Character Worksheets for Writers: Create Memorable, Three Dimensional Characters 10 Worksheets. 8 pages each. One of the most important elements in a novel or short story is characterization: making the characters seem vivid, real, alive. One technique that many writers use with success is to complete a character worksheet for the main characters in the novel. The purpose of a character worksheet is twofold: to assist the writer in creating a character that is as lifelike as possible and to help with continuity issues in the story. These worksheets are a tool for organizing your thoughts about a certain character and keeping track of a particular character's idiosyncrasies and relationships. It can help flesh out a cardboard character and even make you think about facets of his or her personality that you had not considered before. Character worksheets are useful when writing in any genre. For example, fantasy writers can use the character profiles to keep track of factors such as magical abilities, family lineage, and limitations on the character's power to ensure continuity in the action. For literary and mainstream novels, worksheets are especially useful for keeping in mind motivations of the character -- hurts and disappointments in the past which may not be alluded to directly in the dialogue, but which nevertheless color everything the character thinks and feels. A Character worksheet is also of great help during the rewrite stage of your novel. You can use the profile to ensure continuity in the character's actions. For example, if in draft 1 your heroine is just recovering from a nasty divorce and in draft 2 you've decided to make her a happily married mother of three, you will know to check every scene with dialogue about her marital status as well as scenes where the (now non-existent) dastardly ex-husband is mentioned. If you change an attribute of your character, be sure to update your Character Worksheet right away. Obviously, a character can develop over the course of the novel. The Worksheet provides a place for you to note that fact so that when you read over your final draft you can see if you achieved your particular character development goal for that character. A Character Worksheet is also a great help if you get stuck on one character who doesn't quite seem real. Maybe he needs a new characteristic -- a hidden trauma, a fabulous skill or a deadly secret -- something that will make the character come alive for you. How detailed you want your character worksheets to be just depends on what works best for you. We provide 8 pages for each character, including extra space for Images and Additional Information. |
