Have you ever read your book while in edit mode only to realize that Mary’s eyes turned from brown to blue at some point? Or was she miraculously born in two different towns? Keeping all the details together for your character can make the difference in keeping clean characterization and details in your work in progress (believe me, readers will notice.)
Or perhaps you’re a plotter like me, and you love to plan out each character, who they are, and how they think (and also, like me, your memory is more a sieve than a steel trap), and you need a place to write down all of your thoughts and dreams and disasters planned for them. That requires a Character Profile.
This Character Profile template is part of my Work in Progress notebook, where you can keep all the details of your book. But if all you’re looking for is the character details, this post is for you.
This profile breaks down the character into a few categories:
- Name and Books
- Physical Appearance
- Basic Details
- Family and Social Ties
- GMC (Goals, Motivations and Conflicts)
- Book Excerpts
If you prefer to build your own, here are the basic questions asked. You can easily copy and paste this below.
The questions to ask
Character Name:
Nicknames:
BOOKS/SERIES
Books Included:
Role:
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Hair Color:
Eye Color:
Height:
Weight:
Skin ColorType:
Birthmarks:
Posture/Shape:
Dominant Hand: Left | Right
Fashion/Style:
Health:
Other Identifying:
Character Inspiration:
Is there an inspiration for this character? Drop an image in here:
BASIC DETAILS
Age:
Birthdate:
Gender:
Birthplace:
Race/Nationality:
Marital Status:
Education:
Titles or Degrees:
Current Residence:
Own/Rent/other?
Language(s):
Financial Status:
FAMILY & SOCIAL TIES
Significant Relationships (important to the Character’s Journey) – add details and which book(s) this part of the story moves forward.
Mother:
Father:
Sibling(s):
Sibling(s):
Children:
Friends:
GMC (GOALS, MOTIVATION, CONFLICT)
Significant Factors:
What events have affected your character and how?
Introvert or Extrovert?
How does that impact their actions?
Positive Traits
Negative Traits
Goals at the start of the novel (What do they want?)
What do they need?
Internal Conflicts:
External Conflicts:
What is one fear that affects them in this story?
What is something they are known for?
Other Notes:
EXCERPTS/MENTIONS IN BOOK(S)
Copy and paste description paragraphs or significant moments you want to remember here:
Book:
Page #:
Excerpt:
GET THE TEMPLATE:
Prefer to have an easy Google Doc template already created for you? Get that below by adding in your email address, and you’ll get it right in your inbox.
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash