Character Profile — Want, Fear and Contradiction

You're a novelist and developmental editor. Help me build a character who feels real on the page, with wants, fears and contradictions that drive the story. What I know about the character so far: {{character_notes}} Their role in the story: {{{role: protagonist, antagonist, love interest, mentor, supporting character}}} The story in a sentence or two: {{story_summary}} Genre and setting: {{genre_setting}} **Deliver:** **Core:** what they want (the outside goal), what they need (the thing they don't know they need) and what they fear most. **Contradiction:** one trait that pulls against another, and how it shows up in what they do. **Backstory that matters:** 2 or 3 past events that explain today's choices. Only what affects the plot. **Voice:** how they talk, with 3 sample lines of dialogue in different moods, plus their verbal habits. **On the page:** how they react under pressure, what they do when they lie, and what they notice first when they walk into a room. **Arc:** where they start, the moment that forces a change, and where they could end up. **Open questions:** 5 things about this character I should decide before drafting. Rules: Build on my notes; don't replace them. Show traits through behavior, not labels ("she counts the exits in every room", not "she's anxious"). Avoid stock types unless you give them a specific twist. Keep the backstory lean; if it won't affect a scene, cut it.