Character Development and Worldbuilding

I help writers and other creatives explore their characters, and the worlds those characters live in, so that they can write them with more confidence. I have a background in psychology, extending into an interest in worldbuilding, which you can read about in my introduction, here.

How Does This Work?

If you decide to go ahead and work with me, I'll send you a questionnaire to capture as much information as possible about your character, species, or the world they live in. You send it back to me, and I'll write up as much as I can into a profile or lore bible, along with comments and questions to help you explore deeper and see blind spots. From here, we'll play 'commission tennis', sending the document back and forth, until it's either complete, or you've got what you want from the exercise.

Please note I offer more than character exploration and worldbuilding. I can do critiques as well. Check my services page for more information.

TCC's History

I founded The Character Consultancy in 2018, because I needed to be able to work flexible hours to complete my counselling diploma, and because I was already trained well enough to use what I'd learned. Offering consultations about fictional characters seemed like an ideal way to pay my bills until I qualified. When my employer of the time turned me down for flexible working, The Character Consultancy was born!

The Character Consultancy seemed like a great name at first... but then I got deeper into the work.

How, for example, do vampires handle uneven power dynamics in their relationships with humans without letting domination snowball, Stanford Prison Experiment style? How can a farmer's daughter plausibly become a Navy Seal? Do your dragons lay eggs and abandon them to fend for themselves, or do they nurture their young, and what does that mean for the adults' feelings of autonomy in that culture?

Each of these issues involve interpersonal dynamics, but they all base their responses on their culture. Vampires may make use of ritual and tradition to regulate their behaviour towards humans. That farmer's daughter will need experiences to toughen her up so the Navy doesn't reject her outright, and farms are dangerous enough to explore likely options. Reptilian dragons may respond differently to prenatal abandonment than an eagle chick, or ant larvae.

Culture is broad and deep, so holding fictional cultures can be demanding, but I'm trained to do just that.

I qualified in 2022 and have put TCC on the back burner since then, but I still love running it and take the occasional commission.