Writing Tips & Guidance

Character: The Character Bible

We've talked about the importance of a structured plot and the outline (pretty much) necessary to make it flow properly, in a coherent fashion. There are other such guides you can build for yourself, depending on the nature of your story. One is a character bible, the other is a world bible. Of course, this section is for the character bible. We'll talk about the world bible later.

Why make a Character Bible?

The character bible is especially necessary for large-scale stories with a multitude of characters: Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, pretty much any fantasy novel with a war in it. However, that doesn't mean that it can't be handy for smaller-scale novels of all genres too. In fact, small-scale novels that take place with only a handful of characters almost need a more detailed character bible.

For large-scale novels, you can get away with only mentioning a thing or two about some characters that won't be seen often. Like, the man at the inn the main characters talk to should have a tone, some quirks, a goal (which we'll talk about at length), and a set of things he knows that he can reveal to the characters. Maybe he has some relatives or knows some people in town who know more things. Maybe he gives a particular character some pointers on how to hold themselves in a less attention-attracting way. Even with a little more detail, that's just skimming the surface of what can be listed for a single side-character (an "NPC") in a character bible.

However, for smaller-scale novels, each character (including side-characters/"NPCs") is incredibly important and must be represented as a complete person, not a two-dimensional decoration. They need stories, reasons for certain behaviors, allegiances, enemies, favorite things, quirks, hated things, and just about anything you can use. Why is this important?

Example Flat Character: Susan flipped her hair as she sauntered away, probably pleased with herself for the lacking insult she just delivered.

Example Complex Character: Susan stood, smirking down at me. Her presence weighed more heavily than her insults. Behind her, Beverly chewed on her lip. I did my best to quash the hope that she would step in. She never did. Susan turned, flicking her hair with such force that it lashed out at my face like claws. Beverly hesitated a moment before following the sauntering, Gucci-clad queen bee. As she cast one more glance back at me, I couldn't keep the loathing from my features. She winced and scurried away, her tight skirt making her movements narrow and difficult. 

Sure, in these examples, Susan is just about as bland as she was before (I've never written a high school drama before) but Beverly adds to the story with her hesitation and regrets. Any number of things could come of that. The main character and Beverly could have a history. She could be friends with Susan out of pity or desperation for friendship and attention. It also makes Susan look almost worse, because her ego is so inflated she doesn't realize that her attitude makes her posse uncomfortable.

What you can accomplish with a character bible in a small-scale world are details and complex, emotionally conflicting situations. What you can accomplish with a character bible in a large-scale world is not getting lost and variation in flavor of character.

Method One: Hash

Of course, I use the hash/notes method for everything the first time around, in the first draft. This would consist of a set of notes about one character, probably whatever comes to mind as they are created and as needed. It is important to hesitate at character creation to flesh them out at least a little bit, and to go back and make adjustments later if changes are made to characters.