I created a Google Doc Character Personality Worksheet that I would like to share with anyone who wants it. It's based on Cattell's personality theory. The link is at the bottom of the page. Feel free to use it however you like but if you want to post the link, please credit me.
Raymond Cattell's 16 personality factors make up a kind of sliding scale of personality traits. For instance, under Warmth are the traits "impersonal, aloof, and detached" on one side of the scale. On the other side of the scale are "warm, kindly, and outgoing." The chart I created is intended to give you a visible tool with which to define your character's personality.
How to use my version:
Print up the table. Read the traits from left to right and circle the ones that you feel apply to the character in question. Once you're finished with the row you'll be able to see if your character is more Warm/Cold, Reasoning/Irrational, Emotionally Stable/Unstable. I then like to score each trait. On a scale of 1-10, where 1 is irrational, and 10 is rational, Lythian Kennett would score a 9. 1 for warmth. 4 for dominance. etc...
Character Personality Worksheet
3 comments:
it's awesome!!
Thanks, I'm glad you like it. :)
This is an interesting device. I think that it is important to give your characters a complete personality then they can begin to talk and act like real people. I use collages of faces, people, clothing to get a sense of what the person would look like and objects I think they would own. I then try to write a potted history for them. I think that every character has to be real to the author because if we don't believe in them how can we expect others to?
Some knowledge of psychological theory is very useful. I would recommend TA Today: A New Introduction to Transactional Analysis by Ian Stewart and Vann Joines as a good place to start, the more you know about personality theory and how individuals interact the easier it is to build into your writing.
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