Recently I just wrote a characters physical appearance and started jotting down points about the character, I’ve done a few of these before but never have I started off with the appearance.
The initial note I wrote: A Greyhound-like character with a sleek and slender build, long, narrow face, pointed ears, deep chest, wearing a short, smooth coat, graceful gait, athletic movements.
I normally write with a theme in mind not a character, so the characters I write often feel forced into the story.
I’d love to hear what you feel makes a character apt for a story and what order you tend to build a story in.
there’s arguments that Tolkien designed whole languages before he wrote his books – that the stories of Lord of the Rings were just showcases for Quenya and Sindarin and Khuzdul …
there’s plenty of precedence for designing the pieces before the whole (“bottom up approach”) – rather than trying to fit your characters into a story, try to let the story grow around the character …
I feel unclear that way, having a theme makes my work and intemtions clear. I know how to structure a story within a certain idea but without a greater idea in mind I just keep babbling.