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Post by Erosaf on Jun 15, 2011 7:57:24 GMT 1
[center]Basic Demographic/Relationship Information About Your Character[/center]
[b]Name (Is the character’s name significant? How did he or she get it?)[/b]
[b]Age (may vary in the story, but keep in mind different challenges for different age groups)[/b]
[b]Sex/Gender (As with age, men and women face different challenges in life. Biological, social and cultural factors all come into play. Be aware of instances where you may tend to write a character of the opposite sex exactly as you would your own.)[/b]
[b]Date of Birth (Important mainly for historical reasons and if something significant happened on the same day)[/b]
[b]Height/Weight/Body Type[/b]
[b]Hair color/Type (oily/dry; straight or curly; length) Does your character style it?[/b]
[b]Eye color/Glasses or contacts?[/b]
[b]Skin complexion:[/b]
[b]Tattoos (if any)[/b]
[b]Martial Status (may want to do separate profile for spouse and other family members):[/b]
[b]Children (names and ages)[/b]
[b]Parents/Family Heritage (according to the complexity of the story, may want to do a family tree.)[/b]
[center]Related Questions:[/center]
[b]What is your character’s birth order and did their birth order impact him or her? Why?[/b]
[b]What are the statuses of the character’s relationships with each family member? Is there calm or conflict? Why?[/b]
[b]How does your character view authority figures?[/b]
[b]Does your character generally trust people? Why or why not?[/b]
[b]How good of a listener is your character?[/b]
[b]Briefly describe the character’s childhood and important events that may impact your story (you’ll likely want to include both good and bad memories).[/b]
[b]How does the character show love and affection (gifts, acts of service, kind words, etc.)?[/b]
[b]How does your character react to people he/she dislikes?[/b]
[b]Does your character prefer lots of friends on a surface level or fewer friends at a deeper level? (Or somewhere in between?)[/b]
[b]Who has influence over your character? Who doesn’t?[/b]
[b]How easy is the character to approach? Why?[/b]
[center]Character's Daily Life Questions[/center]
[b]How important is accomplishment to your character?[/b]
[b]Does your character adapt well to change? Why or why not?[/b]
[b]If your character could change one thing about the environment around him or her, what would it be?[/b]
[b]How competitive is your character?[/b]
[b]How do the characters co-workers view him/her? Are their perceptions different from the character’s point-of-view?[/b]
[b]Annual income (important to the point it may impact your character’s economic freedom and mobility)[/b]
[b]Is your character wise with money? Why? How has that impacted the character’s course in life.[/b]
[center]More Character Background Questions[/center]
[b]Favorite foods/drinks. Any particular reason why?[/b]
[b]Are there any senses that have something unusual about them? (example: poor hearing or better than 20/20 eyesight.)[/b]
[b]Take a look at your character’s speech pattern. Does the character have a regional accent? Does the character talk fast or slow? What time of tone does he/she use? Is he/she monotone or does his or her speech have an up and down melody? How can you convey this indirectly?[/b]
[b]Does your character speak more than one language?[/b]
[b]What does your character expect his or her future to be like in 10 years?[/b]
[b]What are your character’s core values?[/b]
[b]How does your character dress on a daily basis? Does the character try to stand out or blend in based on their clothing?[/b]
[b]General Health (Excellent/Good/Fair/Poor)[/b]
[b]Daily Energy Level (Hyper, Normal, Fatigued)[/b]
[b]How’s your character’s posture? A lot can be said in a slump or standing tall…[/b]
[b]Keep in mind other body gestures such as handshake, eye contact, and distance of personal space for your character.[/b]
[b]Does your character have a mannerism when they are upset or nervous?[/b]
[b]Does your character feel their life is busy, not busy enough, or just right?[/b]
[b]Does he/she tend to be accident prone or not?[/b]
[b]Favorite sports to watch and why[/b]
[b]Close friends (how did they meet?)[/b]
[b]Enemies (how did they become enemies?)[/b]
[b]Thoughts on Politics:[/b]
[b]Religious Affiliation/Beliefs:[/b]
[b]How has your character been impacted by their religious/spiritual background?[/b]
[b]Artistic/musical talents:[/b]
[b]Sports/Physical abilities:[/b]
[b]If your character could start his or her own business, what would it be and why?[/b]
[b]If trapped on an island, what skill does your character have that would make him or her an asset?[/b]
[b]Does your character like to try new things? Why or why not?[/b]
[b]Ambitions/Life Goals:[/b]
[b]What would make your character feel their most vulnerable?[/b]
[b]Sense of Humor (dry, sarcastic, witty, or silly/goofy)[/b]
[b]Greatest Achievement:[/b]
[b]Greatest Failure:[/b]
[b]What is your character greatest fear?[/b]
[b]How does your character react under extreme stress? Are there hidden aspects of your character that a crisis situation would unveil?[/b]
[b]What’s the best thing that can happen to your character?[/b]
[b]What is the worst thing that can happen to your character?[/b]
[b]It is helpful that your character have both an internal and external conflict in your story. Take some time to brainstorm possibilities for each category.[/b]
[b]Describe character’s “typical” daily routine (keep in mind how you can interrupt it)[/b]
[b]What are some traits that make your character unique?[/b]
[b]Pets/Favorite Animals[/b]
[b]Has your character ever done something that he or she really regrets? What was it?[/b]
[b]What behavior gets on your character’s nerves?[/b]
[b]If you character was caught channel surfing, what types of shows would he/she be watching?[/b]
[b]Favorite movies and why.[/b]
[b]How does your character react when someone disagrees strongly with his/her ideas or opinions?[/b]
[b]Does your character have a sharp memory or do they tend to forget important information?[/b]
[b]How much does the character pay attention to details?[/b]
[b]Is your character easily bored? What does he/she do for fun? What are his/her favorite hobbies?[/b]
[b]When put in a situation where quick and creative thinking is important, how does your character react?[/b]
[b]What practical joke would your character do if given the opportunity? How would he or she react to the same joke directed back?[/b]
[b]Is your character honest overall or does he/she tend to lie? Why?[/b]
[b]How clear is your character’s objective or goal? How determined is he/she to reach it?[/b]
[b]What are some topics/questions your character is curious to find out in life?[/b]
[b]Does your character have a hard time saying “no” to other people? Why or why not?[/b]
[b]How comfortable would your character be if asked to speak in public in front of a large group of people?[/b]
[b]Does the character get jealous easily or not? Why?[/b]
[b]Where has your character traveled previously? What are some favorite/least favorite destinations?[/b]
[b]What is your character’s favorite season? Why?[/b]
[b]Is your character mechanically or technically skilled and in what way(s)?[/b]
[b]In regards to your character’s attitude about life, does he or she live in the past, the present, or toward the future? Think of ways you can show this indirectly.[/b]
[b]Does your character function at his or her best in a harmonious or chaotic environment?[/b]
[b]What flaws or shortcomings does your character have? How does your character feel about them? Is your character aware they exist? What character flaw (or perceived flaw) does your character want to change? What are the sources of these flaws?[/b]
[b]What obstacles hinder your character from changing?[/b]
[b]How forgiving/unforgiving is your character when wronged by another person?[/b]
[b]If your character’s home was on fire and they could only grab 1 material possession, what would it be?[/b]
[b]If you’re dealing with a different historic period, you may want to look into how that time’s culture will impact your character’s behavior.[/b]
[b]If you’re planning to have your character do something “out of character,” be prepared to have a reason or reasons why. Readers tend to not like spontaneous shifts in character without motivation.[/b]
[b]How does your character act while waiting in line for an hour?[/b]
[b]What cause or causes is your character passionate about?[/b]
[b]What would make your character laugh, cry, or become angry?[/b]
[b]What secret would embarrass your character if it was released? Who knows this secret?[/b]
[b]Is your character more effective at a certain time of day? (Morning, afternoon, evening, night) How does that impact his or her life? How can you incorporate it into their behavior (yawning, etc.)?[/b]
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