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Character Profiles

Here are a few tips and websites that have worked for me so far.

Find and follow a character template

In many of my favorite books, the characters feel like they could be real people. That's because the authors have usually put great care into thinking about all of the minutiae of a person — physical characteristics and their likes and dislikes, but also personality traits and internal motivations. Using a character template might seem like overkill (do I really need to give my character a catchphrase in order to write my story?), but it helps you to get inside your characters' heads. Having smaller details figured out will help you keep your characters consistent throughout the story, and your readers will also appreciate when you can thread those smaller details throughout your scenes.

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Name generators

Sometimes, coming up with names is one of the hardest parts of the prewriting phase. I can't entirely explain why, but thankfully, I have a quick fix. Name generators like the one I've linked below can come up with names for characters, streets, towns, titles, and more. You can enter a few details to narrow down possible options if you have a vague sense of what kind of name you'd like, but all that's required is selecting how many names you want the site to generate for you. It's that easy!

Examples from my story

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Danielle 'Dani' Wright

  • 22 years old, female

  • Hobbies include writing, reading, listening to podcasts, running

  • Has lots of daily routines (skincare, showering, workouts, etc.)

  • ​Wants to be a journalist: has an internship at Dynasty Magazine; plans to work her way up the ladder to become a features writer and/or editor

  • Assistant librarian at Holly Springs High

  • Struggles with anxiety and control issues; very Type A

  • Has only ever been in one serious relationship her entire life

  • Greatest fear is to be alone

Benjamin 'Ben' Perry

  • 23 years old, male

  • Hobbies include soccer, cooking, listening to music

  • Chemistry teacher and soccer coach at Holly Springs High

  • Played soccer up until his sophomore year of high school; began feeling pressure from his dad about wanting him to get a college scholarship, which made him like playing less

  • Picked the sport back up again for fun in his sophomore year of college, on a club team

  • Feels stuck in his hometown, but isn't too sure what his next steps would be if he left

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