Happy (almost) Halloween!

Before I get started, I should mention it’s already that time again. Nanowrimo 2014 starts Saturday, November 1.

Some of you have been working toward it all week, brainstorming and outlining plot ideas. Some of you are attempting to keep it all bottled up until midnight Halloween when you will bust out some fresh creativity on the keyboard. Whatever you do, your story is going to need incredible characters. We all want to put our readers in an other-worldy trance. Even novels without good plots can succeed with imaginative, unique characters.

A character that stands out is an exaggerated version of the memorable people you’ve met in your life. That confident, positive, smart and quiet boy that didn’t talk much but when he did it was genius. Or that strange, head down, fringe in their eyes person you were sure carried a hand gun and switchblade in their trench coat? The things that made these people stand out are the things great characters are made of.

The following 10 steps are what I use to build my characters and develop their quirky traits. This list was compiled from character building through books and conference workshops. I’ve narrowed it to the steps I find best encompass a complete character. Do this for your hero and as many other characters as you like. You will be set to create a great novel for Nano – good plot or not!

P.S. This looks like a lot of work, but feel free to work quickly through it. Don’t think too hard. Just let it flow! No need to write an essay. Short answers are just as effective. You can always work longer on the parts that are more relevant to your story while writing.

#1: Role

Who are we talking about here? Protagonist? Antagonist? Side-kick?

#2: Appearance

How would a stranger describe him? Tall, short, spindly, chunky, bony? Eye color, hair color, skin color?

Does he have any visible habits? Bites nails, scratches head, whips hair?

What is he wearing? Bum rags, a tuxedo, khaki’s and a turtleneck, a sports jersey, hoodie and chucks?

#3: Photo

Get a photo of your character and post it up above your writing space. Find it using a google image search, pintrist search, instagram search, in magazines, you get the idea. Try to get a body shot with the style of dress your character would be wearing (see my vlog on using photos in writing).

#4: Background

What is his name and why? Was he named after someone? Does his name mean something?

What is his ethnicity?

Is he married, divorced, single? Why?

Does he have children or pets?

Does he have brothers or sisters? Parents? Adopted? What are their names and ages? Do they get along?

Does he have a best friend? Name, age?

Does he have any specific memories from childhood?

What is his educational background? Grade school? High school? College? Graduate or professional degree?

#5: Setting

Where does he live? Where was he born? Why did he move?

#6: Property

What is an item that sets him apart from others? A necklace he wears? An inherited alarm clock? A ring? A tattoo? An accordion?

What is his most cherished possession?

Why is that item important to him?

What does his closet look like?

Does he have a car? Bicycle? Motorcycle? Skateboard?

#7: Free time

What is his favorite food? Vegetarian? Meat and potatoes?

What is in his fridge?

What does he have for breakfast?

What is his favorite smell?

What is his favorite hobby?

Does he volunteer anywhere? Have a job? Employment history?

Favorite music, tv show, movie, book?

Favorite fictional hero?

Who is he closest to?

What does he do on Friday nights?

#8: Behavior

What are his weaknesses? What does he fail at? Sports? Art? Talking to people?

What are his strengths? What does he excel at?

Is he an introvert or an extrovert? Does he love people or love being alone?

Does he act the same way around everyone, or different ways with different people? His parents? His love interest? Strangers?

#9: Speech

Is he well-spoken? Can you tell he is educated by his speech?

Is English his first language? Does he have an accent? Does he use proper grammar?

Does he speak matter-of-factly and direct? Or indecisive and in circles?

Does he use street talk, teen slang, cuss words?

Will he talk your head off, ask tons of questions, or hardly talk at all?

Is his voice severe? Gentle? Gravelly? Feminine? Stuttering or lisping?

What are some words or phrases he uses all the time?

#10: Inside

What does he want more than anything?

What is a secret only he knows and he would never tell anyone?

What are his vices? Thief, liar, jealous of others?

What is his philosophy on life? Is he confused? Confident? (as to his role on this planet)

What makes him angry?

What makes him laugh?

What does he do when he’s angry?

Has he ever been in love?

Which superman power would he want?

What does he fear and who knows about it?

If he could change one thing about himself, what would it be?

Who are his role models? Parent, teacher, friend, celebrity?

What trait does he despise in others? In himself?

What talent does he wish he had?

What is his greatest achievement to date? His biggest failure?

This is the first of a 10 part series of articles on Novel Wiki’s. You’ll want to have a Wiki (some people call it a bible) for each novel. Something you can refer to as you write, after your write, during the various drafts, edits, revisions. My wiki is an Excel file that contains 10 parts, character being the first. By the end of the series, you will know how to create this file for yourself! It’s fun and sooooo useful.

Shout out to the excellent books on character building that I keep in my library. The 10 steps above were compiled from these great books and conference notes. There are lots of other character building lists out there. This one because it covers all the bases I’ve needed for my novels.

Writing Children’s Books for Dummies

Creating Characters - Writer’s Digest

Writer’s Guide to Characterization - Writer’s Digest

45 Master Characters - Writer’s Digest

Creating Character - Bernhardt

Got ideas for character development? Comment here or shoot me an email. My newsletter is coming out shortly with more free writing, publishing, and organization tips so stay tuned!

Happy character creating and good luck on your first week of Nano (if you are one of the crazy participants)!

Love you guys,

Rylann