So I'm currently writing a tv show that I hope to get produced one day and I have the characters basic bio which would consist of their name and occupation among a couple other things, what I was wondering is if somebody would like to make personalities for these characters cause that's not really my strong suit lol, it would be much appreciated, if I ever do get it produced I would definitely make sure to credit you along with cutting you in on the profit because this is a huge part of everything. Thanks in advance if anyone wants to take on this challenge.
Ummm ...sorry to sound like an old-fogey wet blanket, but as a writer of anything you need to do this kind of work yourself. This comes under the category of 'what will I write about?' and nobody else can do this for you. I suspect, from what you've said, that you haven't actually started writing yet, but are just kicking ideas around? Have you got a plot for these characters to take their personalities into? What is your story about? (I don't need to know what your story is about at this stage, but YOU do!) I can't speak as a scriptwriter, because I'm not, but I suggest you look up books and articles on scriptwriting, which should give you some ideas for how to generate character personalities so they come alive for the viewer. But the original idea of what personalities these characters have is something you need to come up with yourself. Otherwise you're just ghostwriting somebody else's story. If you haven't got any idea of what your characters' personalities are like, you need to step back and wait till you can envision them. Since scriptwriting will mostly be dialogue, maybe start giving your characters things to say to each other? Their personalities will likely start to emerge. Then go with what you discover. The excitement you will feel when some character finally clicks into your head is well worth the time and effort. Here is the name of a book that might help you ...it's available on Kindle as well as paperback on Amazon: Successful Scriptwriting: How to write and pitch winning scripts for movies, sitcoms, soaps, serials and variety shows
There is a school of thought that a story should be character-based. So you need to create a character who's got a story coming out of his ears. Look at a successful TV show and analyse the lead character(s). Big Bang Theory - what is Sheldon Cooper's character? - how can you write a few episodes of what a jerk he is? House - what is Greg House's character? - how can you write a few episodes of what a jerk he is? Frazier - what is Frazier's character? - how can you write a few episodes of what a jerk he is? Breaking Bad - what is Walter White's character? - you get the picture?
I just opened my email this morning and discovered this excellent article from Writers' Digest. I urge you to read it. It offers a very detailed pathway to giving personality to your characters. The final example in the article shows the result very well. This writer encourages you to envision or write scenes (which may or may not end up in your story) where your character faces certain specific things. Watching this character interact with people who are being kind to him or humiliating him or ignoring him can be very useful in developing personality. There are other things to try as well, things that may have happened to your character in his past that have affected what he is like now. The trick is to actually envision these events happening to your character, not just pull a traumatic event out of the hat and attach it to a character list. This writer also says that developing excessive backstory for each and every character in your novel is 'an industrious way' of procrastinating the writing process. So this isn't something you need to do with each character. Just each important character, particularly your protagonist and important secondary characters. This is a very practical, but insightful article. I hope it helps. http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-craft-characters-scene-by-scene?et_mid=746960&rid=239329351
