Today we did a character sketch and I did a sketch of my teacher. It really got me looking at how I develop my characters. So, I am going to post an example at an initial character sketch. It starts out as a small little anecdote that will lead into a story.
It all started when I was 15. I was a street kid back then, stealing to live, living with a gang that protected me; whether they protected me because I was an asset or a female was still a question, even a decade later. While I stole to live, the guys would steal novelties for me: books, perfumes, old tomes in Latin. Before the War, I had learned Latin from an aunt—she wanted to “expand my knowledge.” I don’t know if I was grateful for my second language; it was why Christian had brought me that book. Even now I look back and know my life would be different if Christian hadn’t found that. My life would have been better.
I was a demon familiar for five years. My years as a familiar began on a drunken night and a verbal contract that I was surprised was still being upheld. I served five years as a familiar, never leaving his side; for the rest of my life, he was able to use me for tasks he couldn’t do himself. All in return for knowledge and partial immortality. Immortality would have cost more than I was willing to pay; fortunately, you could buy it in small increments. I wouldn’t age—but I would die at the end of my human life span. Which was a start; even if that probably wouldn’t last for more than 75 years.
As soon as my years as a familiar were up, my knowledge of demons led me to my days as a demon dealer. I am the only one I know of, so my jobs weren’t specifically contained in the United States. But it was amazing how many Americans dealt (or wanted to deal) with demons. I had a feeling it was their lack of superstitions that the Europeans, Africans, and Asians had believed and developed for more than a millennium. I, however, wasn’t going to complain.
The one thing I could complain about was the book. The damned book Christian had stolen for me. Because, as soon as I knew what it was, I knew someone would come looking for it. And they did. Ten years later.
Then, I go into an outline looking thing that I love to do. Here is an example for the character I began today as a trial run:
Name: Mel DuPree
Occupation: Demon Dealer
Age: 25
Appearance: Tall, brown hair, blue eyes
Past: Lived with a gang before starting out in demon dealing, which has led her to an almost anonymous fame and riches. Now lives alone.
Traits: Quick to anger, tries to hide emotion, prefers her freedom to any sort of good feeling. Translation of that is men are NOT appealing to her whatsoever.
My outlines are done very colloquially. I will even have lols, and wtfs next to my notes. They get the “creative juices” flowing so then I can go on from the small anecdote that you saw above. Since character development is about 90% of my story, I actually pay a lot of attention to the anecdote and the little outline-ish thing. They look skimpy, but after three or four rewrites, a lot of ink, and some handwashing, it’s partially complete. A character sketch is never complete: because you cannot fully develop a character to the point where you can leave them alone. Most of the time. Unless you kill them. I learn new things about my characters every day.
People say, “Well, don’t you decide what happens to your characters?” Sometimes. However, when I get a gut instinct that tells me, “You have to do this, Kaelie. You CANNOT get around it, dear.” That’s when I sit down to my computer, resigned to my instincts and pen (or is that type?) the heartbreaking event projected my heart. Such as the death of a character a few months ago. I still mourn his loss. I will put a memory up to him at the end, but his name is not to be revealed, in case I finish the stories…eventually… I may be able to decide what happens to my characters, but the outcome is usually a lot more realistic if I don’t think about it.
These characters a part of me that I allow to live in paper. Killing one of them is like killing a family member. I even get attached to my villains. I also have a tendency to make the bad guys seem really normal; which, villains are normal people. They may have had a screwed up childhood, or they lost a pet when they were younger. A villain didn’t start out as a villain. Maybe I just side with the person who doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt
