Character plotting/development.
My father once said to me that to succeed in your respective career, you must covet the knowledge so that management cannot replace you.
I think thats bullshit and probably why he was in the exact same job, without progressing, my whole life.
Below is some* of the things I think about when I put together my main characters. Its kinda a mish-mash of things I’ve read, heard or thought and just compiled into a document, to be copy/paste into a fresh document awaiting life to be given to it.
Some teachers say that you must be able to write 500 pages on your main characters, and that just sounds painful. I wanna write 500 pages of my manuscript thankyouverymuch.
The below, form like, questionaire would provide enough informantion to write those 500 pages, but without the hassle of writing 500 fucking pages.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE ALL THIS INFO IN YOUR STORY.
But it shows in your storytelling if you dont know your characters well enough. Especially when your character descriptions and personalities remain consistant throughout your story.
You’re allowed to write “N/A” for some of these.
You’re allowed to write 4 pages of info for just one question.
You can add in photos, songs, links or reference people or anything else you may already know.
You can add or subtract any questions you like.
You can share this with your friends.
The point is, if you can answer these kinds of questions about your character, you’re probably going to have a well rounded character that has a rich complex personality and gives your story a whole extra dimension of intrigue.
Once completed, you print this sucka out and use it as reference material so you dont have to try and keep a consistant mental picture and understanding whilst trying to juggle the rest of the story telling.
Children/s Name/s & Age/s:
Sibling/s Name/s & Age/s:
Talents/Skills/Powers & Origins:
Distinguishing Physical Traits (ie, Moles, Scars, Birthmarks):
Past National Identity/s:
Current National Identity:
Wordy or clipped language:
Common themes or Phrases:
Negative Life Experiences:
Positive Life Experiences:
How would your character like the novel/s to finish?
What are the stakes if the novel/s dont end that way?
What the obstacles they will face?
How does this character relate to the general cast?
How does this character relate to each cast member?
*I say that these are some of the things I question, because I do have a mini personality quiz that explores 16 psychological traits. I use this for the character at the start of the story and where I want the character to be at the end of the story, and then compare the changes so I know where they’re changed in personality and that gives me something to aid in plot development.
But thats me micromanaging my plot based on character developement, not really about the characters development.
gummygunk
izzy806
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline
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