Defining a character

Who was that masked man?

This post was prompted by a blog post I read over on myrthtown.wordpress.com and if you get a chance, you should go read it in full. Essentially, the blogger over at myrthtown defines a process in their latest post on how to really develop a character. Now, their post was specifically around a NEW character, but I thought I’d apply it to a character who has already been introduced, but I feel quite frankly I don’t know well enough. So here goes:

Name: Gregory Charles Profession: Coroner What does Gregory Charles want? Money, Respect, Standing in the Community Why does Gregory Charles want those things? 1. He was an orphan, a grew up with no money and no support. 2. He is very bright, more so than most around him, and wants that to be obvious. 3. He sees people around him who get treated better than him because of the class they are from. 4. He has a new girlfriend (Portia) who is monied, respected and as smart as he. 5. Because he is ambitious and competitive.

Expanding on the following:

1. a As an orphan he had a hard life, one he is seeking to leave behind as quickly as possible. 1. b He does not have any known siblings or relatives, so he is used to being alone 1. c His chosen profession is equally lonely, that of a coroner.

4. a The woman he has chosen to date is also an orphan but had the opposite experience, being loved, sheltered, and now monied. 4. b Despite the gender difference, one could say that Portia is more successful at her profession than Dr. Charles is at his.

#writing #detective #bakerstreet #characters #portiaadams #develop #define #keepingtrack