HOW TO CREATE CHARACTERS // tips for character profile for your book // free template
TLDRIn this video, the creator shares tips on developing compelling characters for your book. She emphasizes the importance of understanding your characters deeply, including their attributes, physical appearance, powers, abilities, social position, personality, strengths, weaknesses, fears, and phobias. The creator also discusses the role of characters in driving the plot and provides a template for creating a detailed character profile. She shares her own experience of developing a character named Dell, a demigod with unique powers and abilities, and encourages viewers to trust the process of character development.
Takeaways
- 🎯 Characters are crucial to driving the story, as the plot unfolds through their actions and experiences.
- 📝 Start by creating a character profile to understand and develop your characters before writing.
- 👤 Include basic attributes like name, age, gender, race, and physical appearance to define the character's identity.
- 💪 List the character's powers and abilities, distinguishing between magical powers and practical skills.
- 🔄 Consider the character's social position and how it influences their personality and role in the story.
- 🌟 Describe the character's personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses to add depth and relatability.
- 😨 Identify the character's fears and phobias as they can impact their decisions and growth throughout the story.
- 🔮 Use a character's sign or symbol to represent them in the book, enhancing reader engagement.
- 📈 Keep the character profile flexible to accommodate changes and growth as the story progresses.
- 💡 Trust the writing process, allowing characters to evolve and guide the narrative on their own.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video?
-The main focus of the video is on how to create and develop a character profile for writing, specifically for a book.
Why are characters important in a story?
-Characters are important because they drive the story. The plot happens to the characters, not the other way around.
What is the name of the character that is used as an example in the video?
-The name of the character used as an example is Dell.
How many characters are in the book that the author is currently working on?
-There are 14 characters in the author's current book.
What are some key attributes included in the character template?
-Key attributes include name, age, gender, race, physical appearance, powers and abilities, position, personality, strengths, weaknesses, fears, phobias, and a sign.
What is the difference between powers and abilities according to the video?
-Powers are associated with the magic system in the book and are more fantastical, while abilities are skills that the character possesses.
Why is it important to include a photo or visual representation of the character?
-Including a photo or visual representation helps to visualize the character and adds depth to their profile, making them more real and understandable to the writer.
What is Dell's position in the book?
-Dell is the rightful queen to the city of Zeel.
How does the author suggest using a character's strengths and weaknesses in the story?
-The author suggests that strengths can sometimes become downfalls and that they can be used to create conflict or challenges for the character.
What is the significance of the sign associated with each character in the author's book?
-The sign is used to indicate which chapters the character is featured in and serves as a visual cue for readers.
What advice does the author give about trusting the development of characters throughout the writing process?
-The author advises to trust the process and the characters, as they will come to life and evolve as the book is written, even if they initially feel two-dimensional.
Outlines
🎥 Introduction to Character Development
The video begins with the host, Anna, introducing her upcoming weekly live sessions and diving straight into the topic of character development. She emphasizes the importance of characters in driving the story, rather than the plot happening to them. Anna presents a tutorial on creating a character profile, sharing insights on how to develop and understand characters before writing them. The video aims to provide guidance on character building, using Anna's own character, Adele (Dell), from her current project, 'Project CZ,' as a case study. The comprehensive character template she uses includes headers for each character, detailing their importance and involvement in the story.
📝 Character Profile Template Breakdown
Anna continues the tutorial by breaking down her character template, which includes key attributes such as age, gender, race, physical appearance, powers, abilities, position, personality, strengths, weaknesses, fears, phobias, and a unique sign for each character. She explains the rationale behind each section, highlighting how they contribute to the depth and development of the character. Anna emphasizes the difference between powers, which are tied to the magic system of the book, and abilities, which are more about the character's skills. She also shares tips on how to visualize characters and encourages viewers to use the template to develop their own characters.
🌟 Character Growth and Phobias
In the final part of the video, Anna discusses character growth throughout the story, using Dell's character as an example. She explains how Dell evolves from being logic-driven to allowing emotions to influence her decisions. Anna also talks about Dell's fears and phobias, adding a layer of vulnerability and relatability to the character. She emphasizes the importance of understanding these aspects to create well-rounded characters that grow and change over the course of the narrative. Anna concludes the tutorial by reiterating the importance of trusting the process and the characters themselves, as they often take on a life of their own during the writing journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Character Profile
💡Plot
💡Physical Appearance
💡Powers and Abilities
💡Personality
💡Strengths
💡Weaknesses
💡Fears
💡Phobias
💡Sign
Highlights
Characters drive your story, and understanding their profile is crucial for plot development.
The video provides a comprehensive guide on creating a detailed character profile for writers.
The presenter, Anna, shares her own character profile creation process for her current project, Project CZ.
A character profile includes basic attributes like name, gender, race, and physical appearance.
Powers and abilities are distinguished, with powers being more magical and abilities being practical skills.
The character profile also includes the character's position in society, personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, fears, and phobias.
A character's sign or symbol is included to represent them in the book, enhancing reader engagement.
The character profile is a dynamic document that evolves with the story and the character's development.
The presenter emphasizes the importance of not over-detailing the character profile to allow for natural growth and changes.
Strengths can sometimes become weaknesses, providing a rich source of conflict and character development.
Fears and phobias add depth to a character, making them more relatable and human.
The video encourages trusting the writing process, as characters often come to life and guide the story as it unfolds.
Anna shares her personal experience of how her characters in Project CZ have evolved beyond their initial profiles.
The video offers a free character profile template for viewers to use as a starting point for their own character creation.
The presenter provides a link to an in-depth tutorial on creating custom character illustrations to visualize them better.
The video concludes with a reminder of the importance of character development in storytelling and the value of trusting your characters.