- \n
- Why character exercises are important<\/li>\n
- A list of 17 different exercises that you can implement today<\/li>\n
- Examples and advice to improve your characters<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Table of contents<\/h2>
- Why Are Character Development Exercises Important?<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #1: Write a FULL Description<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #2: Play Dress Up<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #3: Write a Description Scene Through the Character\u2019s Eyes<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #4: Practice Showing Emotion<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #5: Write a \u201cSlice of Life\u201d Episode<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #6: Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #7: Write a Progression Short Story<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #8: Draw the Character<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #9: Create a Character Profile<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #10: Conduct a Character Interview<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #11: Play the \u201cWhy\u201d Game<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #12: Create a Character Based on Someone You Know<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #13: Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #14: Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #15: Create a Timeline<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #16: Do a Little Fan-fiction<\/a><\/li>
- Exercise #17: Use Character Writing Prompts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Why Are Character Development Exercises Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So why use a character development exercise in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This may be a valid question, especially for authors like myself, who just want to dive into the writing and let the characters unfold as I write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But honestly, a little work up front can save you a load of headache afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Running through a handful of these exercises will help you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Understand your character\u2019s emotions<\/li>
- Give you practice writing in their voice and from their point of view<\/a><\/li>
- Find out what sets them apart from other characters<\/li>
- Flesh them out to create round and dynamic characters<\/li>
- Establish the relationship between your characters and the setting, or other characters<\/li>
- Deliberate practice of the process to create complex and well-written characters<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In short, it\u2019s a great way to deliberately practice writing and reduces the need to go back and do extensive revisions on your characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, this might not be the best thing to do if you\u2019re a pantser and just want to dive in and discover your characters along the way. But it can be a great tool in your author tool belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n
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So without further ado, here are 17 of our best picks for character development exercises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #1<\/span>: Write a FULL Description<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to writing characters, most of us focus on the facial features, things like hair color, eye color, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great way to begin getting to know your character is to do a full description of them. In a book, we might not do this to the extent you might in a creative writing exercise, which is why it\u2019s good to practice here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some things to consider: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Skin\/hair\/eye color<\/li>
- Do they have any warts or moles?<\/li>
- What is their hair style?<\/li>
- What is their build?<\/li>
- Do they have any scars, tattoos, etc.<\/li>
- What is their general complexion. Is their skin smooth and silky, rough and calloused, or even bruised and battered?<\/li>
- What default facial expression do they have?<\/li>
- What does he\/she smell like?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nExercise #1: Try to imagine every meticulous detail about your hero, and describe it as you would when writing a book. Leave nothing out, and be thorough, because not all of this will end up in your novel. You could even write it from the perspective of another character observing them.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>Exercise #1: Write down every meticulous detail about your hero from the perspective of another character. See more writing exercises for characters here. #amwriting<\/span>Click To Tweet<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #2<\/span>: Play Dress Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What we choose to wear says a lot about a person. Someone wearing an extravagant French-style outfit from the 18th century will give you a completely different impression than a cut business suit from the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem is that most authors, when they\u2019re writing about their characters, often forget to add a lot of detail about the clothes they are wearing. It\u2019s easy to see these things in your mind and forget that your readers don\u2019t see what you see. They see what you write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One way to help overcome this oversight is to continue the exercise above, but focus on clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And don\u2019t just focus on any one type, because your protagonist will most likely use several types of clothing throughout the course of your novel. Here are just some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Travel clothing<\/li>
- Fine wear<\/li>
- Sleep wear<\/li>
- Clothes for a night on the town<\/li>
- Clothes for wilderness survival<\/li>
- Combat wear<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nExercise #2: Identify a few different outfits your character might use, then describe them wearing those things. As with Exercise #1, be sure to be thorough in your details and really show how your main character could interact with those clothes.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #3<\/span>: Write a Description Scene Through the Character\u2019s Eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ideally, every character should experience the same thing differently, depending on their background, their wants and desires, and their tastes.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, great prose is often written from the perspective of the character making the observation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, let\u2019s say you have two people, one who has grown up in a desert their whole life, where water is scarce, and the other who grew up in a place where water was plentiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine these two people on a hot day, observing a third person splashing water on their face. If you\u2019re writing from the first character\u2019s perspective, you could describe this as \u201cand the man took a handful of water and wasted it on his face.\u201d The second person might describe it this way, \u201cI watched as the man poured the cool liquid and splashed it all over his face. I wish I were him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you see the difference there? In one, the character sees using water in one way as a waste, and for the other, it\u2019s something to be sought after. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #3: Write a description of a place or an event from your character\u2019s perspective. How do they view the thing you\u2019re describing? You can swap out your character for another and see how that description might change.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #4<\/span>: Practice Showing Emotion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve all heard the adage to \u201cshow, don\u2019t tell,\u201d but what does this really look like for most characters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is something that really only comes with practice. Once you\u2019ve done it enough times, you\u2019ll recognize instances where you\u2019re saying things like \u201che felt hungry,\u201d and can replace them with something like \u201cHe winced and put a hand to his stomach as it growled, and he swallowed hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Character emotion is one of these areas where showing rather than telling can really enhance your novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #4: Draw up a list of various emotions (the emotion thesaurus<\/a> is a good resource for this) and practice showing your protagonist\u2019s reactions. Really dig deep and get specific with your character\u2019s facial features, bodily reactions, physical actions, etc.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #5<\/span>: Write a \u201cSlice of Life\u201d Episode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are a lot of scenes in a book, and most of them have a purpose. That said, there are many scenes that probably occur in that character\u2019s life, but that we don\u2019t talk about because they\u2019re not important for the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, you<\/em> as the author should have an idea of what happens in these less important moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some examples of a \u201cslice of life\u201d episode might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Having dinner with family<\/li>
- Going to the bathroom<\/li>
- The morning routine<\/li>
- A conversation with a co-worker<\/li>
- Late-night conversations with a spouse<\/li>
- Cooking a meal<\/li>
- Going on vacation<\/li>
- Playing with their kids<\/li>
- Coming home a little too drunk<\/li>
- Visiting a museum<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nExercise #5: Pick a \u201cmundane\u201d event that probably occurs in the protagonist\u2019s life, and write it out as a scene. Pay close attention to the character\u2019s emotional reaction, their perspective, the interactions with those around them, and their dialogue.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #6<\/span>: Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Very often, we learn more from others about ourselves that we might not have known on our own. Others can provide unique perspectives, and in some cases expose huge biases (on both sides).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, a proud character might not realize that he\/she is proud, but it\u2019s easy for an outside observer to spot this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #6: Write a conversation between two people who are NOT your main character, and have them discuss your character. Are they friendly, supportive, critical, or odious? Do they speak about that person in a way that is positive, or as more like gossip?<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #7<\/span>: Write a Progression Short Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In real life, people change a lot, and characters should change in stories too (most of the time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great way to show this is to write a short story<\/a> that examines the character at different parts of her\/his life. You can focus on key moments in their life, but you could also just follow exercise #5 and focus on a few more everyday events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The purpose of this exercise is to show how that person may have changed. Do they view the world differently as a working adult, vs as a teenager? A child? An elderly person?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What about before or after experiencing some kind of trauma?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #7: Write a series of scenes from multiple times in your protagonist\u2019s life. Be sure to focus on the way that they perceive the world, the emotions they feel, and the conflict that is most important to them at that time.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #8<\/span>: Draw the Character<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll be honest, I\u2019m not an artist. But I am a visual person, and getting some solid visuals of the character can be a huge boost in helping me understand them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re like me and really have no design skills<\/a>, then finding a few photos is fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d recommend several photos though, since one might not be enough. You could have some for their face and general appearance, one for their clothes and how they look, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you know a program like Photoshop, you could even crop these together to get an even better sense of what you character looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a great exercise for understanding the feel<\/em> of a character, which is often harder to put into words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #8: Take a piece of paper and draw your character, being as specific as you can. If you\u2019d prefer not to draw, find a handful of images that get some of the same points across.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #9<\/span>: Create a Character Profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Imagine you work for the FBI, and you have to draft up a dossier about your character. What might that look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, we\u2019ve done a whole article <\/a>about this topic, so you should definitely check that out, and also don\u2019t forget to pick up<\/a> our character profile template, which can easily help you through this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want a thorough process to identify the character\u2019s appearance, personality, background, and more, this is the way to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best aspects to focus on are the flaws, motivations, and fears of your character. What prompts them to action? Understanding these things will help you get at the core of your character\u2019s personality traits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #9: Download our free character profile template<\/a>, and fill it out, focusing primarily on the motivations, fears, and flaws of your character.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #10<\/span>: Conduct a Character Interview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Imagine you sat in a darkened room, across the table from you is your character. You can ask them anything, they won\u2019t be offended, and they will understand the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you ask them about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Writing a character interview is almost like writing yourself into a short story where you get to personally meet your character and ask them questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is huge for helping you understand the character\u2019s voice, but also a good strategy for building solid character backstory and character traits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help, we\u2019ve already assembled over 200<\/a> character development questions that can aid you in this process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #10: Write a scene where you interview your character, pick a handful of questions and ask them, then see what their responses are. Have a strong focus on dialogue and emotion. Repeat this process as necessary.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #11<\/span>: Play the \u201cWhy\u201d Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This goes along with the idea of an interview, but sometimes in order to dig really deep into the motivations of your character, you\u2019ve got to ask why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is your character aggressive? Ask them why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From there you might find out that his mother shouted at him as a kid, and he saw his parents fight a lot. Ask why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You might learn that his father had a drinking problem and it meant that his mother took it out on him. Ask why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From there, it might come out that his father had lost a lot of money in a business deal, leading him to turn to drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope you get the idea. The more you ask why, the more you\u2019ll dig deeper into your character\u2019s past, and the better you will understand them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #11: Pick a specific character trait and ask why your hero has that trait. Then continue to ask why until you feel satisfied with the depth of the answers.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #12<\/span>: Create a Character Based on Someone You Know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This can be a little dangerous, because to be honest, most of the people we know are not that interesting. And we also want to avoid lawsuits for defamation if the comparison is too obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, the people we know can be a huge inspiration to pick and choose ideas to incorporate into your characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, my own father and uncle have a really fun way of talking to each other. They\u2019re always ribbing on each other and calling eachother weird, made-up names. You can tell that they love each other, but it\u2019s an uncommon way of showing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This might make a good relationship between two people in a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #12: Take a look at the people you know, identify specific aspects of their personality, little quirks, or things you like, and incorporate those into your characters. <\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #13<\/span>: Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The writer is mostly concerned with what happens during the plot of her novel. But if written well, a character will feel like they exist long before and long after the pages of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it\u2019s a good idea to try dreaming up what happens to these characters in that time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can be dramatic, or it can be mundane. Impactful, or ordinary. It doesn\u2019t matter much. All that matters is that you have a past and future in mind for that character (unless you plan to kill them off of course).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And who knows, you might even come up with some good ideas for other books<\/a> involving those characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #13: Take a look at your outline of the plot and what happens to the characters, and then write down what happened in the year leading up to the start of the book, and the year after (if applicable). <\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #14<\/span>: Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve heard it said that you should basically put your characters through hell in a story, and never let up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While this is good advice, it\u2019s not always practical. That said, putting your characters through the meat-grinder is a great way to learn how they react to conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These scenarios don\u2019t have to be trials you will actually use in your novel. These are just different ways to put your character in pain and see how they react (I know I sound like a very unethical scientist, don't @ me).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some possibilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The loss of a loved one<\/li>
- A diagnosis of cancer<\/li>
- The loss of a limb<\/li>
- Getting tortured<\/li>
- Breaking up with the love of their life<\/li>
- Losing everything they own<\/li>
- Being betrayed by a friend<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nExercise #14: Try brainstorming different scenarios that your character could encounter. Write a short scene that shows their reaction to these scenarios.<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #15<\/span>: Create a Timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes it\u2019s hard to keep every part of a character\u2019s life straight. That\u2019s where a timeline can be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A timeline is a simple list of events in the character\u2019s life, though they can get more complex and interesting, and you can even put some design skills to work if you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But timelines only have to be a simple list of events. They can include events from before their birth to their death, or they can be focused on a specific period of their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will depend on the character and the story you will want to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #15: Determine an important period of time in the character\u2019s life (or start at the beginning, which is a very good place to start), and map out the most important events in their life and the impact that those events had.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #16<\/span>: Do a Little Fan-fiction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When we\u2019re writing a story, we might not have a full grasp on it yet, and that\u2019s where writing fan fiction can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine your character interacting with characters from a story you already know? Imagine the ultimate crossover between your story and your favorite franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, what Hogwarts house would your character belong in? What might it look like when he\/she is sorted and interacts with other characters in that house or other characters from the Harry Potter books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a great way to lean on characters you already know, to help unveil more about the characters you\u2019re trying to discover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise #16: Pick your favorite book or movie, and select a character from that story. Then write a scene where your character meets that person, and see how they interact. You can also do this with settings and situations, rather than characters.<\/div>\n\n\n\nExercise #17<\/span>: Use Character Writing Prompts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are a bunch of character-related creative writing prompts out there, and many of them can be quite helpful in getting your brain to think outside of the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In theory, we could have a list much longer than 17 if we wanted to include more of these prompts, but that would end up being too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, I recommend this post<\/a>, or checking out our list of character questions<\/a> to give you ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Exercise #1: Write a FULL Description<\/a><\/li>
- Why Are Character Development Exercises Important?<\/a><\/li>