yourletters

[yourletters]

A MEDIEVAL WRITER’S CHARACTER ANALYSIS FORMAT

i personally write a lot of medival short stories/ books, and this is generally what i use to better understand my characters. i may switch it up a bit in case something significant to the world i’ve built isn’t in there or i’m writing another story genre. also, the standards listed are just my own, but feel free to switch it up as you please. but anyways, hope this helps someone out!

title,

if your character has a specific title (please name previous and current), name it here.

ancestry,

describe your character's family's title, social class, and

full name,

first name, middle name, last name, and name origins for each.

face claim,

please make your face claim match your character's age.

age,

ages can be anywhere ranging from 15-20.

gender,

pretty self-explanatory!

sexuality,

make your character's sexuality whatever you please it to be.

backstory,

now, i'm all for sad backstories, but please try to refrain from complete sob stories and/or rape. and if you are going to make them as such, please tell me how it affects your character's growth as a person or what it makes them recognize about their outlook on life.

personality,

list at least three characteristics that match your characters personality and explain them. also list their main motivation(s) within these traits.

talents,

name three things your character is good at. it doesn't just have to be piano or something to that effect, it could be leadership skills or a language.

breaking point(s),

what would absolutely destroy your character? write it out here.

significant relationships,

by this, i mean romantic, friendships, or family relationships. minimum of three people.

other significant details,

if there’s anything else specific to the character that is unique and does not apply in the other categories, place it here. there should be at least two.

[yourletters]

Writer Self-Care

  It is often the habit of writers to not take care of themselves. Everyone is different, but most writers will lose sleep, forget to eat, eat junk, not exercise, and the list goes on. This is 2019—the age of self care. The message isn’t any less clear for writers. We need to take care of ourselves to continue functioning and writing the amazing stories that we do, so this post is about several ways we can take care of ourselves.

  Thing #1: Take a shower

  This seems ridiculous, but it’s the truth. I know a lot of writers who will stay hoveled in their little hut for days, wearing the same t-shirt with pizza sauce stains on it, hair disheveled and unbrushed for days. And who knows the last time they brushed their teeth? I know it’s true, because it’s me. I think the longest I have left my hair in a bun is five days, and at the end of that, I thought I was going to have to shave my head because it took me almost two hours to brush all the knots out. Now, to be fair, it’s not like writers go out and sweat our butts off then shower for a week. We sit in the chair and write, and typically don’t do anything to get ourselves extremely dirty. But showering and grooming ourselves is something like a refreshment, and we should do it more often.

  Thing #2: Eat a salad. It won’t kill you

  Most of us are just looking for what is quick and easy so we can get back to writing, especially if we’re on a roll, but eating cold pizza and Chef Boyarde three to six times a day is just going to make us obese and give us a heart attack. And a lot of people really can’t stand salad, my husband included, but there are plenty of healthy alternatives. Fresh fruit or vegetables, protein bars, protein cookies or shakes, turkey or chicken wraps, and loads of other stuff. We get too excited about writing that we just grab whatever is there or forget to eat at all. Again, I am guilty of this. We can get so dedicated to our stories that nothing else matters, but we should matter. Taking an investment in you as a writer is taking an investment in the story. Healthy eating promotes higher energy, clearer thinking, and better mood—all important things if you’re going to give what it takes to write a book.

  Thing #3: Get some rest

  A lot of people have hectic lives and don’t have time to get a full eight hours of sleep, but you should at least get some rest. If you have kids or work a full time job or both, then you will barely have time to write. However, overworking yourself won’t be good for your writing, or you as a person, so you should take what opportunities you have to rest. Whether this be a twenty minute nap or an hour before the kids get home from school, do what you can. Your brain needs proper rest in order to function.

  Thing #4: Relaxation

  I would venture to say that most of us don’t make time for relaxation, and we should. This doesn’t necessarily have to be laying in a bubble bath with a face mask and a field of candles lit. It can be anything, like reading a post from your favorite blog (this one) when you get home from work, or watching TV for thirty minutes or so, taking a short nap, or getting your significant other to rub your shoulders for a few minutes. Even have a glass of wine before you sit down to write. Putting your mind at ease can greatly increase its creative flow. When it isn’t being stifled with stress, it has a lot of great ideas.

  That’s all I got for you today! Thank you so much for reading. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and Rachel Rogers Writes, and hopefully I see you guys here next week. Bye!