Character Profile Templates

Character profile templates are simply a record of the detailed characteristics of each individual in a novel. 

They allow you to understand your characters on a deeper level, serve as character prompts, and maintain an ongoing record of essential details as your story evolves. 

Character Profile Templates


Character profile templates are simply a record of the detailed characteristics of each individual in a novel. 

They allow you to understand your characters on a deeper level, serve as character prompts, and maintain an ongoing record of essential details as your story evolves. 

Characters Drive the Story

Characters Drive the Story

Every story must have a main character - otherwise known as the Protagonist. It is their journey that the story follows. While there may be other major characters, the focus of the story is on the personal journey that the Protagonist undertakes.  

It’s the main character that drives the story, making characterization one of the most critical elements of writing. The Protagonist and their cast of characters are not secondary to the plot; the plotline is the vessel for their journey. 

As the story unfolds around the Protagonist’s actions, it reveals their journey of growth. Stories survive on conflict, and that conflict is primarily experienced or caused by the Protagonist. Whether the conflict is internal or external, it represents the struggles undertaken from the start to the end of the book.  

Consider the overall character arc. The Protagonist is usually living within their comfort zone before being thrown into turmoil early in the story, thus engaging the reader. That is followed by a series of challenges that the main character needs to undertake to reach their ultimate goal. Many times, they will fail the challenges that are thrust on them because characters, like us, must win some and lose some to continue growing.  

How to Write Good Character Descriptions

Quality character descriptions are imperative to a good story. The reason readers will continue to read your book is that they care about the characters! Also, like in real life, they are more likely to care about them if they can understand and empathize with them. 

It’s a great idea to start developing characters and their traits before you begin writing the novel. In saying that, you only need a bare-bones outline, and as the story unfolds you can add depth to their personalities. If you don’t have a clear vision of a character, don’t be afraid to begin with an archetype. Archetypes often have their place in a story – the bully, the villain, the seductress, the village idiot – the list is endless. However, use these archetypes only as a framework. Make sure you then use the prompts in the character sheets to flesh out their characteristics, making them unique and not stereotypical. There is an excellent article for further reading here, written by Valeria Black. 

Character Archetypes
Character Profile Templates

Try writing short practice scenes featuring your characters. Getting to know them ‘off-stage’ gives you an understanding of what they are like outside the main storyline. It becomes easier to predict how they will react in a variety of situations, once you start to understand what makes them tick.  

Start outlining the basic ideas of your character using the character profile templates, then pad-out and update the information as it comes to you. Even if you are a writer who likes to wing-it, recording details are still a necessity if you want to reduce headaches during the drafting, rewriting and editing processes. 

Character Worksheets

Remember there is much more to a character profile than physical attributes. Personality traits and other characteristics are more interesting than someone’s appearance. These details can add positive depth to your story that you may never even have intended!

Try to think outside the box when it comes to descriptions, using prompts like the character’s darkest secret or most embarrassing experience to flesh out their personality.  

One quick trick is to give some of your characters ‘props’. Props provide insight into their personality and can also serve as an introduction to conflict.  

Let’s look at a couple of examples:  

1. Minor character Harry is the man next door who is quite bland in both looks and personality. 

We don’t want to spend time describing Harry’s characteristics as he is a minor character, but by giving him a pipe as his prop throughout the story, he becomes more interesting. The pipe in itself may suggest to the reader that he is older, perhaps slower in pace, and possibly eccentric. 

The pipe can also introduce conflict when he loses it, it burns something, or causes a coughing fit mid-conversation. It may also cause speculation when it is reported that ‘the man in question was smoking a pipe’. Could this man then be Harry? 

2. One of the Protagonist’s allies, Carl, has a small dog that he takes everywhere with him, suggesting Carl may be loving, loyal and playful. He may also like to attract ladies by allowing them to pat the dog. 

It can also introduce conflict when the dog gets into a scuffle with another animal or chews up Carl's important documents. 


SPECIAL OFFER

Download, free

Download Now

Fictional Characters Must be Relatable

There is nothing like connecting a reader to a story than having them relate to some area of the character’s lives. Weave details of your characters’ past, dreams, and fears throughout the story and readers are sure to pick up elements that relate to experiences in their own life, or other people they know in the real world.  

Even if your character is an alien or fantasy figure, they should still have relatable characteristics like fear of abandonment, an itchy rash, or a more prominent nose than everybody else. These subtle features can make your readers connect and empathise with your fictional beings, while still keeping them real and relatable within their own premise. 

Read Charlotte Dillon’s article, particularly the section ‘Perfection Doesn’t Exist’ for further information.  

Fictional Characters

The reader wants to get to know the characters on a deeper level. They want to understand them little by little in the same way that happens in real life. We learn a little about someone in the first instance, but as we delve further, we start to unravel a complex and layered personality. Everyone has good qualities, but they also have faults and issues. Make significant characters vulnerable and flawed, with distinct weaknesses.  

''If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.'' - Richard Bach

Select the Best Cast of Characters for Your Story

Select the most appropriate characters for your novel by carefully thinking about each of their roles in the story.  

How will they impact the story? 

Are they are a major or minor character? 

If they are in a supporting role, what purpose do they serve? 

What is their impact on the Protagonist’s journey? 

All characters serve a purpose and deserve to have unique attributes. For minor characters there is no need to complete the character profile templates in full, but at least document some of their main characteristics.  

The Protagonist

Protagonist

The Protagonist is the hero of the story! It is their story, and they are the stars of the show.  

First and foremost, don’t base your Protagonist on yourself or someone you know. Read Susan Perabo’s article here for more information on why this can be a mistake.  

The overall story arc is the vehicle that takes the Protagonist on their journey of growth, and almost everything else revolves around this. So much so, that an individual scene can become irrelevant without it being in the context of how it relates to the character's situation. With this in mind, it is essential that you flesh out the Protagonist’s profile as much as possible.  

Qualities readers tend to like in a Protagonist are: dependable, modest and humorous (amongst other things) – read this article by Novel Writing Help for more information on what makes an interesting and likeable Protagonist.  

The Antagonist

Every great story features a challenging opponent! There is no easy path for your main character to get what they want and they must encounter an Antagonist who is trying to stop them from reaching their goal.  

Several Antagonists may emerge throughout the story, varying in their degree of resistance, however; there should be one clear, major rival throughout the story.  

The Antagonist and Protagonist are always competing for the same thing. That is why they continue to clash throughout the story. Antagonists can come in the form of a spouse, parent, police officer, murderer, boss, or just someone who wants the same thing as they do but is determined to get there first. 

Antagonist

Make the Protagonist and the Antagonist inseparable. This way one of them can’t just simply walk away. If the Antagonist is the boss or the mother-in-law, for example, the Protagonist will find the situation far more complicated to deal with.  

When completing the Antagonist’s character profile, remember that like everyone, they are layered and complex beings. They are not simply ‘bad’. Give them at least some endearing qualities so your readers can relate to them, and even understand their motives. 

So Why is the Character Profile Template So Important?

Most writers use character profile templates, while many writers choose not to. It’s all about personal preference, but personally, I can’t live without them! 

Other than keeping an up to date record of the details of each character, they also allow you to explore your characters beyond face value. Profile templates create depth of character and continuity of detail throughout your book. It’s inevitable that character traits will change as your story unfolds, so keeping an up-to-date record is very valuable.  

Novel Suite’s character sheets are expansive, but by no means exhaustive. There are many other characteristics and notes you may wish to keep for some of your characters. Download these templates and duplicate for each character. They can be filled in directly on your screen, or printed if you prefer.  

Share on Google+Share on LinkedIn