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for me, creating a character is the best thing about writing. the fact that you could just create a person out of your own thoughts is mind-blowing. i am constantly in awe over this craft and story-telling in general. character creating is my favorite because your essentially creating a personality that appeals to you and that will carry out your plot flawlessly. that's all that a character is. a blob/life form that is making the reader follow the story you have created. as a writer, you need to know your character inside and out, forward and backward; but that can get boring and repetitive. but, for myself and my learning style, i have found a fun way to get to know my character
if you follow me on pinterest, you have probably seen my character boards. i spend a lot of time creating the perfect aesthetic for my characters, but a lot of people don’t understand why i do this and the benefits doing this. i have found that i can really see the world through my character’s eyes. i’ll put some of my favorites down below and the explain my methods.
in a character aesthetic board, you only pin things that are relevant to your character, people who look at them, surroundings, sayings and quotes, and other things. here are the first things i do:
pick a color/aesthetic
usually, when i have a character in mind, i pick a color that represents them. surprisingly, there is a lot of symbolism behind colors. for example, red --the color i have chosen for kimberly lynn-- is described as, vibrant, strong, passionate, angry, etc.. all of these things describe my princesses/assassin protagonist. but, for kella (pronounced kay-ya), i didn’t choose a specific color, i chose a theme. this said theme is hard for me to describe because i just want to say kella’s aesthetic, it’s a complete mix of her personality, thoughts, hopes and dreams. but, if i really had to, it would be warm, feminine colors along with floral designs.
another suggestion is to have an object or element to help represent your character. i find this helpful with finding quotes and pictures. i’ll explain mine; kimberly’s is blood, roses, and wine glasses. blood represents her family line and blood she spills as an assassin (kinda obvious), roses are her vibe in general, at first graceful, then prickly, and last, wine glasses; they --in my mind-- symbolize adulthood and maturity, but when they are rushed or tipped over, they break. this is prevalent to kimberly because she is often trying to rush her maturity, and when she does that she breaks.
here are some suggestions if you’re stuck:
red and silver
blue and gold
water and plants
bright-toned statues
dark purple and gemstones
yellow and fire
neon signs and broken dreams
the list could go on and on, but here are the basics. if you ever need help with these things, please contact me on my pintrest @writingismypassion !
oc’s/faces & build
well, the whole reason why you are making the board is to know your character. one of the best ways to understand your character is how they look. before anything know the basics, like hair color, eye color, and skin tone. by knowing the basics, you can easily pinpoint the facial features, teeth, eye shape, hair texture, etc. warning, don’t choose just one face or person you like. choose a range of people, your brain doesn’t get stuck on a face that isn’t exactly your oc. Maybe one face has the perfect eye shape but not the right skin tone and mouth shape, but you have someone with the perfect mouth shape, but not right eyes and they have freckles, and etc.
another thing to know, is how your oc looked when they were younger, and how they would look when they’re older. when you know this, you know how they physically mature, when they prominent scars, and when they start getting wrinkles. this gives you insight to how they would react if they have a scar, are they ashamed of it or do they wear it with pride.
quotes and clothing
so, with everything excluding quotes, you want it to look consistent and well thought out, but clothing and quotes are different. sometimes i find myself getting too caught up in the aesthetic, which isn’t what this is all about. this is about getting to know your character and who they are, how they see the world around them, and how they think. therefore, with sayings and quotes, they don’t have to match your aesthetic, unless you absolutely want them to. sayings could be quotes in your novel, the vibe your character gives out, things to describe that said character, and everything in between.
surprise, your character’s wardrobe isn’t going to be all blue, red, yellow,or whatever your oc’s aesthetic is. if you have a character in medieval esc. times, the clothing and accessories need to match that time period. if your character’s style is scandalous, make sure you chose riske clothes that is relevant to your story.
pin description
we all know that you can put a description on a pin. when pinning pictures to these boards, i always get rid of the description unless i need to write something there (i’ll explain that later). if you’re not as much a perfectionist as i am, then leave the description, but i find it distracting and hard to manage. after getting rid of the description, it makes the overall look of the board neat and crisp; and when there is a description, it stands it out and you can see the relevance for the pin.
so, if you chose to get rid of descriptions and only give certain ones descriptions, here’s how i do it.
first, i figure out if the descriptions are in first or third person (second if you want). i choose third for my lethal lust boards and first for that dream i had. personally, i like first person the best because it feels like the character is explaining each pin to you.
secondly, chose if you want to say everything bluntly or explain it through code/poetically. say you found a picture of your oc when they were young. you can either say: “ oc’s name when they were nine”, “youth”, or anything in between. i really like the code way because i only really know what it stands for, and it makes it more personal.
lastly, figure out the severity of how many descriptions you have, do descriptions for almost all, or only do it if it’s absolutely necessary for the picture.
creating character aesthetic boards are one of my favorite things to do because to the freedom you have creatively. please don’t copy everything i do, make it your own. the reason why so many people love writing is the creativity you experience with it. i hoped this helped you understand how my character boards worked and inspired you to create some too!
thanks for reading,
christina/writing is my passion
