So you want to write fantasy. You want to see what it takes to make a story of magic, and dragons and…

Dwarves?

Dwarves have been an underserved staple of fantasy for years. They hold a special place in some of our earliest stories. After all, Snow White would have been in far more trouble if she hadn’t found the seven dwarves.

This month we’re exploring how to build a story a few elements at a time. Today we’ll explore dwarves and over the rest of the month build up more elements before finally putting them together to help start a longer work.

Inspiration

There are many places to find inspiration for dwarves. Fairy tales and mythology from around the world can help inform them. Your local library will likely have a selection of books to check out.

Another good place to look at is in roleplay guides. Check out secondhand bookshops for physical copies of outdate game guides for things like Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons. The reason is simple: these games are designed to help you tell a story, which makes them an invaluable resource for writers.

Wherever you go looking for your inspiration, take an hour or so and make some notes on ideas you particularly like.

Creating Dwarven Characters

Once you’ve started building your dwarf race, you should be about ready to start creating dwarven characters. Before we get into creating your characters however, let’s take a moment and address an issue your dwarves might very well be facing if they’re interacting with people other than their own: size.

Most fantasy dwarves are described as being short. This is something to consider as they move through your world for a couple of reasons: standard size equipment might not work for a dwarf. That also includes things like tables and counters, which might be just a bit too high for a dwarf to use comfortably.

A fun exercise: figure out how tall your dwarves would be on average, then mark that same point on your body with a piece of tape or a sticky note. Walk around your house and see how many things would be at or above head level for your dwarves. Remember that the tape marks out the top of their head as you go!

Another thing to consider for your dwarves size is how their reduced height might impact both how they build things, and how they handle size discrepancy when talking with taller folk. Is it considered rude to invite your seven-foot elf to sit down when talking to a four-foot dwarf? Or is that just common practice for comfort and practicality?

Exercise: Dwarven Character Concepts

By now you have enough information to at least get started on your character. You’ve gotten some ideas and you’ve worked out the basic logistics of navigating the world. Now you can move onto creating your character. This is a longer exercise that will walk you through doing just that.

To get started, make a list of seven roles your dwarf might have. This could be an occupation, a family relation or even an identifying trait.

Now that you have your roles, come up with seven descriptors. That is, seven adjectives, that you think might go with your dwarf.

Alternately, you can use the table below to complete the exercise.

Descriptor	Role
Enchanted	Mason
Corrupted	Stonecutter
Glassy	Miner
Red	Builder
Crystallized	Jeweler
Gilded	Silversmith

Mix and match your descriptors and your roles until you have a couple of two-word concepts that sound interesting.

Example: ‘Corrupted Jeweler’ or ‘Glassy Silversmith’.

Now that you have a concept, it’s time to start asking questions.

Tip You can choose to name your character at any point but it may help to collect a few options for names until you have their profile completed.

Background

Think of what in their history could have given them their concept as a title. What experience or achievement would have lead them down the path to becoming known for their concept?

Write 3-5 sentences outlining their history and how others view them.

Long Term Goals

For every story, your character should want something. Ask yourself what this character wants most out of life. What do they crave the most and why? Write 2-3 sentences.

Short Term Goals

Finally, figure out what your character is trying to achieve this week or even today. How does their short term goal help them reach their long term goal, or how does it distract them from their long term goal? Write 2-3 sentences on their short-term goal.

What character concepts did you come up with? Let me know in the comments below!