(I found this article, and thought it'd be a great exercise for a writer as a way to get to know their character(s) when beginning a new story. Personally, I'm going to incorporate this idea, however, each character essay will be for my eyes only.)

http://www.essortment.com/writing-character-sketch-essay-61346.html

Writing A Character Sketch Essay

Writing a Character Sketch Essay in four easy steps. The goal is to give the reader information and to do so with such insight the reader is transformed into the mind of the character.

An essay is a short literary composition that deals with its subject in a non-technical aspect. It is like having a conversation about a certain topic, or subject, but doing so on paper, instead of with words. The main goal of a character sketch is to give the reader some information on the subject at hand and to do so with such insight that the reader can be transformed into the mind of the character.

An essay is composed of three to five paragraphs. The paragraphs should be well written and convey only one principal idea. The paragraphs should not be more than six to eight type-written lines. The paragraphs should also have some sort of order to them, the subject matter should not jump around, causing the reader to become lost.

Things to avoid in a character sketch essay are technical terms that are not only hard to understand, but take away from the smoothness of the essay being read.

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And to do so, you will need to follow the following steps:

1. The introductory paragraph introduces the subject. This is a central insight or thesis statement that includes the important character traits (behavior, personality) of the subject, which will be given towards the end of the paragraph.

2. The body paragraphs each have a topic sentence. A topic sentence is basically a statement that portrays a particular trait, which will be discussed in greater detail, in that paragraph.

3. Each paragraph includes sufficient detail about the experiences, and such, that support the trait being discussed. These are the most interesting things about the character, as to captivate and involve the reader.

4. The essay will finalize much like it began, with a focused comment about the most important character traits that have been developed and supported throughout the entire essay.