Character Sheets

[Queshire]

I asked this in the chat, but hey! why not ask here and see if it doesn't reach more people, yeah?

So, do you make character sheets for your characters, if you do, what do you put on them, and how useful are they?

 

[CupofJoe]

I do but not in an RPG 1 sheet form.
I haven't found the ONE method yet and I don't really think there is just one.
Of late I have used a version of 101 character questions to build up my ideas.
I tend to use the process to define/explore the character's character. The process always kicks up something unexpected...
I discovered that one character was homosexual by going through this and that another had very deep Oedipal issues about another MC.
My favourite questions are "Do they know how to eat a pomegranate?" I didn't and had to look it up...
and
"Why Should The Audience Care About Your Character?" always catches me out. I keep confusing care with like...

 

[Weaver]

I didn't even use character sheets for my RPG characters any more than I had to.

That said, I do keep a brief list of traits and whatnot, because my twin and I write a lot together, and he may not know, for example, how tall Lyra Rhys-Griffith is. I've never seen a need to list character's "special abilities" and such, though. I do not use character questionaires except for humor; I like to answer some questions in character. I did develop the "voice" of one MC more by the way he evaded answering some of the questions. (That's posted on my blog, if anyone cares to see it. A character creation questionaire – my way | North of Andover )

I'm not sure what you mean by "character sheets." (Sorry, but I missed that part of the chat session.) do you mean detailed responses to a questionaire, or more the kind used for RPG characters?

 

[Ophiucha]

Not in any organized sense, but I usually keep continuity notes while I'm writing. Like, I draw a timeline and I keep track of things I mention as the chapters pass. Sometimes they are general facts - maybe a scene worked best if I did mention a character's eye colour, so I'll write it down so I don't contradict that eleven chapters later. Usually, it's just mentions of clothes and possessions. A reminder that she's wearing a certain colour or type of shoe in a scene (like the climax of my current project has the protagonist in heels, since it takes place at a formal event, which is important if I want her to start running away from some armed guards or something).

But I don't do like a --Name: Molly, Age: 34, Height: 4'10"-- sort of character sheet. Mostly because what I need to know about each character is so different from the next that aside from 'Name:' nothing is really going to be consistent between each sheet.

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

When I first started out I used to write D&D style character sheets (oh the shame), of course I now know thats a bad idea for prose. What I do now is write little bios for my characters, just to set in stone their backgrounds for myself so I'm confident writing them. These bios contain a brief physical description, date of birth, personality, and relevant backstory (which I'm constantly adding to and changing). These bios are meant for my eyes only, and are just a way of character building really.

 

[Scribble]

I like to use Raymond Cattel's 16 Personality Factors to help flesh out my characters. I use a spiral notebook for "book-building", where I have plots, character sketches, story ideas, maps, etc... For important characters, I will go through the exercise of going through these personality factors. It makes me think more deeply about my characters. It also can surface if any of my characters are too similar.

These factors are expressed in low and high ranges. I print up a page with these factors, write the character name and then highlight the character's starting factors. For characters who will transform (hopefully your main characters do change!) I can mark these shifts as well.

Conflicting traits between characters

By comparing two sheets (two characters), I can get ideas of how these people will chafe against each other, or get along well. For example, if Raziel is outgoing (A) and Siuran is aloof (A), they will have very different ideas of how to handle social situations. Raziel will invite people to the table, and Siuran will not care for it. He would be jovial, while she would be quiet.

Internal struggles against traits

There are also internal struggles (the most interesting kind) that these personality factors can help flesh out. Let's say that Raziel is bossy (B), and this causes Siuran grief, to the point where she does not want to adventure with him any more. Raziel must deal with his own trait, by working to overcome his "default programming" of bossiness, to become more accommodating (B).

Tip for using these traits to generate emotion.

Characters with great self-control can overcome their traits in order to perform their duties. Characters with low-self control, have a harder time, they get into more trouble. Characters who push themselves or who are pushed into situations where their traits are at odds with how they must act, will find themselves under stress. People who find themselves in situations where they can be comfortable, allowing them to exhibit their traits naturally, they feel peace.

Warmth
(A)

Low: Impersonal, distant, cool, reserved, detached, formal, aloof
High: Warm, outgoing, attentive to others, kindly, easy-going, participating, likes people

Reasoning
(B)

Low: Concrete thinking, lower general mental capacity, less intelligent, unable to handle abstract problems
High: Abstract-thinking, more intelligent, bright, higher general mental capacity, fast learner

Emotional Stability
(C)

Low: Reactive emotionally, changeable, affected by feelings, emotionally less stable, easily upset
High: Emotionally stable, adaptive, mature, faces reality calmly

Dominance
(E)

Low: Deferential, cooperative, avoids conflict, submissive, humble, obedient, easily led, docile, accommodating
High: Dominant, forceful, assertive, aggressive, competitive, stubborn, bossy

Liveliness
(F)

Low: Serious, restrained, prudent, taciturn, introspective, silent
High: Lively, animated, spontaneous, enthusiastic, happy-go-lucky, cheerful, expressive, impulsive

Rule-Consciousness
(G)

Low: Expedient, nonconforming, disregards rules, self-indulgent
High: Rule-conscious, dutiful, conscientious, conforming, moralistic, staid, rule bound

Social Boldness
(H)

Low: Shy, threat-sensitive, timid, hesitant, intimidated
High: Socially bold, venturesome, thick-skinned, uninhibited

Sensitivity
(I)

Low: Utilitarian, objective, unsentimental, tough minded, self-reliant, no-nonsense, rough
High: Sensitive, aesthetic, sentimental, tender-minded, intuitive, refined

Vigilance
(L)

Low: Trusting, unsuspecting, accepting, unconditional, easy
High: Vigilant, suspicious, skeptical, distrustful, oppositional

Abstractedness
(M)

Low: Grounded, practical, prosaic, solution oriented, steady, conventional
High: Abstract, imaginative, absent minded, impractical, absorbed in ideas

Privateness
(N)

Low: Forthright, genuine, artless, open, guileless, naive, unpretentious, involved
High: Private, discreet, nondisclosing, shrewd, polished, worldly, astute, diplomatic

Apprehension
(O)

Low: Self-assured, unworried, complacent, secure, free of guilt, confident, self-satisfied
High: Apprehensive, self-doubting, worried, guilt prone, insecure, worrying, self blaming

Openness to Change
(Q1)

Low: Traditional, attached to familiar, conservative, respecting traditional ideas
High: Open to change, experimental, liberal, analytical, critical, free-thinking, flexibility

Self-Reliance
(Q2)

Low: Group-oriented, affiliative, a joiner and follower, dependent
High: Self-reliant, solitary, resourceful, individualistic, self-sufficient

Perfectionism
(Q3)

Low: Tolerates disorder, unexacting, flexible, undisciplined, lax, self-conflict, impulsive, careless of social rules, uncontrolled
High: Perfectionistic, organized, compulsive, self-disciplined, socially precise, exacting will power, control, self-sentimental

Tension
(Q4)

Low: Relaxed, placid, tranquil, torpid, patient, composed low drive
High: Tense, high energy, impatient, driven, frustrated, over wrought, time driven.


16 Personality Factors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Spider]

In the past, I've tried making character sheets including the character's background, personality, role in the plot, and even sketches of my character, but now I just feel like that constrains my character. These days, I jot down the general things about my character that I know won't change, but everything else I keep in my head (thankfully I have a good memory).

 

[Rinzei]

I tend to use RP profiles more than character sheets. Basic traits, just to keep things straight. Full Name, Race, Age, Hair/Eye Colour, etc. The template changes depending on the story so the qualities listed pertain to the story. Sometimes I may do a brief summary of their background, but not usually. It's fairly minimal, now that I think about it.

 

[Scribble]

In the past, I've tried making character sheets including the character's background, personality, role in the plot, and even sketches of my character, but now I just feel like that constrains my character. These days, I jot down the general things about my character that I know won't change, but everything else I keep in my head (thankfully I have a good memory).

Interesting points here about character creation and a writer's mind.

I use sketches and personality trait tools when I am conceiving of the characters, but at a certain point they come alive and I don't need any notes. The character knows who he or she is.

Does anyone else experience something like this?

For the hundreds of pages of notes I make, and it gets ridiculous let me tell you, I don't need to go back and read them ... unless as a jogger if I've wandered off onto another project for a long while. The process of writing seems to burn it into my brain, something that served me well in school.

 

[Weaver]

I use sketches and personality trait tools when I am conceiving of the characters, but at a certain point they come alive and I don't need any notes. The character knows who he or she is.

Does anyone else experience something like this?

Yes.

I've also noticed that many characters will name themselves.

I don't have any lists of facts about my characters. I've never had a need to know what kind of pizza Jason Grey likes best. If it ever comes up, he'll tell me. I don't know the name of Raven's first girlfriend, because honestly, he doesn't remember. I don't know why Deegan likes cargo pants better than jeans. But I would have a hard time answering a long list of these questions about myself, and I've known me for a long time.

 

[Devor]

I haven't found a good way to character map yet. Many of the ideas I've looked at are either too simple or too overwhelming.

What's helped me sometimes is to ask, what is this character's relationship with ____(person/place/thing/event)_____, and how is it changing.

 

[skip.knox]

I've made sheets for some of my characters but they refuse to sleep in them.

-= Skip =-

 

[ecdavis]

I had my characters well developed personality-wise, though I have to admit that I (later on) made character sheets for them, but after being warped in my teen years from playing AD&D, I tend to think of book characters in these terms. I remember the old AD&D 'Dragon' magazine used to do reviews of characters from well-known Fantasy and Sci-Fi books and give their AD&D stats. I think that is what made me think of characters in this way, though by no means does this limit how I develop them. I use it more as a guide.

 

[Asura Levi]

I aways tend to make something of my own, even rpg-like with attributes and stuf. Not that this part helps, it doesn't. But I like it anyway.

I do try to keep their desires and traits, but hardly they agree with what I think of them.

 

[Scribble]

Going back to the personality 16 factors, I found a first draft sketching out the personality dynamics of a group of the five major characters in my story, plus the key antagonist. I made little notations for each character. This helped me create and understand how they would differ from each other, and how they would struggle because of their traits. I would imagine situations for each trait to express. In some situations, certain characters would be more agreeable, and in others, they would either conflict, or have some other dynamic.

I thought some might find useful an example of how I use the factors. I've included a scan of a personality factor sketch I did early on when conceiving the characters.

I have a cast of 5 characters in this group:

RZ - (male) leader, sorcerer, swashbuckler, charismatic
SI - (female) alchemist/elementalist, secretive, goal-driven, obsessed with arcane ideas
AD - (female) priestess, devout, open, sensitive, moralistic
ID - (male) soldier, dutiful, honor-bound, taciturn
HO - (male) tribal warrior-sage, honor-bound to RZ, humble, practical, quiet, efficient

VA - chief antagonist, since that draft I've revised this character.

(The main character group is still based on this first draft.)

In Reasoning (B), they are all intelligent, but their intelligence works in different ways. RZ, the leader, "sees" the solution right away in a very practical way, he's a natural problem solver and strategist. However, he gets into arguments of principle with SI because she is a more abstract thinker, and dislikes glossing over details with intuition. The others may need some convincing, and they may see things the same way if he explains himself well, or not. RZ has a time wrangling these people to his will.

In Dominance (E) RZ is charismatic and foreceful. His loyal shield man TO is a humble warrior-sage, quiet and bound to serve RZ. There is no leadership friction between them. ID is naturally dominant, and he and RZ clash. This is where RZ must use some diplomacy. AD is assertive and challenges RZ when there are points at which she disagrees. SI is stubborn and must be convinced to change plans.

Rule-Consciousness (G) is another area of friction. RZ is an expedient fellow, rules are to be used or discarded, it is the goal that matters. SI is rule-conscious, being a courtly person of high standing. Breaking rules can result in risk to her position. AD is a priestess and highly moralistic. ID is dutiful, he's a military person who follows his regulations strictly. TO is rule bound. He follows a warrior tradition that requires certain behaviors to be observed, it is so much a part of his identity, that he will not break them. All of these differences create opportunities for RZ to have to deal with the different rule-awareness of the group.

Sensitivity (I) is another source of differences. RZ's weakness is that he is sentimental. This is one of his redeeming qualities, as he is otherwise a very driven swashbuckling type person. AD is sensitive, while ID is no-nonsense, possibly regarded as "insensitive" by AD. SI is self-reliant, rarely affected emotionally by others making her seem cold. SI is passionate about her goals, and when thwarted emotions will rise.

Another aspect of the character within the group is where they try to overcome one of their traits, where they have internal conflict. For example, RZ is emotionally reactive, but he always tries to keep his cool. He often fails.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

One upon a time, we used rp style character sheets, and found them to be not only limiting but boring to fill out, so we quit.

However, it is important to record those details somewhere where they can be referenced. We have an author we read who had a pair of child vampires appear in her series. Over the course of a few books their apparent ages fluctuated wildly. We follow her closely, and know that her organizational system basically consists of a wall covered in posties - everything else she stuffs in her head. Finally, her publisher assigned her a continuity editor. My reaction to this is "Srsy?!?" They HIRED someone to keep track of her details???

So, vowing to not be "that" writer, we note every detail - name, height, build, hair color, eye color, bio, etc., as it develops. For the main family in the series we have a family tree going back to 1865 to the founding of our fictional city. We have over 300+ named series characters so far, and we are constantly adding to their character files. All of this info is stuffed into OneNote, where I can scan, copy and paste anything from pictures to articles to web pages for reference. We RP all our character and story development, so whenever things change, and they change a lot, I am immediately back at the desk making changes. It is, of course, much more information than will ever make it onto the page, but we like to be thorough. I never want to answer a question about our work with, "Well, we never thought about that," or "It's fantasy, so we figured we could do whatever we wanted."

The demon is in the details, and I trust my demon.

 

[JSDR]

Here's the thing about character sheets.
1) They can become time sinks. Filling out forms and questionaires can take up to hours.
2) You might develop the character more than you develop the conflicts and the plots.
3) They can inadvertently trap your character in Caricature mode. By this I mean, you may use the character sheet as a crutch, inadvertently begin with a weak/timid Mary Sue with the intent of "Oh, she gets stronger as the story goes on" but, in referencing her character sheet, her reactions to plot points are the same each time.

Flip side:
Character sheets are great for keeping track of hard details: unchanging physical appearances, dates, past events.
In keeping track of such details, character sheets can help refine dialogue by reminding you, the writer, where (regional dialects!) the character was born, who he or she may have socialized with, level of education achieved, etc.

At most, I have one page that answers 5 questions (who, what, where, when, why) about the character.
You can check out how to make one of these Character 5x5s and how to use it here: Work In Progress: CHARACTER PART 1

HTH,
J