"What is his or her favourite book, movie and band?... Not applicable if you write fantasy or something that exists in another world..." ...You seriously underestimate my overplanning when it comes to worldbuilding :p
if you want fun, silly ones that just build up your understanding of your characters. try making a vine compilation for them, or find some of those "incorrect quote" things/imagine your OTP things and assign them to your characters. these of course are just for fun. but another really fun one I found recently, assign your characters Daemons. like if their world were similar to that of the dark materials series, or they themselves lived in that world, what would their Daemon take form as and why (you can also give the Daemon a name if you want, for fun.) Hogwart house sorting your characters is also very fun. maybe even what their godly parent would be if they were a demigod in the Percy Jackson universe. basically play fandom with your characters and make a bunch of useless au's for them. cause its fun!
I love making pointless AUs for my characters, but unless it's something like a Hogwarts AU then someone ends up dying- (My biggest body count so far is the entire population of Earth apart from two people)
Something that I like to do is, before I create a character, peg down a random MBTI type and kinda infuse that personality type into their ark, then infuse their ark into the story.
First off, your background is GORGEOUS! You hit the nail on what I need to do. It wasn't long enough where I have to stop for a bathroom run. Straight to the point with LOADED information! Thank you!
It seems to me the thing that matters here is how the characters make decisions. Character change is expressed in the characters' decisions (especially in difficult circumstances, of course). So the character profile should include a list of scenarios and "what would the character do?" You see a message from a damsel in distress but you are needed on the farm. An obnoxious old lady wants to kill your dog. Your dead business partner shows you he wears the chains he forged in life. Your beloved baby brother has been captured by a great disembodied brain. You have an opportunity to fly away to a land where you never have to grow up. What do you do?
I write a werewolf story and eye colour is pretty important seeing as their eyes change, like they are purely black when they wolf has taken over, their eye colour is brighter when in wolf form and it’s overall an important thing.
Oh my gosh i never thought about using MBTI personalities. So i took the test as my character and omg its so great! Its fun too. All i need to do is pick what i like about the personality and boom my character is fleshed out. Such a handy tool. My character is a charismatic good guy that loves drama… ENFJ! And the personality is there down to how they interact with others.
Literally this is the best writing advice I have ever gotten!!!!!!! I am binging your vids like crazzyyy. You deserve so many more subs then you have, I literally am following all your steps for my novel!
Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much to me, and I am thrilled that the content I make encourages you to chase your dreams and make your story MATTER!
OMG i paused your video to do the personality test for a character ive been struggling with and it was so so so so so helpful, thank you so much. Youre my new writing buddy.
I was able to fill out some questions for my main character while watching this! I’m so glad that I learned how much I never really shaped my characters so I can do that now and improve them so my story can be awesome.
This template is so helpful. I was so excited when I saw the enneagram question because I have been getting so obsessed with enneagram results and if you know how it all works and what numbers and wings mean - you can add so much more depth to your characters and they way they interact with each other.
I teach a creative writing class at my high school and this has been very useful you have my thanks and appreciation. I also shared your channel with the other ELA teachers at my school .
I got myself into a strange pickle with nicknames recently. Character’s name is Thomas, and the setting is a fantasy world around the late Middle Ages. I decided I wanted his nickname to be Teddy, because I like the nickname. So I gave him a backstory that made sense- he saved a bear from a bird (makes sense in world I swear xD). Weeks later I realized there’s no Theodore Roosevelt in this world to connect the name “Teddy” to bears… My solution was that there’s an in-universe book about a guy named Teddy who has a particular affinity for bears. xD
QUESTIONS:- here are the questions. i found it from someone's comment down below: THE BASICS: Character’s name: Role in story: Physical description: Age: MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type: INTERNAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER What is their greatest fear? Inner motivation: Kryptonite: What is their misbelief about the world? Lesson they need to learn: What is the best thing in their life? What is the worst thing in their life? What do they most often look down on people for? What makes their heart feel alive? What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way? Top three things they value most in life? EXTERNAL: NOT NECESSARY, BUT GOOD TO KNOW AND SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER What’s their favorite book, movie, and band? Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why? Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom. What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life? What is their method of manipulation? Describe their daily routine. Their go-to cure for a bad day? CHARACTER GOALS: How is your character dissatisfied with their life? What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment? What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality? How has their fear kept them from taking this action already? How does your protagonist feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear of the thing they are afraid of? THE BACKSTORY SCENE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING THE SCENE WHERE… What does your character go into the scene believing and how are they surprised by the outcome? What is their conclusion/new belief?
I actually like knowing the little details about my character(favourite color,food,drink,style). Even if they aren't so important,they help me get to know my character better. Obviously, the reader mustn't know all of these details,since they don't matter (at all) in the story.
In the comments people are writing their answers, so here’s mine! Name: Nyx Moria Role in Story: Psychotic Protagonist Age: 17 - 38 Appearance: Tall, Mixed Race (White and Black), Brown eyes, Scar on her nose, back and stomach, etc. Personality Type: ENTJ (Commander) Greatest Fear: Loss of Power Misbelief: She is better than everyone else Best Thing in their Life: Her girlfriend/Wife and future daughter Worst Thing: Her Mentor The thing they dislike about people: “Weak” people Three Things she values: Herself, Power, Her wife and daughter The thing that makes her feel alive: Murder! 😄 The person that last made her feel love: Her Wife Favourite Book, etc.: N/A An object she cannot bear to let go: A book with a lot of dark secrets Clothes: FORMAL ROYAL GOWNS! Nicknames: ‘Lizzy Bathory’ (Yes, the serial killer.) The things that cure a bad day: Murder then a nice bath! 😇
I'm so into MBTI because it helps me so much in writing characters that I get pissed whenever nobody learns cognitive functions and types the characters base on 16personalities it's just too helpful for me 😭
Enjoy your content. I have to say they are more insightful than most of these "Hollywood" scriptwriters. You have done your research. :) Name should mean something about your story, example is Neo and Thomas Anderson if you look up have meaning to the story.
Thank you for another amazing, informative and entertaining post, Abbie! :D And for the template, I literally cannot wait to get started on fleshing out my characters now :)
Were you able to download the template? For some reason all I can do is to subscribe to her mailing list (which I already have) but I don't get the template...
Cool video(s). When first watching one of your videos I thought: what a funny looking bird. But then I watched a few videos of yours and I'm very glad I did. Your inner beauty is shinning through so strong in your videos making you one of the most beautiful woman. Keep on rocking! And of course, thank you very much for the content of the videos. Really refreshing. And now back to my question: I'm not familiar with MBTI types. Could you possibly do a video about it or point me in the relevant direction?
I'm so glad you've been enjoying my videos! 😊 thank you. My favorite website for MBTI information is www.16personalities.com :) you can take the test or read about all the different types. There are also a lot of helpful videos/articles out there digging deeper into each type.
Name: Age: Appearance: Personality: Backstory: Friends: Enemies: Family: Crush: Other: Song that describes them: Is this a good base for character information? Like you start here to get a feel for the character and then go more in depth. and add fun questions :)
Love this video as always, but that "fav book, movie, and band" thingy isn't something I'd seriously add. This is coming from someone who prefers fantasy and science fiction, as well as fanfiction wherein canon material doesn't give those out. 😒
I like the questions that you asked about the characters. My problem is I get so stuck on the physical appearance aspect of the character profile chart. I am overly detailed. I am unsure about what temperament to choose. I think I am trying way too hard to make my character likable. I am thinking of the message I may be sending to girls or young women if I make my character conventionally attractive. Or I start worrying if I make her a tomboy that I may be promoting the idea that the only way for a woman to be strong is to have traditionally masculine characteristics.
Maybe they have a fear of socializing because they had trust issues befor and cant deal with fake people that'll hurt them.. And maybe also have insecurities maybe
@@_Yeeboi_ that's not what I meant... If it's my character, I obviously already know all of this... I only meant his desire and fear are basically the same and I wonder if that's okay
hi abbie im doug im starting to write a novel for fun hope to get it published i was woundering is there a praticula why to start a chapter or can it be anyway your cute by the way love the videos
You can still incorporate hair and eye color into the story. For instance you have a rebellious young girl who has flamming red hair that's always unbound because she doesn't really care what others think about her. Or you have the old weathered ship captain that has grey eyes as he describes the worst storm he ever went through and the reader wonders if he's still going through a storm inside, Or something like that.
Fixed it! THE BASICS: Character’s name: Role in story: Physical description: Age: MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type: INTERNAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER What is their greatest fear? Inner motivation: Kryptonite: What is their misbelief about the world? Lesson they need to learn: What is the best thing in their life? What is the worst thing in their life? What do they most often look down on people for? What makes their heart feel alive? What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way? Top three things they value most in life? EXTERNAL: NOT NECESSARY, BUT GOOD TO KNOW AND SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER What’s their favorite book, movie, and band? Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why? Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom. What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life? What is their method of manipulation? Describe their daily routine. Their go-to cure for a bad day? CHARACTER GOALS: How is your character dissatisfied with their life? What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment? What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality? How has their fear kept them from taking this action already? How does your protagonist feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear of the thing they are afraid of? THE BACKSTORY SCENE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING THE SCENE WHERE… What does your character go into the scene believing and how are they surprised by the outcome? How does your character struggle to hold onto their old beliefs? What is their conclusion/new belief?
Man this video remains me of that one ticktock where it's like: What you want: "meeting my ocs would be so lovely and wholesome" The reality: "I BROKE these people so MUCH, the AMOUNT of loved ones I have killed! I WOULD NOT SURVIVE LEFT ALONE IN THE SAME ROOM AS MY OCS"
One thing I've learnt from a few books I've read, if you're going to describe your characters face, you have to do it early on. Otherwise, the picture you've had of that character through the whole book will suddenly be destroyed and it's a REALLY HARD to think about these characters the same way ever again. Love this video, love your channel.
Character Name: Role In Story: Physical Description: Age: MBTI Personality Type: INTERNAL: Fear: Believe: Best Thing For Them: Worst: Turn on and off: Passion, talent: 3 most valued things: who makes her feel love: Daily Routine
I narrowed it down to and added Physical description (4-5 sentences) Age Mbti Test Main color/scheme Wants? Fears? Dislikes? Passions? Top 3 Valubals? Fav Band, Book, Movie? Nickname? Sex/Gender? Sexual Orientation? Extra physical or mental features? I know this kind of looks weird but for the story I'm doing you kind of need to do all this stuff. Also if you making characther group remember the rule of 3, five man band, and elite eight rule
The eye color in my story is one of the most important things to remember about the characters!!! The eye color is the color of their magical power. For example, one of the main character's eye color is an icy, baby blue. He has ice magic.
@YouKnowCleo J.K. Rowling gave Harry Potter green eyes in the novels. When the movies were made, Daniel Radcliffe (who played Potter) could not wear the green contacts (due to severe irritation). The movies are without that element. There are other ways to do this sort of thing, such as clothes or gemstones they carry, perhaps.
YouKnowCleo ! Eye color is actually very important for two specific characters in one of my stories, well a manga I’m making as well. The reason it’s important is because after the one character Will is forced into marrying someone in order to protect their younger sister after their love interest Lilly who had been MIA and suffering amnesia for two years interrupts the wedding they ask the person blackmailing Will what his favorite color is they state their favorite color, lilac, because that was the color theme of the wedding. Will reveals that his favorite color is actually jade green like Lilly’s eyes. In turn Lilly’s favorite color is violet like Wills eyes, which is something unique to his biological family and that is exclusive to their bloodline.
stefan didn’t they just choose their robe colors on a whim like citra made hers turquoise bc of a dream her brother had and rowen did black bc it you weren’t supposed to and he didn’t go along with the rules
If this makes sense, I've never really questioned NOT doing character's eye colors....never questioned WHY it was always the go-to thing authors described. but you're totally right! Why not reveal personality through something else, which you can't do by eye color anyway?! Can't BELIEVE I never thought of this.
A bonus I like to add to character's: a theme song. But beware, it can be time-consuming to find THE song for your character. But it allows you later to get in this character's mindset very quickly.
I'm starting to realize that understanding how to write a good character is very much about understanding psychology. So learning how to do this is almost like therapy for me, asking these questions about myself and how my life has shaped who I am, my preferences, everything. It's freeing in a way. Not feeling as guilty about certain things. I always knew there was a deep psychological aspect to storytelling that pulled me in, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. Thank you for making these videos, I'm definitely going to continue watching. I wanna write at least one awesome story
Thank you for this, Abbie! I'm starting my novel over from scratch and I'm currently working on characters, so this is much appreciated! Always love your videos! (:
So ready for this series!! 😱 It’s crazy because I’ve literally just been working on character descriptions in my book and BOOM your video is in my feed. Also, I’m glad someone else thinks some of those random questions are kind of stupid. I understand it helps understand your characters better, but they’ll just never be used! Thank you for sharing :)
oh my gosh that is great timing Mel! I'm so happy you enjoyed this video and found it helpful!! 💛✨ YES I TOTALLY FEEL YA ABOUT THE STUPID MEANINGLESS QUESTIONS. 😂 it's such a waste of time omg. Thank you for watching!
You could make a character similar to you ( it might be easier to write that type of character) but not every character in the book has to be like you. Lol XD ( Also, I know what you meant but I just wanted to make this comment )
THE BASICS: Character’s name: Role in story: Physical description: Age: MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type: INTERNAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER What is his/her greatest fear? Inner motivation: Kryptonite: What is his/her misbelief about the world? Lesson he/she needs to learn: What is the best thing in his/her life? What is the worst thing in his/her life? What does he/she most often look down on people for? What makes his/her heart feel alive? What makes him/her feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way? Top three things he/she values most in life? EXTERNAL: NOT NECESSARY, BUT GOOD TO KNOW AND SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER What’s his/her favorite book, movie, and band? Is there an object he/she can’t bear to part with and why? Describe a typical outfit for him/her from top to bottom. What names or nicknames has he/she been called throughout their life? What is his/her method of manipulation? Describe his/her daily routine. Their go-to cure for a bad day? CHARACTER GOALS: How is your character dissatisfied with their life? What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment? What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality? How has their fear kept them from taking this action already? How does your protagonist feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear of the thing they are afraid of? THE BACKSTORY SCENE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING THE SCENE WHERE... What does your character go into the scene believing and how are they surprised by the outcome? How does your character struggle to hold onto their old beliefs? What is their conclusion/new belief?
I did it so you don’t have to… Physical: Character’s name: Role in story: Physical description: Age: MBTI type: Internal: What is his/her greatest fear? What is his/her misbelief about the world? What is the best thing in his/her life? What is the worst thing in his/her life? What does he/she most often look down on people for? What makes his/her heart feel alive? What makes him/her feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way? What are the top three things he/she values most in life? External: What is his/her favorite book, movie, and band? Is there an object he/she can’t bear to part with? Why? Describe a typical outfit for him/her from top to bottom. What nicknames has she/he been called throughout their life? What is his/her weapon of choice? Describe his/her daily routine. What is their go-to cure for a bad day?
I'd honestly say describing the eyes has a fair bit of importance. The eyes are the "windows to the soul", that's why they're so huge in animation, too. When I read a book, one of the first things I try to visualize in a character is their face, starting with the eyes. Knowing something as mundane as what a character's eye color is honestly helps me imagine the character in my mind a lot easier. Plus, you can definitely tell stuff about the character through the description of their eyes. Are the eyes tired, lively, bright, glazed over, etc.?
I've watched this video over and over and Over ALL DAY just so I can figure out how I ant my characters' personalities to be and make sure they have conflicts that are interesting and make sure the audience has lot to chew on and theories without blatantly being told the answers This is the first time I've ever written a story... I've made fan fictions but nothing...nothing that has involved..ALL OF THIS
I'm writing a crossover fanfic and only when looking closely at all tge characters did I realise that half the Guild Hunter characters have green eyes.
CAN I JUST SAY, I just researched MBTI types, identified my MC's type, and am already feeling more confident in knowing who she really is. It's weird, I keep reading "if you do this if you're ESTP", and I'm thinking, "YES my character does this!" and I kind of didn't even know it before. It just fits lol. This is for sure going to help me continue to develop her and other characters!!
Thank you! This helped me so much! I just started with a new novel idea revolving around Greek mythology (specifically Aphrodite) and this made me understand the characters more. Thank you once again Abbie!
My story starts with the protagonist literally just waking up, literally starting her life (cuz she has amnesia). She knows nothing and believes in nothing. Howeverrrr, when she woke up, non-human (but cute) creatures helped her and treated her as if she was one of them. BUT THEN THEY ALL DIE (not die die but die) and now she sad and that's my exposition and inciting incident. So after these stuff, I feel like she'll dislike people who don't value their family and friends. And her fear is losing people and things she loves.
About the eye-colour thing... I totally get what you're saying, but 1. I have no idea what I'm supposed to say. My characters don't have physical traits that really stand out. 2. Describing the eye colour of another character kind of shows that the protagonist is paying attention to it. Like, is it normal to randomly describe somebody's hands? I honestly have no idea.
I just realized how little I know about my characters. Also does anyone else always no more about the side characters and the main character is like and she’ll of a person, no just me. Probably should work on that.
So I take my characters descriptions very seriously. Some of the questions on your list I hadn't thought of, so I'll add them to my probably near fifty other questions. I know that's not necessary... But I can't resist the temptation of knowing everything I can think of about my characters. Yes, that does include there favorite washing detergent.
I had so many OH! moments watching this and doing the questionnaire, thanks! Also this channel is underrated. I think it will grow a lot in the future. Remember I was part of the first 35k Also I've been binging this channel all day and jotting notes down in docs. I'm so happy I stumbled across it by accident.
"What is the best thing in his/her life?"
Man, starting to get tough now.
It's easier to know the bad things, right? xD
"What is his or her favourite book, movie and band?... Not applicable if you write fantasy or something that exists in another world..." ...You seriously underestimate my overplanning when it comes to worldbuilding :p
Now _that's_ dedication.
I'm binge-watching your videos like Netflix 🤣
Same!
Heh, me too
Same!!! lol
Me toooo
lol same
if you want fun, silly ones that just build up your understanding of your characters. try making a vine compilation for them, or find some of those "incorrect quote" things/imagine your OTP things and assign them to your characters. these of course are just for fun. but another really fun one I found recently, assign your characters Daemons. like if their world were similar to that of the dark materials series, or they themselves lived in that world, what would their Daemon take form as and why (you can also give the Daemon a name if you want, for fun.)
Hogwart house sorting your characters is also very fun. maybe even what their godly parent would be if they were a demigod in the Percy Jackson universe.
basically play fandom with your characters and make a bunch of useless au's for them. cause its fun!
You sir, need a medal for your words.
I do that
I love making pointless AUs for my characters, but unless it's something like a Hogwarts AU then someone ends up dying- (My biggest body count so far is the entire population of Earth apart from two people)
Something that I like to do is, before I create a character, peg down a random MBTI type and kinda infuse that personality type into their ark, then infuse their ark into the story.
nice idea
First off, your background is GORGEOUS! You hit the nail on what I need to do. It wasn't long enough where I have to stop for a bathroom run. Straight to the point with LOADED information! Thank you!
Oh, breaking characters is my favourite thing, I can't wait to get to that part in writing my novel!
It seems to me the thing that matters here is how the characters make decisions. Character change is expressed in the characters' decisions (especially in difficult circumstances, of course). So the character profile should include a list of scenarios and "what would the character do?"
You see a message from a damsel in distress but you are needed on the farm. An obnoxious old lady wants to kill your dog. Your dead business partner shows you he wears the chains he forged in life. Your beloved baby brother has been captured by a great disembodied brain. You have an opportunity to fly away to a land where you never have to grow up. What do you do?
creating characters is my favourite part about being a writer. i feel like a god.
I write a werewolf story and eye colour is pretty important seeing as their eyes change, like they are purely black when they wolf has taken over, their eye colour is brighter when in wolf form and it’s overall an important thing.
The mtbi, is so useful. It allows me to make characters hate certain things about each other. And what each person may pride themself on.
Eye colors are important if your character has a love interest though. Especially if u write from the love interests perspective from time to time
Oh my gosh i never thought about using MBTI personalities. So i took the test as my character and omg its so great! Its fun too.
All i need to do is pick what i like about the personality and boom my character is fleshed out. Such a handy tool.
My character is a charismatic good guy that loves drama… ENFJ! And the personality is there down to how they interact with others.
Literally this is the best writing advice I have ever gotten!!!!!!! I am binging your vids like crazzyyy. You deserve so many more subs then you have, I literally am following all your steps for my novel!
Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean so much to me, and I am thrilled that the content I make encourages you to chase your dreams and make your story MATTER!
@@AbbieEmmons please fill the questioners as a reference to follow and not make mistakes
OMG i paused your video to do the personality test for a character ive been struggling with and it was so so so so so helpful, thank you so much. Youre my new writing buddy.
I was able to fill out some questions for my main character while watching this! I’m so glad that I learned how much I never really shaped my characters so I can do that now and improve them so my story can be awesome.
This template is so helpful. I was so excited when I saw the enneagram question because I have been getting so obsessed with enneagram results and if you know how it all works and what numbers and wings mean - you can add so much more depth to your characters and they way they interact with each other.
I teach a creative writing class at my high school and this has been very useful you have my thanks and appreciation. I also shared your channel with the other ELA teachers at my school .
I got myself into a strange pickle with nicknames recently. Character’s name is Thomas, and the setting is a fantasy world around the late Middle Ages.
I decided I wanted his nickname to be Teddy, because I like the nickname. So I gave him a backstory that made sense- he saved a bear from a bird (makes sense in world I swear xD). Weeks later I realized there’s no Theodore Roosevelt in this world to connect the name “Teddy” to bears…
My solution was that there’s an in-universe book about a guy named Teddy who has a particular affinity for bears. xD
QUESTIONS:-
here are the questions. i found it from someone's comment down below:
THE BASICS:
Character’s name:
Role in story:
Physical description:
Age:
MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type:
INTERNAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR
CHARACTER What is their greatest fear?
Inner motivation:
Kryptonite:
What is their misbelief about the world?
Lesson they need to learn:
What is the best thing in their life?
What is the worst thing in their life?
What do they most often look down on people for?
What makes their heart feel alive?
What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
Top three things they value most in life?
EXTERNAL: NOT NECESSARY, BUT GOOD TO KNOW AND SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR
CHARACTER
What’s their favorite book, movie, and band?
Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why?
Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom.
What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life?
What is their method of manipulation?
Describe their daily routine.
Their go-to cure for a bad day?
CHARACTER GOALS:
How is your character dissatisfied with their life?
What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment?
What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality?
How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?
How does your protagonist feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear
of the thing they are afraid of?
THE BACKSTORY SCENE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
THE SCENE WHERE…
What does your character go into the scene believing and how are they surprised by the
outcome?
What is their conclusion/new belief?
THIS IS GOLD!!!! Thank you so much!
I actually like knowing the little details about my character(favourite color,food,drink,style). Even if they aren't so important,they help me get to know my character better. Obviously, the reader mustn't know all of these details,since they don't matter (at all) in the story.
Abbie, love your videos. So insightful and done with real approachability and humour. Rock on!
In the comments people are writing their answers, so here’s mine!
Name: Nyx Moria
Role in Story: Psychotic Protagonist
Age: 17 - 38
Appearance: Tall, Mixed Race (White and Black), Brown eyes, Scar on her nose, back and stomach, etc.
Personality Type: ENTJ (Commander)
Greatest Fear: Loss of Power
Misbelief: She is better than everyone else
Best Thing in their Life: Her girlfriend/Wife and future daughter
Worst Thing: Her Mentor
The thing they dislike about people: “Weak” people
Three Things she values: Herself, Power, Her wife and daughter
The thing that makes her feel alive: Murder! 😄
The person that last made her feel love: Her Wife
Favourite Book, etc.: N/A
An object she cannot bear to let go: A book with a lot of dark secrets
Clothes: FORMAL ROYAL GOWNS!
Nicknames: ‘Lizzy Bathory’ (Yes, the serial killer.)
The things that cure a bad day: Murder then a nice bath! 😇
She sounds like someone I'd want to step on me-
I agree with the person above me
@@meatiest1989 Are you a disaster gay too?
@@mehwishmanha9250 No, I'm a straight male lol
@@meatiest1989 oh.........
You look almost identical to Natalia Dyer. You’re so beautiful.
Thanks for changing my life
!!!! THANKS FOR BEING HERE!! ❤️✨
Eye colour CAN BE important, for example, my character’s eye colour is a combination of her parents’ (heterochromia)
I'm so into MBTI because it helps me so much in writing characters that I get pissed whenever nobody learns cognitive functions and types the characters base on 16personalities it's just too helpful for me 😭
Enjoy your content. I have to say they are more insightful than most of these "Hollywood" scriptwriters. You have done your research. :) Name should mean something about your story, example is Neo and Thomas Anderson if you look up have meaning to the story.
Thank you for another amazing, informative and entertaining post, Abbie! :D And for the template, I literally cannot wait to get started on fleshing out my characters now :)
Were you able to download the template? For some reason all I can do is to subscribe to her mailing list (which I already have) but I don't get the template...
OMG your question sheet was sooooooooo helpful
Cool video(s). When first watching one of your videos I thought: what a funny looking bird. But then I watched a few videos of yours and I'm very glad I did. Your inner beauty is shinning through so strong in your videos making you one of the most beautiful woman. Keep on rocking! And of course, thank you very much for the content of the videos. Really refreshing. And now back to my question: I'm not familiar with MBTI types. Could you possibly do a video about it or point me in the relevant direction?
I'm so glad you've been enjoying my videos! 😊 thank you. My favorite website for MBTI information is www.16personalities.com :) you can take the test or read about all the different types. There are also a lot of helpful videos/articles out there digging deeper into each type.
Thank you.
#Abbie your videos are helping me create a book series
Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
Backstory:
Friends:
Enemies:
Family:
Crush:
Other:
Song that describes them:
Is this a good base for character information?
Like you start here to get a feel for the character and then go more in depth. and add fun questions :)
Love this video as always, but that "fav book, movie, and band" thingy isn't something I'd seriously add.
This is coming from someone who prefers fantasy and science fiction, as well as fanfiction wherein canon material doesn't give those out. 😒
Thank you for this sooo much it help A LOT!
Thanks a lot dear
Super useful and very detailed. Thanks 👍🏽😌
my problem with the external questions is that I'm writing about animal characters. they don't know any movies or bands or wear any outfits.
I like the questions that you asked about the characters. My problem is I get so stuck on the physical appearance aspect of the character profile chart. I am overly detailed. I am unsure about what temperament to choose. I think I am trying way too hard to make my character likable. I am thinking of the message I may be sending to girls or young women if I make my character conventionally attractive. Or I start worrying if I make her a tomboy that I may be promoting the idea that the only way for a woman to be strong is to have traditionally masculine characteristics.
I'm here every preptober
The link doesn't work for me. Do I have to use my laptop or is it just broken ? (currently on tablet)
Yours style is amazing
Could someone give me the link for her blog?
7:42 rip fantasy writers
Should characters profile be the first thing you tap into, or maybe back story’s ?? before you begin too write ?
I write sometimes, But I roleplay alot so I need to know how to make characters that are wanted to be in the roleplay
what if my character deep down wants to be loved, but his fear is also of love/connection?
Maybe they have a fear of socializing because they had trust issues befor and cant deal with fake people that'll hurt them.. And maybe also have insecurities maybe
@@_Yeeboi_ that's not what I meant... If it's my character, I obviously already know all of this... I only meant his desire and fear are basically the same and I wonder if that's okay
hi abbie im doug im starting to write a novel for fun hope to get it published i was woundering is there a praticula why to start a chapter or can it be anyway your cute by the way love the videos
ABBIE YOU MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU
Love your spirit!
I need you to read audiobooks for a living. Your voice is so intense. I just know it would be great. I'd listen.
Same !! 😃
Fr
Agreed. Her voice is very emotive and appealing.
She does have a good voice. It goes from a medium tone to a deeper tone.
Madeyewlook on UA-cam has a similar voice, but even more intense. I love listening to her, as well as watching her makeup artistry.
But I like knowing the eye color and hair color of characters!!!! :’(
It's definitely good to include this so that readers don't construct a totally different mental image! so totally do it 💛
I draw them, it helps a lot. If you want to describe their image with jusr words, you can slip it in the story.
You can still incorporate hair and eye color into the story. For instance you have a rebellious young girl who has flamming red hair that's always unbound because she doesn't really care what others think about her. Or you have the old weathered ship captain that has grey eyes as he describes the worst storm he ever went through and the reader wonders if he's still going through a storm inside, Or something like that.
I'm obessesed with eye colors. To me it's SO important, haha. It's also just part of imagery
@@anerdfrommars1566 that a bit cliche, a rebellious red head with a fiery personality, etc, is practically a trope at this point.
Fixed it!
THE BASICS:
Character’s name:
Role in story:
Physical description:
Age:
MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type:
INTERNAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR
CHARACTER What is their greatest fear?
Inner motivation:
Kryptonite:
What is their misbelief about the world?
Lesson they need to learn:
What is the best thing in their life?
What is the worst thing in their life?
What do they most often look down on people for?
What makes their heart feel alive?
What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
Top three things they value most in life?
EXTERNAL: NOT NECESSARY, BUT GOOD TO KNOW AND SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR
CHARACTER
What’s their favorite book, movie, and band?
Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why?
Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom.
What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life?
What is their method of manipulation?
Describe their daily routine.
Their go-to cure for a bad day?
CHARACTER GOALS:
How is your character dissatisfied with their life?
What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment?
What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality?
How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?
How does your protagonist feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear
of the thing they are afraid of?
THE BACKSTORY SCENE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
THE SCENE WHERE…
What does your character go into the scene believing and how are they surprised by the
outcome?
How does your character struggle to hold onto their old beliefs?
What is their conclusion/new belief?
appreciated thank u!
Omg thank uuuu❤️❤️
thank you for this!! i couldn't find a way to download the template, you just saved me lmao
Ah you beautiful person, thank you for this
Sadly we cannot copy and paste thats what I hate about youtuber comments :
Abbie - "What's your MBTI type?"
Me - "Villain."
did you mean ENTJ?
@@marcusc3288
Naw, that's my general.
@@marcusc3288 Or maybe ENTP, if you want ur character to be as annoying to the protagonist as possibe.
This is such an underrated comment 🤣🤣
Man this video remains me of that one ticktock where it's like:
What you want: "meeting my ocs would be so lovely and wholesome"
The reality: "I BROKE these people so MUCH, the AMOUNT of loved ones I have killed! I WOULD NOT SURVIVE LEFT ALONE IN THE SAME ROOM AS MY OCS"
Bruh everyone is calling me out today-
My OCs will not hesitate to strangle me and skin me alive! I'd run for my life if I were them
Even tho most of them are forgiving they would kill me 😍
I'm kinda impressed with myself beeing able to write quite sad backstory yet barely anyone involved died
I feel attacked by this comment..
One thing I've learnt from a few books I've read, if you're going to describe your characters face, you have to do it early on. Otherwise, the picture you've had of that character through the whole book will suddenly be destroyed and it's a REALLY HARD to think about these characters the same way ever again. Love this video, love your channel.
This is facts
Just like watching the movie after having read a thick novel of 700 pages of the same title 😅
Yeah. They never get the details right
yeah....
I thought I was the only one who experienced this and was annoyed about it lol
Character Name:
Role In Story:
Physical Description:
Age:
MBTI Personality Type:
INTERNAL:
Fear:
Believe:
Best Thing For Them:
Worst:
Turn on and off:
Passion, talent:
3 most valued things:
who makes her feel love:
Daily Routine
Rajeshwari Mehrotra ya didn’t write the answers
@@catsaretoocute5554 it is written there so we can know what questions we need to answer , this is actually very helpful.
I narrowed it down to and added
Physical description (4-5 sentences)
Age
Mbti Test
Main color/scheme
Wants?
Fears?
Dislikes?
Passions?
Top 3 Valubals?
Fav Band, Book, Movie?
Nickname?
Sex/Gender?
Sexual Orientation?
Extra physical or mental features?
I know this kind of looks weird but for the story I'm doing you kind of need to do all this stuff.
Also if you making characther group remember the rule of 3, five man band, and elite eight rule
This is so ridiculous. It's completely biased.
@@柳-r4l uhm no
The eye color in my story is one of the most important things to remember about the characters!!! The eye color is the color of their magical power. For example, one of the main character's eye color is an icy, baby blue. He has ice magic.
OOOH THAT'S SO COOL 😍
@YouKnowCleo J.K. Rowling gave Harry Potter green eyes in the novels. When the movies were made, Daniel Radcliffe (who played Potter) could not wear the green contacts (due to severe irritation). The movies are without that element. There are other ways to do this sort of thing, such as clothes or gemstones they carry, perhaps.
YouKnowCleo ! Eye color is actually very important for two specific characters in one of my stories, well a manga I’m making as well. The reason it’s important is because after the one character Will is forced into marrying someone in order to protect their younger sister after their love interest Lilly who had been MIA and suffering amnesia for two years interrupts the wedding they ask the person blackmailing Will what his favorite color is they state their favorite color, lilac, because that was the color theme of the wedding. Will reveals that his favorite color is actually jade green like Lilly’s eyes. In turn Lilly’s favorite color is violet like Wills eyes, which is something unique to his biological family and that is exclusive to their bloodline.
stefan didn’t they just choose their robe colors on a whim like citra made hers turquoise bc of a dream her brother had and rowen did black bc it you weren’t supposed to and he didn’t go along with the rules
That's really cool!
If this makes sense, I've never really questioned NOT doing character's eye colors....never questioned WHY it was always the go-to thing authors described. but you're totally right! Why not reveal personality through something else, which you can't do by eye color anyway?! Can't BELIEVE I never thought of this.
A bonus I like to add to character's: a theme song. But beware, it can be time-consuming to find THE song for your character. But it allows you later to get in this character's mindset very quickly.
That's a great idea.
I'm starting to realize that understanding how to write a good character is very much about understanding psychology. So learning how to do this is almost like therapy for me, asking these questions about myself and how my life has shaped who I am, my preferences, everything. It's freeing in a way. Not feeling as guilty about certain things. I always knew there was a deep psychological aspect to storytelling that pulled me in, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. Thank you for making these videos, I'm definitely going to continue watching. I wanna write at least one awesome story
YEEEESSSSSS! I needed a questionnaire that didn't have meaningless questions. Thanks, Abbiee! ❤️😀
I'm so happy you liked this video and the questionnaire, Jenna!! 😊💛 thank you for watching!
Xocusifi
Thank you for this, Abbie! I'm starting my novel over from scratch and I'm currently working on characters, so this is much appreciated! Always love your videos! (:
I'm so glad you liked this video and found it helpful, Alexis!! 💛 thank you for watching! 😊
So ready for this series!! 😱 It’s crazy because I’ve literally just been working on character descriptions in my book and BOOM your video is in my feed. Also, I’m glad someone else thinks some of those random questions are kind of stupid. I understand it helps understand your characters better, but they’ll just never be used! Thank you for sharing :)
oh my gosh that is great timing Mel! I'm so happy you enjoyed this video and found it helpful!! 💛✨ YES I TOTALLY FEEL YA ABOUT THE STUPID MEANINGLESS QUESTIONS. 😂 it's such a waste of time omg. Thank you for watching!
Mel, were you writing 'Leaving Wishville' at the time?
"We don't need to know your character's favorite brand of laundry detergent"
Idk why I found that so hilarious
am i the only one who makes my character exactly like me, physical, and personality wise and i just make them do what i would do- sjsjsks
You could make a character similar to you ( it might be easier to write that type of character) but not every character in the book has to be like you.
Lol XD
( Also, I know what you meant but I just wanted to make this comment )
Yeah. When I think what other type of people would do in the same context, it just doesn't make sense. I think my worldview is biased.
yep I write just to live out my Mary Sue fantasies
the link doesn’t work 😢
Template link doesnt work
What house they’d be in if they went to Hogwarts
asking important life questions here
I do that for all my characters.
I'm a 4-way hat stall. Some people don't fit into those houses lol
@@thereaIitsybitsyspider But which house do you prefer?
@@ZaxorVonSkyler None. Even my most house-obsessed friends cannot figure it out.
THE BASICS:
Character’s name:
Role in story:
Physical description:
Age:
MBTI/Enneagram Personality Type:
INTERNAL: THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER
What is his/her greatest fear?
Inner motivation:
Kryptonite:
What is his/her misbelief about the world? Lesson he/she needs to learn:
What is the best thing in his/her life?
What is the worst thing in his/her life?
What does he/she most often look down on people for?
What makes his/her heart feel alive?
What makes him/her feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
Top three things he/she values most in life?
EXTERNAL: NOT NECESSARY, BUT GOOD TO KNOW AND SAYS A LOT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER
What’s his/her favorite book, movie, and band?
Is there an object he/she can’t bear to part with and why?
Describe a typical outfit for him/her from top to bottom.
What names or nicknames has he/she been called throughout their life? What is his/her method of manipulation?
Describe his/her daily routine.
Their go-to cure for a bad day?
CHARACTER GOALS:
How is your character dissatisfied with their life?
What does your character believe will bring them true happiness or contentment?
What definitive step could they take to turn their dream into a reality?
How has their fear kept them from taking this action already?
How does your protagonist feel they can accomplish their goal while still steering clear of the thing they are afraid of?
THE BACKSTORY SCENE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
THE SCENE WHERE...
What does your character go into the scene believing and how are they surprised by the outcome?
How does your character struggle to hold onto their old beliefs?
What is their conclusion/new belief?
Link doesn't work
I did it so you don’t have to…
Physical:
Character’s name:
Role in story:
Physical description:
Age:
MBTI type:
Internal:
What is his/her greatest fear?
What is his/her misbelief about the world?
What is the best thing in his/her life?
What is the worst thing in his/her life?
What does he/she most often look down on people for?
What makes his/her heart feel alive?
What makes him/her feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
What are the top three things he/she values most in life?
External:
What is his/her favorite book, movie, and band?
Is there an object he/she can’t bear to part with? Why?
Describe a typical outfit for him/her from top to bottom.
What nicknames has she/he been called throughout their life?
What is his/her weapon of choice?
Describe his/her daily routine.
What is their go-to cure for a bad day?
the link to the Character Profile isn't working....
I'd honestly say describing the eyes has a fair bit of importance. The eyes are the "windows to the soul", that's why they're so huge in animation, too. When I read a book, one of the first things I try to visualize in a character is their face, starting with the eyes. Knowing something as mundane as what a character's eye color is honestly helps me imagine the character in my mind a lot easier. Plus, you can definitely tell stuff about the character through the description of their eyes. Are the eyes tired, lively, bright, glazed over, etc.?
I've watched this video over and over and Over ALL DAY just so I can figure out how I ant my characters' personalities to be and make sure they have conflicts that are interesting and make sure the audience has lot to chew on and theories without blatantly being told the answers
This is the first time I've ever written a story... I've made fan fictions but nothing...nothing that has involved..ALL OF THIS
Her saying she has listed a free printable character profile template after I copied out everything-
I'm writing a crossover fanfic and only when looking closely at all tge characters did I realise that half the Guild Hunter characters have green eyes.
Hey Abbie, the link to the profile template is dead :0
CAN I JUST SAY, I just researched MBTI types, identified my MC's type, and am already feeling more confident in knowing who she really is. It's weird, I keep reading "if you do this if you're ESTP", and I'm thinking, "YES my character does this!" and I kind of didn't even know it before. It just fits lol. This is for sure going to help me continue to develop her and other characters!!
Template link doesn’t work
well my main bitch lost her memories soo I don’t know what to do with this information:)
Thank you! This helped me so much! I just started with a new novel idea revolving around Greek mythology (specifically Aphrodite) and this made me understand the characters more. Thank you once again Abbie!
You should really have more subscribers cuz you're awesome
THANK YOU 💛✨ this comment brightened my day 😊
My story starts with the protagonist literally just waking up, literally starting her life (cuz she has amnesia). She knows nothing and believes in nothing. Howeverrrr, when she woke up, non-human (but cute) creatures helped her and treated her as if she was one of them. BUT THEN THEY ALL DIE (not die die but die) and now she sad and that's my exposition and inciting incident. So after these stuff, I feel like she'll dislike people who don't value their family and friends. And her fear is losing people and things she loves.
If you can't pronounce a name then how are you a writer? That is such a confusing and problematic remark.
Thank you for this video I really enjoyed it and it really helped me understand how to make a good character basis❤
MBTI type sounds like a good idea because it says a lot about how they will react in different situations.
About the eye-colour thing...
I totally get what you're saying, but
1. I have no idea what I'm supposed to say. My characters don't have physical traits that really stand out.
2. Describing the eye colour of another character kind of shows that the protagonist is paying attention to it. Like, is it normal to randomly describe somebody's hands? I honestly have no idea.
4:48 so that's how authors feel when they kill our favorite character😂😔
Haha! Characters name, "Something I can pronounce please!" YES! This is a gripe I have with MANY authors character names. lol!
I just realized how little I know about my characters. Also does anyone else always no more about the side characters and the main character is like and she’ll of a person, no just me. Probably should work on that.
So I take my characters descriptions very seriously. Some of the questions on your list I hadn't thought of, so I'll add them to my probably near fifty other questions. I know that's not necessary... But I can't resist the temptation of knowing everything I can think of about my characters. Yes, that does include there favorite washing detergent.
[1:08] What if the hero becomes a villain because their favorite laundry detergent was discontinued?
I had so many OH! moments watching this and doing the questionnaire, thanks!
Also this channel is underrated. I think it will grow a lot in the future. Remember I was part of the first 35k
Also I've been binging this channel all day and jotting notes down in docs. I'm so happy I stumbled across it by accident.
Thank you so much for being here!!
Character profile, character motives, dialogue, story = book
I clicked on the URL for character profile template, but it's not there!
Dear Abbie, that printable template link doesn't work. Could you please revise it? Thank you for this great channel.
I wrote down all the questions.The agnoy I feel!
I was annoyed when you say he/she because you can just say them 😀
Lmao ikr, I went straight to the comments to see if anyone also noticed that