Character chart

[TxRad]

I thought I had lost this but it was in the wrong file.

One of the most detailed charts I've come across.

CHARACTER CHART
Character's Full Name:
Reason or meaning of name:
Nickname:
Reason for nickname:
Birthdate:
Astrological Sign:

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:
Age:
How old does s/he appear?
Eye Color:
Glasses or contacts:
Weight:
Height:
Type of body/build:
Skin tone:
Skin type:
Shape of face:
Distinguishing Marks:
Predominant feature:
Hair color:
Distinguishable hair feature (bald, receding
hairline, etc.):
Type of hair (coarse, fine, thick, etc?)
Character's typical hairstyle:
Looks like:
Is s/he healthy?
If not, why not:
Physical disabilities:

FAVORITES:
Character's favorite color:
Character's least favorite color:
Why?
Favorite Music:
Least favorite Music:
Why?
Food:
Literature:
Expressions:
Expletives:
Mode of transportation:
Daredevil or cautious?
Same when alone?
HABITS:
Smokes:
What?
When and how much?
Drinks:
What?
When and how much?
Hobbies:
How does character spend a rainy day?

BACKGROUND:
Hometown:
Type of childhood:
First memory:
Most important childhood event that still
affects him/her:
Why?
Education:
Religion:
Finances:
FAMILY:
Mother:
Relationship with her:
Father:
Relationship with him:
Siblings? How many?
Birth order:
Relationship with each:
Children of siblings:
Extended family?
Close?
Why or why not?

ATTITUDE:
Character's greatest fear:
Why?
What is the worst thing that could happen to
him/her?
What single event would most throw
character's life in complete turmoil?
Why?
Character is most at ease when:
Most ill at ease when:
Depressive or SAD (Seasonal Affective
Disorder)?
Priorities:
Philosophy:
How s/he feels about self:
Past failure s/he would be embarrassed to
have people know about:
Why?
If granted one wish, what would it be?
Why?

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:

TRAITS:
Optimist or pessimist:
Why?
Introvert or extrovert:
Why?
Drives and motivations:
Talents:
Extremely skilled at:
Extremely unskilled at:
Good characteristics:
Character flaws:
Mannerisms:
Peculiarities:
Biggest regret:
Minor regrets:
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?

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.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why?
If change #1 was made, would character be as
happy as s/he thinks?
If not, why not?

INTERRELATION WITH OTHERS:
Is character divorced?
Has character ever cheated on signficant
other?
How does character relate to others?
How is s/he perceived by...
Strangers?
Friends?

Wife/Husband/Lover?

Hero/Heroine?
How does character view hero/heroine?
First impression:
Why?
What happens to change this perception?
What do family/friends like most about
character?
What do family/friends like least about
character?

GOALS:
Immediate goals:
Long range goals:
How does character plan to accomplish these
goals?
How will other characters be affected?

PROBLEMS/CRISIS:
How character reacts in a crisis:
How character faces problems:
Kinds of problems character usually runs into:
How character reacts to NEW problems:
How character reacts to change:

GENERAL:
Favorite clothing:
Why?
Least favorite clothing:
Why?
Jewelry:
Other accessories:
Drives:
Where does character live?
Where does character want to live?
Spending habits (frugal, spendthrift, etc):
Why?
What does s/he do too much of?
Too little of?
Most prized possession:
Why?
Play musical instrument?
Which?
How did s/he learn?

UNCATEGORIZED:
Person character secretly admires:
Why?
Person character was most influenced by:
Why?
Most important person in character's life
before story starts:
Why?
How does character spend the week before
the story starts?

If you want a copy it is in a pdf format. Let me know and give me a e-mail address to send it to. I can't remember how to load it directly here.

 

[jomar]

Dang. That's a lot of work.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Dang. That's a lot of work.

He stole it from Boys Life, he's trying for a writers merit badge.

 

[TxRad]

Dang. That's a lot of work.

Not really. It sure beat skimming back to remember things or try to remember why who did which to whom and for what reason. or just screwing it up if you don't remember correctly.

I have cut down versions for short stories. This is what I use for novels.

You can customize it to whatever you want or need.

 

[TxRad]

He stole it from Boys Life, he's trying for a writers merit badge.

This says a lot about what kind of writer you are.

I got this from a very well know writer and misplaced it on this computer. Now that I've found it I decided to pass it on.

Just what the hell have you done besides piss everyone off around here? Not a fucking thing.

 

[Lord Emu]

Very nice I once had a smaller profile I had used for the sake of writing. This is a much more complex one and I can actually use it I have a few story ideas in mind.

 

[Kikoro]

I'll be honest...I'm more of a spontaneous writer, so I make my character profiles as I write and reference them only when I need a refresher. My plot is usually secure in my head before the first word ends up on paper, and perhaps as a habit carried over from time spent playing pen-and-paper RPGs, my characters only come to life for me as I use them.

Trying to define a character's entire history ahead of time has actually made me feel very constricted in the past, and sometimes I have to wonder while writing if I am writing an "acceptable deviation" from the prototype. When I don't tether myself to something like this, I find myself able to write more believable characters, whose development occurs for both myself and the readers, through their interactions with the environment around them.

I will say, however, that simply reading this list reminds me of a lot of human behaviors that are often overlooked. It may be useful to me simply by imprinting these ideas in my mind before the next time I set down to write.

 

[sr71plt]

Something like that would suck all of the life out of my writing, I think. I certainly wouldn't suggest filling much of it out before you start writing--because then you are likely to become invested in all the work you put into it and will be putting a lot of character details in your work that serve no purpose other than to bog it down.

 

[jomar]

He stole it from Boys Life, he's trying for a writers merit badge.

Boy's Life...that's a throwback I remember.

 

[YDB95]

I don't see myself ever filling out a chart like that before I write, but it'd be fun to go through some already-written stories and see how many of those characteristics I could now fill in. Quite a few, I'm finding, from the one I went over in my head while reading the list. Thanks.

 

[annanova]

I've worked with directors who recommend we use something similar for character work. Depending on the role, it can be very helpful.

 

[TE999]

Hoo boy! That's a lotta information. 'Bout the only thing missin' is blood type.

I can see how that would be quite useful writing a novel to keep track of the characters. I wonder if Tolstoi did something like that when he wrote 'War and Peace'?

Since short stories are my meiter I don't get into character development to that extent; in fact I use as little description as possible letting the reader fill in the blanks, exercise their imaginations and personalize the character to an extent.

Radio dramas were once referred to as 'the theater of the mind' and I think writing is quite similar in that we can be as descriptive as we care to, but the reader must envision the rest.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I sometimes fill out a chart so I can keep ages and dates straight. Also family ties.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I'll be honest...I'm more of a spontaneous writer, so I make my character profiles as I write and reference them only when I need a refresher. My plot is usually secure in my head before the first word ends up on paper, and perhaps as a habit carried over from time spent playing pen-and-paper RPGs, my characters only come to life for me as I use them.

Trying to define a character's entire history ahead of time has actually made me feel very constricted in the past, and sometimes I have to wonder while writing if I am writing an "acceptable deviation" from the prototype. When I don't tether myself to something like this, I find myself able to write more believable characters, whose development occurs for both myself and the readers, through their interactions with the environment around them.

I will say, however, that simply reading this list reminds me of a lot of human behaviors that are often overlooked. It may be useful to me simply by imprinting these ideas in my mind before the next time I set down to write.

Actually, you don't need to predefine your character. You can use a sheet like this one as a checklist, noting down the details that you come up with as you come up with them. If something never comes up, it's perfectly fine to ignore it.

When a plot point is based on his birthday being in April, and you have him telling someone he's a Libra.. So embarrassing!

 

[Kikoro]

I see where you are coming form here, but I use an old-fashioned scratch-pad to keep important notes if I'm writing from home. It may look like a chaotic mess sometimes, but if I put it in there, I can always manage to find it somehow. I am also OCD about continuity issues in my own writing, so if I even think I might have had one, it gets a re-read and I take additional notes about any points I'm worried about.

 

[loquere]

This says a lot about what kind of writer you are.

I got this from a very well know writer and misplaced it on this computer. Now that I've found it I decided to pass it on.

Just what the hell have you done besides piss everyone off around here? Not a fucking thing.

John Grisham?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

This says a lot about what kind of writer you are.

I got this from a very well know writer and misplaced it on this computer. Now that I've found it I decided to pass it on.

Just what the hell have you done besides piss everyone off around here? Not a fucking thing.

I piss you off cuz I dont applaude and whistle and high-five oral & anal hot protein injections. This, and BS isnt my idea of the perfect diet. Grey Poupon for me!

It bears repeating. LIT is the adult version of 1st grade where all the kiddies scribble pix, their nice teacher tacks them up, and everyone gets a trophy. TEX World!

 

[Bramblethorn]

LIT is the adult version of 1st grade where all the kiddies scribble pix, their nice teacher tacks them up, and everyone gets a trophy. TEX World!

So how many years have you been in the 1st grade now, JBJ?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I use my professional training and professional experience to form characters. Most people conform to very specific types, and interact with a restricted range of types. Birds of a feather flock together.

But even birds have variety, and to depict a bird yuh gotta pull it outta the bird choir and detail how its different.

Say you wanna depict someone special. Work from the general to the specific but start with something thats common and notable. Like, sheriff's dispatch calls to alert you that a deputy is transporting an old woman to your location. When the patrol car arrives you note that its low 30s outside and all the windows of the car are rolled down. Thats odd. Plus the deputy has the cars air conditioner on HIGH. Thats weird. Then you go outside and get a nose fulla sewer gas. The deputy is wearing plastic gloves and trying to coax the passenger outta the car. As you approach the car the aroma of shit is stronger. Outside the car you see that the old woman's legs are caked with shit that has congealed and hardened, like dead grass beneath a lawn mower. Little roaches scurry about her gown.

 

[TxRad]

I use my professional training and professional experience to form characters. Most people conform to very specific types, and interact with a restricted range of types. Birds of a feather flock together.

But even birds have variety, and to depict a bird yuh gotta pull it outta the bird choir and detail how its different.

Say you wanna depict someone special. Work from the general to the specific but start with something thats common and notable. Like, sheriff's dispatch calls to alert you that a deputy is transporting an old woman to your location. When the patrol car arrives you note that its low 30s outside and all the windows of the car are rolled down. Thats odd. Plus the deputy has the cars air conditioner on HIGH. Thats weird. Then you go outside and get a nose fulla sewer gas. The deputy is wearing plastic gloves and trying to coax the passenger outta the car. As you approach the car the aroma of shit is stronger. Outside the car you see that the old woman's legs are caked with shit that has congealed and hardened, like dead grass beneath a lawn mower. Little roaches scurry about her gown.

Now carry that across a three hundred page novel without having to go back and search to see if you remembered right. Or in your case three paragraphs because that's about as much as anyone has seen you write.

By the way, it's spelled that's.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Now carry that across a three hundred page novel without having to go back and search to see if you remembered right. Or in your case three paragraphs because that's about as much as anyone has seen you write.

By the way, it's spelled that's.

Theres lots I dont let anyone see. My peepee, my social security number, my grandkids, the list is long.

If concrete works for you, go for it. My thang is avoiding the bottom rung on the ladder of abstraction. I strive for congruent and consistent rather than a D.I. white glove inspection on every page.

 

[MSTarot]

Wonder if H.P.Lovecraft used this?


CHARACTER CHART
Character's Full Name:the Great Dread Cthulhu
Reason or meaning of name: because he's great and dreadful
Nickname:Great Old One
Reason for nickname: because he's an old fucker
Birthdate: about four billion years ago...on a Tuesday
Astrological Sign: Aquarius

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:
Age:four billion give or take a century
How old does s/he appear? not a day over a billion
Eye Color: eyes?
Glasses or contacts: your kidding right?
Weight: about a hundred tons
Height: four stories, unless in heels
Type of body/build: big boned
Skin tone: rubbery
Skin type: also rubbery
Shape of face: face?
Distinguishing Marks: tentacles
Predominant feature: same
Hair color: black
Distinguishable hair feature (bald, receding
hairline, etc.): each hair is ten foot long
Type of hair (coarse, fine, thick, etc?)
Character's typical hairstyle: the wet look
Looks like: something that crawled out from under a rock
Is s/he healthy? yep
If not, why not:
Physical disabilities: narcolepsy

 

[Bramblethorn]

Wonder if H.P.Lovecraft used this?


CHARACTER CHART
Character's Full Name:the Great Dread Cthulhu
Reason or meaning of name: because he's great and dreadful
Nickname:Great Old One
Reason for nickname: because he's an old fucker
Birthdate: about four billion years ago...on a Tuesday
Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Older than that! He's established as having been around for "vigintillions of years". A vigintillion being 10^63 in the USA, or 10^120 in Britain.

 

[D_Lynn]

Thanks

Copied and pasted. Thanks.

You might really like using Scrivener. It was originally developed on Mac, but there is a Windows version now, too. You have the ability in this software to create character sketches and setting sketches. You can even import pictures into those for inspiration. The character sketch template in Scrivener isn't as comprehensive as this one you've sent, but you can create your own.

From Scrivener, you can compile your work into any number of formats, including .mobi for Kindle, or .doc for Lit. And the features for managing research for non-fiction works is fabulous.

 

[SevenSquared]

I think that in the time it took me to fill in that chart for each of my characters I could actually write another story.