Character Creation
I know there are a lot of different printables and downloable documents out there for writing. But I wanted to create a super simple printable for you guys related to character. I wanted to make something that would spark some ideas about who you’re writing about. I find it helpful to be able to print off documents like this and three hole punch them. I put them all in a binder about my novel and that way, I have an easy to find reference guide for the whole book before I ever write the first word.
I have even found it helpful to fill out a simple character description worksheet like this during editing. If I haven’t filled one out, I might want to condense the character in a worksheet to see if their behavior really makes sense or not. Before we get started, go ahead and click the button below to download your worksheet:
The first item in the printable is your character name. This can be such a hard spot and you for sure don’t want to get frustrated because you haven’t found the perfect name yet. Here’s a tip. If you want to start writing your ideas but you have no idea what to call the main character, just choose anything. It could be Princess Pudding Pants. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it is exactly the same throughout the whole draft. Whatever name you decide, write it down under character name, so you don’t forget and Princess Pudding Pants because Princess Purple Pants halfway through. When you do find the best character name ever, you can ctrl+F in Microsoft Word to find and replace every Princess Pudding Pants with Eloria (or whatever).
Next up is a super simple version of physical attributes. I don’t list a LOT of things here because I feel like it’s really easy to get stuck on this. If you are the kind of person that starts out a new video game and gets stuck on the character creation for so long, you somehow log in 6 hours of gameplay before you even play the game, then you might have an issue getting stuck on what your character looks like. I only list some physical descriptions that might come up when your character is being described in the book (hair, eye, skin) and I ask you to list out three descriptors.
These sooo do not have to be physical. It doesn’t have to be chubby, short, and frizzy. You can describe anything about your character. Clumsy, nosey, picky, (nose-picky), whatever attributes really stand out to you when you think of the character in your mind. For instance, if I was thinking about Korra from Legend of Korra, I might write “strong, instinctual, stubborn.” I was tempted to write “pretty” for one of these, but I decided not to because it really isn’t in the top three of her most important attributes. Hopefully your character will have more than 3 when you sit down to write it, but it should have at least three that are consistent throughout the novel.
Next up is special talent. I say talent but it really is whatever makes your character special. What are they best at? What makes them stand out (or blend in?)
Important people in their life. This is your character’s core circle of friends, family, and mentors. I really love to think about this because it allows you to do some scene brainstorming too. When I think about my character, Leslie Kim, I can say one of the most important people in his life was the woman who raised him (Ella). She’s not his mom by birth or title, but she raised him. This sparked the idea for a scene where Ella gets to meet Leslie as a newborn and decides to be part of his life. I didn’t use this idea in my first serial, but this scene eventually expanded to be an entire short story about Leslie’s life on Earth.
Goals/Dreams. What does your character want more than anything? Narrow it down to the top few items. Leslie Kim may have wanted to be a scientist as a kid, but as an adult, he really wants to find peace in his life. He wants to fix things for those around him.
Biggest Fear. This is pretty obvious but don’t be afraid to get existential. Your character might be afraid of the dark, but more than anything they are afraid of what the dark means. That they are alone, that no one can see to help them, that they can’t find their way out.
Next, I include the year of their birth. This is mostly just so you can brainstorm how old your character is and it heavily depends on the setting too. If you’re not in modern times, you might not write 1985 or whatever. If you aren’t sure what year it is, you can just write x years old. I also included a spot for you to write any important fictional or real historical events. If your character exists in post-apocalyptical Earth, then maybe the apocalypse will be an important event in their life.
I saved the best item for last: 3 things that will make them fail. Another way to put this might be weaknesses, but I put it this way because these are really the biggest things that can take your character down. The biggest fear that we brainstormed earlier might come into play here. You should be thinking about what makes life hard for your character?
For example, if the character’s goal is to pass an important test then the three biggest things that can make them fail are:
- Not studying
- Staying up really late the night before
- Not showing up to take the test.
I hope that this helps you in your efforts during NaNoWriMo this year! Tag me on social media if you do print and fill out this worksheet!
You Can Receive a FREE COPY of Leslie Kim Serial #101: Mythical Investigations through the Booksprout App! I’m looking for 20 reviewers before November 15th!
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Why are reviews important to me? I think it is incredibly helpful for books to have current reviews of titles so they know what to expect. As I prepare to launch The Gnome Situation (Leslie Kim Serial #102), I am hoping to boost pre-orders by getting more readers interested in the Leslie Kim Serials. So grab your copy today!
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