Hello, Writer! It’s time to create a character. It’s a time-consuming process if you do it right, but that doesn’t mean it has to be hard.
Creating a character can be a challenge for anyone regardless of whether you’re an aspiring author or your name has appeared on best-seller lists. There are so many things to remember! Throw in a speculative genre and you’ll find yourself in a situation where you have worldbuilding details on top of character details. I experience this regularly as a fantasy writer. You may make a secondary character’s eyes blue, but at the end of the book, you find yourself saying their eyes are brown. It happens.
So how do you prevent it?
Create a Character Sheet
If you’re serious about creative writing, making a character sheet is a great place to start. This has been an incredible asset while I work on my thesis for my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. You may want to create a template first with a Word document or even a spreadsheet. Then, you can easily copy your template and fill it out for each character.
Start With Physical Details
Start simple and describe the physical characteristics of your character. What do they look like? Is there an actor or person you are using for inspiration? Include all of that information in your character sheet. Remember: it’s okay if your main character is based on your crush from middle school. Your character sheet is for you, not the whole world. If you’re still not sure where to begin, try some of these:
- Describe the character’s hair color, length, and preferred style.
- What is their skin color?
- What is their eye color?
- How tall are they?
- How would you describe their build? (Thin, athletic, BBW, etc)
- Do they have any disabilities or unique physical characteristics?
Move On to Personality
It is just as important to map out your character’s personality. Have you decided your character has the INFJ personality type? Are they a social butterfly? Does your character have any fears or favorites? All of these details can go in your character sheet. Consider some of the ideas listed below to create your character’s personality traits.
- Introvert, extrovert, or ambivert?
- What are their favorite foods, songs, colors, seasons, clothing styles, etc?
- What is their biggest fear?
- Do they have pronoun preferences?
- How do they react in an emergency?
Map Their Relationships
Depending on your creative work, keeping track of who is related to who and how can get complicated fast. You may find yourself in a position where you need to build a whole family tree just to keep track of those relationships, especially if you are writing something with an extensive backstory.
Some of the most important relationships you should make note of right away when you create a character include:
- Parents
- Siblings
- Best Friends
- Enemies
- Mentors
- Anyone else who will play a vital role in the character’s life
Don’t forget – it’s not enough to write down each person’s name. Does your character have a younger brother named Smith? That’s cool, but do they get along? Was there an event in childhood that strengthened or destroyed their relationship? Leave notes for yourself so it is easier for you to remember.
You Do Not Have to Use Every Detail
When you create a character sheet, you should include as many details as possible. When the time comes to write your story, use the sheet as a reference for yourself instead of an ultimate must-include guide. It’s okay if you have details in the character sheet that never make it into the final story. The important thing is to give yourself enough details so that you can keep the right details attributed to the correct character.
Do you have any tips to create a character? Comment below!