I've decided the story I want to write is going to be told through a series but I'm having a little bit of a hard time writing my character's profiles when it comes to -Hobbies -Worst enemy -Occupation -Skills -Motivations -Accomplishments -Fears -Struggles -Favorite Possession etc. Should I include the Hobbies, Occupation, Skills, Motivations, Accomplishments, Fears, Struggles and Favorite Possessions that they have and are goin to have in the future of the series or just the ones they have when the story starts? Any help would be appreciated.
I don't use character profiles, but if I did, I'd probably have a section for things they have at the start of the story, and a separate section for things they gain during the story. That way you have both, but you won't get them mixed up and accidentally refer to an ability or possession or whatever before the character has actually gained it.
Got it, or do you think I should update the characters profiles depending where they are at the moment?
Generally you'd create a timeline (on paper or using timeline software) and use that to track the changes throughout the series. the most important character traits you've got listed are these: -Skills -Motivations -Fears -Struggles I mean, by all means, go ahead and fill in the rest, but you want to pay more attention to the stuff that affects (and is affected by) interaction with other characters and the plot. The main thing to track across each book and across the series are the character arcs for any character that has one.
You can start with the traits and characteristics that your characters possess when the story begins. These initial profiles will serve as a foundation for their personalities and actions during the early stages of the series. As the plot progresses, you can introduce new elements and reveal additional layers of their personalities, such as new hobbies they pick up, additional skills they acquire, or changing motivations and fears based on their experiences.
I usually just stick with Goals, Motives, and Conflict. If you can get those three down, you'll either find the other thins or you'll see that they're not important enough to bother with.
Character profiles tend to be rather fluid. As your character progresses and evolves in the story, so does the profile. At the start of the story the character profile should focus on that which makes the character who he or she is. If a hobby has a legit influence on who that character is, then yes, put it front and center. if not, leave it to an ancillary list. For things like motivations, fears, objectives, and struggles you'll have to go a bit deeper that just listing what a character is afraid of. You'll need to demonstrate why that fear means something, how it impacts who that character is, and how it might influence who that character will become. Keep in mind that just because something made it into a character profile doesn't mean it will make it into the story. Just because a character has a soft spot for stray kittens doesn't mean you have to include a stray kitten scene in your story. The notion can be used to support the suggestion that a character is kind and compassionate.
Have you written a profile for yourself with those exact parameters? I don't know about you, but I can't name a worst enemy. I certainly can't narrow down a singular favourite possession. Some can, but not everyone. It's possible you're stalling because you're asking yourself to provide things for your character that aren't cut and dry.
That's what I would ask. It's good to have a variety of tools on your belt, but how many of those things should be pretermined and how many should evolve organically as the story progresses? You may find the story ends up heading in a vastly different direction from where you started.
I have written a profile for myself, probably the easiest profile I've ever done and I do struggle a lot with stalling, especially with making profiles, when I can't come up with an answer for a question I tend to instead of moving to the next thing or work on another aspect of the story I obsess with finding that answer which stops me from continuing building on characters or story but I'm trying to work on that. I think the most relevant would have to be Fears, struggles and motivations, skills and accomplishments. (By the way sorry it took my this long to answer, I've been going through some personal problems but I'm back at working on writing. Really appreciate all the help everyone has given me about this topic.)
I'd say the more information/history on the character the better. You may never use it all, and it may come off as just too trivial, but knowing these aspects of the character, again even those that are not clear, can help in seeing how the character will react to a new situation, as well as introducing new aspects of the plot that had not already been before.
