I like writing character sheets too, but sometimes I don't have answers for certain questions until I actually start writing the scenes/book outlines etc.
I would describe my process as learning new things about my character to stick to the script. Whenever I write, I often run into roadblock that I resolve by learning new things about my character.
In the first draft of the upcoming chapters, Corrine was too passive, always getting ping-ponged around by the other character. That passivity was becoming a problem by slowing the development of the story. I had to ask myself what kind of motivation would justify her action, keeping her agency, works within established elements, and would flow nicely into the next part of her story.
The answer came to me in a meme:
I'm definitely the type of person to get to know my characters the more I write them. Sure, I may start with a character sheet with design ideas, some adjectives for their personality, and some blurbs about their backstory, but I don't actually feel like I know them.
As far as my 'script' goes, it's basically just major turns or checkpoints of the story that I'm like 95% sure that I'm going to go through with to carry on the story, but for everything in between these points, it's all up to the flow of the writing. That flow is what helps me get to know my characters.
Heck, I didn't really have any romance planned, but at the rate my drafts are going, the characters are basically working that into their stories themselves.
I like to interview my characters before getting too invested in writing them. I just come up with questions and write their answers as if they are the ones talking. I've also written a few side stories that I wanted to add to the book but didn't. The side stories helped me learn how the characters interact with each other. The interview helps me get a feel of why my character is the way they are.
I've also tried making character sheets. While this wasn't my cup of tea it's definitely a good way to hash out what their strengths and weaknesses are, or if they have specific habits that I can portray throughout the book.
I also like to introduce my character to someone new early on. This really helps me get a feel of who my main character is.
I usually have a pretty solid idea of who the characters are, how they work, and the general direction they're going before I start a project. It's when I write that I get to find out the specifics, that part is very fun for me. Although since I am a weekly webcomic and it takes me 6 months to get through a whole chapter, I've had a long time to think about and refine the plot before I start drawing it!
I have a general outline on how the story will go, but I keep adding small details to the characters as I go. For instance, the protagonist Caelan was a VERY different person from who he ended up being as I srote the first ideas and drafts.
The story itself changed a lot since the start, beginning as a standard plot-driven advancement story with video game mechanics into a character-driven tale about grief and the healing it follows after a traumatic loss.
The same can be said for everyone else. I guess the only constant through most of it is the Lovable Asshole that Leopold is. Starting as a side character, he achieved the position of deuteragonist now that I'm finally publishing.
Anyway, anyone who's curious is welcome to check it out. If you do, don't forget to say hi XD
DEFINITELY learning new things as I write. These dumb dumbs have a mind of their own at this point.
One of my characters said something and I went “YOU WHAT?” Then I realized I was the one writing…
8 days later
Sometimes, but mostly they make me laugh. I really enjoyed my most recent one because I think the character might be a bit of a narcissist.
Mrs. Moon is a narcissist and I've found her both entertaining and concerning to write, but I thinks it's more her other factors than her narcissism that makes her entertaining lol
Honestly, a little. But the more I write him, the less he seems like a narcissist. I think I'm going to have to explore writing the narcissism back into him.
To the pantsers/gardeners here; if you don't plan out your story and craft your character before you start the writing journey, how do you determine or build a character-arc? Do you just wing it as you go along, or do you have a vague roadmap?
I plot the story, then I start writing. After getting to know my character in that way, I do other things like character sheets and interviews. Plotting helps a lot since my characters are shaped by the story.
I have a character evolution planned but add to it as I go. I also have a general story direction planned out but then learn more things which I use to subtly tweak the story more and more over time. Though to be fair, while there is character evolution, my story is also comedy, so it doesn't have to be dramatic or extreme
The thing I get most surprised with lately is how important all the character interactions are - not to be too melodramatic but I find that when I have an MC interact with a relatively minor character, I end up thinking about a whole other dimension of the MC. And then that changes how I understand them going forward and even major decisions they end up making sometimes (not always of course).
Makes me think sometimes that I should do some sort of practice convos between random characters when I'm starting out to get to know them all better at first lol but that's not very practical