Why Complete Character Charts?

Character charts are lists of questions that a fiction author must answer. It’s a good way to get to know their characters. The charts are the best way for an author to get to know the character and what makes them tick. It helps an author to develop the character. It also gives its creator a good place to put the details they may need to reference while writing a story. They can be as elaborate or as simple as you would like them to be.

Wvery fiction writer should do a character chart . That is, if they wants to create detailed, believable characters . The charts are the main tools of character development. They also provide the author with a good grip on each character. The more questions an author asks about their characters the more details they have to work with. Then when it’s time to write the story, the process goes easier. There manyr of good sources for character charts. All you need do is enter character chart into your favorite search engine and pick one.

It’s a good idea to complete a chart for each major character in your story. The best time is before you start writing your story. I have two kinds of charts I do for my characters. For the major characters I have one with fifteen sections that I complete for each one. I downloaded it from http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html. I write the answers in complete sentences and spend a paragraph on each section. I usually end up with at least a page of detailed information on each character. For minor characters, I have a shortened version. It gives a physical description of the character. I can also some details about the character’s background. For those characters, I pick and choose the sections from the longer chart to complete. Then I leave the more detailed parts blank. This gives me a handy reference to use in the writing process.

Completing the chart is as simple as filling in a form. Some may find it easier to ‘interview’ the characters. Sit down and ask them the questions and letting the character ‘speak’. It depends on how comfortable you are with the concept that your character speak to you. I do a mix of those methods and find it works out well. I learn a lot about each character as I complete his or her chart. All you need do is start imagining how your character would answer the questions.

A completed character chart allows you to learn about the character. Rest assured that if the particular trait doesn’t need to show up in the story, you don’t have to show it. If the fact that the reader knows Amy had an older sister who died when Amy was very young, important, you can include it. You need to know that so Amy acts appropriately to people who have siblings or has a similar issue to cope with. All this is not to say that you won’t have some stray character march in off the street and take over a spot in your scene. You might. Character charts are a good place to keep your character’s details straight as you write the story.

About pebblepup

I am not one who is comfortable talking about myself but here goes. I enjoy writing, family history, and reading. I decided to do this blog because I wanted to try something new. I decided to make it a weekly blog because I wasn't sure that I could keep up with a daily one, and monthly seemed like I was writing a magazine. I think I did ok with my choices. You'll notice that there are not a lot of graphics on my site. That's because there are graphics plastered everywhere on the Internet and those sites sometimes take forever to load. This blog is a place where you can kick back, relax and be ready to be amused. At least I hope I willbamuse you. This blog is on a variety of subjects from my ficitional cat agency, the FFL, which is monthly, to instructional blogs to editorials, which are my opinions only. I admit that I don't know everything and could be wrong -- I frequently am. Now, stop reading about me and read what I have to say!