consultingcaitlin:I’ve seen the intensive, detailed, step-by-step guides to creating characters,...

consultingcaitlin:

I’ve seen the intensive, detailed, step-by-step guides to creating characters, and while the thought process behind them is sound, I’ve always used what is, to me, a very simple, straightforward technique:

Describe the character as if they were a good friend that you were talking shit about behind their back to a third party..the way you talk about someone you love that when they’re frustrating you and you’re venting. What are their weak spots, their annoying traits, their peccadillioes? What about them makes you crazy, and what made them this way? But also, why do you love them, why do you stick around, why do you give them another chance?

For me, this informal technique really helps me get closer to the truth of a character, and understand *why* they behave the way they do.

Good stuff