If you’re getting ready to begin your NaNoWriMo novel, chances are you’ll be introducing a character or two very soon. This worksheet offers a simple formula to help you decide how your character will meet your audience.

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The worksheet has room for 3 characters. You might want to use the pink rows to write down:

1. The story title
2. The character’s name
3. The chapter or section in which the character is introduced
4. Any further notes you need

Examples

1. When we meet Lyra, she is being characteristically curious, rebellious, and brave, and struggling to evade authority somewhere she isn’t supposed to be, while trying to deal with Lord Asriel.
2. Bilbo is preoccupied with avoiding adventures, and maintaining a comfortable, orderly life in his hobbit-hole, which Gandalf tries to disrupt.
3. Harry’s challenge, as he struggles with everyday life with the Dursleys, is being different in a very ordinary setting.

Tips for Introducing Your Character

1. The main challenge the character faces will usually be internal, although this may unfold and become clearer over time, and at the beginning of the story only appear as a small glimpse of the symptoms of the larger problem.
2. The character may be mentioned or may appear in the story before their introduction.
3. You can bend chronology, especially if your character is too young to be doing much at the beginning of the story. Introduce the character in a flashforward, through foreshadowing, or in a prologue.
4. It may help you to imagine introducing your character to the reader as though you were introducing two people at a party. What would you want the reader to know about your character, and how could you communicate this information for best effect?

P.S. If you enjoy this worksheet, you’ll love the fill-in-the-blanks scenes of The One Page Novel templates.

Don’t forget to check the worksheet index for over 150 writing worksheets…