Character Creation (for those who like to know every little detail -- like me)

As mentioned before, some people like to just fly by the seat of their pants when they write (and it works out better if they do). I am not one of those people. I need some sort of framework or else my stories go off on horrible pointless tangents. The same can be said about characters.

In short of filling out a 300 question myspace survey for your character (which I've done before -- true story!), you can simplify things.

The Writer's Shorter Survey For the Fiction Character

Name:

Age:

Birth date: (This is important because your character's age and birth date can matter very much unless it's a modern story. By that, I mean your character can be sixteen. If it's set in 2008, your character might be born in 1992. But if your story is set in 1808, your character would've been born in 1792. This matters, because to really know your character, you have to know what situations they were born into. The world was very different in 1792 than it was in 1808...in many ways, even more so than the differences between 1992 and 2008. So, keep it in mind.)

Hair Color:

Eye Color:

Skin Color/type:

Weight:

Height:

Tattoos and other body mods/scars:(All of these are important when describing your character. If your character is a rough bad boy, give him a scar. It could be tied to his past.)

Relationship status/love interest:

Hobbies:

Job description:

Parents:

Siblings:

Friends: (or sidekicks)

Enemies: (can be mundane or supernatural -- even their own demons)

Favorite Foods:

Least Favorite Foods:

Favorite Television shows:

Types of music enjoyed:

Talents/special abilities:

Hopes/aspirations:

Fears:

Personality description: (Come at it from every sort of angle you can think and I will probably detail this later when I am thinking.)

If you can answer all of these questions about your character, they will start to feel like a real person. If they feel real to you, chances are, they will feel real to others. And a character will never matter if they don't seem real. No one wants to read a character who lies flat on the page. They want someone who, even if they share very little in common, they can at least identify with and care about.