Characters do not live by structure alone. Background information and personal attributes are needed to turn these avatars of dramatic purpose into living, breathing, human beings (or whatever).

For example:

Mark Twain once said, “I could never join a club that would have the likes of me as a member.” To what kind of clubs does this character belong? What is its faith, creed, or manifesto? Is it a card-carrying member of…, a supporter of…, the founder of…? And just because it is a member, associate, or sympathizer doesn’t mean it believes any of it. One may be judged by one’s friends, and where there’s smoke there’s fire, but also where there’s smoke there’s smoke, and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Try to separate your characters’ affiliations from their beliefs. They may go hand in hand, or they may be quite divergent, born of convenience, necessity, family ties, or any of the other oddities that make for strange bedfellows.

No character is an island. What you work out here will create bridges to other individuals.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software