I got some great tips from authors from the #NaNoWriMo writing challenge on what they do to research their characters. Here’s a few quick tips that they shared:
1. Run your characters through a personality test like the Myers-Brigg or Jung. This was actually a lot of fun!
2. Check your character’s horoscope. Honestly, I hadn’t given my main character a birthday so this was a great exercise for me.
3. If your novel became a movie, what actors/actresses would be cast to play the parts of your characters. What do they look like? How to they act? What are the positive and negative traits?
Remember that too much research can just be another way to avoid doing the writing or could possibly confuse you. Get a basic character sketch of your main characters which I like to flesh out in the character template in Scrivener and then move on. I’m learning a lot about myself during this process:)
If you have any tricks or tips to character building and research, please share them with me in the comment section. Cheers!
Dear Sir/Madam,
On this page about character research, a Myers-Briggs personality test is linked to for authors to put their characters through. Here at Personality Data, we also offer a free personality test that provides more accurate results as it has been validated by psychologists, uses data from over 400,00 people, and was developed according to International Test Commission guidelines.
It is perhaps the most accurate 16 Types Personality test for 2022 and best of all, it’s quick, easy to use, and free! Check it out here and link to it on your website to give authors the most accurate results.
https://www.personalitydata.org/16-types/free-personality-test
Look forward to hearing from you!
Kind regards,
Chloe