If you're a fiction writer, you will probably flip over this. I know I would. I know I did. I filled it out for one of my characters and it is really helping me get a grip on some of her eccentricities. Because she is secretive and wants to be a wallflower, she tended to do so all too well. She needed something to give her life. And the following helped a lot. I'll post my character sketch in a few days, but for now, I'll just post the outline so you can have fun with this. (Hint: try answering the questions about yourself first)
Name
Age
Appearance
Occupation
Income
Education
Environment
Personal Chronology
Hobbies
Pet(s)
Religion
Ethnic Background
Class
Occupation of Parents and/or Children
Talents
Dislikes
Eccentric Habits
Phobias
Ability to Change and Grow
Food Choices
Favorite Clothing Items
Color Preferences
Sound of Laughter
Reaction to Touch by Strangers
Shopping Patterns
Size of Vocabulary
Aspirations
Favorite Setting
Number of Friends
Drinking Habits
Feelings About Smoking
Favorite Pain Killer
Method of Handling Change
Letter Writing Habits
Storage of Photographs
Musical Preferences
Integrity
Secrets
Jealousies
Animal Totem
Representative Symbol
Ugliest Fault
Most Powerful Memories
Degree of Resilience
Problem-Solving Ability
Means of Coping with Stress
Method of Defusing Anger
Resemblance to Real People
Resonance with Other Characters
I also suggest considering certain decisions you make about daily life and discovering how your character would respond to those choices. For example, I'm deciding if my character would sleep in in the morning and when she would be most productive. What motivates her? How does she deal with unpleasant people?
(Taken from Take Your Characters to Dinner by Laurel A. Yourke)
~Meggy
Wow, this is very helpful!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just awesome? The book suggests imagining your character in day-to-day situations, so that you come to know them as well as you do a friend. I want to post more excerpts from the book because it's just so good!
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