking.
5. Notes, text messages, etc.: Maybe the character doesn't get the chance to speak "out loud" (either using his voice or signs), but a character can communicate by leaving messages for other characters.

I would suggest you either do one of two things: keep the character silent OR make whatever he does finally say have impact (though that doesn't mean it has to be some great words of wisdom; it just needs to be important in some fashion)...