The Character Journal Challenge
.So I made this over a year ago, and my friend @self-insert-nonsense encouraged me to post it so I am. The Character Journal Challenge is a way to add character depth to your ocs. For each day/challenge, you make a journal page for your character, and the idea is to have a small journal filled with things about your character’s life. Think of it like a character’s diary, with endless possibilities (and try to do this from your characters point of view! really try to get to know your ocs!)
. When was your character born? Was there anything interesting the day she/he/they was born? did something unplanned happen? (try to include a picture of your character the day they were born!)
Tell us about your character’s parents, did they have happy childhoods? are they together? divorced? never married? and do they get along? Give us a picture of them!
. Early life, what was their first word? do they prefer a certain parent? Did it take them longer to learn to walk/talk? (try to include 2 pictures in this one! maybe one of your characters learning to walk/talk! or one with their family)
Starting school, how was their first day of school? do they have bullies? what is their favorite subject? did they hate the school lunch? (decide how many pictures you want!)
They have a new friend! Who are they? How did they meet, what did they think of them at first? What do your oc’s guardians think of them? Include a picture of your character’s new friend!
Now that you’re older you start to meet new people! do you have any relationships with other family members? aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents? (and for each member you include give us a picture!you can include two people in a picture but let us know who they are!)
.Oh! something really bad/good just happened to your character!! And they just got to write about it! What happened? And do they have any pictures??
. Your character has been asked what they want to do when they are older, do they know? Do they have a profession they want to go into? tell us about it! Maybe they want to be president
. Are you tired? Cause I am! Today your character wants to take a break and just write down a few things that they like. What’s their favorite color? food? icecream flavor? tv show? (try to include 1 picture of them doing an activity they enjoy!)
uh oh! Your character has a habit they might not be too proud of (don’t feel bad, we all do!) what is theirs? Did someone catch them doing it? do they just need to tell someone or they will explode? that’s up to you!
. Your character is a teenager now! And how is life treating them? Do they have bad acne? are they still friends with one from childhood? do they have new friends? and is there a certain someone that catches their eye? (give us 3 pictures and let us really see how life is at this stage! )
Jobs suck! And your character has one! most teenagers work in fast food and retail, and maybe yours does too! or maybe they are lucky enough to find a job somewhere else. How did they get their first job? how do they feel about it? why did they get it? Give us a picture of them in their new uniform!
. Talents! everyone has someone that is unique to them, what is yours? Are they good at writing? art? sports? watching tv and balancing a bag of Cheetos on their head? or maybe prank calling the old lady next door who you’re pretty sure has been stealing your newspaper, including a silly picture!’
. Papers are being angrily turned open today, your character has gotten into a fight with a friend they really care about! Was it their fault or their friend? Do they think they should apologize first?
. What is their most valuable possession? what does your character always have on them? Introduce it to us! Let us know why that’s so special to them, when did they get it? was it a gift or did they buy it at the store? Give us a picture of it!
.Values, what is theirs? what made them think of it? has something happened to them in life to develop these values? or did they learn them over time? give us some emotion from your character!
. Keep a promise, break a promise, it’s up to you. Your character’s friend has told them a secret they must keep hidden. And your character isn’t sure if it’s right or wrong to do so, will they keep the secret or let it out!?
. Scary dreams are the worst, and your character’s had the worst one yet! now that they are up they grab that journal and write out everything they can remember! Was there anyone in the dream they knew? was it significant? did it worry them? Draw us a scene from this dream!
Your character is almost an adult now! are they ready for it? what scares them the most? how are they planning for when they are going to live on their own? do they have plans for a roommate? And do they want to go to college?
You’ve graduated! Now let us see those pictures of your character with their family/friends! what did they do to celebrate? did they have fun?
Does your character have a love interest? have they just met someone who catches their eye? (and if your character is asexual/romantic) is there a character they get along better with than anyone else? How do they feel about this?
The older you get the more into a routine you get into to, is your character worried about new behaviors that are showing? and has old routines changed for new ones? what did your character not expect life to be like at the age they are now?
Tell us the 5 most important things your character has done as an adult/ has happened to them as an adult
Does your character think about having children or getting married? are they already? Have the character let us know their thoughts about this and if they have any plans, and if they don’t thats okay!
Slowing down, your character is starting to get older and have to think back, did they accomplish their goals? What is there still left for them to do? Give us 5 pictures of the most important things they want to do still
How is their relationship with their friends and family? are they still close, and do they celebrate birthdays and holidays together? show us some pictures!
Your character has fallen in love with something simple, whats the one thing that your character loves to do that others might find uninteresting? do they like to knit? watch the leaves fall, watch the sun come up or down?
Age is starting to affect your character, and they have had a long and (hopefully) healthy life, are they getting ill? losing strength? are they still as strong as a bull? And how do they feel about this?
Heaven or Hell? does it exist, and what does your character think about it? where do they think they will go, or do they not go anywhere after they die?
Its your characters last entry, and they don’t have much time left, how old are they now, are there any regrets, anything they want people to know about them before there gone except in the hearts of the people that loved them, I highly suggest making as many pictures as you can for this last entry and really give us a last good look at your character’s life
