Creating Compelling Characters

1. Creating Compelling Characters

2. Every Character Needs… To be unique To have a purpose For things to get uncomfortable (conflict) To change or grow during the course of the story The Doctor Amy Rory Rory’s dad

3. Fight the Stereotype Turn the stereotype on its head. Build flesh and blood people, who have depth and are unique.

4. Everyone is the star

5. Character Worksheet -Helps me find who my characters are -Quick reference -Always changing -I do this sheet for all my important characters Let’s take this step by step with one of my new characters.

6. Who is he? Name: Prince Trevyn Echad Chorek Nathek Hadar of Armania Age:14 Appearance (tags):tall & skinny, dimpled smile, long neck, wrinkled clothing, often seen running and yelling out, “Sorry!” Famous counterpart(s): a young Indiana Jones (Alfie Enoch) One-word descriptor: *Curious

7. Use Personality Tests Myers-Briggs -www.celebritytypes.com -Pick a famous person or character Trevyn: INFP The Healer/Dreamer J. R. R. Tolkien Mason: INTJ The Mastermind Isaac Newton

8. The 5 Love Languages -Words of affirmation -Quality time -Gifts -Acts of service -Physical touch Trevyn Quality time/gifts

9. Tags Identifiers for characters that set them apart from others* Harry Potter: green eyes, lightning-shaped scar, glasses, messy hair Hermione Granger: buck teeth, bushy hair, clever Ron Weasley: red hair, freckles, long nose, gangly, poor, shabby clothing Rubeus Hagrid: huge, shaggy hair and beard, beetle-black eyes, loves animals Albus Dumbledore: long silver hair and beard, half-moon glasses, long fingers, sense of humor—twinkling eyes Minerva McGonagall: square spectacles, green clothes, hair in bun, severe/strict Severus Snape: long greasy black hair, hooked nose, sallow skin, calculating, mean, talks slowly Draco Malfoy: pale, blonde, pointed face, arrogant, rich

10. Prince Trevyn’s Tags Tall & skinny, dimpled smile, long neck, wrinkled clothing, charcoal-smudged fingers, rolls of maps under his arm, often seen scaling walls or running through the palace and yelling out, “Sorry!” after he has knocked people over.

11. Titles Actual names: Prince Trevyn His Royal Highness / Your Highness That boy (by his mother) Your Magnanimousness (by Hinck) Trev (occasionally by Hinck) Life roles: Prince, son, brother, friend, firebrand, truth-finder, explorer, celebrity, potential husband

12. Important Backstory -Two months before Trevyn was born, some of his older brothers were sacrificed to the god Barthos. As the third queen’s firstborn son, this made her an obsessively protective mother, smothering him. -His brother Willek, who is ten years older, was deeply affected by the deaths of his brothers. This caused him to be very protective of Trevyn. -Trevyn grew up in a castle filled with politics. His father has three wives and people are always looking for ways to get on Trevyn’s good side to gain power at court. Trevyn hates all of that. -As a lesser prince, the king decreed that Trevyn would become a priest. -Father Tomek took Trevyn out to sea for the first time when he was six. The sea became a safe-haven for him from his paranoid mother. -A year ago, a girl pretended to like Trevyn. He found out his brother Janek put her up to it with the promise that he’d get Trevyn to marry her, thus making her a princess. Trevyn hasn’t trusted girls—or his brother Janek—ever since.

13. Goals & Motivations Day-to-Day Goal: Explore and perfect his maps of the coastline Story Goal (external): Solve his mentor’s murder Story Goal threatened by: Evil priests The Push/Pull that makes him act: Room is ransacked Second Goal: Spend time with Mielle Conflicts with first goal: Both goals demand his time. Plus he doesn’t want to put Mielle in danger.

14. More Goals & Motivations Goal he lives by (*internal*): Freedom Emotional Life Goal: To matter. To be someone’s #1. How this shows: By proving to others that he is right He most values (take it away): Freedom Willing to die for: That his people would know the truth Greatest dream: To find new land beyond the bowl Noble Cause: To go where no man has gone before—and in that prove himself unique and worthy Greatest fear (make it happen): Being locked up/loss of freedom

15. Personality & Attributes Personality descriptors: Impulsive, easy-going, creative, loyal, guarded, passive aggressive—purposely risks his life (No one would miss him, anyway) *Methods of action: Works best alone, perfectionist, must have meaning or he won’t do it, if someone says no… *Methods of evaluation: Observes, reads Skills: Artistic, detailed, fast, athletic, smart Flaws: Sensitive, evasive, emotional, hates criticism, acts indifferent towards his friends Traits/Quirks: Acts disinterested, fearless, untrusting, doesn’t like to sit, never gets lost Hobbies: Map-making, exploring, parkour, climbing, any life-risking activity, annoying his mother

16. Extra Conflict & Growth Story change he must face: God is real How can I make life worse? Take away all his real friends (Willek, Hinck, and Mielle) What can I threaten? The truth, his freedom What else can I take away? Mielle Six things that need fixing: Impulsive, stubborn, powerless to make his own choices, has a subconscious death wish, untrusting (afraid to risk his heart), he acts indifferent to his friends (Hinck)

17. Six Things That Need Fixing*

18. Dramatica Theory’s Eight Archetypal Characters Protagonist Antagonist Guardian Contagonist Reason Emotion Sidekick Skeptic

19. Character Interactions Protagonist/Antagonist: Trevyn / Prince Janek Guardian/Contagonist: Father Tomek / Trevyn’s mother Reason/Emotion:Prince Willek / Miss Mielle Sidekick/Skeptic: Cadoc/Hinck

20. Character’s Past Happiest moment: When he took his first ride in a ship with his mentor and learned to draw a map of the coast . Dark moment: When his mother was cast aside from the king and took it out on him. Lie he believes: His live is meaningless—he doesn’t matter to anyone, except as a pawn. Mantra he lives by: Life is too short to worry about anything—enjoy today because tomorrow you might be in chains. *Interesting thing about his mantra—He’s forcing himself to believe it, but daily his instincts tell him differently. But the lie he believes about himself is stronger than the evidence that opposes this statement.