Overwhelming Characters

Okay. So usually I have a detailed bio for a character, but can still condense it into a small section if I ever need to share it with someone, summarize an intro in my outline, etc.

I just go with this, as an example, with a known MC of mine.

Name: Marcel, Mars (nickname), Waltman (last name in office records but isn’t his)

Species/race/origin: Unspecified immortal entity, looks to be half-god half-human

Age: Roughly 500, looks to be 15-16

Appearance: A boy with round features and strong shoulders. White skin, besides magical tattoos which are invisible to the human eye. Thick, curly pink hair and turquoise eyes. Has snowy white wings which grow magically from his shoulder blades; these feathers can also create a thin, rose-like pattern over his body, but only when needed for god protection. They often twist into feathery spirals along his cheeks when he’s passionate or thoughtful. Wears sweaters over dress shirts, or t-shirts with random band or comic logos. Often has a quietly determined expression.

Personality: ISTP, Enneagram researched but undecided. Marcel is a stoic individual who, above everything, has a calm demeanor in any fight scene. He can appear grumpy or blunt, but is gentle at heart and is the best at giving awkward friend advice. Has a goofy sense of humor that he often performs with a straight face. His personal goal is to become a superhero/protect his home spaces and loved ones, but the world has a goal for him too. His magical heritage is the key to defeating demons. He is always trying to understand his place in the world, while simultaneously building the foundation for his “second” life.

Abilities/quirks/defining actions/anything important contributed to story: God powers… (here I would fully explore his power set and role in the world) (Might be a little longer than the section above)

Backstory/how they got to this point: [REDACTED] I know what it is, but horses will not drive it out of me XD Again, similar length.

Story notes/relationship dynamics: As long as needed, to explore relationships with each side character. This doesn’t need to be too detailed. Just a couple sentences about each relationship is fine. It also depends on how many side characters you have in the first place.

@linus-smallprint

Before I say anything else, I have to comment on how hilarious your “Alan’s favorite ice-cream” analysis is XDXD

ISTP. Do you do personality tests on your characters?

Yes. These types are not a be-all-end-all for me; they aren’t as important as say, the main internal struggles. But Meyers-Briggs captures some of the things I like to know immediately if I’m writing a new POV – and I’ve noticed that if a writer’s characters tend to have the same types, the writer needs to broaden their voice. And the Enneagram is super helpful with the internal stuff.

Here is my attempt at a summary for Alan

Sounds fine!

For your sheet (which I did read ;)), it was probably written while you were still searching for Alan’s inner thoughts and struggles – so most of it is repetitive. But it works well as a mental flow sheet.

Like you said, you want a practical sheet to reference. I would keep this document the way it is, and make a new one (which I’ll call Alan – Practical Sheet). With this, instead of going through a bunch of open-ended questions, have a logical list of Alan’s traits.

Things like:

– Personal information

– Appearance (You can put the picture here, plus extra info!)

– Abilities

– Basic personality

-Backstory

– Inner motives/goals/struggles

…Etc. You can order the list any way your brain likes XD Then take what you wrote in the flow sheet (which is all inner struggles) and condense it into one of those categories.

This sheet achieves the logical side of things. You get an overview of how your character appears to others, in a mostly factual style. Like blurbs on the back of a book, it gives you a feel for voice, style, and your character’s vibe.