Character Journal
Questions for effective character buidling
Who you are - past
Who you are - now
Where are you? Describe it in detail (you must create this for the audience, so be as detailed as possible.)
I am in Barcelona, in a lab dedicated to discovering how to efficiently preserve food. There are tables everywhere with samples of food and objects to inspect them. There are microscopes and other tools to observe bacteria growth in the food over time. Most of the lab is white, but there is not a big budget for upkeep, so while our tools are somewhat new and clean, the space is older and used.
What are you wearing? How does this affect your body? (Think heels for women, heavy coats, suits, rags and bare feet…)
I am wearing an apron, as required in the lab, with professional clothes underneath. Women in the workforce must always be dressed very modestly and professionally, with suits, skirts, heels, and blouses/blazers. Even though my money I can spend on clothes is limited, I creatively dress to always look my best.
What objects do you have around you that you can pass the time with? (Tea, scientific materials, food to eat, things to clean, etc.)
I often pass the time with writing, but I actually love my job and enjoy conducting experiments to compile more research. When I am not in the lab, though, I like to tour Spain, as I have not lived here long. I go to cafes, I walk the streets, and I learn about the culture.
What you want
What do you want more than anything?
I want to change the face of food preservation. I want to make a difference and prove that even though I am a woman, I am intelligent and capable of doing something amazing.
What is your goal for the next 5 minutes? 5 years? Life?
My goal in the next 5 minutes is to analyze the results from my latest experiment. In the next 5 years, I want to make huge strides forward in food preservation. By the end of my life, I want to travel to other places to help them save money, time, and health by preserving food safely and wisely.
What will happen if you don’t get it?
I hold myself to high standards, and I know that whatever I set out to do, I will do my absolute best to finish and finish right. If I don’t complete all of my life goals, all that matters to me is that I’ve lived a respectable life worth living, and that I helped as many people as I could.
What is your job right now?
What is your goal for the next two hours?
My goal for the next two hours is to collect data from guests on their reactions to the preserved food. I will learn how they like the taste of different types of preserved food. I will use this in my research as data on how the public enjoys food that has been preserved.
What do you need to accomplish?
I need a space to record my results, samples to give out, and people to give them to.
Who can help you with this?
I have a lab partner that has helped me prep the samples and hand them out.
What can help you with this?
I don’t need a lot to help me with this, because all I need is people to taste the food and a space to hand it out.
- What is your full name? Holly Elizabeth
- What else are you called? (nickname?) Holly
- What is your sex? Female
- What is your age? 30
- What is your height and weight? 5’6’’, 117 lbs
- What color are your hair, eyes, skin, etc.? Brown, Blue, White
- What sort of posture do you have? Fairly straight posture when standing or walking, but I slouch when I sit.
- What is your overall appearance? (good-looking, over- or underweight, clean, neat, pleasant, untidy. Shape of head, face, limbs, etc.) Fairly good looking and thin. Neat and tidy all the time. Petite with a slightly rounded face and defined cheekbones.
- Any defects? (deformities, abnormalities, birthmarks, diseases) No noticeable abnormalities, but is allergic to many things.
- Where do you live? (city, state, country) Barcelona, Spain
- Where were you born? Los Angleles, California, USA
- What class of society are you? (working, ruling, middle, poor) Middle class
- What is your occupation? (type of work, hours of work, income, condition of work, work ethic, union or non-union, attitude toward organization, suitability for your work) I work as a chemist in the food industry, researching new ways to preserve food that are faster, better, and less expensive. I work long hours and have always produced quality work. I am not always respected, as women do not usually have well paying high level education jobs.
- What is your education? (amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects, poorest subjects, aptitudes.) College graduate with a degree in chemistry and food sciences. My favorite subject since childhood has been science, and I’ve always had a knack for it.
- What about your home life? (parents living, earning power, orphan, parents separated or divorced, parents' habits, parents' mental development, parents' vices, neglect) My parents married young, but are still married today. Though they hit some rough patches when the Great Depression came, our family has always held together.
- Do you have any brothers and sisters? How many older and how many younger? Five brothers and sisters. Two younger sisters, two older brothers, and one older sister.
- What do you remember about the house you grew up in? It was a small apartment in the city of Los Angeles, and it felt smaller with all of my family living in it. We had three bedrooms, beige walls, a few paintings, and some basic furniture. We never had a lot, but we always had everything we needed.
- What religion do you practice if any? Catholic
- What is your race or nationality? American
- What are your political affiliations? Independent
- What do you do for amusement? (hobbies, books, newspapers, magazines you read, TV programs you watch if applicable) I enjoy painting, reading, and writing. I always loved journaling when I was in school, and like to write down my thoughts or feelings when I have time on my own.
- What about the neighborhood you grew up in and what were some of the special occasions in your family? (holidays, reunions, picnics, vacations, etc.) I grew up in a poor neighborhood, but I had a lot of friends near me. My family and I never had money for vacations, but we would always go out together and have picnics or see a show at the theatre.
- Name some of the special homemade foods you ate as a child. I would come home some days and my mom would make me special treats like fruit cocktails. I loved fruit, so little bowls of fresh fruit always made me happy.
- Name and describe some of the games you played as a child. My sisters and I loved jump rope and playing little racing games. I was pretty athletic and always challenged my neighborhood friends to races and other games.
- What is your favorite childhood memory? My favorite childhood memory is when I got to go on a road trip with my father. He always worked long hours and went on different road trips to see clients and business partners. One time, when I was about 11, he let me join him. I got to go to Washington and see parts of the US I had never seen before! It was very exciting and I got to bond with my father more. We had so much fun together and I will never forget it.
- What is your worst childhood memory? My worst childhood memory is when I got in a car crash. I was in the car with my uncle and we got hit by a large truck. I wasn’t hurt too bad, but it scared me for years and I still get nervous in cars.
- What is your best feature? I think that my best feature is my optimism. Even in times when my family was having trouble, we were poor, or I felt alone in my profession, I have always tried to look on the bright side of things, and it helped me get through the tough situations.
Who you are - now
Where are you? Describe it in detail (you must create this for the audience, so be as detailed as possible.)
I am in Barcelona, in a lab dedicated to discovering how to efficiently preserve food. There are tables everywhere with samples of food and objects to inspect them. There are microscopes and other tools to observe bacteria growth in the food over time. Most of the lab is white, but there is not a big budget for upkeep, so while our tools are somewhat new and clean, the space is older and used.
What are you wearing? How does this affect your body? (Think heels for women, heavy coats, suits, rags and bare feet…)
I am wearing an apron, as required in the lab, with professional clothes underneath. Women in the workforce must always be dressed very modestly and professionally, with suits, skirts, heels, and blouses/blazers. Even though my money I can spend on clothes is limited, I creatively dress to always look my best.
What objects do you have around you that you can pass the time with? (Tea, scientific materials, food to eat, things to clean, etc.)
I often pass the time with writing, but I actually love my job and enjoy conducting experiments to compile more research. When I am not in the lab, though, I like to tour Spain, as I have not lived here long. I go to cafes, I walk the streets, and I learn about the culture.
What you want
What do you want more than anything?
I want to change the face of food preservation. I want to make a difference and prove that even though I am a woman, I am intelligent and capable of doing something amazing.
What is your goal for the next 5 minutes? 5 years? Life?
My goal in the next 5 minutes is to analyze the results from my latest experiment. In the next 5 years, I want to make huge strides forward in food preservation. By the end of my life, I want to travel to other places to help them save money, time, and health by preserving food safely and wisely.
What will happen if you don’t get it?
I hold myself to high standards, and I know that whatever I set out to do, I will do my absolute best to finish and finish right. If I don’t complete all of my life goals, all that matters to me is that I’ve lived a respectable life worth living, and that I helped as many people as I could.
What is your job right now?
What is your goal for the next two hours?
My goal for the next two hours is to collect data from guests on their reactions to the preserved food. I will learn how they like the taste of different types of preserved food. I will use this in my research as data on how the public enjoys food that has been preserved.
What do you need to accomplish?
I need a space to record my results, samples to give out, and people to give them to.
Who can help you with this?
I have a lab partner that has helped me prep the samples and hand them out.
What can help you with this?
I don’t need a lot to help me with this, because all I need is people to taste the food and a space to hand it out.