Hellooo everybody! Today we're talking about characters! Again. A lot of you have
told me that you really struggle with creating characters. They're flat, they're unrealistic,
they're one dimensional, and that blows! Now there are a lot of elements that go into creating really
strong characters, but I think one of the most important steps is to try to get to know the
character as if they were a real person. If you know the character inside and out, it's going to
be a lot easier to write for them! And a simple way to get to know your character is to create a
fancy dancy character profile. A character profile is essentially a list of your character’s traits,
and these lists get very specific. Now, some of you might be thinking, “Well, that's nice Jenna,
but I don't know what sort of shit I'm supposed to list.” Oh, silly human! That's what I'm here for.
I'm going to give you a ton of things you ought to consider when creating a character profile,
and I'm going to divide these things into five simple categories. A few things to keep in mind.
One, just because you're listing these things doesn't mean they need to go into your novel. This
process is to help you get to know your character so you can easily write for them. It's not so you
can include a laundry list of information that nobody cares about into your book. And two, I'm
about to list SOME things you should consider. I am 100% positive that I'm missing a ton of shit! A
friend of mine once downloaded a character profile that had 100 categories to fill out. 100! I'm not
listing 100 things… Consider the list I'm about to give you a starting point. Category Number
One (1): The basic stats. What's your character's sex and what's their gender? Keep in mind,
sex and gender are not the same thing. Sex is biology. I'm talking chromosomes, hormones,
genitals, the fun stuff! Gender is a concept. It's whatever a particular society defines as
masculine or feminine. Next stat: what's your character's age? You're gonna want to think
about this one carefully because age plays a huge role in a character's life experience and
life experience can completely transform someone's personality. Next, we move on to race, ethnicity,
and culture. These are important to consider one, because it can help guide the character’s physical
description. And two, because some people place a lot of their identity in their ethnicity and
culture, and even fictional worlds have countries or realms or clans. Your character’s gotta have
some kind of lineage. It could be Cuban. It could be Elven. Next, there's physical appearance and
the key things to consider are height, body type, and face. It's also good to know how
your character's appearance affects them. Have you ever met a supremely gorgeous person who was
supremely arrogant? I'm sure you have! But keep in mind that a person's appearance doesn't have
to dictate their personality. Just because a character’s small doesn't mean they're
sweet or weak. And the last basic stat: where is your character from? Where do they live? And I'm
talking specifics. Country, state, town, and residents. You also want to know what their
lifestyle’s like. Are they rich? Are they poor? Are they coasting? Are they struggling? Next,
we move on to Category Two (2): Relationships. First and foremost, what's their family like?
Not only that, you should know what their relationship with their family’s like. Maybe
their dad's an abusive piece of shit. Maybe their mom has a drinking problem. The number one thing
that fucks a person up is their family, so digging through a character's family tree is a great way
to reveal their insecurities and issues. Next, we move on to friends. A person's friendships can say
a lot about them. If you're hanging out with a bunch of assholes, you're probably an asshole,
too. And as the story progresses, your character’s friendships might change. Maybe their friends
abandon them in their time of need, or maybe the character just outgrows them. Next Category
is Number Three (3): The sexy stuff. What's their sexual orientation? Please keep in mind that there
are a lot of sexual orientations to choose from. If you can only think of three or four, there's
more than that. Which brings me to my next point: what specifically is your character attracted to?
Just because your character is attracted to men doesn't mean they're attracted to all men. What's
gonna get your character all riled up? What's gonna make ‘em pop a boner? Of course, you've got
your obvious options: boobs, butts, abs, biceps, legs, length of…things. But most people are attracted
to far more traits than that! Eyes, hair, smile. The scent of cologne. The way a person dresses
or carries themselves. And most importantly, personality! Lots of people are attracted to
confidence or quirkiness, or having things in common. Tap into your character's hormones and
figure out what turns their brain into a gutter. And on that note, what's your character's sexual
experience? Just because your character likes dicks doesn't mean they've seen one or had one
in their mouth. Not only do I like to determine a character's sexual history, I also like to
determine why that's their sexual history. Why are they a player? Why are they a virgin? And lastly,
what's your character's romantic experience? Sexual experience and romantic experience are not
the same thing! Sexuality refers to a tingling in your privates. Romance refers to a tingling
in your heart. Has your character ever been on a date? Have they ever fallen in love? Have they had
their heart shattered into a million pieces that could never be put back together?
(Heartbreak song plays)
Next is Category Number Four (4): Skills. What the hell is your character
good at and how did they develop these skills? If your character is a regular nerd in one chapter,
and then in the next they’re single handedly fighting off werewolves,
you're gonna have to be able to rationalize this. No one is suddenly an expert at something, unless
it's magic…and it could very well be magic! Next, you want to look at your character’s schooling or
occupation. Are they good at school? Do they like their job? Most people don't. And lastly,
you want to take a look at their hobbies. What the hell does your character do when
they're not killing aliens or casting spells? And finally, we reach the most important Category,
Number Five (5): Personality and character. We'll start with the easy stuff. Is your
character an introvert or an extrovert? Most people actually qualify as ambiverts,
which is the middle ground between introvert and extrovert. But it's still a good idea to figure
out if your character is more on the reserved side or more on the outgoing side. Is your character
right brained or left brained? Right brain people tend to be more creative. Left brain
people tend to be more analytical. And people who are balanced are just good at everything.
Fuckers…
Then we move on to your character’s strengths and weaknesses. This is pivotal,
especially for your most important characters because their strengths and weaknesses are going
to fuel the plot. If a character’s ambitious, that could be a major strength. If they're ambitious
to the point of disregarding the feelings of everyone who cares about them, that could be a
major weakness…or possibly sociopathic behavior. If your character is a good guy, you want to know
what makes ‘em heroic and what makes ‘em human. If they're a bad guy, you want to know what
makes ‘em formidable and what makes ‘em falter. What are your character’s goals and dreams? What
is your character aspiring toward and do these aspirations change over the course of the novel?
It's actually very common for a character's goals to change as the story progresses, especially if
the character in question is the protagonist. On the flip side, what are your character’s fears
and insecurities? In order to write a compelling story, your characters need to have some pretty
legitimate fears and insecurities. Maybe they're insecure about their future. Maybe they're afraid
of losing their identity or sense of self. Maybe they're scared to die. In doing this,
you are essentially determining the root of your character's vulnerability and this is vital if
you want to make a realistic character. What are your characters beliefs? Most people believe in
something. It could be a simple code of ethics. It could be a religion. It could be science. It
could be a combination of these things. But you at least want to know if your character has a sense
of duty, purpose, or right and wrong. And lastly, what would your character die for? Someone's about
to fire a gun. What would compel your character to run in front of that bullet? Figuring out what
this thing or person is is sort of like tapping into the heart and soul of your character. You
learn a lot about a person when you determine what it is they truly care about. So there you
have it! These are just a few things to consider when creating a character profile. Remember,
there are a ton more things you can look into! I encourage you to look online for examples of
character profiles. You can find ‘em everywhere! And I've got a sample character profile up on my
blog Count Blogula. I used the protagonist of my upcoming novel The Savior's Champion as an
example. Link’s listed below! Remember, the key is to get to know your character so well, they feel
like a real, complex person. Once that character feels three dimensional to you, it will be so much
easier to write for them. On that note, don't forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new
videos on Wednesdays. Eve: The Awakening is still available in ebook and paperback on Amazon right
now. You can also order a signed copy! Links are listed below. And if you have any questions or if
there's something you'd like me to talk about in my next video, be sure to tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!