Guest blogger, Carole Gift Page, continues to share her Ten Steps in Writing a Novel.
STEP THREE: WRITE CHARACTER SKETCHES FOR ALL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS.
How do I create fictional characters? I begin with feelings and impressions—hazy, shadowy figures in my imagination, without substance or form. I let them germinate in my mind until they take on identities and motivations. When they are ready to be named, I make lists of first and last names from phone books, baby books, or school yearbooks. When I find the right name for my character, I go through my extensive picture file looking for his or her face—a photo that matches my mental image of my character. Then, armed with name and photo, I go to my computer and, using a free-style, right-brain approach, I write an extensive character sketch, probing my character’s attitudes, needs, motivations, and background.
There are 11 things I include in these case histories. Here are the first three:
1. A character’s physical appearance: Not just whether he’s tall, dark and handsome or short, fat and ugly. Rather, what separates him from the masses and makes him unique, one in a million?
2. His personality and temperament: Is he cool and laid back, hot and fiery, aggressive, passive, impulsive or cautious?
3. His motivations: What makes him act the way he does? What are his felt, or perceived, needs? What are his real needs? What does he desire more than anything else in the world?