Character Design

____________________________________________________________________________

Our characters are practically our children. We pour our hearts into designing and making them as detailed as possible, and then abuse them through our book plots. Here is a guide to designing your characters quickly and efficiently. Just remember the 5 P's.

Physical

Psychological

People have a lot of important physical characteristics that you think would be noticeable but sometimes completely slip your mind. Here are some details to remember to incorporate:

-Voice~ Everyone has a unique vocal tone and little things that they say that distinguish themselves from everyone else.

-Age~ Make sure you have that in mind when writing, because someone's age usually reflects their logic and how much they know about the world.

-Race/Nationality~ Where was your character brought up?

-Height~ How tall is your character?

-Healthy~ Are they healthy? Do they have any conditions like diabetes or blindness?

-What are some of their assets? What about flaws?

These are good things to consider when writing your story.

Character's psychological conditions are important, whether they're in a healthy or stable state of mind effects how they act and perform. Some things to consider are:

-Intelligence~ Hey, we can't all be EInstein. Everybody has their limitations.

-Temperament~ Some people have patient, good-mannered temperaments while others have short patience with your nonsense.

-Habits~ Do they bite their nails or play with their hair? Everybody has bad- and good- habits.

People's psychological state effects the story a lot.

Personality

Personal (life)

Everyone has those little things that make them diverse. Simple facts that make them unique. Here's some details that make character's unique:

-Relationships~ What are your character's relationships with their family like? Their friends? Their colleagues?

-Past~ How was their bringing up? Did they have a happy childhood and excellent education? Or were they less privledged?

-Ethics~ What do they value the most? Do they believe in any gods or higher beings?

-Possessions~ Do they have any prized or special heirlooms or possessions?

-Profession and Lifestyle~ What do they do for a living? Where do they live, in an apartment or other abode?

Your character's past is a large part of them.

Everyone has a unique personality that effects pretty much everything in their life. Here's some details that narrow it down:

-Wants~ What do they crave in their life? An astonishing adventure? To be a powerful monarch? Maybe just something as simple as a friend.

-Hopes~ What do they secretly hope for? An enemy to fall? To lose the war that they're fighting?

-Fears~ What do they fear? Spiders? Clowns? You could fear virtually anything, no matter how ridiculous it may seem.

-Denial~ Is your character secretly in denial about something?

-Resentments~ Does your character completely resent something or someone?

-Memories~ Does your character have any painful or possibly jovial memories that they ling to for hope?

These all connect to your character's personality.

Practices

Finally, what do they like to do in their everyday life? Do they have any hobbies or things they like to do? This last P is the most simple one:

-Says~ Do they have any slang or sayings that they like to use often?

-Wears~ Does your character have a certain style they enjoy?

-Plays~ Do they participate in any sports?

-Eats~ What are your characters favorite foods?

This concludes character building, and that lays down all the fundamentals of having a well-rounded, detailed character. Add as much detail and quirks as you like.

Good luck and happy writing!