Creating weird, complex characters

In the next exercise, let’s create a character who might exist in your strange, weird worlds but flesh them out so they are three dimensional and are characters we want to follow.

Exercise #11: 

Choose one of the characters images here, whichever jumps out at you and fires up your imagination!

Characters Sheet.pdf

Now you’ve selected a character image, let’s start making them into something more three-dimensional!

  1. Give them a name.
  2. Where did they grow up
  3. Something that they love?.
  4. Something that they hate
  5. What’s their biggest strength?
  6. What’s their biggest weakness?
  7. What’s their biggest fear?
  8. Give them a catchphrase.
  9. What do they do for a living? 
  10. Who's in their family?
  11. What’s the one thing they would save in a house fire?
  12. What’s something they want. What’s their dream?
  13. Tell me a secret about them?

Even in strange worlds, characters should feel real. We should understand who they are, what they want and what is important to them. 

Now we’ve created a complex character, I want you to write a poem or the start of a story in their voice! Try to use some of the details you’ve created and tell me about their life!

Want some help? Imagine that your character is sat at a table and another character is interrogating them and the first thing they say to your character is this: “We know the truth. Why don't you tell us what happened from the beginning so we can work this all out?"

Write for fifteen minutes!

Complete and continue