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@twinofquotes
This hit me so damn hard.
Book Rainbowwww :) (I can’t remember if I’ve ever posted these all together before?)
42 character development questions!
PHYSICAL PRESENCE AND GESTURE. 1. How do they move and carry themselves? Pace, rhythm, gestures, energy? 2. How much physical space do they use, active and at rest? 3. How do they position themselves in a group? Do they like to be the center of attention, or do they hang back at the edges of a crowd? 4. What is their size and build? How does it influence how they use their body, if it does? 5. How do they dress? What styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? Why? 6. What are they like in motion–in different environments, and in different activities? What causes the differences between these? 7. How do they physically engage with other people, inanimate objects, and their environment? What causes the differences between these? 8. Where and when do they seem most and least at ease? Why? How can you tell? 9. How do they manifest energy, exhaustion, tension, or other strong emotions? 10. What energizes and drains them most? 11. How are they vocally expressive? What kind of voice, accent, tones, inflections, volume, phrases and slang, and manner of speaking do they use? 12. How are they bodily expressive? How do they use nonverbal cues such as their posture, stance, eyes, eyebrows, mouths, and hands? DISPOSITION AND TEMPERAMENT. 13. How do they greet the world — what is their typical attitude towards life? How does it differ in different circumstances, or towards different subjects? Why do they take these attitudes, and why do they change? How do these tend to be expressed? 14. What do they care deeply about? What kind of loyalties, commitments, moral codes, life philosophies, passions, callings, or spirituality and faith do they have? How do these tend to be expressed? 15. What kind of inner life do they have — rich and imaginative? Calculating and practical? Full of doubts and fears? Does it find any sort of outlet in their lives? 16. Do they dream? What are those dreams like? 17. Are they more shaped by nature or nurture — who they are, or what has happened to them? How have these shaped who they’ve become as a person? 18. What kind of person could they become in the future? What are some developmental paths that they could take, (best, worst, most likely?) what would cause them to come to pass, and what consequences might they have? What paths would you especially like to see, and why? CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS. 19. How do they behave within a group? What role(s) do they take? Does this differ if they know and trust the group, versus finding themselves in a group of strangers? Why? 20. What kind of individual relationships do they have with others, and how do they behave in them? How are they different between intimate relationships like friends, family, and lovers versus more impersonal relationships? 21. What kind of relationships do they tend to intentionally seek out versus actually cultivate? What kind of social contact do they prefer, and why? 22. How do people respond to them, and why might these responses differ? 23. How do they respond to difficult social moments? What makes them consider a social situation difficult? 24. How do they present themselves socially? What distinguishes their “persona” from their “true self”, and what causes that difference? 25. What do they need and want out of relationships, and how do they go about getting it? 26. How do they view and feel about relationships, and how might this manifest in how they handle them, if it does? ACTIVITIES AND PREFERENCES. 27. What do they strongly like and dislike, in any category? Why? 28. What are they likely to do if they have the opportunity, resources, and time to accomplish it? Why? 29. What kind of activities, interests, and hobbies do they have? What significance and impact do these have in their lives, both positive and negative? 30. What is their preferred level of activity and stimulation? How do they cope if they get either too little or too much? 31. Is there anything that counts as a “dealbreaker” for them, positively or negatively? What makes things go smoothly, and what spoils an activity or ruins their day? Why? 32. Do they have any “props” that are a significant part of their life, identity, activities, or self-presentation somehow? What are they, how are they used, and why are they so significant? How would these props’ absence impact them, how would they compensate, and why? THINKING AND LEARNING. 33. How do they learn about the world–what is their preferred learning style? Hands-on learning with trial and error? Research, reading, and note-taking? Observation or rote memorization? Inductive or deductive reasoning? Seeking patterns and organization? Taking things apart and putting them back together? Creative processing via discussing, writing about, or dramatizing things? 34. How do they understand the world–what kind of worldview and thought processes do they have? Why? 35. How and why do they internalize knowledge? What effect has that had on them? 36. How much do they rely on their minds and intellect, versus other approaches like relying on instinct, intuition, faith and spirituality, or emotions? What is their opinion on this? 37. Have they had any special education or training that colors their means of learning about or understanding the world? Conversely, do they lack some kind of education considered essential in their world? What kind of impact has this addition or lack had on them? 38. Is there anything they wish they could change about their worldview or thought processes? What, and why? 39. What sort of questions or thoughts recur in their lives, either specifically or as a theme? Why are these never answered, or answered permanently to their satisfaction? 40. What do they wonder about? What sparks their curiosity and imagination, and why? How is this expressed, if it is? FREE FOR ALL. 41. What associations do they bring to mind? Words or phrases, images, metaphors or motifs? Why? 42. I have a question of my own!
Legit Tip #176
or - “Writing Characters in Established Relationships”
The majority of time, when relationships are prominent in fiction, they cover the beginnings of relationships - how couples get together. First meetings and the difficulties that people face in getting to know each other and falling in love. And there’s definitely something magical and special and lovely about that.
But there’s something just as special and lovely about couples who have been together for a while - who have already had the time to get to know each other and grow together. Which is why I love it when stories open with characters who are already in established relationships. I think it goes without saying, though, that there are special challenges that come with writing characters who are already in established relationships.
First things first - I think anybody writing a couple in an established relationship needs to realize that there is always going to be a history there. And just like you can’t infodump with the worldbuilding of a story, you can’t infodump with a couple and tell the reader everything there is to know about how they got together, and what they’ve been through. So that leads me to one of my first major points.
Reveal backstory through interaction. One of my favorite couples is Tess and Joel from Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us.” Though they were never officially confirmed as a couple, it was pretty obvious that they were together romantically in some sense. And really, it was the fact that it was never made explicit that makes them such a good example for this point.
Apart from a few lines of dialogue and the fact that they’re working together on a mission to retrieve stolen weapons, there isn’t much to tell you that they’re “together” - not even body language. (There’s not the chance for that sort of thing). What we do see is that they’ve had a hard life together. That they’re partners in criminal activity. That they’ve been together for several years. And we know that they’re both hard people.
So how can you do the same? As a writer, you can reveal your characters’ backstory in the same way through your characters’ shared experiences. Remember that they’ve lived a life together by this point, so use that to your advantage. When the chance arises, have them remember some little detail that gives you the opportunity to bring up something from their past.
How are couples who have been together for a while different from “established” couples? Hoo boy. This is actually a tricky question to answer because, well, every couple is different. But as I already said, remember that any couple who has been together for a while has had the chance to get to know each other - has had the chance to merge their lives and established patterns, routines, and a sense of domesticity.
Showing your reader the way that your characters live can help give them a sense of who they are together - who they are as a couple. To give you another video game example, there are some great scenes in “Uncharted 4″ where we get to see Nate and Elena in their home, living their lives together. It’s awesome because in the earlier games we are getting to see the beginning of their relationship, and now we’re seeing them as a couple who have been together for a while.
Honestly, these details aren’t boring to readers if you present them in a way that isn’t boring. (I know, easier said than done…) But showing your reader just a little bit of insight into the way that your characters live is a great way to invite readers in.
Romances with established couples honestly shouldn’t be as rare as they are. They’re a great way of inviting readers into the “ever after” part of the Happily Ever After. And even if it’s not all bliss, it’s interesting and dynamic and can make for great storytelling, no matter the genre that you decide to insert it into.