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I am having a hard time keeping up with my characters.

How do you log their info?
Do you use a character sheet?
-- If so, what does it look like?

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Ruthless Hunter

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I usually don't use a character sheet, but sometimes I write a couple pages on my character, like physical traits, personality, how they would react to certain situations, how they interact with family/friends, their background, their favorites - stuff like that.

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Since character sheets don't give context, I just have a small list of name, role in the story, and a section on notes about anything else important about them.

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I don't make character sheets until AFTER I finish writing the story, as I'd have the characters figured out by then. The character sheets I do are pretty basic, anyways. They have the character's name, birthday, and appearance, and their characteristics and how they changed throughout the story, what made them change, why they were the people that they were, etc.

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I usually keep a whole document dedicated to describing my characters, their development, and how their presence effects the story.

Also, on that document is a plot summary, which gets edited when any major ideas for plot development arise.

I usually reference it to remind me of where I'm going with the story, but sometimes it's used as a scratch pad to figure out plot points and stuff.

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Sometimes I keep one, and sometimes I don't. It depends on what ended up relevant to the story and what didn't. I put a lot of physical description in mine, because I tend to forget that more than I do character traits.

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Irised
I usually keep a whole document dedicated to describing my characters, their development, and how their presence effects the story.

Also, on that document is a plot summary, which gets edited when any major ideas for plot development arise.

I usually reference it to remind me of where I'm going with the story, but sometimes it's used as a scratch pad to figure out plot points and stuff.


i see. i am having difficulties wrapping my head around how writers can keep them constant. but i am also working on a book with more than ten characters.

i was thinking about using one note

Coco's Secret Admirer

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ooareten
Irised
I usually keep a whole document dedicated to describing my characters, their development, and how their presence effects the story.

Also, on that document is a plot summary, which gets edited when any major ideas for plot development arise.

I usually reference it to remind me of where I'm going with the story, but sometimes it's used as a scratch pad to figure out plot points and stuff.


i see. i am having difficulties wrapping my head around how writers can keep them constant. but i am also working on a book with more than ten characters.

i was thinking about using one note


10 characters .w. Wow. I think you would definitely benefit from some sort of document that organizes/describes each role. I also sometimes draw out diagrams to see how different characters interact/effect each other... though that can get confusing...

Then I have this whole system where I type out the synopsis of the story, and color code/ cross out things as they happen... but that's just a bit excessive XD

But that's just because I sometimes lose track of where I intend to go. And also, all that excessive stuff is fun to me... XP

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I tried to get into using character sheets, but I find that it is just too repetitive for me.
But I must admit that it is fun getting to know your characters inside and out.

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I make a character bio for my main characters so I can get down general details (age, height, looks etc) and then I break them down to find finer details. I do this so I can find quirks and unique traits, for example my main character is a pitch perfect singer and musician who has a fear of needles, whose best friends (and band members) are an energetic Casanova and a gambler with a superiority complex. My other main character is a solicitor (ex-barrister too) who is a lover of gadgets and comics and carries a lot of guilt. Lesser characters don't get that level of planning, instead I write a few paragraphs about them.

I do try to spend a few hours developing my characters, because if they come across too cardboard-like the reader won't be able to connect to them, unique traits makes them interesting.

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Dorky as it sounds I like the D&D alignment system. No matter how small a role the character plays I find it really helps to determine their general personality without having too many details to keep track of.

In terms of character sheets I tend to just stick everyone into an excel file with all of their general personality features like intelligence, motivations, main traits, brief background, social status etc. It's easier to handle than the semi-novels I used to write for each character in a word doc. xD

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I generally write down the bare bones of a character in a notebook and then throw them into a few short scenes with other, more developed characters to see what turns up. That's how I keep track of everyone.

O.G. Elder

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I don't.

Character sheets are, I think, the single most useless diversion that writers come up with to keep themselves from actual writing while feeling like they're accomplishing something. The time spent on them is much better spent on the outline, which serves a real purpose, or getting down to business.

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Character sheets from online or whatever never really fit what I need and filling them out can be both boring and a waste of time, in my opinion.

When I'm working with a large cast, I open up a document for each one and just write down what I need to know, starting with their motivation and goal and then just writing about them from there until I'm satisfied enough to begin writing the character. I have to admit, I don't usually look back at the documents unless I'm changing something, checking for a specific detail I just couldn't remember, or when I'm having trouble writing the character.

Practicing writing scenes with the character, that don't necessarily have to do with the story, can also help in developing the character and getting used to their dialogue and personality much more than a list of random traits.
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