Writing.. Character Creation, Character Understanding and Character Background

I'm working on the backstory and research of my characters for 'I've Always Known'.  A few months ago, I got Erik Tesar, The Mage, mostly figured out.  May not know everything about him, but I've got some good ideas on who he is and how his powers work.

Up until recently, he was the only character with a name.  I had general ideas on what the others were supposed to be like, but actually building them?  Nope, nothing.

Then I did CTC29 and started putting some more thought into who the heck they were.  Each one got a name and an idea picture or two.  A few of the prompts I worked on, dealt with them and gave me a chance to understand each one a bit more.

But there's still a lot I don't know.  I have ages for three of them, but dates are off when you look at the recent backstory and the previous timeline I've built.  Meaning, more detail is needed.

Now, my goal is to better understand them so when I start writing, its not blind.  Normally my stories have 1-3 characters, this one has 6 PLUS the Antagonists.

I've worked enough on I've Always Known to get the plot line and even a good chunk of the way it'll play out.  Which is weird for me, since I'm what's called a 'panster'.  I don't do this whole 'plot' thing.  I also don't write out to order.

But as another author was editing her story commented, each one has a voice and a path all its own.

So, what did I do for character creation, understanding and background?

1, I searched the web and found several creation guides I liked.  Some are a bit over the top in detail, but I figure its better to have too much than have too little.

Here's a list of the ones I've used so far...
Writers Write: How to Create a Character Profile
Jody Hedlund: Character Worksheet
The EPIGUIDE.COM Character Chart for Fiction Writers
TheChugsBoson: Blank Sheet 1 of 2 TheChugsBoson: Blank Sheet 2 of 2 [1 has descriptions of what he feels should be one each question, while 2 has a downloadable version to preserve formatting.]

2, More research to find 1-3 visual images for the characters.  If at all possible, look up actors or human images, as well as search Deviant Art or other sites.  These are GUIDES! Don't ever ask someone to 'redraw' art, so you can claim its yours.  I use them to get an idea, before I edit and create around that.  As the character expands and becomes its own person, those images will actually start to not work.  Trust me, I've seen it happen more than once.

3, The last thing I did was write simple stories with them.  Find prompts and jump into their world.  You'll never know or understand them, if you don't write.

I know 2 of the characters very well, without having worked on creation or stories.  But through the stories, two others have become more formed and now I want to badly work on those guides to turn them into something more substantial.

No matter how much time I spend with a character, I seldom know every detail and facet of their life.  Erik's never shown an interest in romance, so I have no clue if he's gay, straight, bi or just.. Not interested.

Do I think that's a bad thing?  While its just my opinion, no. Characters aren't 2 dimensional, they have more going on and I don't even know every facet of myself, why would I know it about a stranger taking up space in my head?  That's how I see them when you have a name and an image.

Its the same as walking up to a stranger at a bar and saying 'Hi, I'm so and so.'  They give you their name.  As right then, unless you're Sherlock Holmes, you know a few things.  Their name, what they look like right now and perhaps a drink and/or food preference.  Yes, from that initial stage you could learn more.  If they're wearing a sports jersey, you might assume they like that team and sport.  But they could also have been drug along and put in the shirt to 'get out of the house'.

Here's why I loved the random prompts.

It got me out of a comfort zone, and into their heads.  I started one, and the story took a turn I didn't think of.  Why? Because the characters opened up and shared.  And it was actually a pretty bad moment they shared.  But it gave me insight into who they were, what they wanted and what subplot there might be in the full story.

Not bad for a story barely 2 pages long based off a simple prompt.

I should have started off with this, but maybe putting it here's better.

3 years ago at a writing workshop, one of the author said '90%of what I'm about to tell you, won't work for you.  And that's fine.'

Advice is a dime a dozen.  And advice on writing, seems to be even more than that at times.  Some of them make me feel as if I'm not a writer, because I don't live how they tell me I should live.  And that's bad.

Yes, I've thought a few people were what I call 'playing at writing', but that's because they never seem to write.  They talk about it, they plot and worry about the more minute details, but they never actually write.

But I'd never tell them to give up.  In fact, I encouraged one and offered her help as best I could.

What does all this have to do with the theme of the day?  This is how I create characters.  It works for me.  It may work for you.  If so, wooo!!  If not, s'all good.  Keep searching and find something that does.

Kristy C

Blurb of a Post

Blogger goofed and posted today's entry, yesterday.

Oh well, I'll make something up for you.  ^^

I know!!  I'll post something I've written here for you to enjoy.

Now, this as the CTC29 challenge from day 22.

Day 22: Following In Their Words
Take the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and rewrite it, borrowing the voice and style of a famous writer. In case you're unfamiliar with the rhyme, here it is:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Note that you don't have to write this piece in rhyme or even as a poem. Focus on taking the story from the rhyme and crafting it in the style of the author you choose. To flex your muscles, do the exercise a second time using another author writer with a very different voice than the one you chose the first time.

And here is what I wrote.  Its short and weird, but I like it. Follows in the footsteps of Raymond Chandler, who created the best Noir Detective ever... Philip Marlow.

It started like any other day.  The odd ice was empty when I arrived, but business had been slow for weeks now.

Then she walked in my door.  Long legs stretched up into a round body… A curse only a Humpty could pull off.

“I need your help.”  She breathed, leaning on my desk.

“What’s wrong toots?”

“Its my husband.  He… He had a great fall.”

Everyone had head about the fall.  Dumpty was in pieces they said.

“Way I heard it, Kingsman and Horses was on the case.”

“Please.  They can’t put him back together again.”  She looked at me, and I saw a glint in her eyes.  “No one can.”

I could see she was trouble.

“Then, what do you want?”

“He’s in pieces, but I need to know who caused the fall.”

A sharp laugh escaped my lips.  “Lady, you know who.  I ain't some quack you can use as a frame up guy.”  Leaning close, I smiled.  “You caused the fall babe and now you want to make sure your tracks are covered.”

She was fast on the draw, but I was quicker. “Turn yourself in toots.”

“I”ll share it all with you.  Money, power… Love.”

“Sorry, not interested.”

Two shots rang out and she crumpled to the ground.

Life poured out of her like a spilled inkwell.

Picking up the phone, I called Detective Piper.

“Ms. Humpty just confessed to the fall of her husband… No, send the wagon… She’s in pieces.”

As I said, its not polished or anything, and it moves pretty fast.  But for a short I wrote while getting my back pain zapped and frozen, then in a car.. I think its pretty good.

Kristy C

Things I've Written...

As mentioned before, I've been spending August doing a challenge for 29 days of writing prompts to building my skills as a writer.

I have three days not yet finished, but well started.  One day, I just can't seem to get going in my head.  I've had ideas, but nothing that's stuck.  So, I wanted to share with you what I wrote for one of the days recently, as I thought it was rather interesting.

This prompt came in three pieces, with your goal being to do one, then take a break before doing the next and repeating the set one more time after that.  Below, I'll share each of the prompts and the what I wrote as a response.

Part 1: Start the exercise with your character walking into a bar and taking in the scene. Write what happens in one page. End with your character sitting at the bar and ordering a drink. Write normally, like you would write if this weren't an exercise. When you've finished, put away what you wrote and take a break before doing part 2.

It had been years since he'd had a chance to walk into a bar and just take a moment.  Lately, each visit was to bring Kyran back to the Station, or to pick up a villain for the police.  The idea that he'd be able to sit and enjoy a drink was strange.


Just inside the door, he stopped and let his eyes wander over this particular bar.  Times had changed since he had last been able to go out and drink.  As a young man, these had been saloons and pubs, where men met to talk about the world around them and share a drink together.  Most of the women had been call girls or waitresses.  In the 40's, they'd felt more 'themed', with packed dance floors, shows and lots of tables for a couple to share a stolen moment at.


The only constant between them all, was the music and the drunks.


Music always seemed to be playing from some source or another, be it live or recorded.  It helped to drown out the talking and gave those alone something they could focus on, other than being alone.

It was the same with the drunks.  Always one or two who came almost daily to drown their sorrows in a drink or two... Or ten.  The bartenders took care of them, cutting them off at the right time and getting them home safely.

Taking a good look around, he saw the drunks and heard the music and then focused on what made this place unique.

Art decorated the walls, loud and bold in its colors and strokes.  It was abstract, but that didn't stop it from speaking volumes.  The decor was strange and mismatched, tables of various sizes and surrounded by different kinds of chairs.  To him, the place managed to feel both old world, and modern at the same time.  It felt a little like home.

Stepping up to the bar, he took a seat and looked at the drinks on tap, before finding one he wanted and calling to the young man to place his order.

"I'll try the Hopped Up Sampler."

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Part 2: Do the exact same thing as in Part 1, but now I want you to zoom in the narrative distance. Get up close and personal with your character. Feel the cigarette smoke seeping into his skin and the his shoes catching on the floor that's sticky from spilled beer. Write that page in this zoom-lens POV. Again, end with your character ordering a drink, then put away what you wrote and take a break.

He pushed open the large door, wondering how the daintier customers got in when even he had to give it a solid heave too.  Still, it helped to keep the weather out and the warmth of the bar in.


A friend had suggested this one to him, a place he might feel more at home in, while still keeping in the modern world.  His friend was fight.


Stepping to the side, in case someone else tried to get in, he took a moment t admire one of the several pieces of art around the place. Bold and loud colors called to him, their abstract brush strokes speaking volumes more than some might have thought. It fit with the way the room was littered with tables of all shapes and sizes, surrounded by chairs that didn't match.


It made the place feel somehow old fashioned, and modern.  Like himself.


"Jus' one more drink?"  A voice called out behind him, causing the man to turn catch a glimpse of one staple in all bars, regardless of time.


A drunk.


"No can do Kelly. You know the rules.  Six makes you angry and you can't afford to fix this place up, again."


"But, it was such a bad day..."  He started, before nodding and trying to stand up.


"Let me call you a cab.  We'll make sure the cars safe until tomorrow, then you can have your husband come and pick it up with your daughter."  A hand was held out and the drunk, Kelly, dutifully put his keys in it and waited for the cab to pick him up.


With the distraction gone, he noticed the other thing all bars had in common.  Music.


Here, it was a unique sound that actually mixed old recordings of music with modern dance.  It, fit the world created here.

Stepping up to the bar, now that Kelly was taken care of, he closed his eyes and felt the way everything moved around him, before ordering.

"I'd like a bourbon."


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Part 3: Repeat parts 1&2, only this time zoom out to a full panoramic distance. You're still in the limited POV, but now you're far, far away, getting a panoramic view of the scene. We should almost forget that we're in the POV character's head until he or she sits at the bar and orders a drink to end the scene.

It wasn't your typical bar, but then most bars weren't all that typical in the end.  Each had a clientele they wanted to serve, and did their best to attract those people.


A heavy oak door was the only entrance, keeping some out just from the imposing nature of it.  It helped to keep men gentlemen as some struggled to open it on their own.  But that was by design as well, the first step in assuring they kept 'riff raff out' and proper in.


Loud and bold art work littered the plain walls, drawing the attention of those who entered first.  One step away from being too much, it helped to set the stage for the place you were about to enter.  Its abstract strokes mixing well with the mishmash of tables and chairs, all of which had long lost their original pairings.


At one of the bar, a drunk begged the tender for another drink, proclaiming that it had been a bad day and he just needed 'one more.'


The quality of the bar was shown in not only the refusal of the drink, but the reason being that they knew the consequence and didn't want him to face that again.  It was further proven when the bartender requested the keys, calling a cab so his patron wouldn't get hurt on the way home.


Music, pumped in from an unknown place, added to the original effect of melding ideas with its strange vintage and modern twist in each song.


Everything in the place had been carefully crafted to call to the right person, one who was suited for this kind of world.  Longing for the days of yesteryear, while understanding that the present was needed.


It all suited him just fine, as he stepped up and ordered.


"Scotch on the rocks. Oban Highland, Single Malt.  Nothing under 15 years."


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I thought it was interesting how each of the endings had a different drink, growing in its speciality as the description of the bar and what was seen grew in definition.  Really enjoyed this challenge.  ^^

Kristy C