EDITING 101: 59 – Character Profiles…

Posted on by Chris The Story Reading Ape

Character Profiles

Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser (101:21), I’m almost 100% certain that at some point, you’ll have to keep track of your characters’ details. The plotter/pantser post also covered some practical ways that some authors make sure these details are fresh in their minds—or, at least, quickly available.

However, before you can list these precious tidbits of information, you have to either discover them (if your story leads you) or decide on them (if you lead your story). The obvious information is focused on physical appearance: eye color, hair color, stature, body shape, etc. But sometimes authors neglect to round out their profiles with other information that can play a critical part in your story. I’m talking about family history, background, social status, and psychological quirks. I touched on this briefly in the previous post, “Showing Character Emotion” (101:58). To quote:

“…Where did the character grow up? How well (or poorly) did they do in school? How did they treat their friends, if they had friends, or how were they treated by others? What have been their experiences in sexuality? Background information such as this—the little, hidden nooks and crannies in their lives—can be invaluable in deciding how an individual character will respond to a given situation.”

Imagine a character—a regular Joe, so to speak—waiting in line at the bank. Robbers suddenly burst in, shouting at everyone and waving guns. They push and shove the customers to the floor and demand their valuables.

Now, think about these possibilities:

  • How would a middle child, who had many friends, react to this situation versus a first child, who was friend-less?

  • What would a Harvard law-school dropout’s priorities be as opposed to an illiterate farmer?

  • How brave would a bullied, hen-pecked husband be versus an assertive, single businessman?

  • If there were two men of the exact same age, size, social standing, and intelligence—one a high-paid gigolo and the other a married father—how would they react differently?

One way to uncover this valuable information is to conduct interviews with your character. You might take the time to role-play with them—you’re a reporter interviewing them for a biography. How old were they when they learned to read? What kind of schools did they attend? What was their first job?

Another idea is to take your characters and put them in extreme, or funny, situations. If your macho ex-Vietnam veteran—used to wielding guns and jumping out of helicopters—had to take his five-year-old daughter to an amusement park, what kinds of things would he find frustrating, difficult, or exasperating? Or if your analytical white-coated scientist—more at home in a laboratory filled with antibacterial lotion than a dog park—was required to walk six dogs at once, what would she find frustrating, difficult, or exasperating? How would each solve their problems? (No, the stereotypical veteran cannot blow up the amusement park to get out of it, and no, the stereotypical scientist cannot inject the dogs with strong sedatives.)

I hope this gives you some ideas on sketching out characters who are strong, flexible, and unique!

Next week we’ll discuss ‘Deleted Material’

To see the index and catch up with missed episodes of this series – CLICK HERE

NOTE:

This series is not meant to be (nor will it be) simple static information.

I’ll be here for each post to answer questions, offer suggestions as necessary, and interact with you.

If there’s something you specifically want (or need!) to see addressed in terms of self-editing, please let me know in the comments under this, or any of the articles of the series.

Susan

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46 thoughts on “EDITING 101: 59 – Character Profiles…”

  2. This is great advice Susan. Unless you know your characters as well as you know your best friends you will never hear their voices. Once you start hearing their voices (and if you are not diagnosed as schizophrenic) the book really starts to write itself because you know instinctively what your characters will and wont do and that not only determines direction but also plot and pace.

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  5. Yes, I write pages of info about my main characters for any book I’m working on. But the interview idea is excellent. One of these days I’ll do a blog interview for Bea, my newest character. She might have a lot to say! Thanks so much for these suggestions.

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  6. I love doing character interviews for my blog. It’s fun for people who’ve already met them, but if a new visitor comes, I don’t think it helps them at all! But I get a terrific lot out of them, including new plot line ideas. I interviewed the pirate king a few summers ago. I’d pretty much written him out after book 2. But I discovered he had so much more to offer… he’s back in book 8!

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  8. Reblogged this on TINA FRISCO and commented:
    Susan Uttendorfsky is over at The Story Reading Ape’s blog with Part 59 of her Editing 101 series, Character Profiles. Have you considered interviewing your characters as a way of developing them into strong, flexible, and unique personalities? Susan’s articles are invaluable and highly #recommended

    Liked by 2 people

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  9. Conducting interviews with our characters is a terrific idea, Susan, especially if vocalized. I often talk out loud to myself (yes, I admit it 🙂 ) when dealing with a frustrating situation. Hearing my questions and answers really helps. I’m sure the same would hold true in learning about my characters. Thanks so much for this brilliant post! ♥

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    • Thanks for sharing your experience with such exercises, Tina! The same thing can happen when you’re typing out a detailed question for another editor to weigh in. By the time you’re done explaining it, you’ve figured it out. 😀

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