One of the most helpful tools that I use when writing is my character matrix. Addicted to MS Excel spreadsheets, I found the logic of using this tool to ensure that I had characters that truly interacted with each other in a natural way.
To do this, I simply listed out the names of the primary characters across the top and then the same names along the left side. In each of the boxes of my matrix I list out how the person (or character) recorded in the top of that column feels about the person listed on the left of that row.
So, let’s say the grumpy old man, Sam, feels that the thin young boy, Tim, is unfit for combat duty. I type that in that specific cell of the matrix grid. Sam also feels there is no place in a war zone for females such as Maria…
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