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Character Profiles

 

When researching short stories and character development, I came across great advice on both.

For character development, two pieces really identified with me.

 

1. Play Mr. Potato Head with your characters. Base them off of people you know in your real life so that you can anticipate how they would behave in certain situations, but then give them characteristics that would make them the completely opposite of those people in real life. Essentially, have the core be someone you know or can develop, and then mix and match their different traits to create an organically new character.

 

2. Know more about your characters than you'll ever need. To do this, I created extensive lists of my characteres from their physical appearance to their idiosyncratic quirks. I've included some of these portraits below for the short story Here.

 

 

Here Character Profiles

Jane

Physical

 

  • Twenty one years old

  • Skinny

  • 5'7.5"

  • Brown Hair (worn in a bun balanced on top of her head when at home)

  • Green Eyes (like her mom)

  • Long, angled eyebrows that she brushes to smoothen

  • Thin face

  • High Cheekbones

  • Button nose

  • Legs longer than torso

  • Narrow shoulders

  • Faint frekles over her nose

  • Thin lips (like her dad)

  • Long hands

  • Thin wrists

  • Size 8 shoe

  • Never had braces

Personality

 

  • Reserved but with inner confidence

  • Fear of failure

  • Ambitious

  • Hard-working

  • Arrogant

  • Stubborn

  • High expectations and standards for everyone, including herself

  • Loyal

  • Moral and righteous

  • Play by the rules

  • Sensitive

Other

 

  • Lactose Intolerant

  • Drinks almond milk

  • Thinks social media is a waste of time but can't help being addicted

  • Only child

  • Fav color = green

  • Loves summer

  • Grew up with winter and doesn't mind it either

    • Loved driving through the sludge in her old Ford Fiesta from high school

Tom

Physical

 

  • Dark brown hair fading to grey

  • Square face and defined jawline

  • Thin lips

  • High cheekbones

  • Bushy eyebrows

  • Lean frame, but with a stomach pouch developing from years infront of a computer

  • Large hands with prominent veins

  • Sloping shoulders

  • Brown eyes

  • Wide forehead

  • Looks taller sitting down

  • 6'2"

Personality

 

  • Ambitious

  • Determined

  • Not afraid of hardwork or setbacks

  • Thicker-skinned

  • Speculative

  • Reflective and questioning

  • Resigned nature

  • Used to be fiery and stubborn in his younger years

  • Mellowed out with age

  • Slow and methodical

  • Constantly whirring mind

  • Loves the mindless comedy shows and tries to crack jokes with anyone who will listen

Other

 

  • Always drove the SUV but secretly wants to own a Smart Car

  • Collects rocks and different rock formations

  • Loves to draw and sketch

    • Particularly still-life and landscape

  • Has a vegetable garden that's slowly being invaded by his wife's flower garden

Anne

Physical

 

  • Petit

  • 5'5"

  • Blond hair in a trim bob

  • Pointed chin

  • Green eyes, open and frank

  • Flawless skin that seems to glow

  • Darker eyebrows, a shade above blond

  • Laugh wrinkles along teh eyes

  • Full lips perpetually curved in a smile

  • Apple cheeks

  • Long hands

  • Dresses in pastels

Personality

 

  • Carefree

  • Doesn't look too deep into hidden meanings

  • Impatient at times

  • Slightly sheltered and childish

  • Believes the best in others

  • Inner resistance and fortitude, will fight for her family

  • Great listener

  • Easily amused

Other

 

  • Loves gardening

  • Reads biographies to learn lessons from others' lives

  • Watches five different sources of news

  • Hunts for cute animal videos on youtube

  • Reads every sign at a National Park

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