Should I write a short bio for every single one of my characters?

Question

I know I should write them for my main character and supporting cast, but I'm not sure about minor-minor characters, ones who aren't mentioned a whole lot, but make their presence known.

Answer 1

     Hello, love.

     No, there's no point for every character.  Bios for the main ones, yes, but even then it's only really necessary for the protagonist and antagonist.  Some authors don't even do that.  They argue that it's better for the readers to imagine what they look like, etc.  But personally I think the main and important characters should have a description, and perhaps some of their habits, idiosyncrasies, etc., to give them depth.

Hope this helps,

Mike B

Answer 2

I am wondering what you mean...  Are you writing a book?  Are the characters ones whom you've created for your novel?  If so, and if you are writing fiction, you wouldn't write "short bios" for any of them -- major or minor.  In the course of your writing, you would introduce pertinent information about the main characters as well as physical descriptions of them, but both of the preceding should flow with the story-line rather than to take a form which would detract or distract from the plot.  I hope what I've written is helpful and is information you were seeking with your question...

Answer 3

If you are planning on twists that make a minor character major, then you better do one for all.

Answer 4

Hi Silverlight,

Every author has her own way of getting to know her characters.  You should do what feels natural, because that is the way that's going to serve you best.

Some authors are detail oriented and they like to write everything down, and some authors get to know their character as they write them, and let them evolve naturally.  (Actually, characters evolve over the course of the book whether you want them to or not - that's a good thing!)

I'm a detailed person - I like to know my characters in a lot of depth, so I do write bios for them all, including their histories, their family, their favorite things, fears, physical attributes, etc.  This helps me to know what they would do in a new situation - and it helps me avoid contradictions.  I write more detail for my main characters than the minor ones, but I definitely like to know more about my characters than my readers will ever know.

If you want to write the bios for the minor characters, go ahead.  If it feels like a chore and you don't feel like it, then don't.  That means that you're more focused on the story itself - and you should follow that impulse.

Whatever you do, have fun with it - and good luck!

Answer 5

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