(The Hero: Indiana Jones, Story Type: The Quest)
Character Profiles
(THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE ON THURSDAY, 9/29/16)
Next to back-stories, this is one of the most important things you will do for your characters. Some begin with profiles and then, like a puzzle, fit the back-story to it. In the end, it is like any other process. You must have a logical starting point. Everyone works differently. I have heard people tell me that crucial elements of their stories were not worth their attention. Students have told me that certain aspects (setting, clothing, distinguishing characteristics) are unimportant and could be filled in as the writing process took its course.
I beg to differ.
Every element of your story is crucial. Allowing something to be decided without care will make your stories suffer. Since we are talking about archetypes, you are working with very specific character types. At this point, you have been doing research involving the creation of the characters you chose. You have written several short pieces which outline your characters living arrangements, their dreams/nightmares, etc.
The Hero: Edward Scissorhands, The Story Type: The Quest, Coming Of Age
Now, you are going to be doing a profile outline of your character. This is important because the goal of working with these archetypes is your ability to take characters and pull them "inside-out". To do this, you must first know everything about them.
The cast of "The Outsiders" (clockwise from the left, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio (Story Type: Coming Of Age, The Quest)
Overall, a profile is a good summary and can be customized to fit your needs quite easily. They can range from the simplistic to the extremely complex. Once you compose a character profile, you will find it keeps evolving as you use it. Many books line the bookshelves of libraries and bookstores with all sorts of information on creating profiles, I've listed below the main info you might be interested in using as you develop the file you are creating on your characters.
Hero: William Miller, Story Type: Coming of Age, Love Story
I recommend writing a little scene or at least short description on each point you intend to use or find useful. And, what I mean by this is that some writers simply answer these questions with a single word. Trust me, single words will not help you when it comes time to write. If your character fears spiders write a complete sentence explaining why. It's the little details you know that makes characters come alive; even if your character does not encounter a spider in the story its good for you to know because in the process of writing this knowledge will be infused into the text like magic.
The Villain: Lord Voldemort, The Story Type: Coming Of Age/Rite Of Passage, Quest
Think of one character (you can use the one you have been using since we started this exercise) and begin composing a profile comprised of what you know about this character. If there are things you don't know, begin researching them. If you think something is not applicable, you do not need to include that information. But, be warned - often the things we choose to overlook are the most integral to our character. Don't be fooled into thinking that minutiae is irrelevant.
Remember: There are no accidental details in the creation of lasting characters/archetypes. Everything is created by the author for some reason.
For this assignment, I would like you to complete this list using the characters that you have been working with from the beginning of this writing exercise. Eventually, you are going to be forced to take these characters into places they have not traditionally been used. So, do your research completely. This should be submitted in Googledocs. This assignment is worth 100 points and it is due Thursday, September 29, 2016.
NOTE: FOR SOME OF THESE, YOU MIGHT NOT FIND AN ANSWER VERY READILY. MAKE SURE YOU DIG DEEPLY. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED AT WHAT YOU FIND.
Title of book/story
Name of character
Age
Height, weight, and body type
Eye color
Hair color & style
Skin tone
Physical condition
Distinguishing features
Physical imperfections most likely to change (if applicable)
Gestures
Ethnic group
Family Background
Religion
Parents
Siblings
Neighborhoods
Income
Growing up
Education
Skills, talents
Short & long term goals
Short & long term wants & needs
Introvert or extrovert
Eccentricities
Type of temperament
How he/she handles anger or rage
Admirable traits
Negative traits
Habits
Prejudices-Good & Bad
Things that irritate
Things that make him/her uncomfortable or bring shame
Most painful things in life/traumas from the past
Political leanings
Sense of humor
Fears & Phobias
Friends & Enemies
Major problems to be solved (at least 3)
Solutions to problems (at least 6)
Lessons learned
Can you think of any reason why this character is so enduring?
If the character is not well known, can you speculate what the reason is for this character being an "underground" phenomenon? What would it take to make them a mainstream character?
