So, Gemma and I (Pardon me for a short fan-girl moment. Whew. Okay, I’m cool now.) were discussing character profiles for our upcoming Tahoe Tessie series. I’ve always been more of a visual kind of gal when it comes to my characters and like to have photos and a short bio of details. I try to find a celebrity, friend or even family member as the ground work for my heroes and heroines. This has become even more important as I venture into the world of series writing.
I know many of my blog followers are fellow authors. Do you keep things straight in your head or find yourself keeping a bible of sorts tracking and cross referencing every detail? Perhaps a happy medium? Dish! I want details and suggestions.
And, just in case you were wondering why there is a gorgeous pic of Bradley Cooper in the post, he’s the drool-worthy inspiration for Devin Ryder, one of the love interests for our heroine, Tessie King. Yes, we are hard at work on Luck Be A Lady! As you can see, my research has been sheer torture. 😉
Photo courtesy of Bradley-Cooper.org
Sue's Random Ramblings 
I keep a Word document with a section on each character–physical traits, quirks, likes and dislikes, family members, past experiences, etc. I like your idea of using a photo for inspiration, though. Especially if it’s Bradley Cooper. 🙂
Yeah, he’s pretty easy on the eyes. When I was writing Secrets of the Sapphires, I was forced to keep a photo of Christopher Gorham on my desk. It was aw. ful. 😉
I use the Scrivener program and find that they provide ‘scene’ and character profiles which helps me keep my facts straight. It also lets me up load photographs to the site so that I have visuals. I’m sure there are lots of other similar programs but I’m on a mac and that’s the best route for me. Best of luck.
I’ll have to Google that. It sounds like my kind of program. Thanks, Maddy!
I used to do a profile for each character in the book. It’s morphed into one document starting with the hero, heroine, antagonist, protagonist, etc. Each one gets a picture, background and short back story. Then I print it, usually about five pages and put it in a folder next to my keyboard. Helps me to have a bit of their back story on paper so I’m not so tempted to dump it into the story too soon.
That’s a fabulous system and great idea. Thanks, Jerrie!
HA! I do not know this organization of which you speak. No spread sheets for me. LOL!
Other than pictures and a brief bio, I’m usually right there with you. Gemma has this organization thing goin’ ON. It’s a learning curve for me! 😉