How to Create Fictional Characters, Part 1

Regardless of your genre, authors, screenwriters, and playwrights have much to think about when creating a character. One tool to help is a kind of fill-in-the-blanks template you can use for each one. I’ve developed a rather extensive one over the years and share it here. It can be overkill, so don’t feel the need to completely fill it out – you may never get around to writing a story if you do it all for every character!

This is a multi-part blog, with this one focusing on an overview. Part 2 will discuss personal life, relationships, adventuring, equipment, combat, and the supernatural. Since I’m a fantasy author, some of this applies to my genre but may not to yours. Part 3 includes a downloadable template (for Word or as a PDF).

Role in the Story

What purpose does this character serve for your story and in relation to your main character?  If a main character, more of this template should be filled out.  Minor characters need less.

General Description

Overall

Describe this character in 2-3 sentences.  You should have this ready in case someone asks and for your own benefit.

Physical Appearance

Include any scars, tattoos, or distinguishing marks, plus body type, size, and the usual height/weight and coloring info.  What impression do they create?  How do they feel about their appearance?  Do they let themselves go or stay fit and tidy?  Have any vices impacted their appearance?  How old are they, and how old do they feel/look/wish they were?  Does he have any injuries that still affect him?

HeightHeight in feet or just tall, medium, short
WeightA number or just fitness level
Eyes
HairInclude length with color

Art of World Building Banner

Mental Appearance

Intelligence and Wisdom

How smart/dumb is he and about what?  Book smarts vs. real world smarts?  People smart?  Emotionally smart?

Disposition/Temperament

Is he friendly, shy, bold, cocky, laid back, uptight, nervous, quiet until you know him?

Passions, Vices, Ideas, Fears, & Torments

What ideas drive him?  What vices does he have?  What is he passionate about?  What torments or haunts him (any demons?)?   What is he afraid of and what is the greatest fear (does he know it?)?

Desires, Goals, and Intentions

Who/what does he want to be with, achieve, or avoid and why?  Is he compassionate, self-absorbed, indifferent?

What He Thinks of Himself

How self-aware is he?  For all the attributes you wrote above, does he know these things or not?  Is he an unreliable narrator if you’re writing in first person?

What Others Think of Him

This means people who know him.

Reputation

This means people who do not know him.  Reputation is an opinion about a stranger.

Gods, Religion, and Beliefs

What religion does he follow and does he actually believe in it or just go through the motions?  Is he a sinner?  Holier-than-thou?  Tolerant or intolerant?  Is he an atheist?  Do religions please him or drive him nuts?  Does he act in accordance with his beliefs or is he a hypocrite?  Does he know this on some level?

What does he actually believe?  Is he right/wrong?

Has he ever changed what he believes or religions?  Why?

Strengths

Does he know his strengths?  What are they?  Do people resent them or appreciate them?  Does he resent or appreciate that?

Weaknesses

Does he know his weaknesses, including vices?  What are they?  Do people know about them?  Is he scorned or mocked for them?  Do others take advantage?  Does he try to hide them to prevent them or from shame?  How much control over his life do they have?  Have they ever destroyed him?  Will they?  Does he triumph or succumb?  What is his fate?  Will he be a cautionary tale?

You can read Part 2 here.

Author’s Shouldn’t Try to Be Funny in Their Bios

There’s a lot of advice on how to write a professional author bio, and here’s mine: don’t try to be funny or clever.  It seldom works.  It can also make you look juvenile, narcissistic, and unprofessional.  Here are some examples of bad Read More …

Evaluating Artist Feedback, Part 1

Whether a musician, author, or other artist, we’ve all received feedback on our work.  Obtaining meaningful feedback is an art all its own.  Sometimes we have to work at it, deciphering comments to figure out what someone means, so I’ve Read More …

Evaluating Artist Feedback, Part 2

This is part two of the blog about evaluating feedback on your writing or other artistic pursuits. Read part 1 here. Biased Feedback A person giving negative feedback can be biased in some way. We can sometimes tell from their Read More …

Getting My Book In Book Stores

When I decided to start self-publishing, people began asking me if I can get my book in stores, to which I’ve said no, not really. They almost always ask in amazement, “Don’t you want to see your novel in book Read More …

Guest Post: Unconventional Writing Tools

4 Unconventional Tools to Fix Common Creative Writing Problems by Guest Blogger Ethan Miller Once upon a time, there lived a writer who churned bestsellers after bestsellers without breaking a sweat. Words flowed out of him with such ridiculous ease Read More …

How Agents and Publishers Think About Manuscripts

Like most authors, I’ve submitted books to agents and either gotten no response or the form rejection letter. Well, let me be specific – I’ve sent a query letter, one page summary, and anywhere from 5 pages to 3 chapters Read More …

How to Create Fictional Characters, Part 1

Regardless of your genre, authors, screenwriters, and playwrights have much to think about when creating a character. One tool to help is a kind of fill-in-the-blanks template you can use for each one. I’ve developed a rather extensive one over Read More …

How To Create Fictional Characters, Part 2

This is the second in a series on creating fictional characters.  Part 1 covered an overview. You can download the full template as a Word doc or a PDF. Personal Life General History Family & Upbringing This includes place of Read More …

How To Create Fictional Characters, Part 3

If you’re creating a character for fantasy or another genre where they go adventuring, this part of the template may help you.  You can download the full template as a Word doc or a PDF or read Part 1 and Read More …

The Importance of Death

I watch a lot of SciFi (and when available, fantasy) on TV and in movies.  All too often, death means nothing.  A major character can be killed off and I just shrug, knowing they’ll be back, sometimes before the episode Read More …

Writers Block vs. Idea Block

Most authors have “writer’s block” at some point, but I suspect we’re often suffering from something I call “idea block”.  The definition of writer’s block is “the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to Read More …