Create a Highly Detailed Character Profile

Confused on how to create a character profile, history, or background? Read on!

Steps

  1. Open a blank document on your computer or whip out a piece of paper for notes. Start with a name, make sure it suits their culture or nationality (e.g. a Gothic character could be called something like Arachna Vladimir if female, or Hellebore Natrix if male). If you cannot think of your own names, search the Internet for some suggestions.
  2. Think of their age. Think of their birth date, It might also help to think of a death date.
  3. Think of their background. What country did they come from, & where do they currently live? Any past trauma's such as-death of a parent, raped, viciously attacked, abused, unloved, abandoned by parents & left to care for themselves, or maybe even something worse?
  4. Think about how the events In their lives have changed them. Maybe it turned them Into a quiet, emotionally distant goth/emo? Or maybe an alcoholic? Its up to you!
  5. Think about their family & parents. How did their parents treat them? Were they an outcast from the rest of the family, or were they just like everyone else? Did they have brothers or sisters? If so, how did they get on? Did they have vicious fights, or were they all sweet & nice?
  6. Also think about they treat their peers; Are they nice? Aloof? Mean? Mysterious? Does their rough childhood (if they had one)cause them to be cruel to animals, for example? How your character reacts to others can speak volumes to your audience(i.e, saying 'Lauren avoided the park because the thought of the children on the playground repulsed her,' is much more interesting than 'Lauren disliked children').
  7. If you're stuck, maybe put your character in a certain situation like a robbery or an earthquake and see how they react. Do they snivel and cower in fear? Do they wrestle the robber to the ground, or are they the robber? Do they help rescue people from the wreckage of the earthquake? Do they start looting the abandoned stores and shooting the bystanders? Remember, actions speak louder than words.
  8. What possessions do you characters love most? Maybe it's that hunting knife they got, or that ugly shirt their boyfriend bought them for no reason. Or maybe it's their pet goldfish Sparky. And what do they have with them in their pockets; lip balm, a Swiss Army knife, a shiny rock?
  9. Next, think of their values. A value is something that they believe in strongly, like 'Money is the best thing in the world'. And, if you want deep characters, give them conflicting values. Say our friend Bob believes that nothing is more important than his disabled dog, Nemo. That's great, but not much of a story. But let's give him another value, like nothing is more important than money. Now we have a story; Bob loves Nemo, but his vet bills are just too much for Bob. What does he do? He can't get rid of Nemo and he can't continue paying this much. Maybe he takes a second job. Or starts robbing people. Or pretends to be blind and begs on a street corner in his spare time.
  10. Start writing. Add as much description as possible, don't use the basic words like 'nice', find an alternative such as 'wonderful.'

Tips

  • It may help If you do a rough sketch of the character, just looking at their appearance. It could help give you idea's about him/her!
  • Include their favourites - favourite food, band, book, colour, brand, song, etc.
  • Names of parents, past boyfriend/girlfriends, and siblings are also valuable, so you don't have to continuously flick through your writing for a name.
  • Make it as detailed as possible. You should make profiles for all of Campell's archetypes. You should know all your characters like they are your best friends even if you based one on an enemy. Their likes and dislikes lists should be very long. Describe the characters' looks and emotions very well. Neither should be less than two paragraphs long. This is only for a short story. Something like a novel should have heaps of detail.

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