One thing has always helped me with the characters in my comic book series, Beyond the Great Chimney (BTGC), is using my Character Development Worksheet. I use it to explore details of all my characters, which I can refer back to as I write or draw.
A few of the items might contradict each other, but are expressed in different ways.
I am planning on offering this as a PDF sometime in the future, and would love comments on things that should be added to the list.
Name: (This is the name they identify themselves with)
Alias: (other names they use either legally or illegally)
Age: how old are they (currently in the story)?
Nick-name(s): (names that others call them)
This can be a lovey-dove pet name or something much worse. In BTGC
Sir Tugert refers to Victor as Furry Butt
Family/Relatives: (Parents/Siblings/Grand Parents/ Aunts/ Uncles/Cousins/etc.)
Someone who is considered family is not always that way biologically,
so it would be good to note that.
Place of birth:
Friends:
Education/Training:
Where do they live?
What is their dream(s)
I want to be where the people are, I want to see them dancing, walking around on those – what do you call them – oh FEET
— Ariel, Disney’s Little Mermaid
Occupation:
This can be any job, even if they don’t get paid for it.
Experience/Talents/Special Skills or Powers:
“Faster then a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound” – Superman in Action Comics – DC Comics
What do they fear?
According to Dr. Robert Maurer, professor of psychology at UCLA, fear lies at the center of all great fiction. Every character is afraid of something – of loss, of failure, of success, of being unmasked – and drama is to be found in how each character copes with his/her fears. While one character might be afraid of growing old alone, another might be afraid that some secret of his past will be revealed, and another might harbor the fear that she will turn out to be like her mother.
In order to give your characters depth and your stories dramatic tension you must determine what your characters fear and how they deal with their terror.
— from the observation deck by Naomi Epel
How do they cope with that Fear?
What makes them Angry?
“you wouldn’t like me when I am angry” — Bruce Banner – the Hulk – Marvel Comics
What is there belief/religion system?
In my comic book BTGC, Victor makes offerings to the Goddess of Luck
How is their health?
Physical and Mental
What is their body type?
Squat, Sturdy, Muscular, Agile, Lean, Gangly, Tall, Short, Rugged, Rigid, Curvy, Soft
What is there most precious possession?
How do they see themselves?
How others see them:
How do they interact/get along with others?
How do they relax?
Are they more introverted or extraverted:
What do they want from their life:
Their Passions; Who/What do they love?
Oscar the Grouch loves trash.
Clark Kent/Superman loves his wife Lois.
A arsonist loves fire.
Who/What do they hate?
People who drive and talk on a
cell-phone at the same time?
There evil uncle?
Brussels Sprouts?
The rival team?
What sacrifices have they made?
In the animated film Princess Mononoke, the hero Prince Ashitaka
makes a sacrifice to leave his village and people and to never return.
What sacrifice will they make?
Only the author knows the future.
What is their life’s goal?
I want to be Ambassador to France
Charles Guiteau – Assassins – by Stephen Sondheim.
