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Seeing 2020
Why I Sort All My Characters Into Harry Potter Houses
How to use the Sorting Hat Chats methodology to delve deeper into character development
Do you have a story, but your characters feel one-dimensional? Are character questionnaires just not cutting it for you? Are you struggling to find a way to tie your plot in with your character?
Whenever I start a new fiction project, I make myself a large cup of tea, carve out a few hours, and pull up The Sorting Hat Chats.
What is that, you ask? Well, it’s a tumblr account (run by Inky and Kat) with a lengthy discussion of the Harry Potter house sorting system.
Wait! Don’t click away. Even if you don’t like Harry Potter, you can — and should — use this site.
The basis of the site is steeped in Harry Potter canon (which means they use Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff as distinguishers), but at it’s core, it’s a discussion of human traits, broken down into a brilliant system.
Seriously. Just go with me.
For years I tried to answer rigid character questionnaires, as if knowing the height, weight, eye color, and family history of my character would help me while drafting.
