How much do I need to know about my characters before I start writing?

The short answer is: You don’t need to know anything.

But there are some parts of character you’ll want to think about or keep track of as you head into a first draft.

I read a lot of drafts, and I can tell you one thing: no author has their character all figured out when they start writing. Many authors discovery write, which means they write to learn more about their characters. Some have a clear picture of their characters before they start to write. There’s no right way to go about creating characters. Both are valid.

However, as you discover things about your characters, you’re going to need to keep track of the information. Some authors keep track of this information in spreadsheets or notebooks, and some use characters sheets. It really doesn’t matter what method you use as long as it works for you!

Whether you’re a discovery writer or someone who wants it all figured out in advance, there are some key pieces of information about your character you might want to know going in to your first draft or keep track of as you write so you have clarity for your revisions.

The information might change as you write. That’s normal! Just keep track of the information as you write and as you change it.

So without further ado, here are the four broad categories of information you’ll want to think about when filling out a character sheet or keeping track of your characters’ info.

Their Basic Demographic Info

You’ll need to know some basic demographic information about your character. No one lives in a vacuum, so elements like nationality and economic status are important when thinking about how your character sees the world and what they value in life.

Some basic demographic info to have would be…

-       Nationality

-       Cultural Background

-       Sexuality

-       Gender

-       Socioeconomic status

-       Age/Birthdate

Their Appearance

Humans are visual creatures, so what your character looks like might be one of the first things that pops into your mind. You might even want to find a photo of someone to model your character after. When thinking about your character’s appearance, remember to think about both what your character can’t control about their appearance (for example, eye colour) and what they can (for example, clothing choices).

Think about your character’s…

-       Skin colour

-       Hair colour, length, and style

-       Eye colour

-       Build

-       Height

-       Level of grooming

-       Posture

-       Clothing choices

Their Priorities and Life Goals

You don’t need to know your character’s favourite toothpaste brand when you’re starting your first draft, but you should know vaguely what they want in life.  I like to ask my authors what their character’s top three priorities are in the present of the novel.

Then, I follow it up with these:

-       What do they want most in life?

-       What’s holding them back from achieving this?

-       Is what they need the same as what they want?

More often than not, what a person wants is not the same as what they need, which can provide great internal conflict for your story!

Their Story Motivation

I would argue that your character’s motivation is the most important thing for you to consider about your character before you get too deep into any draft. There’s nothing worse than characters who go from Point A to Point B just to advance the plot.

Your characters don’t just have things happen to them. They move the plot forward (at least in most Western storytelling), so it’s time to think about what your character’s motivation is while they’re on this journey.

If you discovery write, this might become clear to you as you write or even once you’re finished your first draft. If that’s the case, when you re-read your draft, think about how each scene you’ve written connects to the character’s motivations. If the character’s actions don’t align with their motivation in any given scene, flag it for revision.

Ask yourself…

-       What’s the event that forced this character to embark on the journey this book takes them on?

-       What drives them forward in the book? How do their goals during the time frame of the novel align (or don’t) with their life goals?

-       What, if any, personal struggles does the character have to overcome to reach the version of themselves they’ll be at the end of the book?

In conclusion…

The beauty of writing is that you don’t need to know anything about your characters going into a first draft. You can discover your characters as your write, you can figure out who your characters are before you write a word, or you can do a mix. Just keep track of the details to keep them consistent, and remember that your characters’ actions are driven by their motivations.

If you want more character tips delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for Write Now by clicking the button below.