Honestly, the characters I’m proudest of came from minimal‑requirement sign‑ups. When I’m given a giant sheet to fill out, I feel like I’m being asked to pre‑write the character instead of discover them. It narrows the possibilities — personality, arc, even the emotional range — before I’ve had a chance to see how they actually behave on the page.

But when the requirements are light, something clicks. I get to meet the character as I write them. Their voice sharpens, their flaws show up naturally, and their story grows in directions I never could’ve planned in a template. That freedom is where my best work comes from.