Character Profile Jan. 7

Students should write up a complete character profile, either for their protagonist or antagonist.(Remember, an antagonist is a character who gets in the way of the protagonist reaching his goals, not necessary a "bad guy.") The profile does not need to address every single subquestion; rather, you should use your judgment and intuition as a writer as to which aspects are relevant to your story.  The profile is due at the end of class on Friday.

Character Profile
1) What is the character's name and age?

• Does he have a nickname?
• What do other characters call him? For example, what does his mother call him? What does his girlfriend call him?

2) What does the character look like?

• Is your character tall or short?
• Are they thin or fat?
• What is their body shape?
• What color and style is their hair?
• What color are their eyes?
• What are their most distinguishing features?
• Do they have a particular smell - pleasant or otherwise? (Don't forget to use all of the senses when you create character profiles.)
• What clothes do they wear?
• Do they use any "props" - like a walking cane or an iPod? (What is unique about the prop that reveals something about the character's personality?)
• Do they have a particular way of walking, running, standing, sitting?

3) How does he speak?

• Do they use long, fancy words or short, Anglo-Saxon ones?
• Are they educated or uneducated?
• Do they use precise grammar, poor grammar or something in between?
• Do they have any pet phrases, particularly unusual ones?
• Is their voice low or high in pitch?
• Do they have a booming voice or do people struggle to hear them from three feet away?
• Do they speak differently to different people and in different situations?
• Do they have a "telephone voice"?
• Do they have a stammer - or some other speech impediment?
• Do they chatter on and on, or are they laconic like Clint Eastwood?
• Are they a good conversationalist or are they "hard work"?
• What is their laugh like?
• Do they look people in the eye when they talk to them or down at their shoes?
• Are there any habits or mannerisms associated with the way they speak - a facial tic, perhaps?

4) What is he like as a person (personality/character)?

• Are they happy or unhappy?
• Are they an optimist or a pessimist?
• Are they adventurous or do they tend towards the familiar?
• What is their basic temperament? Are they moody?
• What are their religious or spiritual beliefs?
• What are they insecure about?
• Are they the life and soul of a party or the quiet one in the corner?
• Are they environmentally conscious?
• Are they left wing or right wing, or could they not care less about politics?
• Do they believe people are basically good, or do they not trust a soul?
• Do they think life is great and can't wait to get out of bed every morning, or do they believe life is some kind of sick joke and can't wait for it to be over?
• Are they the sort of person to believe in a conspiracy theory?
• Are they mean or generous? (Not just in the financial sense.)
• What do they fear?
• What do they feel guilty about?
• Are they a romantic or a realist?
• Do they have an inner child?
• Are they sensitive or thick-skinned?
• Are they conscientious?
• If you had to describe a character using three adjectives, what would they be... Nervous, gullible, insecure? Mean, cynical, materialistic? Romantic, naive, immature? Generous, thin-skinned, kind?

5) What are his interests?

• What music do they listen to?
• What music do they hate?
• Would they prefer to go to the opera or a karaoke night?
• What would they order in a restaurant? Or would they prefer a greasy burger?
• What is their comfort food of choice?
• What would they stay in to watch on TV?
• Would they prefer a beach holiday or a sightseeing one?
•  What do they like to read at the breakfast table?
• Do they like clean and contemporary or period charm?
• What is their most treasured possession?
• What is their opinion of modern art?
• What sport do they follow, if any?

 6) Who does he know?  What are their relationships like? What do other people think of them?

• Describe his relationship with his mother and father. Which one is he closer to? What trait does he admire or want to avoid from his parents?
• Which sibling is he most similar to? Most different from? In what way?
• Does he have extended family involved in his life? Grandparents? Uncles/aunts? Cousins?
• Does he have any romantic interests? What is it about their personality that he is drawn to? (Remember, sometimes opposites really do attract.)
• Does he have any children?
• Who is his best friend? Other friends?
• Does he interact often with any neighbors?
• Would he consider anyone his enemy? Why?
• Does he have a mentor? Who does he go to for advice? When he needs someone to listen?
• Who does he look down on (feel a little superior to), even if it is subconscious?
• Who does he feel inferior to? Why?
• If married, is his marriage happy or unhappy - or something in between?

7) Where does he live?

• What kind of house do they live in?
• What kind of neighborhood?
• Is the house large or small?
• Has he lived there for six months or his whole life?
• If you went in his bedroom, what kind of objects would you see on the floor, on the walls, on top of shelves or the desk?
• Does he like where he lives, or does he have aspirations to move on?
• Can he not wait to get home every evening, or not wait to get out in the mornings?
• Is it well maintained or going to seed? What about the garden?
• Is the house tidy or cluttered? Is it clean or dirty?
• Where does he eat his meals?

8) What does he do?

• What does he do extraordinarily well? (Talents?)
• What does he do that makes him ordinary?
• What does he do to earn a living? (Or does he go to school?)
• How much does he earn? Is it enough for him?
• Does he enjoy his job/school, or does he dread going into work/school every morning?
• Does he have a hobby or pastime?
• Does he do any charity work or community work?
• How does he unwind after a long day?
• What does he do on weekends?
• What is he not very good at?

9) What events from his past have made him want what he wants?

• Does he have any skeletons in the closet about to fall out? (Anything he is ashamed of from his past?)
• Has someone betrayed him? Has he betrayed someone?
• How does he feel about his childhood? Anything that he wants to avoid doing or becoming?
• What spiritual experiences has he had? What religious experiences? (Note: these are not the same thing.)

10) What is his role in the novel?

• What does he want? Why?
• What does he yearn for? What does he yearn for subconsciously?
• How does the character change during the story?
• Do any of his relationships change during the story?
• Does his spirit change during the story?
• Does his sense of identity change?
• How does he tend to react when confronted by problems? (fight or flight? intellectual or emotional? reserved/private or open/public?)
• What choice does he make that ends up making things worse for him?

Adapted from: http://www.novel-writing-help.com/create-character-profiles.html