Let's Build a World: Day 19 - What If? Character

[ladyseishou]

Character develops itself in the stream of life.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe



It's Day 19 for Nano Writers's Let's Build a World. Read over - What If? Character - from Stephanie Bryant's 30 Days of Worldbuilding. Time to get out your notebooks and read today's exercise:

Today, we're going to apply our "What if?" wondering to the characters. You can use any character-building exercises you like, but the questions below should help you fit your characters into your novel. A person is always a product of where they came from; don't neglect your hero's background when you determine who he is and what he does. Additionally, do the same exercises for your protagonist(s), additional primary characters, antagonist(s), and any love interests in the story.

For the purpose of these exercises, I'm going to refer to the character as "Joe." Obviously, use your own character's name and gender as appropriate.

Every time you answer a question, write down at least one follow-up what if? For example, "What if Joe met his nemesis in a neutral public place?" Suppose my answer is "they would fight." my follow-ups are: "What if Joe wins? What if he loses? What if the bar-owner throws him out? What if he has to pay for the damages? What if he goes to jail for it?" Play with your what ifs? When you're writing, keep questioning the possibilities, pushing the envelope for what could happen, and finding the most fun-to-write answer to your questions.

• Describe Joe's physical appearance, age, educational background, and speech patterns:
  
• What would a stranger notice 5 minutes after meeting Joe?
  
• What would a companion notice after 5 days of traveling with, working with, or being around Joe?
  
• Who are Joe's parents? Are they still alive?
  
• What if Joe met his parents? How would he behave?
  
• Where did Joe grow up? What if Joe had grown up somewhere else? What if he didn't like his home?
  
• What if Joe wasn't born there?
  
• Who is Joe's biggest hero? What if Joe met his hero?
  
• What if Joe met his nemesis in a neutral public place?
  
• What if Joe had a family, kids, etc.? What if Joe's kids were part of Joe's problem?
  
• How does Joe fit into your speculative element? Does he not believe in it? Is he an expert in it? Is he an outsider?
  
• What if Joe encountered something he didn't believe could happen? How would he react? What would that something be?
  
• What secrets does Joe have? What if his nemesis knew his secret? What if a love interest knew? What will Joe do to protect his secrets?
  
• What does Joe not know about himself? What if Joe wasn't who he thinks he is? What if he learned about himself? How would he take the information?
  
• What if Joe left home? What if he returned? What if Joe became an outsider or outlaw?

Keep going with questions about Joe's life until you get really tired of Joe, have such a great idea of what he would do or not do in any situation, or are ready to move onto another character.

Here are some additional links for character surveys/questionnaires/checklists:

Writer's Character Checklist - Scribd document, especially liked the "unique expression" list

The 100 Most Important Things To Know About Your Character

Fiction Writer's Character Chart


Please share your own favorite lists, Nano Writer! And come back tomorrow for the next Build a World installment!