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The second method for picking a personality for your character comes from David Keirsey’s Please Understand Me II. Building on the work of others (Plato, Jung, Myers), he’s consolidated people into four basic personality types – Artisan, Guardian, Idealist and Rational.

THE ARTISAN

Characteristics – Adaptable, artistic, athletic, open-minded, easy-going, tolerant, unprejudiced, persuasive, gifted with machines and tools, enjoys life

Speech – Use very specific details in their conversation, but seldom talks of planning. They tend to be great poets and orators. They like to use colorful phrases and current slang. Are also fond of similes, “drunk as a skunk” or “goes like a bunny”. Use their hands a lot when speaking.

In a relationship – the Artisan acts as Playmate and seeks pleasure and excitement

As a parent – the Artisan acts as Liberator, encouraging their children to be free spirits. They also teach/support their children in learning to use tools and machines, play games/sports, drive vehicles, etc.

As a leader – the Artisan acts as Negotiator, always looking for something to give them an edge.

The Artisan:

• values excitement
• trusts his own impulses
• yearns to have social impact
• seeks stimulation
• prizes generosity

THE GUARDIAN

Characteristics – Conservative, stable, consistent, likes routines, sensible, factual, patient, dependable, hard-working, detailed and thorough

Speech – Likes to talk about specific things and lacks interest in theoretical or fanciful topics. Is inclined to shift such conversation back to practical, concrete topics. Very good at social conversation, small talk, remembers an enormous amount of facts and details (names, birthdays, current events in people’s lives, who has what job, births and deaths along with details of such events). Uses old phrasing, such as “a penny saved is a penny earned” and “a stitch in time saves nine”. Also uses “local” language from their childhood – regional phrases and words. Is inclined to warn others of danger in their course of action or to caution or chide others. They avoid showy hand gestures, but do use their hands when animated.

In a relationship – the Guardian acts as Helpmate, ready to roll up his sleeves and work side-by-side with his partner. Extremely loyal.

As a parent – the Guardian acts as Socializer, teaching their children to be helpful and productive, a benefit to the community.

As a leader – the Guardian acts as a Stabilizer, following, or establishing, routines and standards to benefit the community.

The Guardian:

• values being concerned
• trusts authority
• yearns to belong
• seeks security
• prizes gratitude (from others)

THE IDEALIST

Characteristics – Sympathetic, enthusiastic, creative, insightful, nurturing, avoids conflict, wants to find their true self

Speech – Talks of what can only be seen by the mind’s eye: love and hate, heaven and hell, comedy and tragedy, tales and legends, etc. Seems to read between the lines or have a sixth sense about people. Often can’t explain why… they “just know” something. Uses a lot of metaphors. Often extends their hands to others in conversation.

In a relationship – the Idealist acts as Soulmate, longing for a deep and meaningful relationship

As a parent – the Idealist acts as a Harmonizer, bonding with their children and encouraging a healthy, positive self-image

As a leader – the Idealist acts as a Catalyst, facilitating, motivating or energizing people through their personal relationships

The Idealist:

• values being enthusiastic
• trusts his own intuition
• yearns for romance
• seeks her own identity
• prizes recognition (of who she is)

THE RATIONAL

Characteristics - Analytical, intellectual, complex, competent, inventive, efficient, exacting, independent, logical, technical, curious, scientific

Speech - Tends to be compact and terse. Is unusually exacting about word definitions, leading to “nitpicking” or “hairsplitting”. Talks of what is imaginable, of ideas rather than objects. Tries to avoid the irrelevant, the trivial and the redundant in conversation. Enjoys puns and paradoxes. Is extremely disinterested in small talk. Tick off points on their fingers.

In a relationship – the Rational acts as Mindmate, striving for intellectual sharing with their partner.

As a parent – the Rational acts as an Individuator, fostering the growth of individuality in their children.

As a leader – the Rational acts as Visionary, using his strategic planning to bring about the desired vision of the future.

The Rational:

• values being calm
• trusts reason
• yearns for achievement
• seeks knowledge
• prizes deference (to their work and ideas)

And those are the four Keirsey Temperaments. Again, these are only the bare bones of a character. You can use one of these as a start to building a great character.

Next up, using Archetypes to start a character.

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A quick way to get started on creating a character is to use People Styles at Work” by Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton. The book was written to help people communicate with and relate better to others in the workplace, but it is a great shortcut for writers.

The Boltons have divided people into one of four categories based on the person’s responsiveness and assertiveness – Analytical, Amiable, Driver, Expressive.

For writers, here is what you need to know:

Analytical

• Personality – Focused on facts and data, systematic and well-organized , craves knowledge, punctual, conservative, would rather be safe than sorry, likes to be alone or with just a few people, perfectionist, set high standards, can be hard on themselves
• Appearance – show little emotion (though they feel deeply), other people find Analyticals hard to read, body language is low-key, walk slowly, few hand gestures, little eye contact, dress conservatively
• Speech – volume is low and pace is slow. Tend to talk less than other styles unless they’re speaking on a topic of interest and then they can go into great detail. Frequent hesitations when they speak because they are searching for precise words. Breaks conversation into points “(First…, second…”)

Amiable

• Personality – Focused on people, team player, likes working/being with others, known for quiet friendliness, helpful, very sensitive to other people’s feelings, patient with people, well connected to the grapevine, withholds feelings of anger and critical judgments of others, can seem calm on the outside while a storm rages within
• Appearance – body language is low key, gestures are subdued, clothing is appropriate and casual
• Speech – voice is warm and volume is low, good with small talk, conversation is focused on people

Driver

• Personality – Focused on achieving goals and getting results, get-it-done person, decisive and practical
• Appearance – Body language suggests purposefulness, seems to lean into everything she does, walks and moves faster than other people, gestures can be very forceful, facial expression tends to be serious
• Speech – very fast-paced, blunt about stating opinions or making requests, direct and to the point

Expressive

• Personality – Focused on having fun, flamboyant, loves being the center of attention, high energy, prefers to be with people always, natural networker, bold and imaginative, impulsive, live on an emotional rollercoaster, playful and fun-loving
• Appearance – Rarely stands or sits still, always moving feet or legs, uses flowing gestures that are big and forceful
• Speech – Talks more than he listens, talks loudly and rapidly, tend to think out loud, natural storyteller with jokes and examples rather than facts, very open with his observations or criticisms

Keep in mind that there are degrees to each style. A Driver is not the same as every other Driver. While all Drivers are assertive, Driver Dave might be extremely assertive, while Driver Doug is less assertive. Driver Doug, however, is still more assertive than any Analytical.

There’s more to each of these styles than listed here, but for creating a character, selecting one of the People Styles is a good way to start.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at a second way to Pick a Personality for your character.

Be sure to sign up for the RSS feed – you’ll get the posts “fed” to you so that you won’t miss a single one.

Characters… you need good ones to make your novel stand out in the slush pile and the crowded publishing market. But how do you come up with a good character? The Character Creation Made Easy series will get you started.

We’ll cover these three steps:

Pick a Personality – How does your character normally act and react? There are six easy methods you can use to pick a personality for your character.

Muster a Motivation – What makes your character get out of bed in the morning? Why does he keep struggling in the face of many obstacles? There are five quick ways to determine a motivation for your character.

Acquire an Appearance – How does your character look? What does her apartment look like? What’s his dominant attitude toward the world? We have three ways to put some physical details to your character.

Oh sure, there’s a lot more to a great character than just personality, motivation and appearance. But you have to start somewhere. Putting together these three items for a character will give you a good start toward creating a three-dimensional character that will wow your readers.

Starting tomorrow, we’ll cover each of these methods to help you put together your characters quickly, so you can get into your story faster. Sign up for the RSS feed so you don’t miss a single day.

Chris Baty is the mastermind behind National Novel Writing Month. Together with 20 friends in 1999, he set out to each write a novel in a month. Six of them managed to cross the 50,000-word finish line. (Yes, 50,000 words is short by today’s novel standards–Chris arrived at that number by counting the words in the shortest novel on his bookshelf, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World– but it is an achievable goal for a month of writing, especially if you already have a full-time job). Dreadful prose, perhaps, but they had done it. And as each year went by and NaNo grew to encompass thousands of novelists across the world, Chris learned some lessons from the early years:

1. Enlightment is Overrated – Waiting until you are old enough or know enough to write your novel just wastes good years you could be writing great and no-so-great books.

2. Being Busy is Good For Your Writing – Weeks of free time, with nothing to do but write, seldom produce writing and busy people get the most done in life. So write now, no matter how busy you are.

3. Plot Happens – You don’t need a plot to begin writing. It’s okay to just start writing, even if you know nothing about your story.

4. Writing for Its Own Sake Has Surprising Rewards – Writing a novel feels great. It changes how you read books, makes you appreciate the craft that goes into a book more. And writing is the best way to get better at writing.

And out of his experiences with NaNoWriMo, he wrote No Plot? No Problem! as a guidebook for writers to help them through four weeks of hardcore novel-writing. He includes a lot of examples offered up by NaNoWriMo participants of things that helped them push through to the 50,000 word finish.

How It’s Put Together: The chapter titles in the book are descriptive and give you a good idea of what Chris covers in each one:

Section 1: A Round-Trip Ticket to Novel-land: Gearing up for Your Writing Adventure!

• Chapter 1 – Secret Weapons, Exuberant Imperfections, and the End of the “One Day” Novelist
• Chapter 2 – Time-Finding, News-Breaking, and a Step-by-Step Guide to Transforming Loved Ones into Effective Agents of Guilt and Terror
• Chapter 3 – Noveling Nests, Magical Tools, and a Growing Stockpile of Delicious Incentives
• Chapter 4 – Cruising for Characters, Panning for Plots, and the First Exciting Glimpses of the Book Within

Section 2: Write Here! Write Now! A Frantic, Fantastic Week-by-Week Overview to Bashing Out Your Book

• Chapter 5 – WEEK ONE: Trumpets Blaring, Angels Singing, and Triumph on the Wind
• Chapter 6 – WEEK TWO: Storm Clouds, Plot Flashes, and the Return of Reality
• Chapter 7 – WEEK THREE: Clearing Skies, Warmer Weather, and a Jetpack on Your Back
• Chapter 8 – WEEK FOUR: Champagne and the Roar of the Crowd
• Chapter 9 – I Wrote a Novel. Now What?

How It Helped Me: One of the best things about this book is the over-the-top humor that Baty weaves into each sentence. The exuberant enthusiasm is like a shot of double espresso and it makes me want to sit down and start writing just for the sheer joy of it. The entire tone of the book is encouraging; he makes writing feel fun.

Who Can Benefit From Reading It: I’d recommend this book to new writers who are looking for a way to get a novel written. The humor and weekly chapters of encouragement can carry you through a first draft.

I think that more experienced writers could also benefit from reading the book, especially if you’re falling into a rut with your writing. Following Chris’s advice and churning out a first draft in a month might be a good way to shake up your routine and take your writing in a different direction. You could even use it to whip out that interesting novel idea that you’ve been toying with. The one you aren’t sure about writing, but it still flits around in your brain, unwilling to leave. Pick up a copy of No Plot? No Problem! today and experience the exhilarating pace of a 30-day novel.

There’s increasing pressure on writers to not only write a terrific story, but also to write multiple novels a year. In an article about large advances in British publishing, Sue Fletcher, publishing director at Hodder and Stoughton, who recently acquired author Matt Hilton said,

“At Hodder, we buy authors, not individual titles. So an author who is likely to be able to sustain their creative output is more valuable. This was a significant factor in the Dead Man’s Dust deal — that Matt had many story ideas, all featuring the same fabulous, central character, and was able to write two novels per year.”

In Matt Hilton’s case, he was given an advance of 800,000 pounds (approximately $1.5 million) for a series of five books. Good money, if you can get it. But from Fletcher’s words it sounds like Hilton will be required to write two books a year. And that’s a pace that is becoming more common in publishing.

So what do you do? How do you speed up your output while maintaining your quality? One way to write faster is to join other writers in an event designed to encourage fast writing. The free mini course “Need for Speed” details seven different programs you could join to get a first draft done fast.

What method do you use to get your first draft done fast?

I met with my local writing group today, the Saturday Writers.  Jean, one of our members, had an interesting story to relate.  She had noticed an unfamiliar man walking around her apartment complex this week.  He was dressed oddly, in a long light-weight coat, with a round black hat.  He walked slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.

After some mild anxiety (who is this guy and what is he doing?), her writer instincts kicked in and she decided to include him in her current manuscript.

But who was he and why was he dressed like that and why was he just walking around?  She brought those questions to the group.  And we were able to use one of my favorite exercises for brainstorming.

Using this unusual man, we began contributing possible reasons to explain his appearance and behavior, trying to reach beyond the obvious.

Some of our ideas:

• He’s from another country and is wearing their traditional dress.
• He’s a religious man and is using the walks for meditation.
• He lost a bet and must walk each day, dressed like that.
• He’s mentally confused, either mildly or in a severe clinical way.
• He’s practicing a character for a stage play.
• He’s a predator who uses his benign but unusual appearance to throw his victims off guard.

You can see that our ideas go from the normal, even expected (from another country) to the unusual (lost a bet).  This brainstorming technique can help you create characters who are individuals, rather than stock characters.

When using this technique aim to get at least twenty reasons down before you quit.  You want to move beyond the common to deeper, more unusual reasons to explain your character’s actions or motivations.  This will make your characters more interesting and your story more compelling.

So how about you?  Do you have any character problems in your story?  Are you having trouble determining the “why” for a character’s actions?  Post the details of your character’s situation in the comments and let me help.

Orson Scott Card has written 61 books, including the best-selling Ender’s Game and won this year’s Margaret A. Edwards Award for his outstanding contributions to teen literature. An article in the School Library Journal mentions how he manages such tremendous output.

Two full-time assistants help Card free up time for his many activities. So does the speed with which he composes his books. “When I write, I’m very, very fast,” he says. Total typing time, as opposed to thinking time, averages five weeks per novel. “I write a story as if I were telling it to a group of people whose interest I have to hold. So I don’t have time when I’m writing to indulge myself in description or lengthy asides. But the real work, the foundational work, the structural work, the skeleton of the story—that comes before I ever set words on a piece of paper. The thinking time can be years. Very rarely have I gone from idea to finished work very quickly.”

As the writing years go by, I’m finding that I spend more time in that thinking stage, too. The novel I’m currently working on started as a short story. Then I started to think of logical events that would follow that story and I began writing it as a novel. The novel was moving along pretty well until real life events intruded, so I put it on hold for a while.

And while it has been on hold, I’ve continued to have some amazing ideas for it. Ideas that will intensify the conflict and deepen the characters. Ideas that I certainly never would have thought of if I had continued working on it and written straight through to the end. It makes me think that I might need more thinking time on my stories. Maybe I’m rushing into the writing too quickly and not allowing enough time for my subconcious to come up with unique plot twists and character conflicts.

So for now, I’m taking notes as my brain comes up with ideas and I have a feeling this story will be a lot better because of increased thinking time.

How much thinking time do you allow on your stories?