Building Your Characters

[Jamison]

Building Your Characters

Development of characters is one of the first things I do when beginning a new project, because no matter how strong your concept or storylines are, they are absolutely nothing without strong, and fully developed characters.

The following points are important ones in creating any main character:

Character Name

There are many cool names but select the one that is definitive of the character. "Stanley" usually isn't knight in shining armor but the knight my have a "Stanley-esque" quality that gives him more depth. An interesting name is particularly important for the Protagonist and Antagonist. They should be equally catchy. Luke Skywalker versus Dennis Vader just doesn't sing.

Character's theme in one word

Just like the screenplay's theme, what is the character's theme? This can be your own personal "catchphrase" while when wondering what the character might do in any particular situation. Remembering the theme just might help you figure it out.

Age

How old is he or she? You must take several things into consideration: innocence, wisdom, puberty, debilitation, etc. Anything that hinders or helps your character will be reflective of his/her age.

Gender

Male or Female? Again, how will this point be detrimental or not in any given situation.

Appearance

How does the character present him/herself? An appearance that is the complete opposite of what the difficult undertaking calls for is always a good rule of thumb. (Superheroes don't count)

Defects (scars, or limps)

Any physical defects? Good for giving your character vulnerability and giving fodder to a backstory.

Marital status

Married? Single? Divorced? Widowed? (circle one) This highly affects personality. Anyone who is or was married knows this all too well.

Family

Does your character have a family? Does he/she like them? Are they a component in the story? And, if so, do they hold he/she back or provide support...or are they a liability?

Friends

Does your character have any friends? If so, what are they like? Defines what your character is like.

Religion

Not always important unless the story calls for it but if you want to dig deep for you own information it is good to know. With religions come cliches and, like or not, people will identify with that.

Occupation

What does your character do for a living? Again, this just might tell you and the audience what makes them tick.

Formal Education

Did your character go to school? How about college? PhD? Maybe the sixth grade was sufficient. This knowledge presents "book smarts".

Acquired Education

This knowledge presents "street smarts". Much more attractive to have someone who only finished the eighth grade reach CEO status. So, what knowledge does your character have from the guy in the empty refrigerator box behind the mission that no one else does?

Quirks

What peculiar behavior does your character have? Nail-biting? Twitching? This behavior could be representative of your character's flaw and that is a good thing.

Core Beliefs

What is most important to your character along the lines of ethics, spirituality, death, etc. The point here is to define how much depth your character has in making he/she appear more human.

Associate Objects

Maybe your character has a cane...a slingshot...a Zippo lighter...or chewing game. An associate object further defines your character. So what is it? We all have something.

Favorite Hobby

What does your character do in his/her spare time? Something like could tie directly into the storyline or give further depth of character. Tough cops who collect "My Little Pony" dolls is always a big winner. Imagine the possibilities.

Greatest Talent

What can your character do that rivals what he/she might come up against? Having a talent saves the day. Period.

Greatest Strength

This should focus more on the character's personality? What might other admire about how your character carries him/herself?

Greatest Weakness

What is your character's flaw? Again, more in depth if the flaw is a personality shortcoming. So, with that in mind, what is it that might keep your character from achieving what they want or need?

Greatest Fear

No matter how "together" your character appears to be they must have a fear. What is it? This could be the Achilles Heel that blocks an Protagonist or defeats an Antagonist.

Darkest Secret

We all have one. What's yours? What's your character's? This is another bit of information that plays well when providing a backstory for you screenplay. Also, a dark secret is going to dictate how a particular character acts.

After completing these "character points", you should have a pretty good idea as to what your character is like. If you did correctly, there will be a lot of you in the character. Write what you know!

(Article from FiveSprockets - www.fivesprockets.com/resources/content/building-your-characters)

[Jamison]

Another method - The ABC's of Character Development

A - Appearance. What are the character's basic physical descriptors (height, weight, hair, eyes, complexion, grooming and clothing). What does her appearance reveal about her personality?

B - Behavior. What is the character's general manner and bearing? Is he polite or rude? Domineering or deferential? Nervous or calm? Any mental health problems? List some mannerisms uniquely his own.

C - Chronology. What is the character's history? How did she get to where she is now? What sort of childhood did she have? What were the major influences and experiences that shaped her personality?

D - Demographics. What is the character's age? Sex? How much income does he have? What's his marital status? What's his cultural background?

E - Education. How much education does the character have? High school drop-out or Ph.D? What areas has she studied? How good a student was she?

F - Fears. What are the primary fears that drive the character's actions? Does he have any phobias? How does he deal with his fears? Face them head-on or avoid them at all costs?

G - Goals. What are the character's main goals, both in terms of life in general and the story in particular? What will she need to do to accomplish those goals?

H - Hobbies/Habits. Does the character have any favorite pastimes? Does he have any rituals or patterns in his life? What knowledge does he have because of his areas of interest?

I - Idiosyncrasies. Does the character have any unusual and identifying quirks or peculiarities? How about nervous tics? Does she have any catch phrases?

J - Job. What does the character do for a living? Why? What skills does he have because of his job training and experience? What jobs has he held in the past, and what skills did he gain from those?

K - Kinfolk. Who are the character's family and close friends? What type of relationship do they have? How important are they in her day-to-day life? Does she have siblings? What's her birth order?

L - Language. What is the character's voice? Is it unique and consistent enough to identify his dialogue without attributions? What does his body language reveal?

M - Motivation. What is the character's primary motivation in the story? Is it believable? Consistent throughout?

N - Name. What is the character's name? Does it say anything about her? Does she like it? Is it ethnically appropriate? Are all of your character's different enough to avoid reader confusion?

O - Obstacles. What obstacles will the character encounter? How will he overcome them? What skills will he use? How will this dictate his actions and thoughts?

P - Perceptions. How does the character experience her environment? Use all five of her senses to determine her response to each scene. How does her current world look, smell, feel, sound and taste?

Q - Qualities. What are the character's dominant qualities? Is he brave? Kind? Loving? Remember, even evil characters can possess a good quality or two.

R - Religion. What are the character's religious beliefs? How important is religion in her life? How do her beliefs influence her actions and decisions?

S - Strengths. What are the character's main strengths? Are they physical? Mental? Emotional? Intellectual? How will he capitalize on those strengths to reach his goals and overcome obstacles?

T - Temperament. What is the character's usual disposition? Is she a Type A, a Type B, or a mix of both? What might cause her to deviate from her normal temperament?

U - Universals. What universal emotions will the character experience in the story? Love? Hate? Jealousy? Hurt? Fear? How can you make the reader feel those emotions along with the character?

V - Values. List the principles, morals, ideals, standards and ethics the character subscribes to. How do they influence his actions and behavior? Will any of his values change in the course of the story?

W - Weaknesses. What is the character's overall state of health? Does he have any limitations, impairments, injuries or handicaps? How important is health to him, and how does it influence his lifestyle?

X - X-Rays. What is the character's overall state of health? Does he have any limitations, impairments, injuries or handicaps? How important is health to him, and how does it influence his lifestyle?

Y - Yearnings. What longings and desires will the character experience in the course of the story? Will they be basic (hunger, thirst) or superfluous (greed, recognition)? Will she obtain them?

Z - Zip code. Where does the character live? Why does he live there? How did he come to be there? What does his home environment reveal about his personality? Is the home consistent with income?