NaNo ’09 Outlining – Day One: Character Sketches

Plot, I can handle. But creating characters out of thin air? I’ve never had a character just come to me, so I often struggle when giving birth to characters in any given story, let alone when trying to make them fully believable, three-dimensional beings.

So, the fact that Day One of outlining using FD30D is “Character Sketch Day” didn’t exactly give me the running start that I would have liked.

I realize that part of the strategy is to continually brainstorm throughout the entire month of outlining, but I can’t help but feel a little lost when my character worksheets are virtually empty.

Granted, I managed to scribble down a few ideas so I don’t feel like today is completely wasted. I just have to keep reminding myself that it really is a work-in-progress, and that I’m allowed to make mistakes and let ideas brew. As long as I’m ready come November 1st, right?

How do you come up with your characters? Are they based on people you know? Do you have a series of questions or brainstorming techniques that help you create original characters every time?

[NWC]