Often, whenever character sheets list personalities, I find some sort of problem with it being one-dimensional, contradictory, too detailed, or not detailed enough. This is because there's a delicate balance. It has to be believable, while still being general.
Personalities are hard to write in character sheets, because people are not very likely to be confined into one or two sentences.
Being too specific can result in contradictory sounding personalities. This is because people typically react differently under different circumstances. Allow me to quote fromCharacter Sheet: Domi...
Personality: It seems he has weak nerves, as he's rather skittish and is prone to resorting to panic. There are times when he gains sudden courage and will try to be the hero - but so far, it's only caused trouble.
It would be nice to know under what circumstances he “gains sudden courage,” so that this doesn’t leave open an excuse to change the character’s behavior at random, freely.
The only thing I wanted specified was circumstance, because some people may find it unfavorable to play a more timid character. I am not against a character reacting differently under pressure, but it really depends on what kind of pressure it is. It would be so disappointing for someone to just discard the nervousness and timidness of a character. It's such a rare trait to find, and I like that trait.
However, most people do have circumstances under which they react differently. I treat people differently when I know they're racist, for example. Sometimes, I treat people more positively when they wear Old Spice, because it makes me think of my grandpa and it's soothing.
Some readers will refuse to believe this, but I am not all critical bitch. That is merely one part of me. I tend to largely be sarcastic, but I am also softhearted (yes, I hear you cry "bullshit," and "yeah right." Whatever. It's true).
However, like some people will call bullshit because they don't see me under various circumstances, people will see contradictions in longer, more detailed personalities because these personality sheets are still not detailed enough to show without even more awkward explanations why these are not just plain contradictions.
It's hard to make a concise personality that sounds believable without also sounding flat. It's nearly impossible to capture most characters' personalities in full, in just a personality description. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try, if you include personality in your character sheet.
Really, the best advice is to keep it simple, but not so simple that the personality feels totally flat - perhaps somewhat generic, maybe. This takes working and reworking, sometimes, as it tends to in writing, to get the wording just right.
If possible, role play with that character, first, and then get a better feel for that character's personality. Having actual action behind your character makes it feel more tangible and easier to write out in a summation on a character sheet.
If you never get it right, don't worry. It's not the end of the world, because it isn't necessary to the character sheet. Remember what I said about details.
Namárië.
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