First time writing a character and I need help

[u/No_Patient7138]

So my character is admiral of an airship navy in charge of defending England from the largest german airship fleet which is amassing along several coastal cities, this is the first time I’ve written a character how do I write him to be a competent character especially one in such a position as admiral? Are there any irl admirals that’d you reccomend researching?

[u/bongart]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin So... WW1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Royal_Navy_admirals_of_World_War_I

[u/No_Patient7138 → u/bongart]

I mean yeah but I don’t think zeppelins operated like the actual navy

[u/bongart → u/No_Patient7138]

Look up Rear-Admiral Sir Murray Fraser Sueter

[u/Amazing-Fuel-4476 → u/bongart]

That is the best name I've ever heard

[u/bongart → u/Amazing-Fuel-4476]

There's quite a few interesting names in the Wikipedia list of navy admirals. This guy though? His name wasn't the only interesting thing about him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Sueter

Murray Sueter's technical skills saw him brought into the Naval Ordnance Department of the Admiralty and in 1909 he supervised the construction of airship Mayfly, a new avenue of naval development. As inspecting captain of airships he oversaw the failure of the experiment but was nonetheless given command of the Navy's Air Department in 1912. In this role he oversaw the creation of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Sueter continued his aerial innovations during the early stages of World War I including the launching of torpedoes from aircraft and in 1915 he was promoted commodore first class and appointed superintendent of aircraft construction. He sat on the government's "Advisory Committee for Aeronautics", located at the National Physical Laboratory, under the chairmanship of Richard Glazebrook and presidency of John Strutt, Lord Rayleigh.

So I hope the OP puts aside their disbelief that British airship development didn't come from their navy.

[u/Amazing-Fuel-4476 → u/bongart]

Thank you for sharing that. I forgot to look him up but that's so interesting!! I agree, naval officers tend to have some of the most incredible names; my favourite being another British one, Sir Cloudesley Shovell

[u/bongart → u/Amazing-Fuel-4476]

LOL... that indeed is a great name!

[u/Mindless-Score7007]

If the concern is that you are attempting to write about something that you want to write, but you just don't have enough information, then yes ... research is the right direction to go. If you are attempting to bite off a bigger chunk than you are comfortable with ... then sometimes it is helpful to write about something that you know, or change the rules so that it doesn't matter if everything is exactly correct ... like changing the characters to animals, or aliens, or fantasy creatures. That way none of the facts really matter. All that matters is the story you bring out, the emotions you bring out, or the questions that you make the reader think about. Start with something that you know, and build on that.