Character Outline

The characters in my story are the first thing I must develop before I begin writing my novel. I must know my characters inside and out, and be "one" with them. I find this to be one of the hardest things to do. In an earlier post, I wrote that you can use people you already know and use their characteristics to mix and match and make up characters of your own. However, there are things that I must also write about my characters that make them "real" to the reader. One of my writing teachers gave us a character outline as a guide to help us with this.

Character Outline
Name, Age, Weight, Body Type, Physical condition, Eye color, Hair color and style, Distinguishing features/tattoos, Race, ethnic group, Years of school-education, major/minor, degrees earned, grade achieved, Special occupational training, Skills, abilities and talents, Areas of expertise, Occupation-Past occupations, military experience, Goals, long term, short term, Short and long term needs, Personality-introvert/extrovert, outgoing, shy, quirks, eccentricities, temperament, Handling of anger and rage, Positive traits/negative, bad habits/vices, good habits, prejudices, Pet peeves and gripes, What makes them uncomfortable and embarrassed, Most painful things in life, Crime/arrest record, Political issues, Sense of humor, Fears, phobias, manias, Physical illnesses-Mental disturbances, Hobbies, interests, sports, favorite pastime, favorite TV shows, Movies, Travel, Pets, Drinking of alcohol, how much, often, alcoholic, Favorite books, Diet-Health conscious, favorite foods, restaurants, fast food, ethnic foods, Sexual attraction from opposite sex, what does the character have that turns on the opposite sex, Sexual turn ons/turn offs, Traumas and psychological scars, Dress, favorite sayings, words, Speaking style-talk too much, quiet, accent, Philosophy of life, best friend/friends, Most important thing in their life that helped mold their personality/future character, Where do they live, neighborhood, Car color, type, how do they drive, Major problem to overcome or solve and their solutions, minor problems to solve, Character growth-How are they changing, for better or worse.

What has been the most difficult thing for you in developing your character(s)?

Photo Credit: alvimann