Friday, June 1, 2012

Book in a Month Pt 7: Creating Character Bios

Characters have always been a little more difficult for me. If anyone had suggestions on developping characters let me know! I always struggle with coming up with answers and backgrounds for them. Some people interview their characters or write a diary entry from the point of view of their character. What great ideas!! I made a short character bio for each of the main characters. Here is what I have come up with so far.

I used 45 Master Characters by Victora Lynn Schmidt to figure out the archetypes for my characters. It is a great resource!


Kora Valdez
Main Character
Personal Inspiration: my teenage self, and a mix of several friends
Archetype: maiden
She goes through a rite of passage, she will be forced to stand on her own two feet
She cares about her relationship with her mother, who is now deceased
She never felt close to her father but now she has to move to Seattle to live with him
She enjoys adventure, fun, freedom, being unique
She’s a good listener, tries to help others
Loves: reading, art, swimming
She needs to find her inner voice, and inner strength
Fears: being in the spotlight, being noticed, people
Making decisions, losing a friend, being controlled
Appearance:
Average build and height, a little on the thin side
Long black hair
Slightly crooked teeth
Aquiline nose
Brown eyes
Style:
She doesn't have much of one , until she meets Michelle

Sebastian Chevalier:
Love Interest
Personal Inspiration: a mix of several friends
Archetype: a woman’s man/ knight
Very down to earth,
Athletic, he plays football at the high school
Outgoing, fun, a charmer
He is close to his mother, and looks up to his father as a role model
He loves animals/pets
A very honorable soul
He feels pressured by parents etc, to conform
Loves: I am not sure yet - but it isn't football, (maybe music, or photography?)
Fears: Letting his parents down, letting his friends down, being himself
Apperance:
Athletic build
Tall heigh
shaggy, dirty blond hair
blue eyes
sturdy jaw
broad hands
Style:
Loose tshirts with jeans
Shorts, athletic shoes


Michelle:
Kora’s Friend
Personal Inspiration: a mix of several friends
Archetype: Artemis
She is a champion of women and children
She is athletic
She doesn’t care much for classes, but loves the swim team
She wants to be a counselor/coach someday
She doesn’t care for popularity or power over others
She wants to live and let live
She passionately gets behind her causes, and hates injustice
Loves: Nature, her dog
Fears: never wants to be a victim, losing a good friend, guys
Appearance:
Auburn/red hair
Freckles
Fair skin
More voluptuous build
Style:
She has her own unique style
Fashionable in a classic way
Modest, not too revealing

Brittney:
Antagonist
Personal Inspiration: a little bit Brittney Spears, a little bit Taylor Vaughn
Archetype: The troubled teen
The drama queen
She is the girl every girl wants to be like
She has the nicest clothes, the perfect body
She gets everything she wants
And no one better stand in her way
Loves: buying things, getting attention, getting the best
Fears: public embarrassment, rejection, losing
Appearance:
Dyed blonde hair, fashionably styled
Make up
Model figure
Style:
The latest fashion trends
Slinky attention-getting outfits

Other Characters:

Vivien
Antagonist from rival swim team

Jack Valdez/Dad

Pearl/Kora’ Mom

Mr. Gerard McDermon
Teacher

Kathryn and Douglas Chevalier
Sebastian’s Mom and Dad

Elizabeth/Liz:
Swim team captain

Do you use character bios? What techniques do you use when developing characters?

6 comments:

  1. OMG, that pic of Sebastian ... YUM! lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm with Juliana on this one, RAWR! And it sounds like you have a really clear idea of your characters and where you are taking them...that is awesome! You're off to an amazing start!

    I think I'm really gonna like Kora...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm with you too! I hope that these characters will come out ok in the actual story. Thanks Amandini!

      Delete
  3. It's really great to get all that down on paper. So far I feel like I have a clear picture of my characters in my head and just go with that, but I know at some point I'm going to get more organized to keep everyone straight. Great tips!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is hard to stay organized, especially as the story develops. Characters change, plot changes.. but I've found it very helping to keep notes on everything :)

      Delete

Linked Within

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...