One big problem with writing a novel series is keeping track of all the characters and their quirks/relationships. I’ve got so many different named characters that I have decided to write up character sheets to manage them all.
I’ll have main characters, secondary characters, tertiary characters, and all the supporting cast. It’s going to be quite the daunting task to say the least. My sheets will have basic information on the characters with extra room to add things in that I didn’t think of initially. Names, descriptions, likes/dislikes, fears…Basically, I’m going to make a bullet-point bio for each named character, no matter how minor. Possibly even unnamed characters that make enough of an appearance to warrant fleshing the character out.
Not all of the character sheet info will make it into the story; in fact, most of the minor characters’ stuff won’t be in the story. Still, it’s important to gather as much info as I can on each character so it bleeds through in the writing. If I don’t know these intimate details of their lives, they’ll become flat and boring. It’s going to be a lot of work. I’ll probably need multiple binders to keep it all straight: main characters, characters from X group, minor characters, “cameos,” etc.
It’s weird how I’m morphing into a pseudo-planner. A planner/pantser. A plantser. Or something. Previously I started with a very loose, vague plot and let the story flow from there. Now, though, I’m weaving a more complicated web than in Whispers of Death; I can’t just let the pieces work themselves out, especially with all the changes I’m having to make along the way as the story evolves.
Time to get started!
AJ Mullican, Author 