Writing a Character Sketch
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Aspiring writers know that there is a lot more to writing a novel than just stringing words together. Crafting a good story with engaging and well-developed characters is crucial. In fact, creating a character sketch before writing a novel is a must, especially if you’re working in a protagonist-focused genre like literary fiction. Character sketches help writers flesh out their characters, making them more vivid, realistic, and, most importantly, relatable to readers. In this article, I’ll explore how to create a character sketch for yourself before drafting or revising so that the resulting character resonates with readers. I’ll cover everything from what a character sketch is to the common mistakes writers make when creating them, and end on how to use a character sketch in your own creative writing work.
What Is a Character Sketch?
Before we dive into how to create a character sketch, let’s define what it is. In simple terms, a character sketch is a detailed description of a character that outlines the character's qualities, objectives, motivations, needs, wounds, misbeliefs and flaws, backstory, and more. A character sketch helps writers understand their characters deeply so they can write them more convincingly.
Ingredients of a Character Sketch
The first ingredient of a character sketch is the character's physical appearance. This may include hair and eye color, height, weight, scars, and any other distinguishing marks. The second ingredient is the character's backstory, where they’ve come from, who their family of origin or significant historical ancestors are, and how this has affected their upbringing and personality to the present day. This also includes the character's family history, childhood, education, and any other life-changing experiences. The third ingredient is a strong sense of the character's personality—the good and the bad. This means their values, beliefs, fears, and desires, and what motivates them to go after a goal that will, ideally, drive them forward as a proactive character in your story. Finally, the fourth ingredient is the character's relationships and how these all revolve around the central theme of your book idea, ideally as different shades of the same idea. This includes the character's relationships and any major sources of tension or conflict.
Questions to Ask when Creating a Character Sketch
When creating a character sketch, writers need to ask themselves certain questions about the character. These include questions like, “What is the character's biggest fear?” or “What is the character's moral code?” Imagine you’re interrogating your character, playing therapist, and trying to get down to their very marrow. Don’t be afraid to ask what matters to them, and what their stakes are, which means, what they imagine might happen if they don’t get what they want. By asking these kinds of questions, writers can develop a deeper understanding of their character's motivations and goals.
How to Execute a Character Sketch for Maximum Emotional Impact
Creating a compelling character sketch requires more than just a list of attributes, or filling out a questionnaire or checklist. Successfully creating a character sketch requires the writer to craft a character with emotional depth, and this means having the ability to self-reflect and be self-aware, too. To execute a character sketch for maximum emotional impact, writers need to explore their character's psyche, goals, and obstacles. By doing so, writers can create a character that readers will empathize with, even if they don't always like the character. In fact, it can be very important to give your character flaws and foibles, so that they’re relatable, and so they are motivated to overcome their pitfalls.
What’s Expected from a Character Sketch
Readers want to read about believable and well-developed characters. They want characters that have flaws, strengths, and desires. And you do that character development by writing a character sketch, especially if you want to avoid writing a caricature.
Let’s talk about the common mistakes writers make when creating a character sketch. Many very intelligent aspiring authors end up creating stereotypical characters. These are characters who conform to a particular stereotype, such as the jock or the damsel in distress. Another mistake is creating one-dimensional characters, or those that are defined by one or two main attributes, but don’t have any kind of character arc or growth over the course of the story. These are characters who lack depth and complexity, making them uninteresting to readers.
Creating a character sketch is a crucial part of writing a novel. It helps writers develop well-rounded characters that readers can relate to and empathize with. By asking the right questions, exploring their character's psyche, and avoiding common mistakes, writers can create characters that come to life on the page. Now that you know what a character sketch is, what it should include, and how to create one, it's time to start daydreaming and journaling about your protagonist.
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