Alberta Romance Writers' Association

Getting to know your characters: 12 tips

Tips taken from Elizabeth George "Write Away" and Donald Mass "Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook."

1. Develop a character prompt sheet for superficial traits, such as eye colour, height, date and place of birth, etc.


2. Now develop the following and add to the prompt sheet:
• Core need and its opposite
• Pathological maneouver
• Sexuality
• Past
• Wants
3. Use this prompt sheet to develop a back story for each of items in #2. How did you character develop this core need? When did it first assert itself? Does a past event colour your character's current sexuality? Does sexuality play a part in how they act/react to certain circumstances and why? How does your character react under extreme stress? Why?


4. Now that you know your character better, put he/she into a situation completely out of context. How do they react? Do they react as you suspected? If not, you've got more work to do.


5. Identify and develop your character's internal conflict. What does your character most want (core need)? What does your character least want (its opposite)? Make your character want them both and develop a reason why this should be so.


6. Identify personal traits for your characters – make them unique or identifiable. Do they have a favourite saying? Do they have distinct body language, like a tick or twitch? List both conscious and unconscious traits. Do these traits identify something about the character's internal dialogue or conflict? Add these to your character prompt sheet.


7. Identify things that your character would never say or do or think. What would prompt your character to say, do, or think these things? Delve deeply!


8. Pick a part where your character is trying to accomplish, obtain or avoid something. List the reasons why your character is doing this. Now change their motive and see if your character or the action changes.


9. What is your character's main problem, goal, desire? What would make this problem, goal, desire matter more than life itself?


10. What is the point of no return for your character? Why?
    Add all these points to your character prompt sheet or as addendums to the back of it.


11. Gather some old magazines. Clip out pictures that remind you of your character – colours, vegetation, rooms, physical characteristics – and paste them onto a piece of poster board.


12. Post the prompt sheet and poster board where you can see it when writing so that you don't lose track of your character.