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Character Profile
It’s important to know the characters in your novel before you start writing your manuscript.. The best way to do that is by creating a “Character Profile”. This is one way of doing it, but there is no set way of doing it. It’s really up to you to decide what you prefer. Another type of “Character Profile” that is popular is the interview. You start out by making a list of all the things you want to know about your character Then you imagine you are interviewing him or her.
Sam Bachman is a character in A Manhattan Romance, a serial novel which will appear on my website. This is the way I flesh out my characters. Once I have the character fleshed out, I often refer back to this “chart” as I write.
Name: Sam Bachman*
*Most people think her name is Samantha, but it’s Sam. Her parents wanted a son called Samuel—they got a girl instead and called her Sam. This mistake (Samantha/Sam/Samuel) has been following her since grade school.
Accent: Has a standard East Coast accent but from time to time falls into the Brooklyn accent.
Age: 22
Born on: September 30th
Zodiac: LIBRA
Librans love beauty, creativity, and balance. Libras are wonderful writers and communicators because their wit and charm shine through their words. Libras are analytical thinkers that weigh both sides to every issue, sometimes spending far more time then is needed. A Libra is friendly, lovable, social, sensual, charming, intellectual, and dramatic. They are born to flirt, which in most cases is just harmless fun and a part of their natural “sparkle”. Libras look for the positives in life, because it is prettier than a negative. A Libra tends to try and please everyone needing to always feel “liked”, accepted, and understood. This sign rules the skin, the kidneys and the buttocks, which can make them prone to lower back problems, diabetes, and skin problems.
THE NEGATIVE SIDE: Libras can become indecisive, or literally avoid a choice until things are thrown into a whirlwind. Libra’s desire to be “liked” can cause them to do things behind another’s back. Because of a Libra’s charm, flirtation, and sensuality it can be very easy to act out issues with love relationships, or even sexual ones.
Address: 315 , 31st Street off Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn
Place of birth: Brooklyn
Father: Jacob Bachman
Mother: Rebecca Bachman née Jablowski
Marital Status: Single
Profession: Secretary – Works for Sam Harris Advertising company.
Education: Graduated from Erasmus High School and then went to a secretarial school in Manhattan.
Graduated from the Katharine Gibbs School – New York
50 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018 2 years ago with The Office Administration – Business specialized degree (18 Mo)
Height: 5’5”
Hair: Shoulder length, slightly shorter at front, straight, part to the left, brown with highlights.
Nose: Straight with the tip turning up very slightly
Shape of face: Heart shape
Teeth: two front teeth are slightly bigger, but this makes her smile even nicer.
Facial Inspiration: Jennifer Aniston
Mannerism:
- Throws her head to the right sending a lock of her hair back
- When she is worried and thinking she plays with a lock behind her head.
Personality Type: Social Realist
Social Realists are popular persons full of energy. They are reliable, well organized and helpful. Traditional values are important to them. Founding a family also plays a central role in their life. Social Realists have a marked social streak. They are always ready to listen to the worries and problems of others and spare no effort when they are asked for help. With empathy and understanding, they can sense what other people need. Social Realists are always willing to highly regard the strong points of the other person and to excuse that person’s weaknesses. They are the most sociable of all personality types. Social contacts are very important to them.
Social Realists find it very difficult to cope with conflicts and criticism – harmony is their elixir of life. Acknowledgement and esteem are very important to this type. Differentiation on the other hand is not necessarily one of their strong points. At work and in partnerships, they are loyal, committed and always there when needed. They find it easy to make friends due to their open, warm manner and they have a large circle of friends. In love, they are faithful and attentive and care for their partners with a great deal of imagination and sensitivity. Social Realists show their feelings openly and honestly. Should a relationship break up, they tend to blame themselves. That is why they find it very difficult to end a partnership even if it has not fulfilled their requirements for some time.
Social Realists are more conservative types. They have a set system of values and rules which is orientated to the prevailing traditions. They prefer clear, structured surroundings and work processes; they find too much change und unrest unpleasant. Their strong points are carefulness and reliability and not so much flexibility and spontaneity. Social Realists are open-minded towards anything new only to a limited extent. But, should one be looking for someone to fulfill a task reliably and exactly, they are the right persons.
Adjectives describing the Social realist: extroverted, practical, sentimental, planning, emotional, temperamental, energetic, tradition-conscious, loyal, helpful, devoted, reliable, caring, objective, thorough, organized, warm-hearted, open, friendly, sociable, chummy, obliging, self-sacrificing, public-spirited, sensitive, kind, demanding
Event that affected her life and view of things in general:
Because she is very emotional, obliging and kind she often feels guilty for things she hasn’t done. This has been a disadvantage for her all through her childhood and teenage years. Now that she is an adult and working, she feels she has more control, but if she takes something to heart and conflict arises, she quickly falls back into the guilty feeling—thinking she is the cause of it.
Growth in Novel:
Becomes surer of herself. Will usually try to avoid all conflicts, and when something happens, she automatically takes the blame on herself.
The Joys of Writing 