When you get the introduction down, use all of the details you provided to build more background and personality for the character. [3] X Expert Source Lucy V. HayProfessional Writer Expert Interview. 16 July 2019. You might introduce a character as “tired and looking much older than he really is. ” This is a great starting point because it gives you plenty to dive into for the character’s background. Think about why they look older than they really are and what struggles have they faced that wore them down.
Then use this basic information to get more specific. If you decided on a job for the character, think about their income. What social class does this put them in? You don’t have to fill in every single aspect of the character’s life. This is more of an exercise to get your creativity working and put you inside the mind of the character you’re planning.
Start with very basic information like hair and eye color and clothes the character normally wears. Does the character have a beard or not? Is their hair color natural or dyed? Then get more detailed about the appearance. Decide if the character usually well-groomed or slightly unkempt. Think about what a well-groomed person could be hiding, or what a messy person might be struggling with. Also determine if the character has any distinguishing marks or features. A scar on someone’s face, for example, can tell a whole story about a character and how they received that injury.
Think about how your character walks into a room. Decide if they are the type of person who would walk in confidently and introduce themselves to everyone there, or sneak in so no one sees and stay out of sight. Envision the character’s speech pattern. Do they have an accent? Do they use a lot of big words to try and sound smart? Do they have a stutter? Plan out if the character has any other ticks or habits. Perhaps they tend to blink a lot if they lie. This could be a plot point in the story later on.
Unless there is symbolic meaning for the character’s name, don’t stress too much about coming up with a great name. Focus more on description so your readers connect with the character. If you don’t care much about the character’s name, there are random name generator tools online that will help. One thing that is very important is keeping different character names distinct from each other. For example, having a John, Jack, and Joe will get confusing for readers. John, Armando, and Scott are much more distinctive names. Think about any nicknames the character has as well, and in what situations characters use different names. For example, if everyone calls a character Joe but during an argument his wife calls him Joseph, that could automatically tell the audience that she’s angry with him.
Establish how long the character lived in their hometown and if they lived there long enough to have the local accent. Think about why the character left their hometown. Did they just move for work, or did they not get along with their family? Does the character miss their hometown, or were they happy to leave?
Develop as many details as you can about the character’s childhood. Try to come up with their best friend, school, favorite teacher, hobbies, career goals, and favorite foods. Outline any trauma the character suffered as a child. Perhaps this why they left their hometown, or why they have trouble forming friendships later on. Maybe the character was spoiled as a child and never had to struggle. This is also important for their personality.
Start simple with the character’s personal relationships. List their parents, siblings, and other close family members. Decide if the character is married or single. Then think more deeply about what these personal relationships mean. Choose who the character would talk to if they needed help, or who they would ask for money if they were struggling. Does this character make a lot of friends easily, or do they just have a lot of acquaintances? If the latter, explain why they have trouble connecting with people.
Ask a broad question like, “Is this character happy?” If they are, consider if something in the story will ruin their happiness. Or if they start off unhappy, decide what happened in their past that prevents them from feeling happy. Then work more into how your character reacts to the world and what makes them angry and sad. Would your character consider themselves accomplished, or would they say they are a failure?
Think about if the character will experience a life-changing event but doesn’t change. For example, experiencing the death of one’s spouse would be a life-changing event for most people, but if your character is unaffected by this, explain why that is.
Keep in mind that not all main characters are protagonists. You could flip the perspective by making your main character the antagonist who causes everyone else’s struggles in the story.
If the change is only a few months, then new profiles aren’t necessary unless a character changes completely in that time. Take the character’s relative age into account to decide if they need a new character profile. For example, if the character was 10 in one chapter but 15 in another, that’s a big jump. However, if someone goes from 30 to 35, that’s not as big of a jump because a 30-year-old has already established their personality.
