233 lines
7.8 KiB
Markdown
Executable File
233 lines
7.8 KiB
Markdown
Executable File
# Character Development Reference
|
|
|
|
This reference provides frameworks for creating compelling, multi-dimensional characters.
|
|
|
|
## Core Character Elements
|
|
|
|
### Basic Profile
|
|
- **Name**: Full name, nicknames, name meaning
|
|
- **Age**: Chronological and how they present
|
|
- **Physical Description**: Distinguishing features, style, mannerisms
|
|
- **Role**: Protagonist, antagonist, supporting, mentor, etc.
|
|
- **Archetype**: Hero, mentor, trickster, everyman, etc.
|
|
|
|
### Personality Dimensions
|
|
- **Temperament**: Sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic
|
|
- **Traits**: 3-5 defining characteristics (both positive and negative)
|
|
- **Quirks**: Unique habits or behaviors
|
|
- **Speech Patterns**: How they talk, vocabulary, accent
|
|
- **Sense of Humor**: Type and style
|
|
|
|
### Motivation & Goals
|
|
- **External Goal**: What they're trying to achieve (plot-level)
|
|
- **Internal Goal**: What they're trying to become (character arc)
|
|
- **Motivation**: Why they want these things
|
|
- **Stakes**: What happens if they fail
|
|
- **Misbelief/Lie**: False belief holding them back
|
|
|
|
## Character Backstory Framework
|
|
|
|
### The Ghost (Past Wound)
|
|
- **Traumatic Event**: What happened in their past
|
|
- **Age When It Occurred**: How it shaped their development
|
|
- **Who Was Involved**: Other characters connected to trauma
|
|
- **How It Changed Them**: Before and after personality
|
|
- **Coping Mechanisms**: How they deal with the wound
|
|
|
|
### Formative Relationships
|
|
- **Family Dynamics**: Parents, siblings, family structure
|
|
- **Key Friendships**: Influences from peers
|
|
- **Romantic History**: Past relationships and their impact
|
|
- **Mentors/Role Models**: Who shaped their values
|
|
- **Enemies/Rivals**: Antagonistic relationships that defined them
|
|
|
|
### Life History
|
|
- **Childhood**: Key events, family situation, early personality
|
|
- **Adolescence**: Identity formation, major choices, first loves/losses
|
|
- **Young Adulthood**: Independence, career/path choices, relationships
|
|
- **Current Situation**: Where story finds them
|
|
|
|
## Character Arc Types
|
|
|
|
### Positive Change Arc
|
|
**Structure:**
|
|
1. Lie they believe
|
|
2. Want vs. Need established
|
|
3. First glimpse of truth
|
|
4. Rejection of truth (return to lie)
|
|
5. Moment of truth (crisis)
|
|
6. Choice to embrace truth
|
|
7. New worldview demonstrated
|
|
|
|
**Markers:**
|
|
- Start: Incomplete, held back by misbelief
|
|
- Midpoint: Glimpse growth but not ready
|
|
- Climax: Must choose between lie and truth
|
|
- End: Transformed, living truth
|
|
|
|
### Flat Arc
|
|
**Structure:**
|
|
1. Truth known from beginning
|
|
2. World believes lie
|
|
3. Character tested on their truth
|
|
4. Character demonstrates truth
|
|
5. World begins to change
|
|
6. Truth proven through action
|
|
|
|
**Markers:**
|
|
- Start: Strong in beliefs
|
|
- Midpoint: Severely tested
|
|
- Climax: Greatest test of faith
|
|
- End: Changed the world, not themselves
|
|
|
|
### Negative Arc
|
|
**Structure:**
|
|
1. Flaw/weakness established
|
|
2. Temptation introduced
|
|
3. Small compromises begin
|
|
4. Point of no return crossed
|
|
5. Descent accelerates
|
|
6. Rejection of redemption
|
|
7. Tragic conclusion
|
|
|
|
**Markers:**
|
|
- Start: Flawed but sympathetic
|
|
- Midpoint: Questionable choices
|
|
- Climax: Beyond redemption
|
|
- End: Destroyed or becomes villain
|
|
|
|
## Relationship Dynamics
|
|
|
|
### Character Relationships Matrix
|
|
For each significant relationship, define:
|
|
- **Dynamic Type**: Mentor/student, rivals, allies, romance, family
|
|
- **Conflict Source**: What creates tension
|
|
- **Common Ground**: What bonds them
|
|
- **Influence**: How they change each other
|
|
- **Arc**: How relationship evolves
|
|
|
|
### Protagonist-Antagonist Relationship
|
|
- **Opposition**: How antagonist blocks protagonist's goal
|
|
- **Mirror/Foil**: How they reflect/contrast each other
|
|
- **Personal Stakes**: Why this matters beyond plot
|
|
- **Symmetry**: Similar origins or opposite arc paths
|
|
- **Respect Level**: Do they understand each other?
|
|
|
|
## Character Voice Development
|
|
|
|
### Dialogue Markers
|
|
- **Vocabulary Level**: Formal, casual, slang, technical
|
|
- **Sentence Structure**: Short and punchy vs. long and flowing
|
|
- **Favorite Words/Phrases**: Repeated expressions
|
|
- **Topics They Discuss**: What they talk about most
|
|
- **What They Avoid**: Topics they don't address
|
|
- **Lying Tells**: How they behave when dishonest
|
|
|
|
### Internal Voice (POV Characters)
|
|
- **Thought Patterns**: Analytical, emotional, scattered, focused
|
|
- **Biases**: How they interpret events
|
|
- **Blind Spots**: What they don't see about themselves
|
|
- **Metaphors**: Types of comparisons they make
|
|
- **Narrative Distance**: Close, intimate vs. distant, observational
|
|
|
|
## Character Consistency
|
|
|
|
### Behavioral Patterns
|
|
- **Under Stress**: How they react to pressure
|
|
- **When Happy**: How they express joy
|
|
- **When Angry**: Explosive, cold, passive-aggressive
|
|
- **Decision-Making**: Impulsive, analytical, avoidant
|
|
- **Trust**: Quick or slow to trust others
|
|
|
|
### Core Values
|
|
- **Non-Negotiables**: Lines they won't cross
|
|
- **Flexible Areas**: Where they compromise
|
|
- **Value Hierarchy**: Ranking of priorities (family, honor, survival, etc.)
|
|
- **Values Testing**: Scenes where values conflict
|
|
|
|
### Growth Indicators
|
|
- **Early Story**: How they handle situation type X
|
|
- **Mid Story**: How handling of X begins to shift
|
|
- **Late Story**: How they handle X after growth
|
|
- **Demonstration**: Parallel scenes showing change
|
|
|
|
## Character Roles in Ensemble
|
|
|
|
### Ensemble Balance
|
|
- **The Leader**: Drives action, makes decisions
|
|
- **The Heart**: Emotional center, unifies group
|
|
- **The Brain**: Strategy, knowledge, analysis
|
|
- **The Warrior**: Action, protection, physical strength
|
|
- **The Wildcard**: Unpredictable, challenges norms
|
|
- **The Conscience**: Moral compass, voice of reason
|
|
|
|
### Avoiding Character Redundancy
|
|
- **Different Wants**: Each character pursuing different goals
|
|
- **Different Methods**: Varied approaches to problems
|
|
- **Different Worldviews**: Contrasting perspectives
|
|
- **Different Skills**: Complementary abilities
|
|
- **Different Arcs**: Each on unique journey
|
|
|
|
## Character Development Questions
|
|
|
|
### Surface Level
|
|
- What do they look like?
|
|
- How do they dress?
|
|
- What's their job/role?
|
|
- Where do they live?
|
|
|
|
### Deeper Level
|
|
- What do they fear most?
|
|
- What do they desire more than anything?
|
|
- What's their greatest secret?
|
|
- What do they lie to themselves about?
|
|
- What would they sacrifice everything for?
|
|
|
|
### Behavioral Level
|
|
- How do they treat people with less power?
|
|
- What makes them laugh?
|
|
- What makes them cry?
|
|
- When do they lie, and why?
|
|
- How do they handle failure?
|
|
|
|
### Thematic Level
|
|
- What do they represent in the story?
|
|
- What question does their arc answer?
|
|
- How do they embody or challenge the theme?
|
|
- What truth do they discover?
|
|
|
|
## Character Testing Scenarios
|
|
|
|
To ensure character depth, test them against:
|
|
|
|
1. **Moral Dilemma**: Force choice between two values
|
|
2. **Loss**: Take away something they depend on
|
|
3. **Temptation**: Offer something they want vs. need
|
|
4. **Betrayal**: Test their trust and forgiveness
|
|
5. **Sacrifice**: Force them to give up something important
|
|
6. **Revelation**: Expose a truth they've been avoiding
|
|
7. **Isolation**: Remove their support system
|
|
8. **Power**: Give them control and see how they use it
|
|
|
|
## Red Flags for Weak Characters
|
|
|
|
### Avoid:
|
|
- **Mary Sue/Gary Stu**: Too perfect, no real flaws
|
|
- **Inconsistent Behavior**: Acts differently for plot convenience
|
|
- **No Agency**: Things happen to them, they don't drive action
|
|
- **Single-Note**: Only one personality trait
|
|
- **No Growth**: Same at end as beginning (unless flat arc)
|
|
- **Reactive Only**: Never makes proactive choices
|
|
- **Exposition Puppet**: Exists to explain things
|
|
- **Token Diversity**: Defined only by identity marker
|
|
|
|
### Fix By:
|
|
- Adding meaningful flaws and consequences
|
|
- Establishing behavioral patterns and motivations
|
|
- Giving them goals and plans they actively pursue
|
|
- Layering contradictory traits and complexity
|
|
- Planning clear arc with transformation
|
|
- Creating scenes where they initiate action
|
|
- Giving them purpose beyond information delivery
|
|
- Developing full personality, backstory, and individual arc
|