Post by Moonlight on May 26, 2010 21:01:59 GMT -5
All right, I figured this would be a good thing to have overall - Be it for new roleplayers, or those that are just stuck on their character and need some inspiration or something else to chew on. Feel free to post if you'd like further help.
Name:
Simple enough question, what is his/her name? Maybe not.
Does it fit the timeline? If Fantasy or Sci-Fi based, does it look like it belongs in that universe or world? Does it have a meaning, and does that meaning define or highlight the character?
If said character has a title, common practice includes it before the name. For help with choosing a name, one can resort to these sites:
20,000 Names.com
Behind the Names
BabyNames.com
Age:
Again, a mostly simple question. If something other than human, put their racial age with the initial section, and "Human Age" beneath it for comparison and such.
Gender:
Male, Female, or "unknown" with certain races. Not much to say on this section.
Hometown:
Where does your character come from? What town and region?
Appearance:
What does your character look like?
How tall are they, about how much do they weigh? Is their build lean but muscular, or is it just petite? Do they have a tan, is their skin naturally pale, bronzed, or of any other color? Are there any scars, tattoos, or piercings?
What color is their hair? How long is it? Does it have a specific style? What about their eyes?
- Attire:
Their most notable set of garments, or the outfit they're seen most often in. If they have more than one, feel free to list it.
Personality:
One can justly say that personality is the biggest part of the character. If it isn't defined, some way or another, the character in question has a high probability of being a cardboard cutout or is as dry as chalk. Depending on the personality and its quality, even villains can be considered round-about-protagonists if readers have something to root for. This truly makes a character come alive; to become a person.
Are there any defining qualities? Could their personality be described as a whirlwind mix of things?
How do they act, and react?
Cold towards others, or hotblooded with a blazing temper? Sarcastic/Sadistic? Observant/Perspective? Do they care less about paying attention to things? Are they outgoing, or shy and reclusive? Intelligent, or somewhat lacking in common sense? Graceful, or clumsy (and then how do they act to that self knowledge)? Monotone, or easily excited? Serious, or carefree? Are they open-minded, or very close-minded; What about drifting in the middle?
Do they care about others, or would they care less about giving a person the time of day? Are they sensitive (sometimes considered "soft"), or do they outright insult people without care towards consequences? Friendly and helpful/overhelpful, or aloof? Submissive, or aggressive? Do they give the appearance of alliance, only to disregard or betray a person? Are they critical about themselves and/or others? Arrogant, or do they put themselves down? Are they confident, or do they severely lack in that area?
How do they feel about themselves in general? How do they feel towards other people, or ones with specific personalities? What are there views on the world? Do they accept affection and place their trust in people, or do they shun them away; Possibly something in between? Are the loyal, or outright untrustworthy? How do they handle stress and anger? Love?
The list can just keep going, but I think the picture is clear. The more traits the character has in their personality, the more real they seem. But, simply listing individual traits doesn't do it justice. Explore the character, imagine what they'd do in certain situations. Then, your character clearly becomes alive.
But ... I've probably gone on long enough about all the possibilities. Onto the next, equally important sector.
Bio/History:
What made your character the way they are now? A very simple question, but a very broad answer. Writing one or two vague sentences for a Bio doesn't quite cut it to know a character. Think about, and see what comes to your mind.
Did their past shape or influence their personality in any form? How did they acquire their present skills? Were they involved in anything? Did they suffer hardships, or live a relatively carefree life? Were they raised with money, middle-class, or in poverty? Did they break the mold by their behavior, or did they follow it to the letter?
While there are the "same" amount of countless options for a character's past, how they are applied and viewed by the character also accounts for things. Did they like the way they were raised, or did they envy another person whom was raised differently? Keep all these factors in mind.
Strengths:
Again, a questionable area. If they are given too many strengths, it boarders Mary-Sue or God-modding. While there is not the pressing question of what happens if they're given too few, it is something to keep in mind. Everyone has something they're good at, though.
Is it a principle they apply out of habit (Ladies first, etc)? Is it something other people find admirable? If it is not a particular skill, are they still good at it?
Weaknesses:
This is another questionable area. Are their weaknesses emotional, physical, health, or magical? Perhaps another form of weakness? Do they fear things in paticular? A balanced character usually has more than one type, and most likely relate to different things.
Do they have health issues? Are they physically unable to do something, or are they simply hindered (such as quickly losing energy, for example)? Do emotional issues distract them, or even go as far as to blot out their concentration for some time? Are they weak to any particular kind of magic? Or, are they easily tempted by things?
Everyone has at least one weakness, but usually far more than that.
Quote(s):
Quotes that either: They like and/or use, that describe them, or their personal ones that they refer to.
Other Notes:
Anything that you feel was not quite covered in the other sections, or would like to expand further upon.
Simple enough question, what is his/her name? Maybe not.
Does it fit the timeline? If Fantasy or Sci-Fi based, does it look like it belongs in that universe or world? Does it have a meaning, and does that meaning define or highlight the character?
If said character has a title, common practice includes it before the name. For help with choosing a name, one can resort to these sites:
20,000 Names.com
Behind the Names
BabyNames.com
Age:
Again, a mostly simple question. If something other than human, put their racial age with the initial section, and "Human Age" beneath it for comparison and such.
Gender:
Male, Female, or "unknown" with certain races. Not much to say on this section.
Hometown:
Where does your character come from? What town and region?
Appearance:
What does your character look like?
How tall are they, about how much do they weigh? Is their build lean but muscular, or is it just petite? Do they have a tan, is their skin naturally pale, bronzed, or of any other color? Are there any scars, tattoos, or piercings?
What color is their hair? How long is it? Does it have a specific style? What about their eyes?
- Attire:
Their most notable set of garments, or the outfit they're seen most often in. If they have more than one, feel free to list it.
Personality:
One can justly say that personality is the biggest part of the character. If it isn't defined, some way or another, the character in question has a high probability of being a cardboard cutout or is as dry as chalk. Depending on the personality and its quality, even villains can be considered round-about-protagonists if readers have something to root for. This truly makes a character come alive; to become a person.
Are there any defining qualities? Could their personality be described as a whirlwind mix of things?
How do they act, and react?
Cold towards others, or hotblooded with a blazing temper? Sarcastic/Sadistic? Observant/Perspective? Do they care less about paying attention to things? Are they outgoing, or shy and reclusive? Intelligent, or somewhat lacking in common sense? Graceful, or clumsy (and then how do they act to that self knowledge)? Monotone, or easily excited? Serious, or carefree? Are they open-minded, or very close-minded; What about drifting in the middle?
Do they care about others, or would they care less about giving a person the time of day? Are they sensitive (sometimes considered "soft"), or do they outright insult people without care towards consequences? Friendly and helpful/overhelpful, or aloof? Submissive, or aggressive? Do they give the appearance of alliance, only to disregard or betray a person? Are they critical about themselves and/or others? Arrogant, or do they put themselves down? Are they confident, or do they severely lack in that area?
How do they feel about themselves in general? How do they feel towards other people, or ones with specific personalities? What are there views on the world? Do they accept affection and place their trust in people, or do they shun them away; Possibly something in between? Are the loyal, or outright untrustworthy? How do they handle stress and anger? Love?
The list can just keep going, but I think the picture is clear. The more traits the character has in their personality, the more real they seem. But, simply listing individual traits doesn't do it justice. Explore the character, imagine what they'd do in certain situations. Then, your character clearly becomes alive.
But ... I've probably gone on long enough about all the possibilities. Onto the next, equally important sector.
Bio/History:
What made your character the way they are now? A very simple question, but a very broad answer. Writing one or two vague sentences for a Bio doesn't quite cut it to know a character. Think about, and see what comes to your mind.
Did their past shape or influence their personality in any form? How did they acquire their present skills? Were they involved in anything? Did they suffer hardships, or live a relatively carefree life? Were they raised with money, middle-class, or in poverty? Did they break the mold by their behavior, or did they follow it to the letter?
While there are the "same" amount of countless options for a character's past, how they are applied and viewed by the character also accounts for things. Did they like the way they were raised, or did they envy another person whom was raised differently? Keep all these factors in mind.
Strengths:
Again, a questionable area. If they are given too many strengths, it boarders Mary-Sue or God-modding. While there is not the pressing question of what happens if they're given too few, it is something to keep in mind. Everyone has something they're good at, though.
Is it a principle they apply out of habit (Ladies first, etc)? Is it something other people find admirable? If it is not a particular skill, are they still good at it?
Weaknesses:
This is another questionable area. Are their weaknesses emotional, physical, health, or magical? Perhaps another form of weakness? Do they fear things in paticular? A balanced character usually has more than one type, and most likely relate to different things.
Do they have health issues? Are they physically unable to do something, or are they simply hindered (such as quickly losing energy, for example)? Do emotional issues distract them, or even go as far as to blot out their concentration for some time? Are they weak to any particular kind of magic? Or, are they easily tempted by things?
Everyone has at least one weakness, but usually far more than that.
Quote(s):
Quotes that either: They like and/or use, that describe them, or their personal ones that they refer to.
Other Notes:
Anything that you feel was not quite covered in the other sections, or would like to expand further upon.
