Exhausting List of ?s about Characters

Using Character Sheets


Writing fiction is a bit like baking a cake. You need the right ingredients in the right amounts or it will turn out awful. For fiction you need the right combination of plot, action, description and character development to bring your story to life for your reader.

Character development can be one of the most important things about writing fiction. You want to create a realistic group of characters to move your plot along and to do that you need to know them. But how much do you really have to know about them before you start writing?

Well, that depends on the kind of story you are writing. The length of your tale will dictate the amount of character information you will need to make them come to life. For simplicity's sake, I've broken my character sheet down into what I use for each type of writing. Your character sheets may vary.

Flash Fiction

Writing flash fiction is one of the hardest types of writing. You have to create a story with only a bare minimum of words and it has to make sense. For most flash fiction, you only need the most basic character information.

Name:
Age:
Height:
Weight:
Hair color and style:
Eye color:
Complexion and skin tone:
Character's body build:

These should be enough to create a flash fiction character.

Short Stories

Short stories have a higher word count, so the characters in those should be more developed. You have more leeway with your character's descriptions and can even give background information, which will make them more real for your readers. Use the above information, then add the following:

Identifying marks:
Facial features:
Hand features:
Scent:
Mannerisms or gestures:
Character back story:


Novellas and Novels

Novellas and novels require the most detailed characters because they are as much character driven stories as plot driven. Character sheets with more detailed physical description, personality traits, and an extensive background will go a long way to making your story one that pulls a reader in and keeps them reader from beginning to end. Use all of the above plus the following:

Strongest personality traits:
Weakest personality traits:
Needs of the character:
Ambitions:
Father's name:
Age:
Physical appearance:
Mother's name:
Age:
Physical appearance:
Sibling's names and descriptions:
Favorite sayings:
Interests and hobbies:
Favorite foods:
Favorite colors:
Pets:
Education:
Religion:
Financial situation:
Future plans:
Possessions this character values most:
What drives your character:
How does your character handle conflict:
What is standing in your character's way:
What is their favorite room and why?
What vehicle do they drive:
Favorite sport(s):
What are your character's prejudices:
How does your character feel about love:
About crime:
What is their neighborhood like:
What is your character's philosophy on life:
What is your character's family life like:

You should also have a rough background and timeline for this character, from childhood through the start of the story. Break it down into 5 year spans, unless your character is fairly old, then go with 10 year spans. Finally, have a profile summary, taking everything you have for the character and write up a one or two paragraph summary. It is a good way to focus your character's information, and could be used in your story.

Book Series

When writing a series of books about the same characters, it is important to keep some kind of record of their traits. Do not rely on your memory when it comes to writing each book. As an avid reader of series books, it is amazing the number of times a character's eyes have been dark blue in one book and dark brown in another then back to blue. While most casual readers won't catch that kind of mistake, your dedicated readers will. It costs you nothing to keep a notebook with your character sheets and reference it when writing the next book in your series. It will go a long way to keep the continuity of your books intact.

A note on describing clothing. Unless the clothing change is crucial to your story's plot, limit your fashion descriptions. You do not need to tell every single piece of clothing your character is wearing. A basic idea of their attire is enough for most readers.

Your characters are as important to your story as your plot. Developing them will help bring your tale to life, but taking the time to plan them out prior to writing is a great way to make them real to you and your reader.

Thank you for taking the time to read. Happy Writing!
(Courtesy of Demon Squirrel of Doom – [e-mail])
darkin

Create an outline for your characters. It can be as simple as the following.

1. Name
2. Sex
3. Description (include hair and eye color, hair length, body type)
4. Date of birth, age and place of birth.
5. Marital status, children. (How old, etc)
6. Occupation (do they like their job? How long has this
been their occupation?)
7. Education
8. Fears
9. Favorites (colors, seasons, holidays, weapons, sports,
foods,etc.)
10. Type of personality
11. Health
12. Passions
13. Traveled? Where?
14. Criminal record?
15. Special training?

fyn

The Interview

Create a new character in your mind. One that you have never used in a story before. (Or, if you have a character that still needs devlopment for a story, by all means, develop them with this method!) Then answer the following questions about this imaginary person - you might be surprised at how real they suddenly become:

1. What does the person look like - all the way down to the last detail? Do they have any scars? If they do, where'd they come from? What other odd traits might they have?

2. What happened in this person's past to make them who they are today? Were they divorced, abused, loved, cared for, pushed away, etc?

3. What kind of temperment do they have, and why? Does it have something to do with their past?

4. How would they react in the following situations?
a. A divorce
b. Someone cheating on him/her
c. A robbery
d. Finding out that someone s/he love loves him/her back
e. Winning the lottery (what would they do with the money?)
f. S/he has been wronged in some other way - does s/he forgive easily?

5. What kind of friends do they keep, if they keep any? Does s/he actually trust his/her friends, or are they there for convenience?

There are, of course, other questions that you can ask of the character... often pertaining to a particular story. Call this an... interview, of your imaginary person.

"Invalid Entry" 
Sara♥Jean

Any others I can put in here?