Right now, I'm focusing on my supporting characters and how to bring their personalities to life without bogging the story down.
That's a tall order to fill, and probably one of the most important.
What did I do? Well, I made a spreadsheet of course. ;)
I'm not sure if you can see that very well, but it's a quick-reference sheet of sorts. I have physical traits, age, interests, and the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) for each character listed for easy reference. So when I'm revising, I have my bullet list of what I'm looking to add/change, and my one-page spreadsheet on characters. That way if I hit a spot and go, hmm, would Blair really say this here? I can glance at the list and know my Yale-bound mathlete probably would not.
And it's funny how the smallest changes can have such a large impact on the sound and overall presentation of a character. It's not even necessarily about what they say so much as how they say it sometimes. :)
What do you do to help define characters? Any tips you'd like to share with me?
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