Character Agency and Personality Tool

This is a tool I developed to better understand the choices my characters make. The Agency chart is straightforward, enter the major events in your characters life (Haven't worked that out yet - check out my Family Tree post), and using the 'Agency-Table' specify how much agency your character had at the time. Were they compliant, always doing what they were told, or did they know what they want and were going to get it no matter what.

The agency graph is helpful particularly if you realise that your character is a passenger throughout the story. How your readers interact with your story often has a lot to do with how much they identify with your character. Do you want them to be frustrated with the main character for taking a back seat, or perhaps sympathetic, or do you want the readers to be excited at the moment the character make their own choice for the first time!

I have included the Myers-Briggs personality matrix in its simplest form. Ask yourself what sort of personality your main character has. If you can't answer, it might be helpful to select from the list and put it alongside the agency chart. Then take a step back and consider the story and their actions - does it fit? It might give you ideas in how your characters react to different situations or events.

Hope its helpful - to download the tool please click here.