Building your characters

I have read of other authors who say that they develop their characters with a dossier sheet that requires them to make up and list a bunch of different attributes. 

I have a hard time with this personally.  (Of course, I am only on my first novel, so my opinion may change over time. I will revisit the topic after writing a few more novels.)

Filling out an attribute sheet all at once can get burdensome simply with the huge amount of detail.  At the beginning I’m not really sure what attributes are going to make my story work better.  Just how is it going to help to know that my character loves cheesecake?   Only if another character finds this out somehow and surprises them with it.  These details are useless to know unless they are used in the book for description or for plot points.

The more significant characters you have in your book or series, the more character profiles you’ll need to create. 

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Age  

How old does s/he appear?

Eye Color:
      Glasses or contacts?

Hair color:
       Distinguishable hair feature (bald, receding hairline, etc.):
       Type of hair (coarse, fine, thick, etc?)

Typical hairstyle:

Height:

Weight:
       Type of body/build:

Nationality:
Skin tone:

Skin type:

Shape of face:
Distinguishing Marks?
       Scars?

Most predominant feature:
       Resembles (famous or not):

Accent?

Is s/he healthy?                                                 
       If not, why not:
Physical disabilities:

Physical abilities (what is character good at? sports, etc.):

FAVORITES

Color:

Music:

Food:

Literature:

Expressions:

Book:

Quote:

Expletive(s) (swears):

Mode of transportation:

HABITS

Smokes:
       What?
       How often?

Drinks:
       What?
       How often?

Worst bad habit?
Quirks:

BACKGROUND

Hometown:

Type of childhood:

First memory:

Most important childhood event that still affects him/her:
       Why?

Lower education:

Higher education:

Booksmart or streetsmart?

Religion and/or religious views and/or tendencies?

Firsts:

Job?

Kiss?

Sexual experience?

FAMILY

Mother (name):
        Relationship with her:

Father (name):
       Relationship with him:

Siblings:
       Birth order:
       Relationship with each:

Children of Siblings:

Extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.):

Close to family?  Yes/No

CHILDREN

Does character have child(ren)?
       How many?

Are all children with the same partner?
       If no, why not? If no, what is the custody arrangement?

How does character relate to his/her child(ren)?

Which child is character's favorite?
       Why?

Character's most favorite memory of his/her child(ren)?

Character's least favorite memory of his/her child(ren)?

Is relationship with children good?

Is relatioinship with children important to character?

OCCUPATION

Where does character work?
        How many years?

Relationship with co-workers?

Like his/her job?
       Why or why not?

Dream job:

ATTITUDE

Greatest fear:

Worst thing that could happen to him/her?

What single event would most throw character's life in complete turmoil?

Character is most at ease when:

Most ill at ease when:

Priorities:

Philosophy:

How s/he feels about self:

Past failure s/he would be embarrassed to have people know about:

If granted one wish, what would it be?
       Why?

Daredevil or cautious?
       Same when alone?

Biggest regret?

Biggest accomplishment:

Minor accomplishments:

Character's darkest secret:
       Does anyone else know?
              If yes, did character tell them?
              If no, how did they find out?

PERSONALITY

Greatest source of strength in character's personality (whether s/he sees it as such or not):

Greatest source of weakness in character's personality (whether s/he sees it as such or not):

Character's soft spot:
       Is this soft spot obvious to others?
       If not, how does character hide it?

Biggest vulnerability:

Which of the 7 deadly sins does character fight (or give into, willingly or not)?
       (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, pride)

Which of the 7 virtues does your character have (or fight against)?
       (chastity, abstinence, liberality, diligence, patience, kindness, humility)

TRAITS

Optimist or pessimist?

Introvert or extrovert?

Drives and motivations?

Talents (hidden or not)?

Extremely skilled at:

Extremely unskilled at:

Good characteristics:

Character flaws:

Mannerisms:

Peculiarities:

SELF-PERCEPTION

One word character would use to describe self:

One paragraph description of how character would describe self:

What does character consider best physical characteristic?

What does character consider worst physical characteristic?
       Are these realistic assessments?
              If not, why not?

How CHARACTER thinks others perceive him/her?

What four things would CHARACTER most like to change about self? (#1 most important, #2 second most important, etc.)

If change #1 was made, would character be as happy as s/he thinks?
       If not, why not?

INTERRELATION WITH OTHERS

Is character divorced? Why?
       If yes, how many times?

Has character ever cheated on any signficant other?

How does character relate to others?

How is s/he perceived by...

Strangers?

Friends?

Wife/Husband/Lover?

Children

Co-workers?

Protagonist?

Antagonist?

First impression character makes is:
       What happens to change this perception?

What do family/friends like most about character?

What do family/friends like least about character?

GOALS

Immediate goal(s):

Long range goal(s):

How does character plan to accomplish goal(s)?

How will other people around character be affected?

PROBLEMS/CRISIS

How character react in a crisis (calm/panic/etc.)?

How does character face problems?
       Kinds of problems character usually runs into:

How does character react to NEW problems?

How does character react to change?

GENERAL

Jewelry?

Other accessories?

Drives a ... :

Where does character live?
       With anyone?  Yes/No

Where does character want to live?

Spending habits (frugal, spendthrift, etc)?

What does s/he do too much of?

Too little of?

Most prized possession: Why?

Play musical instrument?
       Which one(s)?
       How did s/he learn?

Does character like animals?

Any pets?

Likes music?
       What kind?

TECHNICAL

Owns a computer? Yes/No
       If not, why not?

Email address(es):
       If more than one, each used for...?

"Handle":
        Meaning to character:

Uses computer for business, pleasure, both?

Play computer games?
       If yes, which game(s)? If yes, how many hours per day?
       If so, are they/it multiplayere game/s?

Name used on each game & meaning to character?

List 4 online site(s) (URLs) visited daily?
       1.
       2.
       3.
       4.

UNCATEGORIZED

Person character secretly admires:

Person character was most influenced by:

Most important person in character's life before story starts:
       Why?

To me, an easy way to start a character is first with appearance, then by trying to describe their common attitudes about things they usually have to do or deal with.  This goes a long way toward helping me write a character realistically.  Then, I try to create situations that display their attitudes.

One of the ways characters grow is by a change of attitude about something.  I try to write situations that lead to a character changing their attitude, usually through major personal struggles or interactions with other characters. 

Either they come to dislike something bad, or they come to love or admire something good. Or, if they are turning to the "dahk side of the force", the opposite will be true.

In my first novel, I have some characters who are highly cynical about religion.  Their attitude was created by certain negative experiences in their backstory.    I have other characters who are highly optimistic about religion.  They have different experiences, positive ones, that created that attitude.  When these two different types of characters get together, there is dramatic conflict.

From attitudes, the next very good thing to put together is goals and motivations. Those are going to make a character active instead of passive.  Then, a lot of stuff can be imagined about the person from knowing those things.  Throwing in a little weirdness in there makes a character fascinating. 

I think other attributes can be made up as I write as I require plot points and description about them, but a character profile sheet does a good job of keeping track of that information as I make it up.  I wouldn’t want to have to search through my text to track down eye color or hair color.

Developing voice

I read something interesting some months back about how a writer can develop their voice.  (I just wish I could remember who wrote it and where I found it.)

The writer said that they develop their voice by choosing an author whose voice they admire and then copying down by hand a few pages of that author’s best work.  They said this gets the rhythm and the diction and style of the author more deeply into their consciousness.

I don’t think this is about turning into a chameleon.   I think this is about widening the range of tone a writer can access.  It gives you the ability to create characters that have their own distinct style.  That’s pretty powerful. 

I can remember once after reading Pride and Prejudice to my grandma, I went and wrote in my journal and found Austen’s diction flowing out my pen.  Rather fun.

Ways to name your characters

When you want to write a story or a book, one of the first things you’ll want to do is name your character.  There are easy and hard ways to do this.  The hard way is to sit and think of names.  The easy way is to generate lists of names you like ahead of time and pick one that you think will work.

As I’ve read different stories, I’ve noticed that authors sometimes have a pattern in the names they choose for characters.   Often, they will choose names that have different first initials so that readers will be able to tell at a glance who the character is.  A_____ is the hero, and D______ is the love interest, and  Q_______ is the villain.   You know you are a fantasy author if you lean toward names that start with or contain X, Q, Z, V, K…  (wink)

Some authors like to create names that have lots of strange consonants but which are nearly unpronounceable when reading them out loud.  Like a hero named Soiuwrdoimcsxz.  As a reader, I personally don’t like this because it makes it hard for me to read the book out loud to my family and hard to discuss the book with family or friends.  I’m sure the poor souls who have to read out loud to create audio books hate it.  (Just a thought--if you as an author must have tongue-twisting character names and a particular way you want them to be pronounced, why not make it a little easier for your readers and include a pronunciation guide at the back of your book?)

It’s much better to make or use names that sing and zing.  Good names feel good to say, so much so that when your reader is done reading your book they will want to give the name to one of their children someday.  Or their next pet.  (Doesn't mean they should, but they will want to.  ;-) )

Some fantasy novels make all of their names unusual.  The function of this is to cue the readers that the culture is very different because naming conventions are different from our culture. I have noticed a cost to this--the names often seem blah or they seem to sound a lot alike.  (Terrick, Jarran,etc.) It could be argued that it could establish the naming conventions of the culture in the book, but I think a little more care with naming could help names feel interesting.

Another method of naming I’ve noticed is common names uniquely spelled.  These names look usual to readers eyes while evoking a different place, yet it also helps those who read the story out loud and gives a subconscious feeling of familiarity.  (Alison >> Alesyn)  Or, you can take a name you like and then mutate it beyond recognition.

When main character names are more recognizable or familiar than secondary characters or redshirts, readers instantly feel closer to them.  It’s a little trick for making a character sympathetic and cuing the reader to pay more attention to them.

Another method of naming is to smash together common names to make something that sounds different, but whose pieces are recognizable.  (Brandon + Christopher = Brandopher or Chrisdon.) 

You can name your character something exotic. For instance, a Japanese name is going to stick out in a list of Anglo-Saxon names.   This conveys that your main character is very different from his or her culture, like in fish-out-of-water stories or stories about misfits.   You can even put in your story that your character always has people joking about their name or asking about where they got their name.  If your character has an unusual name, call attention to it.

You can name characters after their attributes.  This works best for giving criminal types their names because it aids their anonymity.  Maybe you’ll call the guy with the short fuse “Stomps” after the way he stomps around.  Maybe the guy who inspects all the stolen merchandise with a magnifying glass for serial numbers will be called “GlassEye.”   Keep in mind, though, that trait names are very memorable, so if you use trait names for your criminal element then you’ll have to have very strong names for your main characters to make them easier to recall.  (If all your main characters are criminal, however, then you don’t have that problem..)

Attribute names aren't just for your criminals.  Remington Steele has the “steele” to make it strong and the “Remington” to give it sophistication.  

You’ll want to develop an ear for names.  This means noticing when you find a name that appeals to you.  Think about what part of it is appealing and why.  Is it the sound?  Whatever you may think of Kim Kardashian or her family, you have to admit that her name is lovely to say.  It has those enviable qualities of sing and zing.  (It has alliteration with the double Ks, the “dash” in the middle makes it both strong and hip, and the “ian” at the end gives it a very classical sound, like Marian, Dorian, Julian, etc.)   Can you make other names that sound similar?  

Would a location name work?  Indiana Jones and John Denver are memorable because a common name is combined with an intriguing place name.   In Indiana Jones, the “Indiana” is a nickname that suggests some kind of skill, though we don’t quite know what.  In the name “John Denver,” the “Denver” evokes a sense of location and that of a common man who has risen to the top.  If you met guys named John Chicago, John Phoenix, or John Seattle, what would you expect them to be like?

Finally, as I mentioned earlier in this post, I think it is best to collect lists of names you like, whether by chance or by consulting the many name generators on the internet. (One of my favorites is Seventh Sanctum, which I have linked to in my sidebar.) When you need a name for a character, you can then choose something from a list and get back to your writing more quickly, rather than losing your flow. 

How to fix head-hopping in your fiction manuscript

What is head-hopping?

Head-hopping is when your narration in a particular scene bounces between several character’s points of view without a scene break of some kind.  It’s like the narrator is hopping from head to head to head.  Hence, the name “head-hopping.”

Maria was thinking Bob looked hot today with his bowtie.  She loved it when guys wore bowties.  Bob, however, was hating life and Maria too, for that matter.  Joe just wanted to go swimming.

That’s head-hopping.  You get Maria’s thoughts, then Bob’s, then Joe’s, when you need to stick with just one point of view.

Head-hopping is easy to do when you’re learning to write fiction.  I’m finding that I did it a fair amount in the early parts of my first novel before I learned that wasn’t good.

Head-hopping is generally frowned upon these days and seen as a lack of control of one’s craft. 

  

Now, how do you fix it if you discover you’ve got a head-hopping problem?

There are two ways to do this, I’ve found out.

If you have an extended scene, there may be parts where you’ll want to change points of view because one character’s POV is more interesting/painful/dramatic and you want readers to get the story from that angle.  Try to keep the lens of narration coming from the person who has the most to lose or who is in the most pain.  As the focus of interest changes, do a scene break and take a new character POV.

What if you find your head-hopping scene is short?  How do you fix it? 

It may help to highlight in different colors the different POVs.  Color all Maria’s internal dialogue and opinions with red.  Color Bob’s POV in blue.  Color Joe’s in green.  Then print out the scene so you can see it all in front of you.  The color makes the unique POV of Maria, Bob, and Joe stick out so you can see how much of it is there.  It makes it easy to decide how important to the scene that character’s internal dialogue is. The character with the most important internal dialogue is probably the POV you should retain for that scene.  Everything else you can edit out or find a way for your favorite parts to be conveyed in other ways.  (Or if you have to, you can do the scene over again from the other characters’ perspectives.)

When and how making a story timeline helps

As I’ve been working on my novel, I’ve been writing my scenes non-linearly, working on what I find interesting rather than going in a straight line from past into the future.   With a first novel, I figure that any measures I take to keep me writing rather than quitting are allowed. 

Of course, the result of this was that I wrote a lot of scenes with one side of the love triangle, which left the other side of the love triangle rather undeveloped.  I was then left with the problem of trying to figure out where I could insert scenes with the second love-interest.

This is when it became important to me to make a timeline of events in my story.  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc.  

In my timeline, first I put in what I’d already written according to the time cues that I’d already written.  (Time cues are like “two hours later” or “two days later.”) 

When I looked at that list of days and events, I realized I could compact my story and make it happen faster, so I adjusted my timeline and started adjusting my story. 

(Adjusting the time cues in my story took less time using the program Scrivener than it would have taken if I’d written in Word because in Scrivener you can easily jump to any point in your story without having to search for it.  Fabulous time-saver!)

With a timeline, I could tell where interactions between the overwritten love interest happened, and therefore see where interactions between the underwritten love interest needed to be.

I don’t know if I could have planned my novel on a timeline at the beginning because I was still fuzzy on my plot.  It was only when I had written a pretty decent amount—like 70,000 words-- that it became necessary to be so clear about when things were happening.

Three Dwarfish Poems

If dwarves had Mother-Goose-type rhymes..

"Ruby-Digging"

Ruby-digging in the dark,
Dwarfish eyes asearch and mark.
Diamond-sifting in the light,
Overseen by dragon sight.

Don't you steal a jewel away;
You won't live another day.
Never steal a dwarfish purse,
Fifteen times this rhyme rehearse!
 (repeat ad nauseum)


"How Banking Came to Be"

Bob the dwarf, he made a sword
Put it in his treasure hoard
Guarding it, he soon got bored
He could ill the time afford

Hired he a dragon guard
Fed him well on cakes and lard
Soothed him with a singing bard
Counted cost and found it hard

Moved it all to cave so dank
Let his friends include their swank
Set him up a dwarfish bank
Hired him tellers in a rank


"Metal skills"

Digger gets the gold from ground
Smelter melts it down
Pourer makes the coins so bright
Beater makes the crown

Setter puts the jewels in
Scroller adds the frills
Charmer puts the magic on
All are metal skills