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Character Sheets
Aug. 10th, 2011 02:08 pmI'm a fan of online "quizzes" or "surveys". And I'm also a fan of rambling about my characters. So it kind of goes without saying that I find filling out character sheets a very appealing idea.
However, a lot of sheets that I've found don't apply to quite a few of my characters.
Now sometimes, I can attribute it to not being far enough along in their individual character building to answer some of the questions. I don't know their taste in music, or their favourite food, or how they feel about their hometown. It's hard for me to not to just fill in the first answer that comes into mind for those questions (Or else all my characters would be into radio music, bread and stew, and be indifferent about their hometowns). Those are the situations where I need to think about this character in depth.
But other times, the questions really don't apply.
For instance, my characters who are currently slaves aren't in the position to have a taste in music or a favourite food, and they've probably moved around too much and been kept in such a controlled area that they have no notion of a "hometown".
Other times it is more in-depth questions that don't apply to my characters. I've gained a new character lately who has a past she's trying to get away from. I realized that when I came to the conclusion she was living under an assumed name (Because really, nobody would name their kid Riven Riviera).
She's one of the main characters, so I need to have her pretty much down. Character sheets, right? Wrong.
I can't answer any questions about her past. It isn't that I'm too lazy to think it up. She doesn't want to tell me; as far as she's concerned, she has no past. So I can't push, or else I feel I'll be contriving something.
The other main character of the story was created artificially as an adult (though she doesn't know it). She can't recall much of her past, maybe a few passing memories but nothing concrete. No experiences, no family ties or christmas mornings. Certainly not a hometown. She just thinks she has a bad memory. But there really is nothing to fill out.
Still, other times, the information is impertinent. Sometimes it doesn't matter what someone's favourite food was. And the deep sexual desires of characters are frankly never involved in my stories. Not that all of my characters are asexual, but any information about what they prefer or not in the bedroom just isn't relevant.
So I'm stuck for ways to try to get to know them. To me, it seems that character sheets are best for giving you ideas of what you need to learn about your character. I always find them more fun to fill out when I already KNOW a character.
Right now I am trying to write some behind-the-scenes stories featuring Miss Riven Riviera so I can see what she's like in day-to-day life. Then, hopefully, I can write her as an individual within the setting of the story.
However, a lot of sheets that I've found don't apply to quite a few of my characters.
Now sometimes, I can attribute it to not being far enough along in their individual character building to answer some of the questions. I don't know their taste in music, or their favourite food, or how they feel about their hometown. It's hard for me to not to just fill in the first answer that comes into mind for those questions (Or else all my characters would be into radio music, bread and stew, and be indifferent about their hometowns). Those are the situations where I need to think about this character in depth.
But other times, the questions really don't apply.
For instance, my characters who are currently slaves aren't in the position to have a taste in music or a favourite food, and they've probably moved around too much and been kept in such a controlled area that they have no notion of a "hometown".
Other times it is more in-depth questions that don't apply to my characters. I've gained a new character lately who has a past she's trying to get away from. I realized that when I came to the conclusion she was living under an assumed name (Because really, nobody would name their kid Riven Riviera).
She's one of the main characters, so I need to have her pretty much down. Character sheets, right? Wrong.
I can't answer any questions about her past. It isn't that I'm too lazy to think it up. She doesn't want to tell me; as far as she's concerned, she has no past. So I can't push, or else I feel I'll be contriving something.
The other main character of the story was created artificially as an adult (though she doesn't know it). She can't recall much of her past, maybe a few passing memories but nothing concrete. No experiences, no family ties or christmas mornings. Certainly not a hometown. She just thinks she has a bad memory. But there really is nothing to fill out.
Still, other times, the information is impertinent. Sometimes it doesn't matter what someone's favourite food was. And the deep sexual desires of characters are frankly never involved in my stories. Not that all of my characters are asexual, but any information about what they prefer or not in the bedroom just isn't relevant.
So I'm stuck for ways to try to get to know them. To me, it seems that character sheets are best for giving you ideas of what you need to learn about your character. I always find them more fun to fill out when I already KNOW a character.
Right now I am trying to write some behind-the-scenes stories featuring Miss Riven Riviera so I can see what she's like in day-to-day life. Then, hopefully, I can write her as an individual within the setting of the story.
