What do your character sheets look like?

[Red_Herring4]

Do you use character sheets when writing? If so, what details do they include?

I typically get to know my characters during the process of writing, but I'd like to try a new approach where I flesh them out more before I put pen to paper. If you've done something similar, how have you approached it? I imagine details about physical description are less important than things like personality and motivation.

 

[Stimtheone]

I don't use them at all. I used a "glossary" to keep track of more details when writing my newest story, but it seems I can just keep track of characters in my head unless there's like 20 of them

 

[SimonDoom]

When I start a story, I create 2 Word documents. One is the story, and the other is a story "notes" document. On the notes document I'll typically list the main characters and indicate some salient details about their backgrounds, motivations, traits, etc. But it's short and simple. I don't do anything like full character sheets.

 

[Euphony]

Do you use character sheets when writing? If so, what details do they include?

I typically get to know my characters during the process of writing, but I'd like to try a new approach where I flesh them out more before I put pen to paper. If you've done something similar, how have you approached it? I imagine details about physical description are less important than things like personality and motivation.

I use a self-curated Scrivener template with K.M. Weiland's character sheet as a starting point.

Here

Worth noting she is writing more grandiose novels, not short fiction, hence one big reason to trim things to only what's relevant to you and your story needs.

 

[KeithD]

Do you use character sheets when writing? If so, what details do they include?

Their names.

 

[Red_Herring4]

I use a self-curated Scrivener template with K.M. Weiland's character sheet as a starting point.

Here

What a detailed resource. Thank you!

 

[alohadave]

*puts away D&D character sheet*

Not what I thought I was clicking into.

I've heard of people using them for their stories.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

I usually keep a notes page on my phone and fill it full of little tidbits of random notes as I think of them throughout the day. Mostly dialogue. Its usually pretty cluttered and often unheeded except maybe subconsciously.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What do your character sheets look like?​

They normally have wet patches on them

Em

 

[StillStunned]

I'm starting to wonder how many of us know each other under different names on various TTRPG forums.

 

[ronde]

Do you use character sheets when writing? If so, what details do they include?

I typically get to know my characters during the process of writing, but I'd like to try a new approach where I flesh them out more before I put pen to paper. If you've done something similar, how have you approached it? I imagine details about physical description are less important than things like personality and motivation.

I keep a list of names and relationships because I've screwed up both before. If it's important to the story, I might record a few details like hair color and length. I let personality and motivation develop as the story progresses though I have an idea of what those will be before I start writing.

What I tend to use a lot for stories that happen over a period of years is a timeline in a spreadsheet to keep track of who did what and what happened when.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I only use character sheets on recurring characters in short stories. I include details about their physical appearance, hair & eye color, height, weight, sex, gender identification, and preferences for drink and food. Their history, age at the time of the first story, birthdate, and a brief note on their history. Now, much of this may never be revealed to the reader, or all of it might. I haven't been doing many stories for the past several years where those characters are used. The exception is the series Mr. Lucky. But with only two stories finished in the series, I haven't delved into their past that much.

The Just a Friendly series hasn't repeated a character yet, but the original trans I covered will return shortly. Just a Friendly Drink, the first story written in the series, is my highest-rated story, and Brad/Brandy is one of my favorite people I've created. She has no less than five outlines dedicated to her, and I'm working through the second story now. It's only a rough draft right now, and other work has kept me from it, but soon, Just a Friendly Date will require my full attention for days.

I'm sorry to say her billionaire boyfriend is now out of the picture. I felt he was holding her back.

 

[MrPixel]

They normally have wet patches on them

That was my exact thought, too. I just wrote a scene where the core characters were puzzling over where they were going to sleep after a particularly rowdy hotel party with new friends. Housekeeping doesn't answer the phone at 2 a.m.

 

[ElectricBlue]

They're in my head.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I do write out detailed character descriptions and histories on longer works. But really, only on one or two of the MCs.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I typically don't do any of that and whatever I write here usually has a small enough cast, and a short enough story, that at worse, I may need to scroll up the file if I forget something. Mind you; I've written Peanuts fan fiction where I've used eight or so of the 20 or 30 something characters in the comics/movies/etc without needing to make my own reference sheet.

I did, mostly for fun, make a character sheet for one of the novels in my old novel series I put on hiatus years ago. Their names, ages, height, cars they drove. One of the current novels I'm working on; an rpg style fantasy, I did dig out a notebook(and one of very few college ruled one, mmmm... college ruled drool) since the book is so indepth in my opinion. There's characters to keep track of, the magic system, the magic and specific magic spells characters use, physical(stamina drain) attacks they use, towns/cities, fauna, races, materials like ores. There's information on the country itself, adventure guild operations and ranking system.

 

[AchtungNight]

I have used character sheets for stories, mostly just to have fun and remember key details. I think the most interesting example was “The Rendezvous”.

Summary- 4 young actresses with resentment issues over typecasting and failed relationships get into a femslash bonding while making “The Upside of Anger”. I saw the film and felt their characters didn’t get enough screen development, so I did what fanfic writers do. The story put me on the map for its character development and hot lesbian sex.

The character sheets went like this-

Keri Russell- brunette, Felicity star, Rogue Neutral Good type, happy rover bisexual girl, new to film, serial fantasist and seducer when her mind is open to it, plagued by schizophrenia and self-doubt. High number of lovers, secret fisting and masturbation kinks.

Alicia Witt- redhead, veteran star with dozens of credits, multitalented genius, repressed bisexuality, bitter and lonely, drinking problems, currently stranded in long string of failed dates, lesbian virgin; old friends with Erika; jealous and angry over Keri’s fame and Erika’s openness, also Evan’s daring but acts high and mighty; puts down people, needs a little TLC, will have to work for it! Lawful Good bitch.

Evan Rachel Wood- newly emancipated adult film teen actress, blonde, overly brave and ambitious, taekwondo black belt, walking fine line between sexual predator and crazy young thing not knowing what she’s getting into, heterosexual virgin waiting for the right guy, wants lots of girlfriends in the meantime, bold and accepting of kinks, very kink positive. Chaotic Good fighter.

Erika Christensen- blonde, Scientologist but not fanatic, open to friendship, easygoing, Neutral Good cleric overtones, happy bisexual swinger but keeping it hidden because she just had a dispute with a co-star who left the film over her strong advances, wants to be with the other girls but grounded in reality, bipolar nymph, likes to imitate famous movie moments.

Add fan details for each heroine.

Various men caught in these actresses’ stormy conflicts.

They have never shagged each other before, but in a single day, they will become intimate friends!

There are five chapters, start with part 1-

https://literotica.com/s/the-rendezvous-ch-01-1

Enjoy!

 

[SeraphNocturne]

I mostly only use character sheets for roleplay characters... but very detailed stories sometimes require these to keep track of everything, especially if the story has an expansive cast, and that helps me go back to previously mentioned details and avoid continuity errors (I often refer to "the fucking Starbucks cup in the middle of the scene" when convening with my editor, she gets a kick out of that). At present I keep short sheets in a single plotting document per detailed story.

When writing a CS I go down the entire list of things I'd like to know about the character or a reader might be interested in knowing, and include things that would better help me understand this character to the finest details. Personality and history tend to be my largest focus over, say, their height, weight or build. I like adding in little tidbits, like things they enjoy (their favorite foods, songs they might like) and likewise things that they'd hate (getting caught in the rain, cats because they're allergic, etc.)--I feel it helps make them more tangible, and as such I never get to a point after I've learned these characters so thoroughly that I go 'Oh, what would they do here?' or 'How would they respond?' it's always 'Oh no fuck that, she hates _____, she'd never go for that.'

 

[Red_Herring4]

I usually keep a notes page on my phone and fill it full of little tidbits of random notes as I think of them throughout the day. Mostly dialogue.

I do something similar, except I send text messages to myself when I think of a bit of dialogue or a plot idea that I want to capture.

I like adding in little tidbits, like things they enjoy (their favorite foods, songs they might like) and likewise things that they'd hate (getting caught in the rain, cats because their allergic, etc.)--I feel it helps make them more tangible, and as such I never get to a point after I've learned these characters so thoroughly that I go 'Oh, what would they do here?' or 'How would they respond?' it's always 'Oh no fuck that, she hates _____, she'd never go for that.'

That's really interesting. I love the idea of including those tidbits (their likes and dislikes).

I do write out detailed character descriptions and histories on longer works. But really, only on one or two of the MCs.

Makes sense. I'm only considering it because I'm thinking about a longer work.

They're in my head.

Are they in your head, fully formed, before you start writing? Or do you feel like you discover some of who they are as you are writing?

 

[Theylo_Bleu]

I wish I used character sheets. My stuff gets all gaga at some point and I lose stuff. But echoing one of your sentiments, I tend to get to know them when I start writing. It's like, I do my best just to let them show me who they are. Which can be hell on the outline I sometimes think I'm sticking to. I think I know what they'll do next, but then they say something in a certain way and it just has to go in a different direction.

I do sometimes get revelations when I'm away from computer and I try to write it down and that sprawling madness is something akin to a character sheet - or maybe an essay as if I'm describing them to my old lit professor. Tis wild no doubt.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Are they in your head, fully formed, before you start writing? Or do you feel like you discover some of who they are as you are writing?

My male characters mostly are, because they're typically different age variants of me (university me, forties me, sixties me now), so I'm usually writing myself (or my fantasy self).

My female characters are either women I've known intimately in real life, women I've met at work and would have liked to know intimately, or someone I've meet casually or see in the street.

A Girl on the Bus, for example, was a young woman I saw regularly on my daily commute, who I chatted to very briefly in a bus queue, waiting, waiting, long enough to hear her non-English accent.

The are three vignettes at the beginning of The Floating World, as another example, which are mostly true recounts of conversations with three regular cafe women, and then a story begins.

I've had characters arrive in a story between the first sentence of a paragraph and the last - they obviously develop as the story progresses.

The way I look at it is this: when you meet someone new In real life, they don't come with a character sheet. You get to know them as your friendship or work relationship, whatever it might be, develops. Fictional characters are no different.

Real life doesn't progress with an outline or a plot, and I sort of write "real life" based stories, albeit imaginary or fantasy ones, so I approach character development the same way.

 

[onehitwanda]

*puts away D&D character sheet*

Not what I thought I was clicking into.

I'm always a functionally illiterate paladin. my dice rolls are always terrible

 

[Rob_Royale]

A legal pad that's next to my mouse. I jot down some character notes, who's with whom, ages, etc. In the trash, it goes when the story's done.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I've occasionally had to jot down birth-years for all of my characters - especially when I'm writing something historical or over a long period of time. Most of my stories are one-shots, so everything tends to stay in my head. As I start to write sequels I might need to remind myself of the stated colour of hair or eyes, professions and so on.

 

[samhasstories]

I could probably benefit from this sort of organizational tool, but I just... don't like it. I write like throwing spaghetti at the wall, and I'm sure some things fall through the cracks. But that's how I enjoy it, and I find when I'm enjoying the writing, the writing is better.