So here I thought I was right on track. Logged in early to get my blog post done.........and then I noticed that I completely missed posting last week.
WHOOPS!
Sorry gang. It seems that an entire week has passed without me even realizing. Where did that time go? How is it I'm moving in less than a month? Why is nothing feeling complete yet?
Anyway, I'm filing this post under the super-late category. But I don't want your patience and dedication to my blog to go unrewarded. That's why, this week, I want to talk about character blueprints.
You've probably heard of them before. Most writers and coaches call them "character sketches", but as an artist, I consider a "character sketch" to be a pen and paper drawing of a physical character. So, I call them "character blueprints".
I believe "blueprint" to be a better term because it is through your blueprint that you're truly realizing who and what your character is. For example, when you look at a blueprint of a house, you get to see the dimensions of the rooms, the layout, and the overall feel. It is by looking at the blueprint that you can begin planning which bedroom you'll sleep in, determining if your dining room table will fit, considering which walls to knock down, and figuring out just where in the dickens those bunny cages will go. The blueprint is where you start from. The blueprint causes you to plan out your entire home life from square foot number one.
Why is this important for your protagonist? Because it is only through the blueprint (whether you actually write it down or simply have it memorized in your head) that you categorize what your protagonist looks like, what their flaws and strengths are, what their innermost desire is, and the disconnect between who they think they are and who they truly live to be.
Since you've had to be extra patient with this post, I'm going to sweeten the deal. Not only will I tell you what a character blueprint is and convince you why it's important, I'll also offer a WORKSHEET so you can keep this blueprint at your side for any story you write, and I'll do a REAL-TIME blueprint with you for the story I'm working on currently.
Exciting, right?!?!?!? I'm excited!
Let's get down to business-
I wrote a sci-fi/fantasy short story a little over a year ago when the premise for the world popped into my head. The first draft flew onto the page, but I never touched it after that. I recently found it in my laptop's documents folder and remembered just how much I loved the world and the protagonist. But, upon reading through it, I knew it needed a major overhaul.
This is daunting to me, especially since the first draft didn't possess an outline, character blueprint, or even any real direction. I knew that one aspect of the story was going to turn out a certain way, but I didn't know how it'd get there. And it was apparent in my draft that I was writing this thing from the seat of my pants. Realizations come too quickly, the dialogue is wooden, no one is properly described. To be short - it's a mess.
Trying to revise it from it's current state with only the current information would be like trying to order furniture for a home by only seeing the realtor pictures online.
Impossible.
So, I've decided to write a character blueprint right here and now, on this blog, to help me navigate my short story.
CHARACTER BLUEPRINT
Name: Malena Cyder
Age: 31
Race/Ethnicity/Species: Human, Mixed-race
Location: Chicago, USA, Earth
Year: 4104
Physical Characteristics: Medium brown skin tone, dark eyes, straight hair, normal weight range, Scars (faded with laser surgery, but most prominent around the left eye) on left half of face.
Occupation: Co-Founder of [tech company], Advocate for inter-species peace
Family: Mother - alive, but left Earth for the Moon Colony when Malena was fourteen, sending her to boarding school, where she met other co-founders of [tech company]
Childhood: Malena was burned in a planetary invasion by unfriendly aliens when she was a preschooler, which thrust her onto a negative public service announcement towards aliens
Mental Image: Malena believes herself to be cordial to the alien species inhabiting Earth, though she doesn't particularly like or associate with any of them.
Greatest Fear: Becoming someone who runs from her problems/fears like her mother. [Note: On a nightmare level, being harmed by the invading aliens of her youth.]
True Mental State: Though Malena is an advocate for inter-species peace, her true motivation isn't fueled by the hope that all species can coexist, but by the fear that if they don't, she could be harmed again by another unfriendly species.
Innermost Desire: To live a life where she isn't constantly afraid she'll be recognized as the little girl from the announcement, and where she no longer fears the aliens living around her. AKA, no longer a prisoner to her past - free to move forward.
So that's it! Malena Cyder in a blueprint image. Notice that not all the information has to be known right at the time you fill out the blueprint. Can't think of a proper last name? Don't know the name of the company your protagonist works for? Not a problem. Simply place the info in brackets like I did above with [tech company].
Notice that the character blueprint doesn't reveal everything about the story world or the conflict of the story itself. It is meant only to describe and maintain consistency within your character. So, we know Malena's physical attributes like age, race, and uniquely identifying marks. We know where she lives and in what time period. We know about influential family members/connections in her life and about her childhood. We also know Malena's inner blueprint: how she views herself, what is truly going on in her mind, her greatest fear, and her innermost desire.
All the major conflict in the story world will now flow from this information.
Ready to try it for yourself? I'll post a blank worksheet at the end of this post for you to copy-and-paste and work on for your own story. Feel free to doctor some of the categories, especially is you're not writing sci-fi/fantasy and don't need to specify what species your protagonist is.
After you finish the blueprint for your protagonist, consider also filling one out for your main antagonist and any influential people in your protagonist's or antagonist's life (like, for me, Malena's mother).
Utilize your blueprint as often as you can, and remember to always keep it close. You can't possibly know where to install those bunny cages if you don't know where the walls are.
(Worksheet)
CHARACTER BLUEPRINT:
Name:
Age:
Race/Ethnicity/Species:
Location:
Year:
Physical Characteristics:
Occupation:
Family:
Childhood:
Mental Image:
Greatest Fear:
True Mental State:
Innermost Desire:
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