How I Build a Character When My Brain Never Remembers What it Needs To! (Or: the Wheel of Wow Method)
I have no idea how to explain this without visuals so let's do a quick intro and then dive in.
I gravitate toward the same sort of characters. But as I brainstorm, it can be hard for me to come up with enough details or components to make characters feel complex.
So I basically made a spreadsheet of all of these things with a list of examples to choose from! I either use it as a reference or literally have a random number chooser tell me what that one is.
The category rows are for character elements, details, relationships, and backstory. Here is a little sample (but I will go more in-depth below!)
Then, beneath each one are examples of these elements that I would actually enjoy writing about. I put a set number for all of them so using a random number chooser is easier.
Again, I will go into more depth with more examples below.
Every important character gets one of these. For others, I pull only what is needed or as I outline/write.
Major Trait (the driving descriptor of their personality)
Trauma + Baggage (before the story begins, the thing that changed their life and future forever)
Major Daily Complicator (how does the trauma manifest in daily life?)
Key Personal Fact or Quirk
Job Complicator (what's making the job challenging?)
Hometown (and/or Family's Home Country)
Wildcard (a random element to include, will make more sense with the examples below)
Vice (the thing they indulge in maybe too much)
Key Personal Dynamic (the defining relationship of their personal life, can be one that begins in the story)
Personal Complicator (what is making the relationship different and less straightforward/traditional?)
Key Family Dynamic (the defining relationship/family member of their family life)
Family Complicator (what is making the relationship different and less straightforward/traditional?)
Major Trait: serious, blunt, rough around the edges, playful, emotional, somber, cold/distant, selfish, confident, ambitious, optimist, romantic, charming, easy-going, misguided, quiet, academic, creative, kind....
Trauma + Baggage: widowed, survivor of childhood abuse, survivor of violent crime, bullied as a child, massive public or private failure, orphan, work-related trauma, turned away from dreams, religious trauma, victim of natural disaster, death of friend...
Major Daily Complicator: nightmares, trust issues, abandonment fears, depression, hyper-vigilance, phobia related to trauma, anxiety and panic, guilt, insecurity...
Key Personal Fact or Quirk: divorced, young parent, estranged from spouse, criminal history, weird tv/movie/book preference, type A, extremely messy...
Job: depends on your world but here are some real-world examples... journalist, religious leader, artist, professor/teacher, law enforcement agent, lawyer, construction worker, business owner, nurse/doctor...
Job Complicator: disgraced, forced to retire or quit, issues with superiors, they are a workaholic, suspended or put on leave, rival coworker, multiple issues with their behavior/actions at work, recently hired/promoted/reassigned, change in superiors...
Hometown: depends on your world
Wildcard: incredible liar, high school star athlete, major recent injury, important or interesting tattoo, is in the public eye, a sentimental item of theirs, dog person, cat person, has a nickname, cuts their own hair...
Vice: gambling, fast food, adopting too many animals, impulsive spending, caffeine, sweets, competition, luxury purchases, picking fights, White Knight Complex...
Key Personal Dynamic: coworker, boss, someone they are the boss of, professor/teacher, student, friends, ex-spouse, someone they are forced to work with for the story's goal, neighbor, former romantic partner, parent of their child, person somehow involved in their trauma/baggage...
Personal Complicator: having an affair/undefined sexual relationship, secretly in love, early stages of romantic relationship, palpable attraction/tension, falling in love, unrequited feelings, estranged, issues with power dynamic, failed romance in past, past betrayal...
Key Family Dynamic: parent, parent surrogate (anyone family or otherwise who raised them), sibling, cousin, aunt/uncle, grandparent, child, half-sibling, step parent or sibling, parent-in-law...
Family Complicator: estranged but one wants to reconnect, estranged but one needs something from the other, unspoken issues, abuse or toxicity, disowned by, family member has passed, the power dynamics are unhealthy, one financially dependent on the other, major lifestyle differences....
Their Secret: living a double life, has an obsession, has an artistic or scientific side (whatever would be unexpected), developing an addiction...
As you go and build the character, you will have to adjust choosing some of the categories so that they actually make a cohesive entity.
And then I highlight the chosen options and compile them in the character profile. I hope this made any sense whatsoever!!!!
As always, take what you want and leave the rest. Happy writing!
