I’m An Albatroaz

How to Get to Know Your Characters

@lourek asked:

Okay so it’s me again. I have a problem, cuz I really don’t know my characters?? And I’d like to get to know them. I know this might sound stupid, but do you have a masterpost about best ways to get to know your own characters or would you be willing to make one? I’ve noticed that all those “answer these questions” things are pretty useful. Thank you, I still worship you, good bye

Not a stupid question at all!  This is one of the most challenging and important parts of becoming a writer.  Getting to know someone takes time and effort, and characters are no exception. 

So without further ado, here are my go-to techniques for getting to know a character:

1.  Ask yourself these basic questions:

How old are they mentally/spiritually?  Do they have an old soul, or are they a perpetual kid at heart?  Does their personality not coincide with their physical age? 

What do they care about most in the world?  What would they die for?

What are their interests?  What books, movies, and shows do they read/watch religiously?  What do they geek out over?

What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them?  Have they told anyone?  If so, who?

On that note, what is one secret they’ve never told anyone?

What was their childhood like?  Was it happy?  Tragic?  Why or why not?

How many relationships do they have?  How have they affected them?

What is their greatest fear?  

What was the best thing that ever happened to them?

What was the worst thing that ever happened to them?

If you had to describe the character in one word, what is the first that comes to mind?

2.  Once that’s done, get nosy.

Empty their pockets, backpack, or purse.  Make a list of everything inside.  What do they always take with them?  Why?

Describe their bedroom.  Is it neat, or messy?  Is it minimalist?  Cluttered?  Are they neat, or messy by nature?  Is there any artwork on the wall, any posters?  Are there lots of books?  A TV?  Stuffed animals?  Be as detailed as you want to be, and think about why your character has these things and what they say about them.  

If they have one, describe their car.  What kind of car do they drive?  How does it correlate with their personality, their career?  Do they keep any photos of loved ones?  Are there lots of fast food containers?

We’ve already touched on this briefly, but think about their books.  Write down at least ten titles on their shelf.  Think about what genres they like, what authors, and why they might enjoy them. 

What kind of movie genres do they like?  What kind of TV shows?  Why do they enjoy them?  Do they have any guilty pleasures that they’d rather anyone not know about?  

Take a look inside their closet.  What kind of clothes do they wear?  What’s their style?  Can they afford the clothes they’d actually like to wear?  Are they preppy?  Is their closet organized, or is it a hot mess?

3.  Get to know the family.

What are their parents like?  Do they have a good relationship?  Are they friends?  Do they just plain suck?  If so, why?

If they don’t have a good relationship with their parents, are there any parental figures that their close with?  What are they like?  

Do they have any siblings?  Are they close?  Are they protective of them, or vice versa?

What is their nationality?  Do they have strong ties to their heritage, or could they care less?

What about their extended family?  Do they have any weird relatives?  (In my opinion, every character should have at least one weird relative.  They are a lot of fun to write.)  

4.   Fill in the details.

Brainstorm random questions about your characters, their likes, dislikes, et cetera.  Here are examples:

What is their favorite food?  

Their favorite beverage?  

Their favorite movie?  

Their favorite book?

Their favorite TV show?

What is their dream job?

Do they keep a journal?

Do they have good handwriting, or is it illegible from excessive note-taking?  

What’s their favorite color?  

What’’s their favorite kind of weather?  Do they like sunny days, or rainy ones?

Can they draw?  Are they artistic in general?

What kind of romantic/sexual partner do they like (if they’re interested in that sort of thing at all)?  Do they have a ‘type?’    

What would their ideal date be (even just with friends)?  Do they like generic dinner and movie-type stuff, or do they favor museums and plays? 

What would their ideal afternoon look like?

Do they prefer TV or books?

Are they introverted or extroverted?  Do they hate social gatherings, or thrive on them?  Do they relish in alone time?

Coffee or tea?

Cats or dogs? 

Do they eat breakfast?  If so, what?

What’s their opinion on pineapple pizza? 

5.  Fill out some character sheets.

Simple character sheets are a great way to fill in the gaps and get to know your character.  Though there are quite a few floating around on my favorite blogs, but here are a few examples:

There’s a “lazy person’s” character sheet here.

There’s a “how to create a memorable character” sheet here.

And there’s a “no effort” character sheet here.

Of course, the only way to truly get to know your character is to write about them.  You never know how they’ll develop until you get going, and once you do, they’ll never cease to surprise you.  Characters truly do gain lives of their own, so don’t give up and keep writing. 

And in the meantime, I hope this helps!  <3

•MY FATHER’S REACTION TO SOME OF THE CHARACTERS FROM YURI!!! ON ICE• Above are the exact photos I showed him—

(1/?)

1) Yuuri Katsuki Dad, confidently: “Oh, I know him. That’s Yuri.” Me: “Age? Country?” Dad: “Japan…um…17?”

2) Viktor Nikiforov Dad, while laughing: “Umm…Yuri??” Me: “Ok, (laughing) age and country?” Dad: “Kasakstahn…19”

3) Yurio Plisetsky Dad: “That’s a…that’s a Jill. Jill’s 14” Me: “He’s a guy…they’re all guys…”

At this point, my sister, who had also seen yoi, and I are laughing hysterically.

Dad: “No way…ok, um…Jerome?” Me: “…sure, dad” Dad: “He’s got a big attitude…that’s and Australian. He’s thinking about throwing a shrimp on the barbie right now”

4) Otabek Altin Dad: “That’s-uh…Miguel” Me: “Ok lol where’s he from” Dad: “…Spain…he’s 19”

5) Jean-Jacques Leroy Dad: “That’s Spain’s(referring to otabek) brother…that’s Juan” Me: “Country?” Dad: “England” Me: “Age?” Dad, without hesitation: “37”

6) Chris Giacometti Dad:“Whoa, Justing Beiber 2008” Me: “Name and age?” Dad: “That’s-uh…that’s Justin, he’s 20. Like, tomorrow’s his 21st birthday and he’s planning to get VERY drunk. He’s gonna get…lit.” Me, dying of laughter: “And where’s he from” Dad: “That’s a Canadian if i’ve ever seen one…Mr…frosted tips…”

7) Phichit Chulanont Me: “Name, age, country?” Dad: “…Dora from Venezuela…he’s 13. And those are his hamsters, ee-nie, mee-nie, and mine-nie.”

Overall—

Me: “So, Dad, bonus points if you can tell me if they are gay or straight” Dad: “I’m gonna give you a little spoiler…they’re all gay…they’re figure skaters.” Me: “Ok, you have a point, but still…”

Yuuri- “gay” Viktor- “Gay” Yurio- “oh it’s jill, well i guess she’s straight” Otabek- “gay” JJ- “gay” Chris- “SCREAMING GAY…THE GAYEST OF GAY” Phichit- “…gay furry”

Me: “Ok, Dad, final and most important question. Are you ready?” Dad: “I’ve never been more ready” Me: “Two of the characters that are gay are actually in a relationship. Which characters?” Dad: “Yuuri…and…um, Viktor???” Me: “YES! YOU GOT IT!” Dad: “BOOM! NAILED IT! that’s worth 98% right there”

I think it’s pretty safe to assume that my Father has very little knowledge of Yuri!!! On Ice. If he got it right, it’s most likely because of him hearing my rants😂

I'm ready to be skinned by juggalos

Suffocated by Juggalos NO!!!!!

This is the lucky clover cat. reblog this in 30 seconds & he will bring u good luck and fortune.

Who's the long-haired girl? I want to watch her anime but I can't find it

some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

body language masterlist

a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

550 words to say instead of fuckin said

638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

some more body language help 

so my 14y/o daughter got into an argument with her high school principle yesterday for fighting. an older boy had come up to her and asked her out, but when she said no and tried to walk away he grabbed her by her arm and pulled her back. so she punched him and broke his nose. her principle then told her she should have “heard him out” and “it’s not like the boy actually hurt her” so her response was “inappropriate”. so my daughter then chewed out her male principle in the middle of the school corridor about rape culture and that if that was his attitude then he should probably quit teaching forever because all he was doing was teaching girls to be quiet victims and teaching boys that it was okay to touch girls against their will and then she pointed right in his face and said “men like YOU are why my mum taught me how to punch people properly”. she got a round of applause from 2 female teachers listening in and i have never been such a proud mama

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1.The Interwebs series 2.Welcome to hell 3.Bird and Fish 4.Steven Universe 5.Star vs the forces of evil 6.Gravity Falls 7.Sonic the hedgehog 8.Miraculous Ladybug 9.We bare bears 10.Don’t Hug me I’m scared 11.Zootopia 12.Inside Out 13.Undertale