Character Development
Character
Trait
Chart
The
more
a writer knows about his characters, the
easier it is for him to
find the voice of the character. This is
especially helpful during the
early stages of character development, before
the character becomes as
real to you as your mother. Inspiration for
Writers provides a Trait Chart
that includes the most
important traits to help you visualize your
character, both physically
and emotionally. Print a copy for every
character.
Full
name: Surely, different types of people
come to mind when we hear
the names "Bubba" and "Thurmond Elton
Radclift, III." Writers must
carefully consider both the first and last
names of their character, as
well as his or her nickname. Consider the
character's age, ethnic
background and social status in naming your
character. You can find
names in a quality book of Baby Names (with
meanings, preferably), the
telephone directory, websites, or other books
that list surnames by
ethnic origin.
Date
of
Birth/Age: Writers should carefully
consider assigning a
character a birthday. You may want to check
your character's sun and
moon signs, as this helps in fleshing out the
character. Keep in mind
important historical occurrences on both the
birth date and during the
character's developing years of life. For
example, people who lived
through the Great Depression have a different
outlook than younger
generations.
Address:
Does the character live in a large city, the
suburbs, a small town or
deep in the country? Does he or she live in
the United States or
elsewhere? If in the States, which region?
What is the economics of the
neighborhood/area/region?
Height:
Descriptions like "tall" or "average" work
fine, unless the height is a
defining characteristic of the character.
Weight/Body
Build: Go further than your character's
exact weight. Describe
whether he or she is stocky, slender or "had a
figure that . . ."
Hair:
Keep in mind the character's ethnic
background. Of course, you don't
always have to assign typical coloring to your
characters, but if you
don't, you'll need to explain. You may also
want to mention the length,
the style, and the type (curly, wavy,
straight).
Eyes:
Besides the color of the character's eyes,
also include the shape,
length of lashes, shape of brows and anything
else peculiar to this
character. This is a good place to be creative
in listing the eye
color. Instead of "brown," try "copper" or
"chocolate." Instead of
blue, be specific: sapphire, aquamarine or
crystal blue.
Peculiar
Physical
Traits: List any peculiarities of your
character's
appearance here. Does his left eye twitch when
he lies? Does he chew
his lip when apprehensive? Does he smoke? What
does he smoke and how
often? If he wears eyeglasses, what do they
look like? Does he have any
moles, scars or birthmarks?
Health:
Does your character have any health problems
or weaknesses? Does she
walk with a limp, have a plastic jaw, suffer
from migraines? Arthritis?
How is her blood pressure? Is she a walking
heart attack, or does she
run five miles every morning before dawn? How
does she feel about her
health? Is she a hypochondriac? Or has she
never been to a doctor in
her life?
Smell:
Everyone has a smell. It can be the clean
smell of deodorant soap, the
strong smell of a specific perfume or
aftershave, the musty smell of
old age, the tell-tale smell of stale beer. A
character's smell can
change from scene to scene, but try to imagine
what he typically smells
like on an average day.
Voice:
Does he have a deep, resonant voice? Does she
have a throaty voice or a
squeaky voice? Does his voice crack? Does she
usually shout or whisper?
Can he carry a tune? Is his tone pleasant or
grating? Does she speak
with perfect grammar or slur her words? Does
he insert an expletive
between every second word? Does he have a
distinguishing laugh? Does
she talk rapidly or slowly?
Usual
Walking
Style: Does he limp? Is he always in a
hurry and run
everywhere he goes? Does she skip? Wiggle?
Mannerisms:
What else distinguishes this character from
everyone else? Does he
greet people with a hug? Do his hands move
when he talks? Does he snap
his fingers regularly? Does he shrug his
shoulders? Does he slouch?
Have military posture?
Sense
of
Style: What type of
clothes/shoes/accessories does the character
wear? Does he have a favorite flannel shirt he
wears every Saturday?
Does she apply makeup before breakfast? Is his
dress impeccable or
gaudy? Trendy? Casual? Classic? Expensive?
Second-hand? Matching?
Scuffed?
Eating
Habits/Mannerisms/Tastes: Does he
slurp?
Burp? Gulp? Eat on the run? Prefer steak or
hamburger? Sushi or
spaghetti? Eating out (and where) or at
home? Big meals or small? Is he
polite or piggish?
For additional
tips, worksheets, and discussions, order your
own copy of the
Inspiration
for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook.
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