THE CHARACTER-BUILDING TOOLBOX

Ask any author how she develops characters, and you’ll get a different answer. Some fill in pages and pages of details, while others do nothing, preferring to learn about the characters as the story unfolds. I’m in awe of those who can write this way. I can’t. And for those of you who are like me and need some help, here are a few links to get you started.

Enneagrams
Documents the nine enneagram types, as well as a compatibility chart between the different types.

Astrology
This site provides character descriptions for each of the signs of the zodiac, as well as compatibility between two signs (perfect for your hero and heroine)

Archetypes
On this site, Tami has listed the eight hero archetypes, eight heroine archetypes and sixteen villain archetypes.

Myers-Briggs
Pretend you’re the character and take the test.