NaNoWriMo Update: 10,620 Words and Counting!
As of yesterday (November 4, 2024), I’ve made some great progress in NaNoWriMo, hitting 10,620 words toward the 50,000-word goal. That’s 21% of the target achieved, even though only 13% of the month has passed! This challenge has been a fantastic way to keep the momentum going on my latest novel, even though my overall goal for this book is higher than NaNoWriMo’s word count. Thanks for cheering me on as I continue writing!
The Importance of Detailed Character Profiles in Novel Writing
Before writing a single word of my manuscript, I invest significant time into crafting detailed Character Profiles or “Character Sketches” for my major, support, and even some minor characters. This step helps me understand my characters deeply, shaping the story and its themes around their personalities, motivations, and challenges. Having this background allows me to create multidimensional, relatable characters who feel like real people.
Here’s a breakdown of the main sections I use when creating character profiles, along with an example from one of my own characters, Beth Schwarz.
Character Profile Sections
1. Goal
- Description: The primary objective each character strives to achieve throughout the story.
- Why It’s Important: Goals drive the character’s actions, influencing the story’s direction.
- Example (Beth Schwarz): Beth’s main goal is to maintain Schwarz Corp’s financial growth and uphold her family’s legacy, feeling immense pressure to lead the company into the future successfully.
2. Physical Description
- Description: Basic details about the character’s appearance.
- Why It’s Important: Adds depth and helps readers visualize the character, creating a memorable impression. It also ensures a consistent description of the character throughout the story.
- Example: Beth is tall and slender with steel-gray hair, a confident posture, and piercing blue eyes. She dresses in tailored suits and dresses, exuding a sense of authority.
3. Personality
- Description: A snapshot of the character’s core traits.
- Why It’s Important: Determines how the character responds to challenges, relationships, and opportunities.
- Example: Beth is confident and ambitious, almost to the point of obsession. Her personality is shaped by a sense of duty to her family’s legacy.
4. Habits/Mannerisms
- Description: Repeated actions or quirks that reveal something unique about the character.
- Why It’s Important: Adds authenticity and personality, making characters feel real.
- Example: Beth taps her fingers when thinking and keeps a glass of water with lemon during meetings as a symbol of control.
5. Background
- Description: The character’s history, family background, and significant life events.
- Why It’s Important: Shapes motivations, fears, and worldviews, giving insight into why the character acts a certain way.
- Example: Beth was raised with strict expectations, groomed to take over the family business from a young age. This upbringing instilled a strong sense of duty but left her isolated from personal relationships.
6. Internal and External Conflicts
- Description: Internal conflicts are personal struggles within the character, while external conflicts involve the world around them.
- Why It’s Important: These conflicts drive tension and development, creating emotional depth and plot dynamics.
- Example: Internally, Beth struggles with loneliness and the weight of her family’s legacy. Externally, she faces scrutiny from the public and competition from rival corporations.
7. Physical and Emotional Scars
- Description: Past experiences or traumas that have left a lasting impact.
- Why It’s Important: Scars add depth and dimension, often influencing how characters react to new situations.
- Example: Beth has a small scar from an accident, which she doesn’t discuss. Emotionally, her detachment and fear of vulnerability are remnants of a strict upbringing.
8. Motivations and Fears
- Description: The underlying forces that drive or hinder a character’s actions.
- Why It’s Important: Motivations and fears provide a foundation for a character’s decisions, giving them relatable human dimensions.
- Example: Beth’s motivation is her desire to uphold her family’s legacy. Her greatest fear is failing to live up to that standard, or worse ruining her company’s reputation.
9. Strengths and Weaknesses
- Description: The character’s notable abilities and shortcomings.
- Why It’s Important: Balancing strengths and weaknesses makes characters relatable and adds realism.
- Example: Beth’s strengths lie in her strategic mind and unwavering focus, but her inability to empathize with others blinds her to the human cost of her actions.
10. Values
- Description: Core beliefs or ethics that guide the character’s decisions.
- Why It’s Important: Values influence how a character prioritizes their actions, forming the backbone of their moral framework.
- Example: Beth values legacy and success, viewing them as measures of her self-worth and family’s honor.
Ready to Dive Deeper? Stay Tuned for More Insights!
Character profiles are essential to my writing process. They provide a roadmap for how each character will grow, change, and impact the story. As I continue with NaNoWriMo, I’ll be putting these profiles to work, letting Beth Schwarz and other characters come alive on the page.
If you’re curious to follow this journey further, be sure to subscribe for upcoming updates on NaNoWriMo progress, sneak peeks into my writing, and more insights into the art of storytelling. Here’s to building worlds and characters, one profile at a time!
Bradley Schiermeyer 
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