11 Character Priorities that Strengthen Your Writing (Plus a Free Printable Worksheet!)
As I sat in my bathtub wishing I had all the time in the world to shave my legs, cook delicious meals, spend quality time with my friends and family, keep my house clean, conquer world domination, and rearrange my Yu-Gi-Oh deck, I realized I didn't have enough hours in a day, so I'd have to pick and choose. Pretty basic realization, but us overachievers can get carried away sometimes. We're only human, and we only have twenty-four hours in a day. The struggle is real. I'll have to push off world domination for another day because family time comes first. And then I have to decide between cooking good meals or cleaning...hmm, tough choice.
And these are choices our characters should have to face too. After all, they're just as human and you and I. It's actually something you should put a lot of thought into when creating your characters. Why? Because...
1. It keeps our character's consistent.
If a character holds their family in highest priority, they would never leave a loved one in crisis because it's time to go to work. If they prioritize work above all, they won't accept an invite out with friends if there's a nearing work deadline.
2. It helps us make decisions for our characters.
Or better yet, we know our characters inside out so it's obvious which decision they'll make. This is pretty similar to number one, but its different enough I wanted to make the distinction. Our characters should be faced with impossible decisions. There should be two things pulling them in different directions, and the choice is going to hurt no matter what. Depending on what they want the most, you'll know what they'll decide, even if the cost is grave.
3. Priorities help us understand our character's histories.
Because you're a brilliant, thoughtful, masterful writer, there's no way you're just going to randomly assign priorities. You're going to dive deep and wonder why this character absolutely has to put health before all else. Are they afraid of dying because they watched someone close to them die young? Are they a workaholic because they grew up in poverty and vowed to never return?
4. Priorities give us insight into where our characters are headed and what they want the most.
If your character dreams of curing cancer or inventing the solution to mass pollution, their main priority is going to be nourishing their mind. Probably followed by work or passion.
5. You can expertly set up moments for your characters to clash.
Where one character values friendship above all, and another values service work, there will be strife between them as one person chooses to honor their commitment at the soup kitchen over having a spontaneous friend trip.
In these examples, I've listed many priorities already, but here's nifty list of the 11 most common priorities in one easy-to-reference place:
1. Family
2. Finances
3. Friendship
4. Health
5. Home
6. Mind/Learning
7. Passion/Hobby
8. Rest
9. Service/Volunteering
10. Spirituality
11. Work
Sit down with your characters and really flesh this all out. Have a conversation and take some notes. You may even add priorities I haven't listed here. And just for you, I've included a Character Priorities Printable Worksheet so you can have a physical, visual space to figure this all out.
For quick reference in the future, pin this blog post. And if you found this helpful, please share with all your friends on social media. If the printable is helpful, please let me know!
You can find me here:
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And these are choices our characters should have to face too. After all, they're just as human and you and I. It's actually something you should put a lot of thought into when creating your characters. Why? Because...
1. It keeps our character's consistent.
If a character holds their family in highest priority, they would never leave a loved one in crisis because it's time to go to work. If they prioritize work above all, they won't accept an invite out with friends if there's a nearing work deadline.
2. It helps us make decisions for our characters.
Or better yet, we know our characters inside out so it's obvious which decision they'll make. This is pretty similar to number one, but its different enough I wanted to make the distinction. Our characters should be faced with impossible decisions. There should be two things pulling them in different directions, and the choice is going to hurt no matter what. Depending on what they want the most, you'll know what they'll decide, even if the cost is grave.
3. Priorities help us understand our character's histories.
Because you're a brilliant, thoughtful, masterful writer, there's no way you're just going to randomly assign priorities. You're going to dive deep and wonder why this character absolutely has to put health before all else. Are they afraid of dying because they watched someone close to them die young? Are they a workaholic because they grew up in poverty and vowed to never return?
4. Priorities give us insight into where our characters are headed and what they want the most.
If your character dreams of curing cancer or inventing the solution to mass pollution, their main priority is going to be nourishing their mind. Probably followed by work or passion.
5. You can expertly set up moments for your characters to clash.
Where one character values friendship above all, and another values service work, there will be strife between them as one person chooses to honor their commitment at the soup kitchen over having a spontaneous friend trip.
In these examples, I've listed many priorities already, but here's nifty list of the 11 most common priorities in one easy-to-reference place:
1. Family
2. Finances
3. Friendship
4. Health
5. Home
6. Mind/Learning
7. Passion/Hobby
8. Rest
9. Service/Volunteering
10. Spirituality
11. Work
Sit down with your characters and really flesh this all out. Have a conversation and take some notes. You may even add priorities I haven't listed here. And just for you, I've included a Character Priorities Printable Worksheet so you can have a physical, visual space to figure this all out.
For quick reference in the future, pin this blog post. And if you found this helpful, please share with all your friends on social media. If the printable is helpful, please let me know!
You can find me here:
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