Character Profile

Here is one article and one worksheet to help you as you develop questions for your character from A Night Divided. Do not be afraid. These items were included here to give you much much more information than you need at this stage in your writing journey. But, I like the idea that you are never too young to begin to think about writing well. (Jalen, there is another use for the word "too." In this case, it means "very.")

The article comes from a blog called Crew/Blog. The author is Jory MacKay. I have edited the article for length. The worksheet source is The Internet Writing Journal, "How to Create a Character Profile," by Lazy Scholar, June 1998. The worksheet has also been edited for length.


Article from Crew/Blog

How to get the most from every conversation

Journalism training didn’t just get me a job, however, it changed the way I think and talk. I became more observant of people, picking up on the subtle nuances in someone’s voice and learning how to read their body language. It changed the way I viewed the world and what details I look for. Everything became part of a bigger narrative—colors, smells, sounds were plucked out of the real world and put on page.

But most importantly, it taught me how to ask questions.

Knowing how to ask questions and conduct interviews won’t just help you grow a business or connect with the people, it will make you a better conversationalist and just more fun to talk to.

So, here’s my personal guide to asking the right questions taken from years of interviewing and learning from some very smart people.

Before the interview practice the two P’s

There’s a saying in newsrooms that good interviews follow the two P’s: persistence and preparation.

Persistence is knowing what you want out of the conversation and not giving in when your questions aren’t answered or aren’t answered properly.

Preparation seems pretty self-explanatory, but there are a few tricks you can learn here.

Before you talk to someone, you need to gather as much background information as possible. 

When forming questions use the DOS system

When you think of the reason why you’re asking someone a question it really comes down to a very simple explanation: they have information you want. So why would you complicate the transaction?

Here’s my own personal formula for crafting questions:

1. Direct

What’s that? Come on now, spit it out. There’s nothing worse than a longwinded, roundabout question that leaves your interviewee saying ‘huh?’

If you want an answer, ask the question that would naturally lead to it. Be specific.

While it might seem scary at first, the easiest way to get what you want is usually the shortest way. So ask direct questions that clearly state what it is you’re after.

2. Open-ended

In a nutshell, an open-ended question is one that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. They usually start with ‘how’, ‘why’, or ‘what do you think about…’

Asking these sorts of questions means you’re going to get a more thought out response than something that can be quickly answered.

However, open-ended and closed-ended questions both have their uses and a common journalistic trick is to start with open and move onto closed-ended questions (especially when dealing with a sensitive subject).

3. Short

Keep it simple. Keep it short.

Worksheet from The Internet Writing Journal

Character Profile Worksheet

Basic Statistics
Name:
Age:
Nationality:
Hometown:
Talents/Skills:
Birth order:
Siblings (describe relationship):
Spouse (describe relationship):
Children (describe relationship):
Grandparents (describe relationship):
Grandchildren (describe relationship):

Physical Characteristics:
Height:
Weight:
Race:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Glasses or contact lenses?
Distinguishing features:
How does he/she dress?
Mannerisms:
Habits:

Health:
Hobbies:
Favorite Sayings:
Greatest flaw:
Best quality:

Personality Attributes and Attitudes
Educational Background:
Intelligence Level:
Learning Experiences:
Character's short-term goals in life:
Character's long-term goals in life:
How does Character see himself/herself?
How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others?
How self-confident is the character?
Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or combination?
What would most embarrass this character?


Emotional Characteristics
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Introvert or Extrovert?
How does the character deal with anger?
With sadness?
With conflict?
With change?
With loss?
What does the character want out of life?
What would the character like to change in his/her life?
What motivates this character?
What frightens this character?
What makes this character happy?
Is the character judgmental of others?
Is the character generous or stingy?
Is the character generally polite or rude?

How the Character is Involved in the Story
Character's role in the novel (main character? hero? heroine? Romantic interest? etc.):
Scene where character first appears:
Relationships with other characters:

1. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).
2. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).
3. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).
4. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).

How character is different at the end of the novel from when the novel began:

Additional Notes on This Character: