Character?

This photo is taken at dusk at Sandycove harbour near my home. James Joyce wrote (and based) some of his book "Ulysses" here.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well.

Story comes naturally to a lot of writers but I'm aware that I really need to work at character. The believability of your characters' actions is important and can only be achieved by knowing your characters thoroughly. In one of the books I mentioned in my last post (The Art of Dramatic Writing) there is a character structure form to help you to establish the different facets to each of your characters.

Do you use a structure like the list below? Or do you write a character description in prose? I find that I use both. The prose flows more naturally but the structured list is useful for things that I have not thought of. Do you find character more difficult than story? I know I do.

If you have a writing blog please let me know so I can follow you too. I want to know how others write and what they experience in the process too.

Please keep the comments, suggestions and criticisms coming in!

Warrior Monk


Physiology

1.Sex -
2.Age –
3.Height & Weight –
4.Color of hair, eyes, skin –
5.Posture -
6.Appearance: good looking, over- or underweight, clean, neat, pleasant, untidy. Shape of head, face limbs -
7.Defects: deformities, abnormalities, birthmarks, diseases –
8.Heredity

Sociology

1.Class: working, ruling, middle -
2.Occupation: type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, attitude toward organization, suitability for work –
3.Education: amount, kind of schools, grades, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes –
4.Home Life: parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated or divorced, parents' habits, parents' mental development, parents' vices, neglect, Character's marital status –
5.Religion –
6.Race, nationality –
7.Place in community: leader among friends, clubs, sports –
8.Political affiliations -
9.Amusements, hobbies: books, newspapers, magazines, sports played –

Psychology

1.Sex life, moral standards -
2.Personal premise, ambition –
3.Frustrations, chief disappointments -
4.Temperament: easygoing, pessimistic, optmistic –
5.Attitude toward life: resigned, militant, defeatist –
6.Complexes: obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions, manias, phobias –
7.Extrovert, introvert, ambivert -
8.Abilities: languages, talents –
9.Qualities: imagination, judgment, taste, poise -
10.I.Q. -