You have a character in your mind. The image is clear but you want your character to come alive. Make it as real to you as possible. Or you have an idea but your thoughts are scattered and you need to organise them.
The easiest way I know of and the simplest way is to fill out what we call a 'Character Sheet'. It may look a little daunting because of the length but really its as bad as it looks.
So here is whats gonna happen.I want you to cut and paste the character sheet that I have laid out especially for you guys, and fill in everything about your character. I will walk you through it and tell you exactly what should be included in every answer you give.
Then once you have filled in everything (Minus the extra info that I posted so you can get rid of that once you have read it) and pm me the completed form. I will then assess it and give you feed back. Hopefully by the end of a nice chat you will be happy with your new character
This is the character sheet, so lets start with....
--General--
Name:
(Can say a lot about the character. It can tell you where a character is from, what time period, if their family is wealthy or well known. The meaning behind it alone will say a lot about your character and how they act or what their past was like. If you are struggling to find a good name you can use websites like http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning-search.html.
Age:
(This one is very basic but when you choose an age you have a few things to consider. You need to think about how smart they are, how they act (are they playful, or dark and serious) you don’t see a 3 year old nerd walking around so make sure everything is consistent when choosing an age.
Gender:
(Easy as scones, male or female, boy or girl)
Race:
(This is mainly for those that write with the fantasy style. This usually means are they a vampire, werewolf, demon, alien etc. You can be out there as you can but again consistency is the key. When you choose one make sure the characteristics are correct with the chosen race.
Occupation/Education:
(What does your character do for their living. If they are at school still then you need to think about what grade they are in and what subjects that they are doing. Then you may want to look at what social group would they fit in and how do they manage with study and life.
When it comes to jobs you need to think about what the job is and how they got it. How far do they have to travel to get there? Do they like it or do they hate working there. Details like that.
Home:
(Where they live is very important in telling who they are. Like if they live in a penthouse or a mansion usually means that they have a job, wealthy parents or a very large inheritance. Living in a flat in a normal home can mean normal and even if they don’t live anywhere should also think about where they sleep, what do they do to get food. It’s the little details like that, you need to fill in)
Hobbies:
(What do they like doing in their free time? Why do they like it and how did they start to like it? Was liking this influenced by another person? If you write something then see if you can go deeper than that. Keep going deeper until its no longer possible)
--Personality--
You should do this part in as much detail as you can. The more detailed you are with a character the more alive they will seem. Think carefully about this, because a personality is what will make your character more three dimensional
Good Traits:
(So what about them is good? Are they kind, honest, trustworthy? Will they do anything for a friend? But then I want you to go further. Are they only kind to some people? Are you always honest? How would you classify a friend and how far does your caring spread? These are the types of questions I want you to answer about your character)
Bad Traits:
(Also known as character flaws. You have to have them otherwise your character becomes too much of a goody two shoes and that just makes them boring. Thinking about this with the same depth as the good traits you need to think of things like: does you character have a bad temper, do they lie a lot, are they sadistic, evil, greedy, jealous, will they turn on a friend to save themselves? Things like that and go deeper still. How evil and bad are they? How far will they go to get what they want and what would make them stop? You need to answer these sorts of questions when filling in this part)
Fears:
(This is important. As you should know when someone has a fear, they tend to avoid what they are scared of. This affects how the character acts and what they do. However don’t just answer what they are scared of. Say why they are scared and what made them scared of this. Was it a past traumatic experience, was it because of the sound? Just think of things like that)
--Appearance--
Again here you need to make it as detailed as possible. Picture your character as clearly as you can and in the following prompts describe exactly what you see.
Height:
Weight:
(Okay so let’s get a feel for what your character looks like. These two don’t have to be detailed. Putting the measurements of the height is easy enough and you can either say if your character was fat, thin, big boned, muscular, scrawny. I tell you a Thesaurus can go a long way here)
Body Structure:
(This is really important for something so basic. It means what your character is like. Are they toned, muscular, are they lanky, stick thin, petite? Are they in proportion, bulky are they athletic or not? But then I want you again to go deeper then that. How did they become like that. Did they have surgery? Have they done much exercise, is it their job. Did they have an injury to cause them to stop exercising? It’s these things that you need to consider when describing your character)
Hair Length:
Hair Colour:
Hair Style:
Eye Colour:
(This isn’t as important as everything else. However its best, if you want to describe your character really well, and then use more descriptive words other than just long, short, blonde, blue or whatever. Picture the character and describe what they are like short and choppy or long and wavy and if you wanna go describing colour then go one further for example chestnut brown or sapphire blue.)
Casual Clothes:
Formal Clothes:
Night Clothes:
Accessories:
(Clothes say lot about a character. Younger children tend to wear lighter clothes while older people wear more conservative clothes. The personality, attitude, age and what they are like are reflected in what they wear. Doesn’t have to be very detailed but must reflect the personality of the character.
Piercings:
(How many does you character have and where are they? What made them decide to get these and where would they never get them?
Scars/Tattoos/Birthmarks:
(What are they, where are they how did they get there. These things are all important to know where the character has been and what they have done in their past. If they have a tattoo you need to think about why they got it, what is it of and where. And if you have a birth mark, where is it, and which family did you get from.
Items:
(What your character carries with them is also important. Like the clothes it reflects on who they are and it can also reflect on their past. Maybe carrying some photo or old family relic could mean the parents are gone or are being missed. If your character takes something with them, it once again reflects something more meaningful.
--Family--
When we grow up the most influential things are our families. Most troubles start with families and most mental issues as well. The way our parents raised us is the way we are made so our relationship with them and the attention to detail is important.
Mother:
Father:
Sisters/Brothers:
Lover/Partner:
Friends:
Work Colleagues:
(Things you need to write for each of these. Is things like who are they, what are their names? What do they look like? What do they do for a living? How do they act around others? What are they like and is it any different at home? MOST importantly, how does your character and that react with each other? Do they get along well, do they fight? Things like that are vital in coming up with making you character come to life.
--Favourites--
Yeah it seems pretty pointless but knowing what a character likes and dislikes is an important part of discovering who your character is. This also effects how they act it more subtle ways. Doesn’t have to be too detailed, just enough so you know exactly what this character likes and doesn’t like.
Fave colour:
Fave food:
Fave type of music:
Fave genre of book:
Fave season:
Fave animal:
--History--
In my opinion this is the most important part. Everything should tie in to here; everything you learn, how your character became who they were. All should be in here. Be as detailed as possible. Every little thing that could possibly count to how your character is now should be here. Before you are born you are a like a canvas with some guide lines which are your genetic make up. Everything else comes through experience.
Childhood:
(Was it quiet? Was the parents abusive, were put up to adoption. What was your characters life like when they were very young? The first few years of your life is vital so make it detailed)
Teenage Years:
Adulthood:
(You can take this further depending on the age of your characters. What you need to be careful of is that make sure what your character does in the past stays in check with the age. Remember there is only so much you can do if your character is only reasonably.
--Other Questions--
So now I am going to ask you a few questions that will really help you think about your character. Like everything in this I want you to answer the questions with as much detail.
Does your character have any habits?
What are they?
What one moment will turn your characters life upside down?
Does your character have any addictions?
What are they?
How did they get it?
Are they a positive or negative person?
Are they confident or shy?
Are they popular or do they prefer being alone?
What is their preferred method of transport?
Are they generally healthy?
Does your character drink/smoke/take drugs?
Are they addicted to any of these?
Describe a normal day for them:
Do they go out and party, or are they the type to stay at home?
What are their three main goals?
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Do they get enough sleep?
How does your character feel most of the time?
Feel Free to add your own questions, extra things and bits of information you feel you should add. Every little bit helps
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Please ask questions if you need to, I dont bite.
Anything else you think I should add then let me know.
I really hope this helps.
