10 Days of Character Building: Biography
October 23, 2007 by John Hewitt
This is Day 4 of 10 Days of Character Building
When you write a biography for a character, you discuss some of the major events and people that have shaped the life of the character up until the point at which the novel begins. This method looks at things such as accomplishments, tragedies and anything that made a serious change in the character’s life. It should also give you some idea of the character’s everyday interests. You can write it in the third person or the first person (as if it were an autobiography). This can help you develop the character’s voice. It can also be fun to write the biography as if it were a magazine profile or a dossier by a private investigator or spy.
Some of the things you might discuss when writing the character’s biography include:
- Description of family
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Location changes
- Interests
- Talents
- Legal trouble
- Educational experiences
- Work experiences
- Athletic achievements
- Influences
- Political activism
- Friends
- Romantic relationships / marriage
- Awards
- Failures
- Tragedies and difficulties
- Controversies
- Name changes
- Clubs and organizations
The great thing about biographies are that there are plenty of examples on the web. Here are a few biographies you might want to look at before you start on yours:
Maya Angelou
Harold Pinter
The Autobiography Project
Jackson Pollock
Joseph “Shoeless Joe” Jackson
Charles Bukowski
Related links
- How to Create Fictional Characters Using Adversity (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: Defining Characters By Their Roles (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: A Day in the Life (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: Possessions (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: Interview (0.500)
Contact John Hewitt
Writing Content and Web Consulting
Email: hewitt@poewar.comPhone: (520) 261-6104
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The Crone
Before the others arrive I will tell you
Where I come from, it is quite by accident
I assure you that I am here, for I have
lived in many places with my military father
And I have had enough of being entertained
By American ex-patriots and British nobles
Most of my education was quiet limiting
In real life situations, tutors were my orders
For life outside most compounds was not safe
And my mother who was weak and invalid
Not suited to the job of escort for her children
Or of temperament to understand the need for
Special agents companionship outside, mostly
I just watched her weep and hide
I suppose that’s what turned me into a warrior woman
I learned the martial arts, Akido and then more artistic
Botah drew my attention. I insisted on the University
At Cairo for the first time in my life, anthropology and
Art history were made for me, I wore them down, told
Then to deal with their yellow strife and moved on out
It was my love, a Professor of French Language
That taught me how to appreciate my gentle side, influenced
Me to tuck the anger deep inside and gauge my appearance
Like a scribe at work on translations and interpretation
I was sixteen when he was assassinated, left me virginal
And dedicated to the preservation of our discovered occult
Knowledge, so that now, as the curator of the
Original Cuxa Cloisters, brought from France by that
Most auspicious gentlemen in the towering building
downtown, who procured the lost monastery that came
Before the transition, I come to offer my contribution
You seek to see behind this veil that disguises my eyes,
but they are dark with sadness, and my only purpose here to
Guard the treasures preserved within the this temple
From those who would seek to destroy the word
And it is for this I seek your assistance
I will take this seat in the West, it seems fitting
As I was born on March 15, 1957, and I am now known as Crone.
Stephen, Thing Two
His birthday is October 18th 1985. He fell in love when he was 20 with a woman who was on vacation. She showed up on a thin line. Her father was exhausted and needed to stop, so they ended up at his airport. Stephen wasn’t looking for anything, not soon before him and his girlfriend broke up. He’s tall about 5″8 beautiful hazel eyes and tan. Perfect posture and wonderful body. Totally irresistible and perfect for Rose. He works as a mechanic at the airport and has extreme smarts.
(that’s what I have so far) Sorry
Connie,
Your a great writer, Thanks for sharing!
Here’s a biography – sorry if it’s long.
He calls himself Ty Ledford, but his real first name is Tiberius. In case you couldn’t infer from that statement, his family was a little weird. There’s a reason behind his name, but he doesn’t know it yet. He was born in Massachusetts in 1979.
His mother was overzealously religious and lived her life by strict and convoluted rules. Ty hated being subject to that, but rather than rebelling outwardly, he found that his parents would leave him alone if he quietly obeyed. As a result, he did well in high school – well enough to earn himself a scholarship, also known as his ticket out of there.
In college, he took advantage of his freedom. He made friends quickly. His best friend, Sal, dreamed of forming a band, so he taught Ty how to play the bass guitar. Ty did moderately well, but it turned out that he was more talented at writing song lyrics. They eventually got a band together and could have been successful, but several members left after graduating and the band fell apart.
Unfortunately, Ty’s grades had fallen while his attention was focused on the band. He lost some of his scholarship money, and had to search for a job to support himself. Sal, still a friend through all this, told Ty about a local music magazine that was hiring writers. He ended up getting the job and pulling his grades back up. Working there, he met Natalie, another writer who was admirable for her creativity and organization. He fell in love, and she did the same, though she hated his sloppy habits. However, the pay wasn’t the best, and shortly after graduating, Ty left to find something better.
Ty ended up as a freelance copywriter, which connected well with his desire to be the one in control. He gets an offer from a major company to be let on as their permanent copywriter, but doesn’t know if he wants to take it. Natalie, still dating him at this point, pushes him to take it and make more of himself, but Ty feels like his life isn’t going anywhere and that a job he doesn’t like won’t help.
Plenty of unexpected stuff happens during the story, but that’s where Ty is in the beginning.
Shirley,
Great!!! I love it, I can’t wait to hear the whole story.
I’m falling behind in all this. Too many other things gong on in real life. But I think they’re valuable exercises which I would recommend to anyone, and shall continue doing them at my own pace.
Everyone,
I’m taking all of this to help me with one of my classes because I’m having problems with writing a story. This is helping alote and with other posts hapening it’s really giving me great ideas for my story. Thank you!!!
Josh,
Thank you for helping out with my story.
No Problem………
Rosemary, I got behind, I didn’t try to catch up, I just jump in when I feel like it or I can. Being such a perfectionist and over achiever, it’s good exercise for me not to do something perfectly.
Anne August
Anne August was born Anne Dell in San Jose, California December of 1967. She was the youngest of William and Elaine August’s four daughters. William had been hoping for a boy but, after their fourth daughter, William simply resolved to raise Anne the way he would a son. He taught her to play baseball and basketball and always bought her boy gifts such as toy cars and model airplanes. When she was twelve, William’s company transferred them to Tucson where they ended up living next to the family of Henry Jarvis, whose father worked for the same company as William.
Henry and Anne quickly bonded and became best friends. They played little league baseball together. Anne was a better fielder and played first base. Henry was an excellent hitter but was stuck in right field because he usually grew bored and stopped paying attention to the game during long innings. As high school approached, it became clear that Anne wouldn’t be welcome on the all-male baseball team. Both Henry and Anne gave up on sports, much to her father’s frustration. In high school their circle of friends grew to include Mike Cove, Larry Parris and Roland August. They would get together as a group on Saturdays and Sundays and play Dungeons and Dragons together. While Anne was treated as pretty much one of the guys, each of the guys had some interest in her. Eventually she started dating Roland although she still remained best friends with Henry.
Two nights before the end of high school, Henry found out that his parents were separating. Anne’s attempt to comfort Henry led to a night of sex that both regretted afterwards. Anne was in love with Roland and told Henry that it could go no further. Henry chose to leave town with his mother and attend college in another state. Soon afterwards, Anne realized she was pregnant. She and Roland got married. She never told Roland about her night with Henry.
Anne and Roland’s marriage was difficult at first. Roland worked full time and went to school part-time, leaving him little time for Anne and the baby. Anne stayed at home with their daughter, whom they named Chelsea, and tried to fit school in with some difficulty. After six years Roland got a bachelor’s degree in Economics and went to work as a financial analyst at an insurance company. Their financial problems eased somewhat and Roland was home nights. With Chelsea in school, Anne began attending college full time. She earned an associates degree in nursing and became a part-time on-call nurse. Ten years after Chelsea was born, Anne had a second child, Jacob (Jake). Anne stayed home with him for the first three years, then went back to work part-time again. Roland moved up in the company several times and they now live very comfortably.
Lately Anne has been considering going back to school again. Chelsea is in her second year of college and Anne is somewhat jealous of the liberal arts education she is pursuing. She’s become a bit bored with her life and is looking for change. This year is Jake’s first year of little league and she watches with great interest. She isn’t exactly discontented with Roland, but she feels as if their marriage is more about partnership than passion. She still stays in touch with Mike and Larry and has formed a friendship with Mike’s new girlfriend Ella, whose relative freedom she envies.
John,
I can definatly relate so Anne. This is a great story.
Shirley,
It sounds like Ty is going to be struggling with some interesting issues. Religion is probably a sensitive area with him, as are his parents. He sounds like he’s torn between the desire for a creative, artistic life and the financial benefits of a successful career. I get the feeling his relationship is about to hit the rocks too. It should be quite an adventure for him.
Eric Richard Dawes
Eric Dawes was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1955 to parents Marie and Allan Dawes. He was the first of two children, the second being his brother Keith Allan. His family lived in Boston during his whole childhood, and seemed to be on good terms.
In 1973 he joined the army. He fought valiantly. In ‘76 he was injured during a firefight and was discharged.
In 1980, Eric packed everything up and took a bus to New York without telling anyone. Shortly thereafter he joined the CIA, which was impressed with his military background. He quickly rose up in rank, and soon was a high-ranking field agent. He was partnered with James Rosser, who had grown up in New York.
His position as an agent in high confidence was bad for him emotionally. He became completely introverted. He lost any interest he once had in politics. All the candidates would do the same thing anyway. The point of the president, he realized, was to give people a person to love or hate while the real government kept up business as usual mostly unnoticed. He had no more contact with his family, who had only managed to reach him once since he left Boston.
He had very few friends and all of them had the same job as him. He simply couldn’t afford to confide in anyone who didn’t have the same understanding of the world as him.
He has no religious belief. He doesn’t think about it at all—he doesn’t find philosophy practical. His friends are largely atheistic, with rather pessimistic and realistic views of the world. James is an ardent atheist (who famously said, “I used to think that God was the one who kept the world in order. Then I joined the CIA and found out it was just a few dangerous people.”), Kavner’s an agnostic, and Doran has had some experience with mystical eastern religions, but is largely secular as well.
Eric has done many things that are technically illegal for the CIA, but was cleared of all charges and in some cases had been ordered to do it in the first place. He was never arrested.
In 1993 he was married to Lisa Holmes, a district attorney who he had helped with prosecuting a case in 1990. The marriage was a quiet affair. Not even Eric’s parents and brother were present.
In 2000 Lisa was murdered by some people associated with Charlie Houston, whose operation he had totally destroyed. This left Eric feeling depressed. In October of 2001, he couldn’t take the stress of his job anymore, so he moved to northern Ontario without a word. A week later, people connected with Houston started disappearing.
I use this for a lot of my speeches
It me again. Man I love this site.
Kakou: The Insecure Runaway
Statistics:
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Birth date: December 16, 1993
Blood Type: AB (with an extra something in there)
Hair /Color: Purple, Dark, Short, usually messy.
Eyes: Both Yellow all the time. Usually a little beady, dark line from lack of sleep.
Clothing Style: Usually dark, grey colors.
Danger level: Extremely Dangerous, Keep Locked Up.
Favorite Food: Lollipops.
Other Physical things: Teddy Bear. Collar with a certain type of tracking machine in it (But he doesn’t know that it does.)
Life: Was contained in a special reinforcement cell for most of his life, from age 5 to now. He was contained in a Facility off the shore of Koruma Island (Where Lydia Lives in my novel) that fakes what is actually going on there by naming itself, “The Animal Testing and Veterinary Facility.” It was actually a place where evil experiments, torture and others were happening to only a lot of people (including Nemic, and Kakou, not so much Noein.)
He was kept in there alone, with no one but his stuffed bear to keep him company in the darkness. He was tortured/tested on by how long he could stay awake. If he drifted off to sleep, the Scientists would electrify him a bit with a certain machine. So now he has an irrational fear of Lightning, loud electricity, and cramped, Dark places.
He has to have his bear with him all the time to soothe his unstable mind, he does lose it etc. He will go crazy looking for it. He escaped the facility by going all out and using his destructive powers (he can be deadly, teeth, claws, strength, anything else he can use) to violently steal a boat and leave the island on where the facility was. Not knowing how to drive it, he crashed on the Beach of Koruma Island, only to meet up with Nemic and Lydia later on. He is usually calm, but is prone to outbursts and sudden mood swings. He is part of a four person set that can be used to resurrect great power; his blood is like a key.
His parents Shuria and Nason worked for the Facility’s Directors and helped make their own son into an experiment. They thought it was for the greater good.
(This was made before I read this post)