Character Building Archives

March 23, 2019 Marie Rebelle

Name Your Characters

So many times I have a story in my mind, want to write it and then I sit staring at a blank page, not knowing what to name my character. I come up with several names, but then reject them either because I have used the name in a different story before, or the name just doesn’t fit the story I want to write. What I did in the past was to type use the search term ”female names’ or ‘male names’ to find something that fit. I always ended up on sites with baby names, and in the end I mostly found something, but by then I was half an hour or an hour further, and still needed to

November 18, 2018 Marie Rebelle

Jobs for Characters

We give the characters in our stories thoughts and words and a personality, but why not give them a job too? Of course the job your character does can say something about them too, but it can also open your plot up for some interesting twists and turns, and interactions with others on the work floor. Below you will find a list with jobs for different genres, different time settings… from silversmith to pilot, from witch to pastor. So, how does your character earn a living? Academic Fletcher Prime minister Accountant Flight attendant Printer Adventurer Florist Prison guard Airplane mechanic Footman Prisoner Animal trainer Foster parent Professor of economics Apartment maintenance Game creator Professor of history Archer Gardener Professor of

November 10, 2018 Marie Rebelle

Character Hobbies/Activities

When you write a story, no matter when it’s short or long, your characters will be doing something, whether it’s walking or sitting or talking. To give your character some depth, you might want to consider giving them hobbies, or some activities they frequently do. Below you find a list of suggestions for hobbies and activities. These might spark some ideas of your own. acting driving organizing archaeology eating paintball archery electronics party planning architecture embroidery photography art exploring playing cards arts and crafts family time playing chess astronomy fantasy football playing darts backpacking fashion playing sports baking fireworks poker band fishing pottery baseball flower arranging racing basketball flying kites reading bird watching football scrap booking bowling foreign languages scuba

October 14, 2018 Marie Rebelle

Character Habits

When you write a story and you are building your characters, one way to do that is to add habits – things your character frequently does, and which is part of their nature. Those habits can be positive, but also negative things. Below you will find a list with 100 habits characters might have, and I am sure this list will spark more, and help you in your writing. Always busy on their phone Obsessively checking phone Analyzing others Over eating Apologizing Over-medicating Asking a lot of questions Overspending while shopping Avoiding gazes Overworking Being lazy Pacing Being wasteful Peeling scabs Biting Picking their nose Biting a pen Procrastinating Biting nails Rambling Chewing their lip Reading the daily newspaper Chewing

July 28, 2018 Marie Rebelle

Facial Expressions

A big part of your writing is building your character. Part of that is not only where your character lives or what kind of work he does, but also his facial expressions in certain circumstances. Does he furrow his brow even when he’s not upset or does she always have that sparkle in her eyes? Below are examples of descriptions for facial expressions you can use in your writing. Eyes his eyes widened she glanced up to the ceiling his eyes went round she winked her eyelids drooped tears filled her eyes her eyes narrowed his eyes welled up his eyes lit up her eyes flooded with tears his eyes darted her eyes were wet he squinted his eyes glistened

November 4, 2017 Marie Rebelle

Character Flaws

Whether your story is long or short, you want to give your main character(s) some personality traits, but not all of them can be positive or perfect. Your characters should have flaws to make them come across to the general public as real people. Below you find a list of character flaws to use in your writing. absent-minded emo nervous shallow abusive envious noisy shy acts superior erratic non-violent smart-ass addict evil nosey sneaky aimless fickle obnoxious solemn alcoholic fierce obsessive sore loser anarchist finicky offended easily spaz angsty flirt oppressor spineless anxious forgetful outsider spiteful arrogant gluttonous overambitious spoiled assertive greedy overconfident squeamish attitude gruff overdramatic stereotypical audacious gullible overemotional stubborn avoids problems hedonistic overprotective superstitious big mouth holds

October 7, 2017 Marie Rebelle

Character Archetypes

When creating your characters for your story, you might want to use one or more of Jung’s archetypes. In order to do so, the information below might help you to give your character a personality. THE INNOCENT Motto: Free to be you and me Goal: Happiness Fear: Punishment Core desire: To get to paradise Strategy: To do things right Talent: Faith and optimism Characteristics: Openness to experience, trust, honesty Challenges: Naiveté, denial that problems exist Innocents are the exemplars of optimism, and will always be kind and trusting. They help to make the world a brighter, nicer place, but sometimes they need a reality-check because they see everything through rose-tinted glasses and that clouds their vision of the truth. THE

August 26, 2017 Marie Rebelle

Character Traits

Every person on the face of this earth has positive and negative character traits and so should the characters in your story. Below you find positive and negative character traits to use in your writing. As always, make sure you consult a dictionary when you don’t know whether a word means what you think it does! Tip: Use positive character traits to find negative ones and vice versa. Positive accessible educated lovable responsible adaptable efficient loving responsive adventurous eloquent loyal romantic affable empathetic magnanimous scrupulous affectionate encouraging mature secure agreeable energetic meticulous self-confident ambitious enthusiastic moderate delf-disciplined amicable exuberant modest selfless amusing fair neat sensible articulate faithful non-authoritarian sensitive balanced fearless obedient shy benevolent firm objective sincere brave flexible open

August 8, 2017 Marie Rebelle

Emotions

In writing, emotions sometimes play a big role. You can say that your character is sad or happy, but there are so many other words you can use to even better convey the emotions your character is experiencing. Below are lists of words for the emotions ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, ‘scared’ and ‘confused’. Emotion: Happy STRONG MILD WEAK ecstatic admired content elated alive flattered energized amused fortunate enthusiastic appreciated glad excited assured good exuberant cheerful hopeful jubilant confident peaceful loved delighted pleased marvelous determined relaxed terrific encouraged satisfied thrilled fulfilled uplifted grateful gratified\joyful justified optimistic proud relieved resolved respected valued Emotion: Sad STRONG MILD WEAK burdened abandoned apathetic condemned alienated bad crushed ashamed deflated defeated degraded disenchanted dejected deprived lost demoralized