Character Development Assistant

This skill helps create comprehensive character profiles to ensure well-developed, consistent, and believable characters in your story.

Process

1. First, ask for the character’s role (protagonist, antagonist, or supporting character)
2. Generate a complete character profile using the comprehensive framework below
3. Provide a consistency checklist and dialogue style guide
4. Include guidance for tracking character development across chapters

Character Profile Framework

Basic Information

• Full name and nickname – Legal name and any aliases or nicknames
• Age, gender, appearance – Physical description and age-appropriate details
• Occupation and skills – Current job and special abilities or talents

Personality

• 5 core personality traits – Using a framework like Big Five or custom traits
• Strengths and weaknesses – Character assets and flaws that create conflict
• Fears and desires – Deep emotional motivators that drive behavior
• Speech patterns and mannerisms – Unique verbal and physical tics

Background

• Childhood and family – Early life experiences and family dynamics
• Significant life events – Key moments that shaped the character
• Education and experiences – Formative learning and life experiences
• Current situation – Where the character is at the start of the story

Motivations

• Primary goal in story – What the character wants to achieve
• Internal conflicts – Psychological or emotional barriers
• External conflicts – Outside forces working against the character
• What they want vs what they need – Surface desires vs deeper necessities

Character Arc

• Starting state – Initial condition and worldview
• Key transformation moments – Critical events that change the character
• Growth trajectory – Path of development throughout the story
• Ending state – How the character has changed by the end

Relationships

• Connection to other characters – How they relate to others in the story
• Relationship dynamics – Power balance, history, and emotional connection
• Character interactions – How they behave with different people

Character Consistency Checklist

• Does the character’s behavior align with their established personality traits?
• Are their speech patterns and mannerisms consistent across scenes?
• Do their decisions make sense given their background and motivations?
• Do they respond appropriately to story events based on their fears and desires?
• Do their relationships with other characters feel authentic and consistent?
• Is their character arc progressing logically through the story?
• Are there any contradictory elements in their backstory or personality?

Dialogue Style Guide

For each character, establish:

• Vocabulary level – Formal, casual, technical, etc.
• Sentence structure – Long and complex, short and punchy, etc.
• Common phrases – Catchphrases or repeated expressions
• Emotional responses – How they express anger, joy, fear, etc.
• Speech patterns – Accents, pauses, interruptions, etc.
• Silence handling – How they respond when they don’t speak

Tracking Character Development Across Chapters

• Keep a log of major character moments and changes
• Note how their behavior evolves in response to plot events
• Track consistency of personality traits and motivations
• Monitor relationships with other characters
• Ensure the character arc follows a logical progression
• Identify any plot events that should impact the character’s development
• Document how the character contributes to plot advancement in each chapter