Creative Writing A character worksheet.

I actually got this in my acting class, but, being a writer first, I thought it'd be good to share with fellow writers. Whether your character is from someone else's work or your own creation, this is an excellent tool. ^_^

In class, we were advised against using "annoying" and the like to describe our characters. B-sensei said that was something one thought about the character, and not something that could be played. We had to think of words that described someone who, in his/her world, might use to describe him/herself. ("You wouldn't call yourself annoying, would you?") We had to become these people, was the basic reason she advised using other adjectives. While as a writer this doesn't necessarily hold true, I wouldn't go around calling my characters -- or somebody else's, for that matter -- annoying, even if they are. It might make for not-so great characterization.

Here ends my not-entirely mindless babble. XD


1. List five adjectives that describe your character.

2. Choose one from each group:

light/heavy
fast/slow
curved/straight
sustained/broken
loud/soft
wilt/bloom
giver/taker
stiff/supple
fly/walk
flee/face
sink/swim
amble/race
air/water/earth/fire
lover/fighter
corner/center
cold/cool/warm/hot
rough/smooth
music/noise

3. What color best describes your character?

4. What animal best describes your character? (Think of the way your character looks, moves, behaves.)

5. Write down a sentence that describes how your character feels about each other character in the work, including her or himself.

6. Come up with five images that describe five different aspects of your character. The image(s) may use some of the words above, and may not. At least one image should involve the animal you chose.
Examples: Charging rhino, broken twig, boiling teakettle

 

1. List five adjectives that describe your character. Quiet, short, lonely, dependable, suspicious.

2. Choose one from each group:

light/heavy Light
fast/slow Fast
curved/straight Straight
sustained/broken Broken
loud/soft Soft
wilt/bloom Bloom
giver/taker Giver
stiff/supple Supple
fly/walk Walk
flee/face Face
sink/swim Swim
amble/race Race
air/water/earth/fire Air
lover/fighter Fighter
corner/center Corner
cold/cool/warm/hot Cool
rough/smooth Smooth
music/noise Noise

3. What color best describes your character? Midnight blue.

4. What animal best describes your character? (Think of the way your character looks, moves, behaves.) Bird.

5. Write down a sentence that describes how your character feels about each other character in the work, including her or himself. One must do what is necessary to simply survive, and one cannot expect anything less from other people.

6. Come up with five images that describe five different aspects of your character. The image(s) may use some of the words above, and may not. At least one image should involve the animal you chose.
Examples: Charging rhino, broken twig, boiling teakettle
Bird with a broken wing (corny, but I can't think of anything else), melting snowflake, a bloody hand, shattered mirror, empty house.

That was fun. Sorry about the quality of my answers.

 

Just a note -

I got a character worksheet in my creative writing class which is slightly different, but I think it's just as good.

The premise of the worksheet is reflected in a quote by an author whose name I forgot: as an author, when you take a personality test for one of your characters, you should be able to get the results you expect.

The worksheet is as follows:

1- Character's name:
2- Characters's nickname:
3- Sex:
4- Age:
5- Looks:
6- Education:
7- Vocation/Occupation:
8- Status and Money:
9- Marital Status:
10- Family, ethnicity:
11- Diction, accent, etc..:
12- Relationships:
13- Places (home, office, car, etc...):
14- Posessions:
15- Recreation, hobbies:
16- Obsessions:
17- Beliefs:
18- Politics:
19- Sexual History:
20- Ambitions:
21- Religion:
22- Superstitions:
23- Fears:
24- Attitudes:
25- Character Flaws:
26- Character strengths:
27- Pets:
28- Tase in books, music, etc...:
29- Journal Entries:
30- Correspondence:
31- Food preferences:
32- Handwriting:
33- Astrological sign:
34- Talents:

Pretty simple, and pretty long, but the trick is, you've got to fill the worksheet AFTER you write a short story/fiction involving the character, and you should never have to THINK before writing down the answer.