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Question: Character profile for things other than characters!?
The barn in Animal Farm!. The school of Hogwarts!. The light saber in Star Wars!. The star ships in Star Trek!. Each of these objects (or whatever you refer to them as) could have countless pieces of information on them (and do)!. In a story i'm writing i have created a sort of 'organization' which also has a story behind it, a history if you will!. Character profiles have come in handy for developing my characters and bringing them to life!. However, this 'organization' is also like a character and deserves to be developed like one for it is significant to the story!. So i was wondering if there was any way that i could create a profile for it!. Do you have any examples i could use!? What sort of things would you list!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
What you should do is to KNOW the character of your organisation!. After that list all important history on paper!. I am doing it slowly for you!.
After that, if you want to, write all history in a chapter of your story!. Just the history!. After the organistaion has been introduced the reader may be interested in knowing what the thing is all about!. There you could just write it for the benefit of the reader!.
But you have an alternative!. Your characters work in the organisation, do they!? There when they are working, tyou will describe its working!. So we will come to know what kind of work this organisation does!. also, Dictators are Managers!. Its only the way they manage make them comparable with dictators!. So when you are describing the working of the organisation (as a part of your story - not separately) then you should create the atmostphere of dictatorship, so that the reader may come to know that the organisation is managed with a heavy hand!.
Your org!. seems like a crime detection branch or some special cell of the police!. There you can also deal with through the characters!. Let your character "roam" throughout the organisation and take the reader along with him!. SHOW the readers the organisation!. Refrain fromTELLING them - this happens and that happens!. But the history of the organisation can be just concluded in a para/ chapter (as I said above)
Example: The XXX Org!. was formed by the local; police to investigate into bank crimes and frauds!. Overtime it grew into a specialised agency for investigating fnancial crimes!. Jen worked as the special investigating pofficer!. Her current role was of an undercover agent with Sitpay Bank in Texas!.!.!. etc!.!.!. (I told you how it was formed and what it does)
To know how XXX org!. is managed, I will have to complete the whole story (which I am not doing here)!.
Or, you may introduce an utsider!. Mark was advised by the police to refer to XXX org for this apparent fraud!. Today he lodged the complaint at the desk of the beautiful blonde who introduced herself as Sergent Charlie!. ((See, MArk is an outsider!. He is not yet fully invovled with XXX, so he is first noting these petty things!. Later on, as he comes more close to the organisation he will narrate more etails)!!!
Phew!!So long!!!
Hope it helps!
May I recommend you reading Firestarter by Stephen King!. He has made up an organistaion there called The Shop!. He describes all the details and works of this Shop throughoutt the book and develops his stories along with!.!.!. Its the best example I can recall at present!.
TW KWww@QuestionHome@Com
This is a really unique but creative idea!. It's a little bit hard for me to help you, because I don't know what kind of an organization this is or anything about it!.
You might want to include the organization's purpose/goal, maybe a "stake" (what will happen if it doesn't achieve its goal)!.!.!.!.in that sense you would be treating it like a character!. Www@QuestionHome@Com
Hey, thanks for answering my question! I'd be happy to help, it's just that I don't understand what you're saying!. If you could summarize what you really mean in a simpler way, I'll edit my answer for you!. Www@QuestionHome@Com