Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Character Sheets

I have several copies of character sheets from wherever I can get them. They help because they make me visualize the character I'm writing about. What also helps is finding a photo for that character (full body is better) and put it in a special file. I usually copy and past those in a Word file.

Yesterday, while looking at a Josip Novakovich book on writing fiction, I saw another character sheet, a short one but with interesting elements on it, such as bathing habits, sleep patterns, secret passion, secret frustrations etc.

We usually discuss conjuring up character quirks and what the character wants the most, but these aren't usually a secret. A secret passion other than what the character wants the most should come in handy to give the character another dimension. Secret frustrations also would help, especially because they are secret, known only to the character.

Then, the bathing habits, sleep patterns etc. could easily open up new chapters in a novel or may at least act as related fillers. So I made a mental note to add those to my characterization ideas. These are all telling details and should help especially when rushing through a storyline as in NaNo.

In addition, all these seemingly miniscule details can be altered to the time and place and genre. Especially in conflict-driven plots, where a novice writer would ignore characterization, these details could also act as cover-ups.

I'm always looking for new aspects of characterization and collecting details, because I think whatever genre one writes in, characters make the story. But then solely focusing the attention on the character details can take away from the flow and the impact of the plot. So maybe, it is good to know what makes a character tick and use it if it fits the story.

Just my two cents on the subject...