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Last updated on Mar 08, 2024

How to Create the Ultimate Character Profile [+ Template]

Ask any great novelist and they’ll likely tell you that good writing starts with good characters. But sharp character development is also one of the toughest hills to climb, especially if you’ve struggled to think through those tried-and-true questions that keep you up at night:

Are my characters convincing?
Do my characters have depth?
How do I make sure my character has an arc ?

If you’re having these doubts, you might want to turn to the age-old solution: a character profile.

What is a character profile?

A character profile is a detailed biography of a persona that covers everything from their age and appearance to their relationships with others. By understanding parts of their life that readers might not discover during the course of the story, an author can better understand that character’s life, personality, motivations, and their function within a story.

In this post, we will show you our three-part process for assembling a character profile.

What makes a good character profile template?

Many character bibles present exercises that ask you, “If your character was a color, what color would they be?” For many writers, this is either overkill or a bit too 'woo-woo' for their tastes, and they prefer to create a profile that deals in verifiable facts: height, age, and profession.

Our suggestion lies somewhere between those two approaches, where you build a holistic picture of your character in the context of your story. Our character profile worksheet is in three parts. If you treat a person like an apple, they’re going to have three layers of depth: the “skin,” the “flesh,” and the “core.” (Otherwise known as their physical appearance, backstory, and psychology.) That’s how this character profile template is structured — and if you have a particular area that you’d like to hone, you can skip to it below. Otherwise, this character bible will start with the eagle eye’s view of your character.

We strongly recommend our character profile template in a PDF format and fill it out as you go along.

FREE RESOURCE

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

The Three-Part Character Profile Template:

The Outer Layer, or Physical Appearance
The Flesh, or Backstory
The Core, or Psychology

Part 1. The Outer Layer

To be able to identify a criminal, detectives build a painstakingly thorough file of said criminal’s physical characteristics.

That’s the goal of this section, which covers the “skin” of your character: everything from their outer appearance to the way that they speak. Think of it as a kind of offender profile — one that can help you spot your character in the middle of a crowded Times Square.

The Basics 📖

Place of birth
Current location
Nationality

Physical Appearance 👀

What's their:

Do they have any distinguishing features (tattoos, scars, birthmarks)?

What's their preferred outfit?

Do they wear glasses? 👓

What accessories are ALWAYS associated with them (cane, pipe, necklace, etc.)? 🌂

What's their usual level of grooming?

Smart, very put together
Untidy but clean

Do they have any distinguishing “tics” and mannerisms?

What's their health like? Do they suffer from chronic illnesses? 🏥

Describe their handwriting (sloppy, neat, careful, unintelligible). ✍

How do they walk? 👣

Confident, powerful strides
Lazy stroll
Fast, walks at a clip
Distracted, eyes on the ground

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Speech and Communication 💬

How do they talk (rapid, slow, measured, drawl, etc.)?

What's the style of their speech (elevated, educated, peppered with slang, etc.)?

Do they have an accent?

Stiff, military
Casual and relaxed
‘Turtle,’ tired

Do they gesture?

Only when agitated or eager
Doesn’t gesture
Compulsive “hand-talker”
Controlled, only to make a point
Other? If so, explain:

How much eye contact do they like to make (direct, shifty, etc.)?

What's their preferred curse word?

What's their catchphrase?

Any speech impediments?

What are any distinguishing speech “tics”?

What's their laugh like? What do they tend to find funny?

Describe their smile?

How emotive are they? Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve? How easily can others read them?

They have a resting _____ face.

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Part 2. The Flesh

Characters don’t exist in a vacuum — they’re a product of their environment.

This section in the character template dives a bit deeper into your character and covers their “flesh”: the people, circumstances, and formative influences that filled them out and made them who they are today. It’s the springboard to your character’s biography.

What's the name of their hometown? 🏡

What type of childhood did they have (sheltered, neglected, etc.)?

Describe their education. 🍏

Were they involved in organizations and clubs at school?

Gay / Straight Alliance

At graduation, they were named Most Likely To ___________ in the yearbook. 🎓

Jobs (if applicable)? What would their résumé look like? 💼

What was their dream job as a child? Why?

Who were their role models growing up? Describe them. 👨‍👦

What's their greatest regret?

What were their hobbies growing up? ⛳

Favorite place to be as a child?

What's their earliest memory?

What's their saddest memory?

What's their happiest memory?

What's their clearest memory?

What are their skeletons in the closet? 💀

If they could change one thing from their past, what would it be? Why? ⏳

Describe the major turning points or “life beats” in childhood.

What are three adjectives to describe them as a child?

What advice would they give to their younger self?

List their criminal record. ⚖

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Age (if living)
Briefly describe their relationship with your character
What are their names and ages?
Briefly describe their relationship(s) with your character

Children 👶(if applicable)

Extended family 👴

Grandparents
Uncles and aunts

What's their family's economic status? 💰

How often do they see their family in a year?

External Relationships 💜

Who are their closest friends? Describe them.

Who are their other significant friends? 👋

Enemies? Describe them. 😡

How are they perceived by:

strangers in the street?
acquaintances at a work function?
colleagues in the office?
authority figures?
friends in their friend circles?
the opposite sex?
extended family?

What social media platforms are they on?

X (formerly known as Twitter)
Other? If so, explain.

How would they use their social media platforms?

How would they fill out an online dating profile for themselves? ✨

What’s their role in a group dynamic? 💡

Who do they depend on for:

practical advice?
emotional support?
moral support?

How quickly do they respond to emails? 📨

What do they want from a relationship?

Who would be their ideal partner? 💖

Who is their significant other? Describe them. 💕

How many people would attend their funeral?

Part 3. The Core

We’ve come now to the “core”: who your character is deep down.

This section in the character profile worksheet covers the “heart” of your character. If a backstory shapes a dynamic character , this will define them. More importantly, it will help inform the two most important points leading up to your novel: the character’s story goal and story motivation .

Psychology 💭

What do they do on rainy days?

Street-smart or book-smart
An optimist or pessimist
Introverted or Extroverted

What is their favorite sound? 🔊

Favorite place in the world? 🌎

What secrets do they keep? What are they most afraid of people finding out? 🔒

What do they want the most? 🔍

What's their biggest flaw?

What's their biggest strength?

What's their biggest fear?

What is their biggest accomplishment? 📈

What is their idea of perfect happiness?

What's their favorite quote? 👌

Do they want to be remembered? What for? ⌚

How do they approach:

What is the one object or possession that they would rescue from their burning home? 🔥

What (or who) bores them? 💤

What makes them angry? 💢

What do they look for in a person?

How strong is their moral compass? When, specifically, are they willing to compromise their morals?

List the last 10 books they read. 📚

Which fictional world would they most wish to visit?

If they didn’t have to sleep, what would they do with the extra time?

What are their pet peeves? ⚠

If they won the lottery, what would they do?

Describe the character’s bucket list at the ages of 15, 20, 30, and 40.

List the 10 songs that would occupy their All-Time Most Played playlist on Spotify. 🎵

What is the best compliment that someone ever paid them?

In an elevator, do they push the elevator button more than once? 🚪

What would they want their tombstone to say?

The Present and Future 🔮

What is their story goal? (answer in a single paragraph)

Story motivation (answer in a single paragraph)

In other words: what does your character want in the story? Why do they want it? Every other answer in the character profile template builds up to this. This is critical information to know because it’ll make up the unshakable foundation — and raison d'être — for your story. Whenever you feel like your story is straying off course, go straight back to your character’s story goal and motivation.

24 responses

Rachel Mendell says:

02/06/2018 – 12:23

excellent! so much info - thank you.

↪️ Reedsy replied:

07/06/2018 – 04:37

Our pleasure, Rachel. Glad that it helped!

Diane says:

07/06/2018 – 08:50

Wow! I tried to find such kind of list many times. Thank you so much! Creating character is always difficult for me. I imagine tutoriage character but it was not full. With this list Finally I will finish it.

22/01/2019 – 15:37

Nice I was gonna make one myself but this is great since normally I obsess to the point of procrastination.

Gwendolyn Clark says:

13/05/2019 – 00:09

I was never sent a copy to download

↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:

13/05/2019 – 08:20

Hi Gwendolyn, could you drop us an email at [email protected] and we'll sort you out with a link :)

Sabrina Douglas says:

08/06/2019 – 16:40

I have not received the PDF yet.

10/06/2019 – 13:48

With Gmail, our emails often can be found in the Promotions folder. if it's not there, send us an email at [email protected] and we'll sort you out :)

Tactical Weasel says:

08/06/2019 – 23:18

I was never sent a copy to download either.

Ibidun says:

02/07/2019 – 01:47

This is a developed list of questions for sure. Thank you!

susannelorraineharford says:

21/08/2019 – 08:01

Thanks! Great help in this articke. X peace, susanne

james bolin says:

22/08/2019 – 21:05

This my be a crazy question, but I am writing a science fiction book, and I already made character profiles for my ow use. But, that being said, would it make sense to also include a section in the book that includes all the main characters profiles. It would serve as a reference in case someone wants to know the characters hair color, birth date, and other details. any advice would help thanks

23/08/2019 – 09:04

It would be a somewhat unusual move — but it's not for me to say if it's wrong. Often, you see books provide family trees and brief histories of the 'world' of the story... but that tends to be so that readers can check up on facts that are highly relevant to relationships and plot of the book. In almost all cases, readers won't really need to know things like hair color or date of birth. So, I'd think hard before putting a character stat sheet in your book.

↪️ Nyla replied:

02/09/2019 – 16:12

I don't see why not! Some books did it (sort of); Wings of Fire, Tailchaser's Song, Warriors... I don't think including one would be a bad move. Definitely not something that would kill your story. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner when it comes to books, so I may not know any better. I'm just saying that in my opinion, I don't think it's a bad move.

Satyajay Mandal says:

25/08/2019 – 04:31

You can tweet me to get more updates on the story I'm directing

02/09/2019 – 16:13

What do you mean by "education"? Like what school they went to?

17/09/2019 – 09:02

Yup. Are they a college grad? What did they study? Did they leave school at 18 and take up an apprenticeship — that sort of thing.

27/09/2019 – 14:03

Will i ever get the document to download!

07/10/2019 – 15:48

Hi Sky, if you're still having trouble downloading the template, could you drop us a message at [email protected]? Thanks! Martin

20/10/2019 – 03:56

I will update you about all the details

Max Sangers says:

23/03/2020 – 20:16

I like it, just pls refrain from bad language :)

26/03/2020 – 04:49

No need to refrain from using bad language, if it is assigned to the villains instead of the heroes/heroines

26/03/2020 – 05:02

No need to refrain from using bad language if it is assigned to the villains instead of the heroes/heroines

28/03/2020 – 05:01

This is @*#$ing AWESOME!!!

Comments are currently closed.

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Create a Social Media Profile for a Literary Character

Jessica Cook
Categories : High school english lesson plans grades 9 12
Tags : High school lesson plans & tips

I don’t know a teenager alive today who isn’t familiar with social networking web sites like Facebook or MySpace. Since this is familiar territory for high school students, it provides the perfect platform to provide them with creative writing tips. When I teach Creative Writing, I have students of all levels and interests in the class. In order to get them to think creatively, I like to use give them creative writing exercises like this one. It helps them ease their way into the process of writing a story, one character at a time.

To get the kids started and help them understand what I want them, I model the activity with a full-class discussion. I tell students they are going to create a mock MySpace or Facebook profile for a character in their next story. To get them thinking in the right direction, we’ll start by having them create a MySpace profile for me.

The kids all find it hilarious that they will be helping me create my online persona. NOTE: We don’t actually USE MySpace or Facebook for this assignment, as those sites tend to be blocked by school Internet monitors. Instead, the students sketch out the basic profile format on their own paper. For the large-group discussion, I use an overhead projector to create the profile for myself.

Every online profile is broken down into blocks of text, pictures, links, and other fun facts. For this assignment, I use the following sections.

Sections of a Social Networking Profile:

1. Screen Name: I ask students to invent a screen name for me. They should be creative and use what they know about my personality. My actual name shouldn’t factor into the equation; I want them to think outside the box. Examples I have seen might be “HarryPotterluvr” or “EnglishGeek#1,” etc.

2. Avatar: The avatar is the image or photo that a person uses to represent themselves on a social networking site. For this activity, students choose the type of photo they think I would display. For instance, if my screen name is “Harry Potterluvr,” then I might use a photo of myself in a witch hat as my avatar.

3. Quote: On MySpace and Facebook, users can put in a famous quote or song lyric or other goofy phrase to display under their photo. I ask students to choose a quote for me; they might pick something from one of my favorite movies or a lyric from a band I’ve made them listen to, or a line from a Shakespearean sonnet. I tell them to choose a quotation that fits my personality in both content and source type.

4. “Favorites” List: Online social networking profiles contain a list of the user’s favorite things. In particular, these lists usually involve songs, movies, books, and foods. I ask students to create a few of these for me; sometimes they already know a few, and sometimes they make inferences based on what they know about me.

5. Friends List: It is a topic of much contention among teenagers: the “top friends” list. Kids will change and rearrange their friends lists multiple times a day in response to the current status of their friendships with other kids. So I will ask my students to give me a list of people they think would be on my friends list: they can use real people, historical people, or fictional characters. Some examples might include JK Rowling, Adam Sandler, or even Adolf Hitler (depending on their opinion of me that day).

6. Group Affiliations: Social networking is about networking, after all. So the kids come up with a list of groups they think I might want to join, such as “Daily Dictionary Readers” or “The I Love Red Pens” group. They can make up these groups or put me into groups that already exist on MySpace or Facebook.

Now, it’s the student’s turn to create a new profile for a fictional character. If we are doing this lesson than kids are getting ready to create a short story for my class; this is an early step in that process. Using the same 6 categories as we used for my profile, I ask the kids to draw out a profile sketch for the main character in their next story. They can choose a Facebook- or MySpace-style format, as long as they include all 6 sections discussed in the warm-up.

Participating in this creative writing exercise helps kids think about their character from several angles. What does that character look like? What kind of friends do they have? How do they represent themselves to other people? I ask students to remember as they complete this assignment that most people aren’t 100% honest on MySpace. So they need to consider what they know about their character, and what that character would choose to reveal to others online (and what they would choose to hide).

I collect and assess the assignments based on completion and creativity. I try to get them back to the kids quickly so they can use the ideas they generated as they move toward the creation of their next short story.

This post is part of the series: Creative Writing Exercises

This is a series of articles that can be used for creative writing exercises and lesson plans in any English class. Help students write poetry, short stories, and other creative writing prompts with these creative writing tips and tricks.

Creative Writing Exercise: Character Swap n’ Sketch
Creative Writing Tips: Character Profiles
Lord of the Flies Lesson Plan: Creating a Travel Brochure

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Character Analysis Worksheet Templates

Customize character analysis templates.

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

Character Analysis Templates | Character Worksheets

What is a Character Analysis Essay Worksheet?

A character study is an important aspect of literary analysis, and our character analysis worksheets provide a comprehensive framework for analyzing and understanding characters in a story. These templates allow students to create detailed profiles that explore various elements, such as development, traits, and interactions with other characters.

By using our character analysis chart templates, students can easily identify and describe the key traits. They can analyze the character's development throughout the story, examining how their experiences and choices shape their journey. Additionally, students can explore the relationships with other characters, uncovering the dynamics and impact of these interactions.

With our character development worksheet, a student can dive deeper into the life of a character, gaining a greater appreciation for their complexities and motivations. This in-depth exploration enhances their understanding of the story and encourages critical thinking skills.

How To Analyze Character Traits

Analyzing traits is a crucial aspect of understanding and interpreting literature. By examining the traits of a character, readers can gain deeper insights into their motivations, behaviors, and overall significance within a narrative. In this section, we will explore how to effectively analyze character traits using various strategies and tools, including character analysis worksheets and the concept of indirect characterization.

Start with a Character Study Worksheet: Begin by utilizing a character worksheet, including character study worksheet, character analysis chart, or character profile worksheet, which serves as a structured framework to gather and organize information. This worksheet typically includes sections to record the character's physical attributes, personality traits, actions, relationships with other characters, and their overall role in the story. By filling out the worksheet, you can develop a comprehensive profile and identify key traits that shape their behavior.
Identify Key Character Traits: As readers, pay close attention to the author's descriptions and the character's actions, dialogue, and how they interact with others. Look for recurring patterns or specific behaviors that reveal their personality. These can include traits such as kindness, courage, honesty, or cunningness.
Consider Indirect Characterization: Indirect characterization refers to the author's use of subtle clues, such as a character's thoughts, speech, appearance, or the opinions of other characters, to reveal their traits. Analyzing indirect characterization requires reading between the lines and inferring the character's traits based on these subtle cues. Look for instances where the author indirectly explains or shows the character's traits, and use them to deepen your understanding of the character.
Examine the Character's Actions and Choices: A character's actions and choices can provide significant insights into their traits. Consider how the character behaves in different situations and what motivates their actions. Reflect on whether their actions align with their stated beliefs or if they exhibit any contradictions. This analysis can help you identify the character's values, strengths, weaknesses, and overall character development and analysis throughout the narrative.
Connect Traits to the Character's Role and the Narrative: Analyzing traits is not only about describing them but also understanding their significance in the context of the story. Consider how the character's traits contribute to their role within the narrative and their relationships with other characters. Reflect on how their traits impact the plot, conflict, and overall themes of the literature. This deeper understanding will enrich your analysis and interpretation.

By following these steps and utilizing a variety of our character analysis worksheets, you can effectively analyze character traits, explain their development, and gain a deeper appreciation for the complexities of the characters in literature. Remember to support your analysis with evidence from the text, such as specific quotes or examples, to provide a strong foundation for your insights and interpretations.

How To Write Character Analysis Essay

Now that you're armed with the knowledge and skills to analyze a trait, explore the world of literature with confidence and embark on your own captivating character analysis essays. When it comes to writing an analysis essay, having a well-structured outline is essential. The outline serves as a guide to help you organize your thoughts and ideas, ensuring that your essay effectively captures the complexities of the character and their traits. Let's explore how to create an outline using a character analysis outline worksheet, and how to incorporate the right words and language to showcase your analytical skills.

Begin with a Character Profile: Before diving into the essay, it's helpful to create a profile that includes important details about the character's background, traits, and development. This profile can serve as a reference point and provide you with a clear understanding of the character's journey. You can refer to a profile example or use the character analysis outline worksheet to organize your thoughts.
Introduction: Start your essay with an engaging introduction that provides a brief overview of the character and their significance within the narrative. Grab the reader's attention by highlighting the character's key traits or an intriguing aspect of their personality.
Thesis Statement: Craft a strong thesis statement that presents your main argument or interpretation about the character. Your thesis statement should reflect the character's traits and their impact on the story, while also setting the tone for your essay.
Body Paragraphs: Organize your analysis into coherent body paragraphs that focus on specific traits. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that introduces the trait you will discuss. Use evidence from the text, such as quotes or specific examples, to support your analysis. Analyze how the character exhibits the trait and provide insights into their motivations, actions, and relationships with other characters. Be sure to incorporate the right words and language to showcase your analytical skills.
Conclusion: Summarize your main points and restate your thesis in the conclusion. Emphasize the significance of the character's traits and their contribution to the overall narrative. You can also leave the reader with a thought-provoking question or a broader reflection on the character's impact.

By following these guidelines and incorporating the profile, a strong thesis statement, well-structured body paragraphs, and a concise conclusion, you can create a compelling character analysis essay that showcases your understanding of the character's traits and their significance in the story.

Example of Character Analysis Literature: Engaging Texts for In-Depth Study

Explore these recommended engaging texts that serve as excellent examples for an in-depth analysis. These literary works offer rich and complex characters that your class can delve into and analyze, allowing for a deeper understanding of character development, motivations, and relationships.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

This novel offers valuable lessons on social class, prejudice, and the complexities of human relationships, making it an ideal choice for teaching character analysis skills in the classroom. Use a character map to help kids analyze the traits and relationships of characters like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Through the characters of Scout, Atticus Finch, and Boo Radley, this novel will teach important themes of justice, morality, and empathy, providing ample opportunities to analyze their traits and motivations. Our digital worksheets can be used to engage students in interactive character analysis activities.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The characters in this novel, such as Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway, exemplify the pursuit of the American Dream and the complexities of love and identity. Analyzing their traits can deepen students' understanding of human nature and societal expectations. A critical analysis template can help while examining the characters' motivations and the author's use of symbolism and imagery.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre's journey of self-discovery and her interactions with other characters, such as Mr. Rochester and Mrs. Reed, offer rich material for character analysis discussions. This novel explores themes of independence, morality, and the role of women in society.

Using these classic novels not only teaches students valuable skills in analysis but also exposes them to timeless themes, diverse perspectives, and literary techniques.

How to Make a Character Analysis Worksheet

Choose One of the Premade Templates

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on "Copy Template"

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions About Character Analysis Worksheets

What is a character trait.

A character trait refers to the qualities, characteristics, or attributes that define a character in a literary work. These traits can include physical attributes, personality traits, values, beliefs, motivations, and more. Character traits help readers understand the motivations and actions of characters, and they play a crucial role in character analysis.

Can I create a character worksheet on my own?

Absolutely! Our worksheets provide a framework for analyzing characters, but you can also create your own customized character worksheets. You can tailor the questions and prompts to fit the specific needs of your students or the literary work you are studying. This flexibility allows you to focus on specific character traits or aspects that you want your students to explore.

How can character analysis worksheets help with writing a character analysis essay?

They serve as a valuable tool to gather and organize information about characters, which can then be used as evidence or supporting details in a character analysis essay. These worksheets help students identify and describe character traits, analyze character development, and explore the relationships between characters. By using the information from the worksheets, students can write a well-supported and insightful character analysis essay.

Can character analysis worksheets be used for different grade levels and texts?

Absolutely! They can be adapted for different grade levels and used with a wide range of literary works. Whether you are teaching elementary, middle school, or high school, you can modify the complexity and depth of the questions and prompts to suit the needs and abilities of all learners. Additionally, the they can be used with various texts, including novels, short stories, plays, and even films, allowing for versatility in the classroom.

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How to Create a Character Profile in 12 Steps [+Free Template]

If you’ve ever tried your hand at writing a novel or screenplay, you know characters are key. Crafting them well is essential. Without fully developed, believable characters, your story will not stand out. That’s why mastering character profile creation is crucial.

Using a character profile template will immensely aid you in this process, ensuring you don’t overlook any important aspects.

This article entails the steps to create a character profile, a character profile template, types of character profiles, and other elements to develop a character profile. Let’s dive in.

Steps to Create a Character Profile

Here is a step-by-step procedure for creating a character bio:

1. Understand the Basics

Before starting, first, find out which of your characters will need a character profile. Then decide on the basics.

It will be a long process and you’ll go through a lot of information. But you do not need to do it all at once. Take it one section at a time.

If you’re struggling to determine certain details or you’re not sure how your character should react, Deb Norton offers some good advice:

“When we’re at a loss for putting words in our character’s mouths, that’s often when it’s time to stop thinking and start listening. Does his manner of speech change when he talks to his kids? What is he holding back? Why did he use that word?”

As writers, we sometimes tend to overthink a little bit (or a lot). Sometimes, it’s better to write more freely. Channel your character and just let go. You will be surprised at what they reveal on their own.

This first section is pretty self-explanatory and will be one of the simpler ones. It covers the base information about your character and their life.

This includes things like:

Place of birth
Current place of residence
Nationality
Marital status

2. What is their Physical Appearance?

This one may seem self-explanatory as well, but there is a little more to it than you might think. You will be covering your basic physical characteristics:

Face shape

But, the character’s physical appearance goes a little deeper than this. There are some additional things you will want to understand their distinguishing features :

Do they have any distinguishing marks? (tattoos, scars, birthmarks)
What style of clothes do they prefer to wear?
Do they wear glasses or contacts?
Do they wear accessories or not?
Is there an accessory or piece of jewelry they never take off?
What is their level of grooming? (disheveled and natural or style hair, makeup, outfit put together)
Do they have any chronic illnesses that contribute to their appearance?

You should also consider their demeanor. Are they confident, shy, quiet? What are their magical abilities Do they walk with their head down, or held high? These things are representative of what is going on inside, but they will be reflected in how they appear to others.

3. How do they Communicate?

The base of this section focuses on how they talk. Do they speak quickly or slowly? Do they enunciate or do they mumble a little bit? How big is their vocabulary?

But, speaking isn’t the only form of communication, there’s more to it:

Do they gesture compulsively, or is it occasionally?
Do they make eye contact or do they move their gaze around?
What is their catchphrase?
Do they ever curse?
Do they have a speech impediment?
How do they laugh? Do they make other people laugh?
What is their smile like?
Are their emotions easy to read or do they hide them?
What is their default expression?

4. Know their Props

Props are something that your character carries around or uses regularly. These props will be connected to their personality. It will be important to them or something they find helpful.

For example:

Sherlock Holmes has his pipe.
Kojak has a lollipop.
A character who has anxiety might carry something to squeeze or fiddle with to occupy their mind in stressful situations.
A character who has lost a parent or other loved one might wear or carry an item that reminds them of that person daily.

These items can be indicative of a bad habit, a nervous tick, or something in which your character finds comfort.

5. Discover the Background and Past

A character’s background and past will play a huge role in their present life. It will shape who they are as a person. Even if their history is not a huge part of the story itself, it needs to be known.

It should be known in full by you as a writer. It should also be known, as necessary, by the readers. Reveal things about their past as it becomes vital to the story.

You can start with the basics:

Where did they grow up? Do they still live there?
What education do they have? What subjects did they study?
How was their childhood? Were they neglected, sheltered, or raised well?
Were they involved in any extracurriculars as a child? (sports, dance, clubs, etc.)
What are some of their happiest, saddest, and earliest memories?
What were they like as a child?

6. Discover their Likes and Dislikes

They may not seem significant, but a character’s likes and dislikes develop their personality. Much of their personal preferences will stem from their background, childhood, family, and influences.

For example, your character might have an intense hatred of a certain food because their mother forcefully and excessively fed it to them as a child and it brings back bad memories.

Or, their favorite music could be related to what their parents played around the house when they were younger.

For each favorite thing, determine their least favorite. For each thing they love, do they hate the opposite? These things can give you an even deeper look into your own character’s personality than you might have thought.

Here are examples of likes and dislikes that you can consider:

Favorite and least favorite food
Taste in music
Favorite genre of movie
Do they follow sports or are they indifferent?
Do they like to read?
If money was no object, what car would they be driving?

7. Understand their Psychology

This section will dive deeper into your character’s psyche. It will require you to dive into their mind and pick out the big, important, life-changing stuff.

These are good examples of things that might not be included outright in the novel. But they help shape who your character is. Knowing these things about them will help you write them realistically and authentically.

It will create consistency in your character. Readers will never question their decisions, opinions, or emotions when they all make sense based on who they are as a person.

This can include things like:

Are they an introvert or an extrovert?
What are they afraid of?
What is their idea of happiness?
Where is their favorite place in the world?
What are their strengths and flaws?
What do they want most out of life?
How do they feel about love?
How do they react to change?
Do they desire power?
Are they a leader or a follower?
What excites them?
What do they find boring?

8. Find about their Family

Whether healthy, dysfunctional, or somewhere in between, a character’s family is instrumental in their development and can define their personality.

Even if their family aren’t all that important to or involved in the story, it’s still good to identify them in some way.

For each of their mother, father, and siblings you should establish a few things:

Age (or age they died at if deceased)
Explain the relationship they have with your main character – close, distant, strained, awkward, estranged, etc
If they are grown and out of the house, how often do they see their family members?

You can also describe their extended family. Again, this branch of their family may or may not be relevant to the story’s main plot points. But, their family will have played a big part in their development, upbringing, and feelings about certain things.

If their extended family is not important to the story, be brief in your explanations. You don’t need to go into excruciating detail, but it’s still valuable information to determine.

Even the simple fact that someone has an abnormally large or small family can be of significance. Large families may have left some feeling left behind or unimportant. Small families can have some people feeling smothered and in the spotlight too often.

You’ll want to go over grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. Again, determine the ages and their relationship with your main character. Names and additional details can be revealed if the character is going to be important to the story in any way.

9. Explore their Relationships

Whether close or not, your character’s family relationships will be some of the most significant in their lives. But, these will not be the only relationships they have. Once the family has been covered, you should dive into their external relationships.

The obvious ones here will be their friendships. Which of their friends are they closest to? Describe these relationships.

Do these “best friends” know every detail of their lives, or are they somewhat guarded even around those closest to them?

Outside of their inner circle, are there other significant friendships?

In addition to friends and acquaintances, your character will have many other relationships that affect their life in some way:

Coworkers/fellow students
Teachers/bosses
Friends of friends
Family friends
Members of sports teams/clubs they are in
Online friends (if applicable)

If your novel or screenplay is set in the present time, the internet and social media will be a significant part of the world. Which social media platforms do they have a profile on? How active are they? Or, do they reject social media?

Not being on any social media in the present day will leave a person in a unique spot of digital isolation. Many who choose to do this find it peaceful and they don’t regret their decision.

10. Where do they Live?

Where your character lives is another important part of who they are. Regardless of the world your character lives in (earth, another planet, a world you made up yourself ) their specific neighborhood and dwelling should be made known as well.

Do they live in a big or small house? Or another type of residence entirely? (Perhaps something you made up for the world you’ve created).

What is the neighborhood like? Are they friendly with their neighbors? Or do they live far away from any other people?

Are they happy where they live or do they have plans/desires to move soon? How long have they lived there?

It’s also important to look at the inside of their dwelling. Do they keep things tidy or is it always a mess? What color are their walls and are they decorated? If so, what type of art do they have on display?

11. What are their Jobs/Hobbies?

Next, it’s time to look at what they do for work and how they fill their free time.

Determine these key factors about their job:

What is it?
How long have they been there?
Is it what they want to do as a career or is it a temporary situation?
Have they reached their peak or is there still room for advancement?
What is their salary? Is it enough for the lifestyle they want?
Do they like what they do or would they prefer something else?
Are they good at their job?
What hours do they work?
Is their job secure or are they in danger of losing it?

Whether they enjoy what they do or not, they are required to be there for a certain amount of time each day. Unless they want to lose their income, they have no choice.

Once the workday is over though, their time is their own. How do they fill this time? Do they have any hobbies or do they prefer to stay home and relax? Does your character have any hidden talents or anything they excel at other than their job?

12. What are their Goals and Motivations?

This section is a simple but crucial one.

Your character will have a set of general goals, ambitions, and desires in life. But, this particular story is going to be about one of them.

So, determine your character’s story goal. What is their main goal in the context of this script?

In addition, you’ll need to figure out their motivation. Why do they want to achieve the goal you’ve set out for them? What drives them to complete it?

Examples of motivation could be love , revenge, or pride (they want to prove themselves).

What is a Character Profile?

A character profile is like a detailed map of your character’s life. It’s made up of different sections with questions about your character’s development. Some questions are simple, while others make you think deeply. When you finish filling it out, you’ll know everything about your character.

But, it might feel like too much at first, but don’t worry, not all of will go into your story. Most of it is just for you, so you understand your character better.

Knowing all about your character helps you write their actions, reactions, decisions, opinions, and emotions more accurately.

Types of Main Characters

While every story is different and unique, there are a few other types of main characters in your novel and screenplay, in addition to your protagonist. Each of them will need a character profile.

1. Antagonist

The antagonist is the character or group of characters who are in direct opposition to your protagonist. They stand in the way of their main story goal and are deliberate in their efforts to stop the protagonist. In some cases, the antagonist is more of an antagonistic “force.” This could be an oppressive government or organization, or even the inner demons or inherent flaws within the character that stop them from doing what they need to do.

2. Anti-hero

This is someone who doesn’t have any of the typical characteristics of a “hero.” They aren’t impressive and don’t give you much reason to root for them. And yet, they are still central and important to the story.

3. Confidante

This is someone who knows every single detail and true personality of the main character. To this person, they reveal all of their true thoughts, real intentions, deepest desires, and darkest secrets. If your character is more isolated or introverted, this could even be some thing rather than someone – perhaps a journal.

This is a character whose personality contrasts the protagonist in a significant way. They are the opposite of the protagonist in many areas. This can be a separate character, or the antagonist or anti-hero can double as the foil. This character serves to highlight the qualities of your protagonist.

Make a Character Profile for Every Important Character

Before writing the novel or book, know that you will need detailed, in-depth character profiles for each main character of your story.

Most of the time, a novel will include just a single protagonist. But, they are not the only important player in the story. There are a handful of others. Your protagonist and these other characters are your round characters and are most important.

You’ll also have a series of additional flat characters that play a role in the story. While these characters have a purpose, they do not need a character profile done up. There will not be much to their personality and they won’t change or develop.

As your story develops and you flesh out your outline, certain details of your characters may change or evolve. This is fine and normal – just make sure you keep your character profile template updated.

If something about a character changes, change all relevant information in their profile.

Character Development Questions

In addition to the character template, there are always additional character development questions you can ask. When writing a novel, there is no such thing as knowing too much about your character.

If you need to dive even deeper, check out these lists and resources for some more questions to ask yourself and/or your character.

The Proust Questionnaire

The Proust questionnaire was developed by Marcel Proust, with the original manuscript being found in 1924, after his death.

These questions are some of the most revealing. The answers are supposed to tell you almost anything you need to know about someone’s personality.

Some people answer these questions for themselves. Some celebrities have answered them publicly as well. They are also used to dive deeper into your character.

Answer these 35 questions from the perspective of your character:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
What is your greatest fear?
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Which living person do you most admire?
What is your greatest extravagance?
What is your current state of mind?
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
On what occasions do you lie?
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Which living person do you most despise?
What is the quality you most like in a man?
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
When and where were you happiest?
Which talent would you most like to have?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Where would you most like to live?
What is your most treasured possession?
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is your favorite occupation?
What is your most marked characteristic?
What do you most value in your friends?
Who are your favorite writers?
Who is your hero of fiction?
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Who are your heroes in real life?
What are your favorite names?
What is it that you most dislike?
What is your greatest regret?
How would you like to die?
What is your motto?

Interview Questions

When interviewing for a potential job, employers sometimes ask odd questions that have nothing to do with the job itself. What they want is to get to know who you are as a person and if you will be a good fit, professionally and otherwise.

You can use this same premise and conduct an “interview” with your character. The intention is to get to know them better and get an idea of how they behave and operate.

You can find a list of 101 common interview questions here . Some of them are not of any use to you as they are job-specific, but many will help you get an even deeper look into your character.

Use a Tool to Develop Character Profiles

If you’re feeling lost in too much information, try using a good writing tool , like Squibler . With Squibler, you can not only write with the help of AI but also organize each section into a separate document and flip through them at your will.

With Squibler you can research, ideate, outline, and write your book with the help of AI. Write commands to the AI Smart Writer, and it will generate content for you based on your instructions.

You can also create a section for your character profiles to keep them organized and accessible at the same time.

Another thing that Squibler offers is a series of book-writing templates. Characters are important, but so is structure. A book writing template will help you plan each section and/or chapter of the book.

The template provides loose guidelines as you go through the book, that vary by genre and style. Some are specific while others are more general, such as this novel-writing template:

This template serves as a guide for any genre. You can specialize it further as you dive more into your book and figure out where it’s going.

Character Development Sheet

Writers use character development sheets to outline and detail various aspects of a fictional character. It includes sections or prompts covering the character’s physical appearance, personality traits, background, motivations, goals, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and other relevant information that helps flesh out the character’s identity.

A character profile worksheet aids writers in creating well-rounded and believable characters for their stories. You can start by copying and pasting this free template and filling in all the information for your character.

Final Remarks

Strong and believable characters don’t come quickly and they don’t come easily. Crafting the best possible character for your novel is going to take a decent investment of both time and effort.

You have to delve into every little nook and cranny of your character’s mind, heart, and past. Not only does every little detail need recognition but it all needs consistency to match up.

Use these steps, templates, and questions to build the strongest, most detailed, and realistic characters you can. Once this is done, you’re well on your way to writing an unstoppable book .

Here is a list of common questions that authors ask about developing character profiles:

What is a character profile?

A character profile is a detailed description of a fictional character. It includes information like their appearance, personality traits, background, motivations, and role in the story.

Why is it important to create a character profile?

Creating a character profile helps you understand your character better. It makes them feel real and consistent throughout your story. It also helps you keep track of important details about your character so you don’t forget them.

What should I include in a character profile?

In a character profile, you should include details about your character’s physical appearance, personality traits, backstory, goals, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and any other important information that shapes who they are.

How do I start creating a character profile?

Start by thinking about who your character is and what role they play in your story. Then, jot down details about their appearance, personality, and background. Consider what motivates them and what obstacles they might face.

How can I make my character profile more realistic?

To make your character profile more realistic, think about how real people behave and what influences them. Give your character strengths and weaknesses, quirks, and flaws. Consider how their past experiences have shaped who they are.

Can I change my character profile as I write my story?

Yes, you can change your character profile as you write your story. Sometimes, as you get to know your character better through writing, you might discover new things about them or realize that certain details don’t fit anymore. It’s okay to update your character profile as needed to keep your character consistent and true to your story.

Published in What is Novel Writing?

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How To Create A Character Profile (Template and Worksheet Included!)

August 29, 2023

Discover how to create a character profile with our detailed character profile creation guide. OC profile templates and worksheets included! Elevate your OC today!

How well do you know your original characters? Sure, off the cuff, you’re likely to answer “everything,” but is that necessarily true? So many characters are in various states of development all over CharacterHub. That’s not a bad thing, of course, but there is always an extra detail, or a little history, that can add so much to your original characters. It’s hard enough to memorize facts of my own life, let alone a fictional history I made up. Thankfully, unlike real life, we have some fun character stats and profile tools.

One of the best ways to develop these ideas is through organized character profiles. I’ll walk you through critical questions and approaches to creating your character in this guide. I’ll also highlight some great template options to show you how to make a character profile and how helpful CharacterHub can be.

What is a Character Profile?

A character profile is a repository of information on an original character that features information essential to understanding the character by its creator. What is considered significant or not varies from creator to creator, but profiles offer insight into original characters' history, statistics, and personalities.

Profiles can often include art and design information too. For example, reference images are often part of different character profiles to help viewers understand how the character appears. Some character profiles may include a color key of specific hex-color codes for a character’s key design features.

When you get down to it, this makes a detailed character profile template a resource for understanding a character for the creator and potential collaborators. I know that the more information I have on a character, the much more compelled I am to put my all into fan art or an art exchange, that’s for sure.

Why are Character Profiles Important?

The importance of a character profile falls under two camps. The first is for referencing. A strong character profile should serve as a guide to what is essential to a character along with a reference sheet . Every original character should have an excellent example of character stats and profiles, even if your setting doesn’t have gaming elements. For comparison purposes, many creators like to look at their characters in terms of game mechanics and statistics, especially in the role-playing sense. And yes, that applies to the creator of the OC, in addition to other creators who may want to play around with someone else’s OC.

The second important reason for having a character profile is that it helps further develop a character. As we will see in some detailed character profile templates later, different templates raise different questions and perspectives on a character that may not initially seem all that useful.

An Example: Weird Questions and Character Memes

Let’s look at an example. Hypothetically, say you have an OC from a fantasy setting, and his name is Fang ( yes, this is a character of mine ). He is a wandering warrior afflicted with an irreversible lycanthropic transformation, forced to survive a gothic fantasy setting as a perpetual werewolf.

Now, say that I found a fun character meme asking, “What toppings do your OC put on their pizza?” Initially, a question like this may not be valuable to understanding a wandering werewolf warrior. There’s no such thing as pizza in the fallen kingdom of Triseria. Believe me, I made the place up.

But it is all a matter of perspective. While Fang will never try a slice of a delicious pizza, what if he had the chance? What sort of flavor profile might he prefer, and what does that say about him in a larger sense?

The answer, by the way, is sausage, bell peppers, and onions. What does this tell me about Fang? His tastes aren’t far removed from what might of been a typical peasant dish in Triseria. Sausage, peppers, and onions have a very comforting quality and are pretty practical. He probably would be accustomed to such a meal as a warrior when he isn’t munching on hard tack and dried meat.

And as you can see, we pull characterization from something as patently silly as the question, “What pizza toppings does your OC like?” Just another example of why a character profiling template can be helpful.

Learning from a Master: The Tezuka Star System

One inspiration in my OC design that I would like to discuss in the future, which helped me clarify my thoughts on OCs and characterization, is the Tezuka Star System .

For a quick overview, here is what you need to know: Tezuka Osamu was a legendary mangaka in Japan who was born in November 1928 and ultimately passed in February 1989. He is a foundational figure in the creation of manga and anime. He is responsible for iconic characters such as Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Black Jack, and Dororo, among countless other characters.

To begin with, Tezuka had a hell of a career, but I want to dive into his Star System. From the Tezuka Osamu website :

The term was originally coined in Hollywood. Charlie Chaplin and fellow actors started up a new movie company with the aim of producing movies that revolved around planning for the star actors; they dubbed this practice the "star system". Since then, it has become customary to refer to the film-making system that centers on top stars using this expression.

So how is this applying to original characters, and how to create a character profile? Here was Tezuka’s spin on the concept, pulled from the same source:

Nonetheless, Tezuka Osamu thought of his characters as real live actors and actresses and took great pleasure in his role as director in assigning roles to them. Readers who spotted Atom in the guise of the son of a kidnapper in another work would smile with delight.

What I am getting at here, and I want to explore in a future article, is that your characters can be fully-rounded individuals who a creator can transplant into other works and play roles informed by their personalities - following expectations of them and sometimes against type. You wouldn’t necessarily cast Dwayne Johnson and Othello, but Nicholas Hoult could play Hamlet.

But all of this is informed by what you know of the character and expect of them, which comes from working with a detailed character profile template.

Finally, before we leave Tezuka behind (for now), I also want to highlight the adorable idea that he developed “appearance fees” for his characters as a thought experiment. Shikishima Kenichi , a megastar in Tezuka’s system, commands a mighty price. Talk about loving and understanding your characters, right?

He may not have worked with a character profile worksheet as we know them today - but he indeed had a lot of notes, and we can learn from that.

Essential Information for How to Write a Character Profile

With a character profile encompassing potentially every weird-ass question you might have about a character, the challenge lies: Where do you start? How do you write an OC profile, and are there any character profiling templates that can help?

Free Character Profiling Templates

People who create original characters bring unique ideas and approaches to the party. They also are not shy about sharing them and often develop templates that other creators can use.

Here are some character profiling templates you can use right now.

Tabletop Gaming Character Profile Worksheets

Tabletop gaming presents one of the original character's most popular and iconic forms. Games like Dungeons & Dragons and Shadowrun , among countless others, focus on creating original characters and backstories for gameplay. However, you can easily use these sheets to build information about your character in a general sense as well. You would also have the advantage of playing them in a game, which is a nice bonus.

It may not be immediately apparent what the value is regarding taking a character and making them work in the setting of Pathfinder . But keep in mind the idea of “recasting” characters like Tezuka Osamu, and you’ll start to see the value of clarifying an OC by putting them in divergent situations and allowing them to develop.

As for where to start, you can find many gaming character templates through a rudimentary Google search. However, I also found a few worth sharing here to help you get started.

Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Character Sheet
Shadowrun Third Edition Character Sheet
Neceros’ Pathfinder RPG Character Sheet

While these are ultimately resources geared toward gaming, many OC creators like to think about their characters in a mechanical sense, such as balancing them against others in a setting. These sheets can be a great way to establish character stats and profiles.

Templates from Other Creators

Many creators love to share approaches to character creation through templates and worksheets. For example, here is a fun one pulled from the ancient archives of Gaia Online titled “ Extremely detailed character sheet template ,” which poses all sorts of interesting questions and points of interest.

Similarly, if you like to use Google Docs, here is a template you can work with. There are many , many examples of OC templates on Tumblr as well. Some may focus on specific settings , which, if we go by the Star System thinking from earlier, could prove interesting in adapting your OCs to new settings and contexts .

You might find yourself rewarded by plugging in a fandom and “OC template” into a search engine and seeing how you might squeeze your characters in.

Character Memes

One of the best ways to find weird angles to approach your character’s histories and characteristics, for lack of a better word, is through character memes. A rudimentary search of DeviantArt for ‘character meme’ turns out a trove of potential options.

There are thousands upon thousands of options that can help you create detailed character profile templates. Here is a whole host that I found exciting with some description. Your mileage may vary, so I hope you’ll dive into the collection of memes on DeviantArt yourself.

WeAreAllMadsHere’s “Draw Me! OC Edition MEME”

This all-purpose meme has many visual elements, but the emphasis on alternative looks is inspiring.

ThirdPotato’s “Character Balance Meme”

ThirdPotato’s meme is purely information based and uses a table to rank a character’s traits across several categories.

Schandmaeulchen’s “OC meme”

This meme is another visual-based meme but presents fun prompts, such as showing off particular characteristics.

As you can see, these are only three different memes out of hundreds of thousands, but they all present exciting options for understanding an OC and developing details about them. These memes are not DeviantArt exclusive, either. Seeing OC memes on social media is not unusual, so take advantage of them when possible.

Cobbling together OC details from different templates and memes can prove fun but can also feel a little disorganized. Sometimes you want a singular location where you can type information up consistently without installing a Wiki on a server and dealing with markup code. Plus, there is the challenge of formatting your character stats and profiles. There are many options for that sort of thing, such as CharacterHub.

CharacterHub: How to Create a Character Profile the Easy Way

The biggest takeaway I hope to convey in this article is that CharacterHub is the excellent character profile worksheet you have been looking for. Allow me to illustrate how CharacterHub can be incredibly useful.

We will stick with my OC, Anda Bandit , from my previous article. I only had a placeholder profile at the time of writing that. The intention is to flesh out her profile to illustrate how helpful CharacterHub can be.

The Basics: The Key Info Section

When you first start character creation on CharacterHub, you have a few initial options, which we’ll call the basics. You’ll want a character profile image for sure. If that is something you draw yourself or commission from someone, it doesn’t matter. Just be sure it’s an eye-catching profile image. Something that focuses on the face is a smart move - based loosely on the psychology of profile photos . You also may want to highlight a distinguishing feature.

From there, you’ll need to fill in your crucial info. Consider the combination of the profile image and this section as your OC's “business card” - a sort of at-a-glance introduction to who they are and your chance to sell others on them. We have a name, character quote, and tags to fill out. While these are pretty obvious, there is some specific thinking to consider regarding the character quote and tags.

When dealing with a character quote, your goal should be to embody the character's spirit as best you can. In the case of Anda Bandit, I went with “Never know when I might need it,” which is how she might justify her stealing throughout her adventures - especially some of the odder things she might take. I am pretty happy with it, but I am sure I could always try something in the future.

As for the tags, it makes sense to include genres, settings, and species as they correspond to your character. My character comes from a video game setting, so video game tags are helpful here.

The Character Description Section

The description is a somewhat open-ended part of the profile on CharacterHub, and on my first run, I put some of her backstory in. I would eventually move that. Instead, my approach shifted to developing more of a generalized description of Anda Bandit, her abilities, and her attitude, mainly as the next section featured some options for specific details.

The About, Color Palette, and Background Story Sections

The “About” section is an exciting part of the worksheet on CharacterHub, allowing for dozens of customizable points ranging from relationships to worldview to powers and abilities. This section is excellent for creating focus, at-a-glance characterization for your OCs.

Next, the color palette feature is beneficial if you want to land some fan art in the future, or at the very least, it makes commissions much more manageable. This feature allows you to create a list of hex color codes of colors associated with your characters.

Specifically, this could be useful for skin tones, hair color, and eye color. Generally, this might be for consistent elements in a design, especially if you are open to your character drawn in varying outfits.

The background story section is the one that might be easy to get carried away with. While you probably shouldn’t write a novel, a substantial backstory is a smart move, especially one that sets up character motivation and where they are at the point in the story your OC occupies.

The Images Section

The images section is instrumental for character profiling templates and features plenty of organizational options for providing image references of your OC. For example, While you can bulk upload images, you can also create folders, which opens up many possibilities.

Case in point: As Anda gets disguises and outfits on her adventure in the comic, I can open up a gallery that features these alternative looks. I also created a “fan art” folder that includes drawings sent to me from friends and in exchanges. I can also create a gallery for “story moments” as well.

Adding Extra Info

Lastly, a few other detailed character profile template features are found on CharacterHub. Keeping in line with the earlier About section, CharacterHub offers additional sections such as Creator’s Notes, Music, Stats, and a Moodboard, among other options. You can also set your character filters, whether they are NSFW, affiliated with a collection, or require Trigger Warnings.

What is a Character Profile? It Puts OCs in Context

While there are plenty of options and inspiration for how to develop a character profile, it can sometimes be overwhelming. Thankfully, plenty of character profile worksheets are floating around on the web, including character memes to help you approach your OCs uniquely.

It is also nice to know that websites like CharacterHub provide helpful organizational tools for developing your OC’s stats and profiles. It’s even more fun that it makes it easy to show off your characters too.

David Davis

David Davis is a cartoonist with around twenty years of experience in comics, including independent work and established IPs such as SpongeBob Squarepants. He also works as a college composition instructor and records weekly podcasts. Find out more about him at his website!

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How to Create a Character Profile: A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners

List your favorite novels, those you can count on one hand, and I’ll bet they have one major thing in common — an unforgettable hero.

Regardless the genre, your characters must behave like real people in real-life situations who make mistakes, have regrets, and grow emotionally or spiritually throughout the story . Fail, and it shows.

Some master novelists make this look easy, but it’s a skill that takes time to refine.

As a Pantser (one who writes by by the seat of his pants as a process of discovery), I follow Stephen King’s practice of “putting interesting characters in difficult situations and writing to find out what happens.”

Part of the high wire act of writing as a Pantser, often the character surprises you and you must do some back hoeing to make it work. You may find yourself thinking, as I frequently do, Aah, so that’s why he’s the way he is.

But if you’re a novice writer, or you’d classify yourself as an Outliner rather than a Pantser, you might rather create a character profile before you begin writing your novel.

If that’s you, let me walk you through the various elements of a character profile and what questions to answer. Then I’ll leave you with a Character Profile Template I developed to help simplify the process.

What Is a Character Profile?

It’s an in-depth life history of a fictional character.

Those who espouse building character profiles naturally advise that your protagonist, antagonist, and each of the more important orbital characters in your story get their own separate profile.

Many great novelists and colleagues of mine swear by them and wouldn’t dream of developing a character any other way. If you’ve never written one, you may find this tool helpful in jumpstarting your own creativity.

Character profiles can help you:

Write faster, because you’re not working from scratch
Maintain continuity
Add plot twists
Add character depth
Build stronger relationships between characters

The more detailed the profile, the richer your character motivations are bound to be.

For example, a character bullied as a child might grow up a career criminal — or the opposite, someone empathetic with and compassionate to the disenfranchised.

Some writers delve deep enough to actually turn each profile into its own short story. Some add the character’s favorite quote, hobby, quirks, favorite foods, fears, and childhood memories.

But beware: don’t dump every detail into your story.

A profile is simply background information (backstory) designed to inform you about your characters. It helps you to get to know them well enough to be able to reveal to your readers what’s most important for the sake of the story.

Just be sure to allow readers to deduce some things for themselves, giving them a role in the reading experience. Avoid spoon feeding every detail. Allow the theater of their mind to fill in the blanks.

Create a Character Profile in 5 Steps

Determine the following with as much, or as little, detail as you feel you need to get to know your characters. In essence, you want to conduct an interview with your fictitious character.

You may find yourself a hybrid of an Outliner and Pantser (as I often do), meaning you do need the security of an outline, but you also enjoy the freedom of letting your story and your characters take you where they will.

It’s your story. Have fun developing each character. Enjoy the process — you never know where they’ll take you!

1. Determine the character’s role.

Begin by deciding which role your character will play . (It may prove to be more than one on the list, and in that case, strive to combine characters so they’re easier for the reader to identify and keep track of.)

Protagonist: the main character or hero
Antagonist: the villain
Orbital: neither lead nor bad guy, but prominent throughout
Love Interest

2. Decide on the basics.

Ask your characters who they are today — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Remember, they need to feel real and knowable, not perfect. Not only does perfect not exist, it’s boring. So, be creative. Your readers will thank you.

A nickname? Where did it come from?
Current hometown
Short Term Goals
Long Term Goals
Best qualities
Worst qualities
Favorite book
Favorite movie
Favorite possession
Greatest passion
Favorite foods
Best friend
Worst enemy

2. Establish physical characteristics.

What does your character look and sound like? Again, this is largely for your own information.

Gone are the days when novels describe even the main character in such detail. Except for characteristics that affect the story, why not let each reader see the person however they choose?

Fitness level
Hair type/style
Glasses/contacts?
Distinguishing features (birthmarks/scars/tattoos)
Overall appearance/upkeep/style
Limitations/handicaps

3. Layer in emotional characteristics.

It’s easy to conjure the appearance of a character, but what your character thinks and feels is what really drives him. What comprises his emotional makeup?

Personality
Introverted or Extroverted?
Spiritual Worldview
Political Worldview
Motivations
Internal Struggles
What makes him happy?
Deepest longing
If he could do or be anything, what would it be?

4. Create a past.

Who we are is shaped by our family background and experiences. Get to know your character’s story, and you’ll likely learn what motivates them to get out of bed every morning.

Family members/birth order (describe relationships)
Accomplishments

5. How is this character involved in the story?

Dig deeper. Finish with these questions:

What does he want? (a novel-worthy goal or challenge)
What are his needs or desires?
What or who stands in his way?
What will he do about it?
What happens if he fails? (the stakes must be dire enough to carry an entire novel)
What sacrifices will he have to make?
What fundamental changes do you see coming in him?
What heroic qualities need to emerge for him to succeed?
Time to Get Started

Ready to create a profile for your lead character? Feel free to create your own character questionnaire, or use the Character Profile Template I created.

You might base your first character on one of your best friends, a quirky relative, or an adult you remember from childhood — maybe a mixture of all three!

Regardless who you pattern him after, develop a character who feels real , and he could become unforgettable.

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How to write character profiles: 10 tips and a template

Character profiles are helpful process work for writing. A profile contains all you need to know about your characters; ID facts such as name, age, gender, birthplace, plus story elements such as characters’ goals, motivations, desires, and conflicts. Read how to write character profiles in 10, simple tips:

Post author By Jordan
5 Comments on How to write character profiles: 10 tips and a template

First, why should you profile your characters?

In creating character profiles, writers (like detectives who ‘profile’ suspects) find the puzzle pieces that explain crucial parts of a story, such as character motivations for actions .

The overview this yields helps us understand the full chain of human behaviour, a story’s action-to-outcome chain of cause and effect. Creating character profiles by answering character questionnaires is helpful because you:

Know enough details about your characters to imagine their actions and driving motivations
Picture your characters fully enough to visualize how they move, interact, and live
Pinpoint key differences between characters that help you to build their resemblances and differences, shared values or objectives and disagreements

How to write character profiles: 10 tips

Draw on your story idea or scenario
Root character profiles in Goal, Motivation, Conflict
Use a detailed character profile template
Imagine core interal and external conflicts
Try character generators for inspiration
Brainstorm initial action and reaction beats
Plan simple, tentpole connections
Profile your walk-ons, too
Make contradictions believable
Expand profile points into scene ideas

Let’s explore these ideas further:

1. Draw on your story idea or scenario

Your story idea is the obvious place to mine for a fleshed out cast.

Even a two-line synopsis may inspire a number of main characters, walk-ons and others.

Let’s take a story synopsis of a New York Times bestseller as a starting point for creating a character profile:

A 16-year-old is accused of killing a deputy in Clanton, Miss., in 1990.

This is the synopsis for John Grisham’s legal thriller, A Time for Mercy (2020). One line alone gives us fodder for obvious characters to profile:

A 16-year old alleged killer on trial
The deputy allegedly killed by the teenager

Looking to the scenario in that summary, we could decide to profile further characters.

For example:

A pro bono lawyer who takes on the boy’s case
The boy’s mother who happened to be dating the deceased
A grumpy, eccentric judge who presides over the case

Some of these character ideas are drawn from Grisham’s actual book (in Grisham’s novel, the accused’s mother was dating the deceased).

When you brainstorm additional characters, look to likely connections. Typical figures such as:

Likely players for the setting (attorneys, judges, law enforcers in a legal setting)
Likely allies and adversaries (friends and family, state prosecutors and defenders)

2. Root character profiles in Goal, Motivation, Conflict

A good character profile worksheet will guide you towards understanding ‘GMC’ for your character: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict. In the introduction to her book GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, Debra Dixon unpacks these three important character concepts:

The craft books on my shelves call these three elements by a variety of different names: Goal – desire, want, need, ambition, purpose Motivation- drive, backstory, impetus, incentive Conflict- trouble, tension, friction, villain, roadblock Regardless of what you call GMC, the bottom line is that these three topics are the foundation of everything that happens in our story world.

In other words, GMC is crucial for engaging, arresting character development .

For Grisham’s 16-year-old murder accused, the reader will almost certainly ask:

What was the boy’s goal or purpose in killing the deputy (if he was guilty). What is his next goal?
What’s a possible motivation or backstory for the killing?
How will the numerous potential conflicts (such as unfolding courtroom drama, friction between the boy and his mother who was dating the victim) play out?

Look at your story idea summary [if you don’t have one yet, brainstorm one in easy steps in Now Novel’s dashboard now]. List a core character’s initial goal, motivation and conflict based on this situation.

3. Use a detailed character profile template

A detailed character outline template makes it easy to create a detailed outline for each character.

We can plug the 16-year-old accused from A Time for Mercy into Now Novel’s character builder to brainstorm an illustrative character profile example.

This generates an editable profile we can also download as a PDF:

A character profile PDF you can print out and refer to is useful to have.

In the Now Novel PDF you can download from your dashboard, there are links back to your profile that make it easy to go back and edit details as you draft. Change details such as names, interests or backstory at any point.

4. Imagine core internal and external conflicts

Learning how to write character profiles will help you imagine details about characters’ lives and personalities that will help you draft more and hesitate less. It’s like having a roadmap to a detailed story .

The ‘C’ in ‘GMC’ is particularly important when outlining your characters.

Internal conflict supplies tension and thus narrative interest in a character’s development. External conflict (conflict between characters and others), too.

As Now Novel coach Romy Sommer says in her webinar on internal and external conflict:

If you know what your characters’ conflicts are, then as you’re writing – especially if you’re a pantser and you don’t really plot ahead – just knowing how your characters’ pasts and their past wounds are going to affect the decisions they make … is going to help you stay consistent as you write.’ Webinar, ‘Internal vs External Conflict: What are internal and external conflict?’

Looking at our example character, the 16-year-old accused, internal conflicts could include:

Whether to confess to the killing or deny guilt
Whether to trust his appointed attorney or not
If he will attempt to destroy evidence or ‘face the music’

As you write your character profiles, think about these forks in the road that show the branching possible reactions to conflict.

Create character profiles in easy steps

Outline your first character for free and get comprehensive outlining tools when you upgrade.

5. Try character generators for inspiration

There are many ways to dream up characters. Character generators that use A.I. are more sophisticated now than ever.

The website This Person Does Not Exist, for example, is a fun tool to try. The page generates a random portrait photo based on how human faces are mapped out each time you refresh it.

Say you were brainstorming 16-year-old Drew Gamble, to find inspiration for his appearance you could refresh the page until you struck a face roughly fitting this age group:

We could then put this image into our character profile as an avatar:

6. Brainstorm initial action and reaction beats

The above is an an example of how fun creating character profiles can be when you play and explore.

Yet we’re writing character profiles for a purpose – to make it easier to find the arcs, the cause and effect , of our stories.

This is why it’s helpful to brainstorm action and reaction beats to include in your character profile. ‘A leads to B’ chains of events based on your story scenario. For example:

The above examples of action and reaction beats could fit character profiles for Drew, a juror on the case, and Drew’s defence lawyer.

List initial possible actions and reactions for your core characters as you profile them.

This will give you an idea of scenes to draft as you expand your profiles into a full story.

7. Plan simple, tentpole connections

As you discover how to write character profiles that are truly useful to your process, you may start outlining connections between your characters, too. For example, a link between the deceased in a murder trial and the suspect’s parent (the mother/victim connection in Grisham’s book).

As you outline characters and answer character questionnaires, brainstorm entaglements. Some might be evident from the start of your story, while others you could hold back and reveal for a twist .

It’s helpful to think of key characters to outline in terms of story ‘roles’, too. Does your story have character types such as:

Sidekicks and buddies
Challengers
Villains’ lackeys

Create profiles for any roles you know your story will include due to your genre and/or your initial scenario.

8. Profile your walk-ons, too

Walk-on characters may seem secondary. Yet even if their backstory or favourite ice cream flavours don’t make it ito the main story, each detail you know will help you make that person believable. No matter how briefly they appear.

The helpful stranger at the crossroads; the inept substitute teacher; the wildly eccentric shopkeeper – walk-on characters give stories the texture of real life.

Create less detailed profiles for these more minor characters. A name, a location or situation in which they appear, what they want, plus maybe a detail or two of their backstory.

9. Make contradictions believable

In stories, as in life, people contradict themselves. How often has a politician voted against an LGBTQI+ ballot, for example, only to be outed later themselves?

While people are full of contradictions, as you profile characters, make sure contradictions make sense.

It makes inherent sense that a closeted politician would vote against their own interests, for example, if they have internalised fears and phobias and thus a credible reason to publically distance themselves from their truth.

Yet look for contradictions, for example a materialistic character who also decides to give up all their worldly possessions and enter a monastery or nunnery. Unless this pivot is contextualized in the story, it may seem out of character. The character profiling stage is a good time to pick up on potential inconsistencies in your character arcs that could leave readers scratching their heads.

10. Expand profile points into scene ideas

Once you have outlined your characters and you have interesting profiles with expansive potential, do some drafting. For example, if we were writing A Time for Mercy , we might draft the scene where Drew Gamble is first questioned by the police.

Moving between an outlining, summarising process and an expansive mode will help you to identify scenes with purpose that connect clearly to your characters’ goals, motivations and conflicts.

Profile characters the easy way and start writing now in the Now Novel dashboard.

Character profiles: 5 questions for a detailed cast
Character arc template: 5 steps to strong character arcs
Using a novel outline template: 5 tips for story prep
Tags character development , character profiles , Story planning

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

5 replies on “How to write character profiles: 10 tips and a template”

Thank you so much for this article, Jordan!

It’s a pleasure, Nyra! Thank you for reading our blog ?

The topics have a lot of influence on the way to write for any topic.

hi Jordan its so nice talking to you thanks for your tip its very useful i will make sure everyone now about this blog. 🙂

Hi Zara, it’s a pleasure. Thank you for reading and for sharing our blog.

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Home / Book Writing / How to Create a Character Profile: With Template and Step by Step Instructions

How to Create a Character Profile: With Template and Step by Step Instructions

Characters are the lifeblood of a novel. In fact, I would say that almost all stories that truly knocked it out of the park (critically and financially) have had strong characters at their core.

A great way to improve the quality of your characters is by writing a character profile. And that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today.

What a character profile is
Why they are important
How to create an amazing character profile
Access to our character bio template to try it out yourself

What Is a Character Profile?
Will You Put Everything From the Profile in the Novel?
What Makes a “Good” Character Profile?
Step 1: Select Your Character Types
Basic Details
Physical Attributes
Clothing and Style
Communication and Mannerisms
Psychological Profile
Motivation and Fears
Character Outline
Character Questionnaire
Make Them Unique
Repeat for More Characters

A character profile is a detailed outline of your character, much like a regular outline for the plot.

It goes into detail on various aspects of a character, including but not limited to:

Their basic appearance and personality
Their backstory
Their motivations
Their family and possessions
Their lifestyle

A good character profile will help you understand that character, so you know how they would behave in certain circumstances. It allows you to predict their actions, reactions, opinions, and the process by which they make decisions.

Typically, a character profile will take the form of a worksheet with key details laid out, and spaces to fill out each character trait. Download our character template to get started .

However, a character profile can be a few paragraphs about the character if you want. This may be simpler for less important characters.

But for the protagonist, antagonist, and other major players in your story, we do recommend the full treatment.

Why Are Character Profiles Important?

Let’s face it, taking all the time to create an outline and flesh out characters can be hard, particularly for those who write by the seat of their pants.

However, taking the time to flesh out these characters beforehand will save you valuable time in the long run.

Because when you know your characters inside and out, the writing goes faster, and your book requires less editing when you’re done.

Honestly, no. A lot of this will be just for you to know, though you could package it up as a bonus for readers of your newsletter.

That said, knowing what happened to your characters, even if it’s not important to the plot, will affect the way you write them.

A solid character profile will give depth to your characters even if you don’t realize it’s happening.

Let me say that again:

There are many ways to approach a character, and spending the time to flesh them out will be rewarding to you.

However, there are some ways that you can ruin your character profile. For example:

Don’t spend so much time on your characters that you neglect the rest of your story
Don’t try to examine them from every possible angle

Instead, you want to stick to the areas that are most relevant for your novel. These usually include their basic details, their backstory up to the beginning of the plot, and information on their personality.

In this article, we’ve divided the most important areas of consideration into four parts:

Character Types
Superficial Details
Personality

There’s a lot of important details encompassed in each of these, so let’s dive in.

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Step 1 : Select Your Character Types

Before you do anything, you should know the role that your characters will play in your story. And we’re not talking about their horoscope or anything like that.

Typically, a character will fall into one of several roles that contribute to the novel in a specific way. You can start by picking one from this list:

Protagonist: the main character in your story
Antagonist: the primary opposition to your character who creates the conflict
Guide: a mentor figure that helps the protagonist in their goals
Contagonist: a secondary antagonist who is usually more involved in the plot and with the protagonist personally
Sidekicks: additional characters who support the protagonist, and who can play key roles of their own
Love Interest: A type of supporting character for whom there is more emotional weight for the protagonist
Temptress: an antagonistic character or force that tries to lure the hero away from the goal
Confidant: a supporting character, often also a sidekick or love interest, that has a deep emotional support role for the protagonist
Foil: a character that is so different and strange to the protagonist, that the clash highlights certain characteristics of the protagonist

There are more roles, and we recommend checking out our article on the subject , but these are the most common.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to develop a thorough character profile for every character in your book.

Typically most authors will draft their character profile based on the protagonist and antagonist, as well as a few key secondary characters.

Once you know the roles your characters will play, then you can start building the character profile.

Step 2 : The Superficial Level

Alright, so let’s assume that you have a vague idea of who your characters are. Maybe you already have a few details in mind. That’s good. Hold on to those because they will help us as we define these characters.

But before we start writing, we don’t want to neglect other areas of their life, including the very basics, which is what we cover in step 2.

This is the easiest step. All you have to do is identify the following:

Place of birth
Current residence
Nationality
Education level
Occupation (just the basics)
Income level
Marital status

Try not to overthink any of these things. We’ll dive deeper later on. This is just to get a superficial idea of who this character is, the kind of stuff you would find on a driver’s license.

We don’t need to know their entire backstory…yet.

The next basic category is physical appearance. This includes things like:

Distinguishing marks like tattoos, scars, birthmarks, etc
Any physical ailments or disfigurements

While this is still surface-level information, it can be important to the development of a character .

For example, if the cultures in your novel have certain biases towards people based on outward appearance, then this section could be quite important.

The third important thing to jot down at this basic level is the style of the person. Consider questions like these when developing the character:

What do they typically wear? (at work, out on the town, at home, asleep, etc.)
Do they wear accessories of any kind?
Are there any objects or pets that they keep close?
What is their level of grooming? (disheveled, neat, wearing makeup, etc.)

Each of these will give you a good idea already at what their personality is. Someone who typically dresses neatly will suggest a much different trait than someone who wears rags and has the stench of alcohol coming from him.

Step 3 : The Personality Level

We recommend tackling personality next, before you determine backstory, although you can do both.

The reason we suggest personality first, is that by determining these internal traits, you can then work backward and find a suitable backstory that would create such a personality.

That said, you can do it the other way around: lock down the backstory first and then determine what kind of a personality would result from such an upbringing.

Whatever the case, backstory and personality are very much related, particularly when it comes to the wants, needs, and fears of an individual.

So let’s dive into the different parts of the personality that you should include in your character profile.

We often don’t think of this, but each of us has a distinct way that we talk.

I’m not just talking about an accent, although we all have those too outside of our native dialect. But there are probably different words that you use more than most, different ways of phrasing things, even different body language that is unique to us.

Here are a few things to consider when determining the communications, mannerisms, and speech patterns of your character:

Are they from a foreign land?
What is their posture? (stiff, slouching, casual, relaxed, exhausted, etc.)
Do they have a specific gesture that they overuse? (hand-talking, controlled, agitated)
Do they make eye contact with the people they talk to?
What curse word do they use the most? Do they curse?
Do they have a catch phrase?
Do they have speech impediments?
Are there any “ticks” in the way they talk/move?
What does their laugh sound like? (loud and booming, snickering, high squeak)
What is their handwriting like?
How do they walk? (confident, lazy, fast, distracted, etc.)
What is their smile like? (warm, false, nervous, etc.)
Do they wear their emotions on their sleeve or keep them hidden?
What is their resting default facial expression?

These are just a few questions to get you started, you don’t necessarily have to answer them all. However, these are all important to consider because it will have a direct effect on how you write their dialogue and describe them when communicating.

This will feel like a very important part, but it is just one piece of the puzzle.

The psychological profile is a good example of something that you might not include verbatim in the story, but will be useful anyway. It’s the part of the iceberg that is still submerged below water. Knowing this will change the way you write them.

Here are some aspects to consider:

Are they introverted or extroverted?
What is happiness to them?
Do they have a favorite place, food, movie, etc.? Why?
How do they feel about love? Being in a relationship?
Are they a leader or a follower?
What gets them excited?
Do they have a favorite quote?
What makes them angry?
What are their morals?
What would they do with unlimited money? Time?
What is their love language?
What is their Myers-Briggs type?
Do they have any mental disabilities?

Let’s comment on those last two.

The Myers-Briggs test is somewhat problematic, as there are certainly more than 16 personalities in the world. However, it can be a great place to start in getting to know your character’s personality. At the very least, it can give you inspiration.

For mental disabilities , you might want to consider giving most of your characters something that they struggled with in this area. Because even for a real person, each mental illness is a spectrum, and most of us struggle with something, even if it’s not enough to get a clinical diagnosis.

For example, I sometimes struggle with ADHD tendencies, enough that I got myself tested. I didn’t have clinical ADHD, but I clearly leaned in that directly.

I hope you get what I’m saying. Each of us falls somewhere on a spectrum for various mental struggles.

Figure out what your character might have, and make sure to study that thing. Not doing your research is a sure way to create a character who feels inauthentic.

While this section could be lumped in with personality, motivation and fears are so important that we wrote a whole article about it. So let’s spend time discussing them.

Your motivation will drive your story, it is the reason why your character does anything, just like in real life. All of us do everything we do for a reason. If we had no motivation, we would just sit back and do nothing until we died.

Stories are about action. Stuff has to happen for there to be a plot, therefore finding that motivation will be crucial to developing your character.

The same is true for fears, which is a type of motivation. Every character should have something they fear more than anything. Ideally, they should be forced to confront that thing over the course of the story in order to get the thing that motivated them to take action in the first place.

Here are some questions to ask:

What do they want most in the world at the start of the story?
What do they actually need most in the world?
What is their biggest fear?
What are they most proud of?

Additionally, you will need to outline their goals in the story. This is different from motivation. Goals are the thing your character wants. Motivations are the reasons why they want those things.

In short, motivation will keep your central character from feeling like a flat character.

Step 4 : The Backstory Level

At this point, you have the basic details, physical appearance, personality, and mannerisms of your major character. Now it’s time to add the basic functionalities of backstory.

It’s at this stage that you begin explaining why a character is the way they are. Why does that man look so disheveled? Why does that woman have a hard time trusting people? Why does that little boy have a scar on his face?

Let me be clear, you do not have to determine these things ahead of time. It’s perfectly fine to outline your character traits before you know how they got there.

For instance, I might invent a character that frequently rides a horse, is a loner, wears minimalist clothing and has a long scar down one arm and a tattoo on the other. Perhaps I have no other reason for picking these things other than that they look cool.

On the other hand, you can build backstory and let it determine the other traits this character has. It can go either way, and will likely go both ways. You could discover that the backstory you create offers new opportunities to tweak the physical appearance or personality of the character.

That’s fine. This is meant to be an evolving writing process.

So let’s take a look at the different character development questions surrounding backstory.

At the core of what a person is, you will often find family there. Our families shape us for better or worse, and the same is true of characters.

Does your character have a family?
How big is their family?
Have any of them died? If so, how did this affect your central character?
What is your character’s current relationship with their parents? Siblings?
What are some defining moments between your character and their family members?

These are some important things to keep in mind. A family that is supportive and loving of a character will have a completely different impact than a family that is abusive and cold.

In the basic facts section, we asked about this person’s occupation and income. Now is the time to dig deeper.

Take a look at the following questions:

Do they enjoy their job?
Do they have any other hobbies or interests?
What are they competent at?
Are they used to living frugally or do they enjoy a lavish lifestyle?
What are their opinions towards money?

These will give you a good start on what their lifestyle is at the start of your book. Preferably, you’ll upend all that once the plot gets going, but the lifestyle that they consider “comfortable” will determine their reactions to change.

This is where you create a general outline of their life up to this point. By now, you should have a lot of ideas, so start by jotting those down. Then ask yourself the following questions:

Where were they raised? Do they still live there? Why?
What are their happiest/saddest/earliest memories?
What were they like as a child?
What are some of the biggest defining moments of their life?
How did they get to where they are today?
What is their biggest regret?
Has your character experienced any trauma?

Go through the major “beats” of the characters life, including childhood, adolescence, past relationships, important religious events, educational milestones, etc.

Once you’ve accomplished all this, you’ll have a pretty good idea of who your character is, helping them spring to life in every scene.

If you want to follow the same path that I took, get this template today!

Advanced Techniques to Create a Character Profile

But let’s not stop here. There are a number of advanced techniques that you can use to create your character profile.

Start by creating a full outline of this person’s life, as if you were writing a novel. Create a timeline or chronology of events from the beginning to the end. You don’t have to use any of this in your novel, but it can come in handy to know from the writer’s perspective.

One great way to get to know your characters is to come up with a character questionnaire . It may include many of the questions we’ve outlined thus far, but you can also take those questions and create a mock “interview” with your character.

Not only does this help deepen your character, it also gives you practice writing in their voice, which is essential.

When choosing things like a character’s occupation, interests, mannerisms, or fears, it can help to find things that are unique. The more exotic and unusual you make them, the more they will appeal to readers (within reason).

For example, an airline pilot who loves goldfish is a much more interesting and quirky character compared to a computer programmer who just goes home to Netflix and chill every day (no offense to my programmer friends).

In short, try to find unique combinations of each of these character traits, in a way that isn’t comical (unless it’s supposed to be).

I would suggest that there are at least two characters that best profit from a character profile: your protagonist and your antagonist.

However, if you really want to go the extra mile, keep repeating these steps for more of your supporting characters.

Just ensure your time spent writing characters does not keep you from writing the book.

Final Thoughts

I hope you found all of this helpful.

As someone who loves outlining, I find that creating a character profile is just as useful as creating a plot outline. It speeds up my writing and increases the quality.

If you like what you see here, we have a complete character profile template that you can check out to facilitate your character creation process. .

And if you enjoyed this post, you might like everything else we have on character development, including:

How to develop characters
Character questions
Types of characters

Jason Hamilton

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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Character Flaws
Character Profiles
Character Traits
Fiction Writing

One of the most important elements in a novel or short story is characterization: making the characters seem vivid, real, alive. One technique that many writers use with success is to create a character profile for the main characters in the novel. The purpose of a character profile is twofold: to assist the writer in creating a character that is as lifelike as possible and to help with continuity issues in the story.

In our author interviews many bestselling authors have stated that they came up with the basics of a character's personality and then they found that the character just "came alive" for them and ended up driving the story all on his own. These are writers with years of experience developing characters and it now comes more naturally to them. But for the beginning writer, sometimes a more concrete approach is helpful.

That is where the character profile comes in -- it is simply a tool for organizing your thoughts about a certain character and keeping track of a particular character's idiosyncrasies and relationships. It can help flesh out a cardboard character and even make you think about facets of his or her personality that you had not considered before. Character profiles are especially helpful for novels which involve several main characters and for stories which use multiple points of view.

Character profiles are useful when writing in any genre. Depending on the genre in which you write, you will create additional sections on the Character Profile Worksheet. For example, fantasy writers can use the character profiles to keep track of factors such as magical abilities, family lineage, spells the character is under, and limitations on the character's power to ensure continuity in the action.

For literary and mainstream novels, profiles are especially useful for keeping in mind motivations of the character -- hurts and disappointments in the past which may not be alluded to directly in the dialogue, but which nevertheless color everything the character thinks and feels. For example, someone who was abused as a child will most likely react differently in certain situations than someone who had a happy, loving childhood.

A Character Profile is also of great help during the rewrite stage of your novel. You can use the profile to ensure continuity in the character's actions. For example, if in draft 1 your heroine is just recovering from a nasty divorce and in draft 2 you've decided to make her a happily married mother of three, you will know to check every scene with dialogue about her marital status as well as scenes where the (now non-existent) dastardly ex-husband is mentioned.

If you change an attribute of your character, be sure to update your Character Profile Worksheet right away. Obviously, a character can develop over the course of the novel. The Worksheet provides a place for you to note that fact so that when you read over your final draft you can see if you achieved your particular character development goal for that character.

A Character Profile is just meant to be a guide where you can list facts and details to help you get to know your characters, especially if you get stuck on one character who doesn't quite seem real. You also want to be sure you don't create a Mary Sue character. Maybe he needs a new characteristic -- a hidden trauma, a fabulous skill or a deadly secret -- something that will make the character come alive for you. If you are having trouble coming up with character details try to see how your character performs using a writing prompt or walk them through a situation known well to you.

How detailed you want your character worksheets to be just depends on what works best for you. So, next time you're stuck on characterization, pull out the Character Profile Worksheet and get to know someone new.

You can find out more about character building in our characters section . Some useful books about characterization include Writer's Guide to Character Traits and Characters & Viewpoint .

This article has been expanded on from the original published in the June 1998 issue of The Internet Writing Journal .

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Interview, Edit and Shape: A Step-by-Step Guide to Participating in Our Profile Contest

Advice from Times journalists and mentor texts for every step of the process — plus short, practical exercises to try along the way.

By Katherine Schulten

Update, Feb. 3 : Thanks to the help of Blake Bockholt, a Utah English teacher piloting this project in his classroom, we have just published a related resource that shares his “use-it-in-your-classroom-today” handouts and presentations that follow the steps we outline below.

Are you taking part in our new profile contest that invites teenagers anywhere in the world to choose an interesting person in their community to research, interview, photograph and write about?

If so, we have two step-by-step guides to help you: this one, for interviewing your subject and shaping the results into a compelling Q. and A., and another to help you take creative portraits of that person. Both are designed for students and teachers who have no previous journalism or photography experience, though we hope many of the tips we offer will be useful to seasoned student journalists as well.

Below, mentor texts, practical exercises and a wealth of advice from Times writers to take you from choosing a subject to crafting the final paragraphs. But no matter where you are in the process, we hope you’ll keep in mind what Taffy Brodesser-Akner , a Times journalist known for her interviews with celebrities, had to say when asked how write a killer profile: “It’s as simple as good research, a lot of thinking and the ability to look at a person through the prism of humanity and kindness .”

Have fun, and if you have questions, post them in the comments or write to us at [email protected]. We can’t wait to meet the people you’ll profile.

Here’s how:

Step 1: read a range of profiles to see how it’s done, step 2: choose a subject, step 3: prepare for the interview, step 4: conduct the interview, step 5: edit and shape your material into a q. and a. profile, step 6: write a headline.

If you start looking for profiles, you’ll find them everywhere — in newspapers and magazines and on websites, radio, television and podcasts. Because our contest asks for a written piece, however, we’re focusing on print profiles in the exercises below.

Activity: Find, read and analyze at least five profiles of people who interest you.

Do your best to get a variety. For example, you might choose profiles of both celebrities and ordinary people, profiles from a variety of publications, or profiles of significantly different lengths or types.

As you read, ask yourself these questions:

What overall impression do you have of the subject? What, specifically, gives you that impression?

How does the piece begin? Why do you think the writer started that way?

What details and anecdotes best illustrate the subject’s personality?

What quotes does the writer use? Why do you think those quotes were chosen?

Does the profile reveal any of the subject’s vulnerabilities, or touch on any subjects he or she is sensitive about? If so, how?

How does the piece end? Why do you think the writer chose to end it that way?

Look back at the structure of the piece. What does each paragraph or section do? (If you are entering our contest, you might want to do this with a few of the Q. and A.’s we’ve linked to in the contest announcement .)

What images accompany the piece? What do they capture about the subject? What do they add that you might not have known otherwise?

A Few Times Sources

In our contest announcement , we linked to many Times Q. and A.’s across sections, all of which can be models for your own work.

Here are some additional spots in The Times where you can find profiles, though some, like “Up Next” and “My Ten,” take the form of lists rather than full articles. Still, all of them can provide inspiration for questions to ask, details to include and images that illustrate. Times obituaries are also wonderful sources for observing how writers can make people and the events of their lives vivid for the reader.

Character Study The Saturday Profile Profiles in Science It’s Never Too Late Corner Office Up Next My Ten Sunday Routine Talk By the Book Mini Vows

We’ve asked a few Times experts how they go about finding fascinating local people. Corey Kilgannon, who often writes about interesting New York characters , was a recent guest on a Learning Network webinar about profile writing . Here are some of the tips he shared:

Keep your eyes open when you’re out in your neighborhood. Be curious. Talk to people who interest you to find out more and see if they’d make good profile subjects.

Tell your family and friends you’re writing a profile and ask for recommendations. Ask: Who do you know who could make a good interview? Why? People always have suggestions and it’s interesting to hear about who they notice and why.

Read local papers or online community forums to find people doing notable things.

Choose by profession. Look up a job you’re interested in and find someone local who is doing it. Or search for quirky jobs, like the chimney sweep or pinball-machine repairman Mr. Kilgannon profiled.

Finding the right person is key. As he noted on the webinar, “If you find the right person, this can kind of write itself. And inversely, if you find someone who’s not that quotable or is more of a tough sell about the article, then you have to do more work to try to bring them to life.”

Chris Colin, who annotated a Q. and A. profile he wrote , agrees with Mr. Kilgannon’s first point — and makes a useful additional point about the limits of doing all your searching from a computer:

Typically when I’m writing about someone, it begins with my hearing about something interesting that the person did. This happens in all kinds of ways, and I can never predict when or how. Maybe I’m chatting with someone in a bar and they mention some astounding person they know. Maybe I fall into a random conversation at the dog park, or a cafe, or a party, or the dentist’s office, or my kids’ school, and that’s where I hear about it. No rhyme or reason except this: It’s almost never from Google. You think you can Google your way to a beguiling, unknown corner of the universe, but in my experience it seldom happens. Every time I re-remember this truism, it’s a nudge to get off the couch and go out into the world, hit up some more dog park randos.

Activity 1: Answer our questions.

In December we asked, Who in Your Community Might Be Interesting to Interview?

First, read the piece, and scroll through the answers students have already posted for inspiration.

Next, use this activity sheet to brainstorm even more possibilities.

Finally, consider posting your own answer in the comments so other people can learn from your ideas.

Activity 2: Take a community walk and observe.

Get off the couch, go out and walk around. Notice the people in your neighborhood and get into conversations. Meet shopkeepers and “dog park randos.” If you’re stuck for a question, ask them which person they might interview if they were assigned to write a profile of someone interesting in the community.

Set a goal of adding at least three new possibilities to the list you began above.

Choose from the activities below depending on your experience level.

Activity 1: Practice the process by interviewing a classmate.

Our 2021 lesson plan on “ Conducting Interviews With ‘The Daily ’” suggests this exercise:

1. Pair up with a classmate, but make sure your partner is someone you don’t know well.

2. Work together to choose a theme for your interview, such as music, travel, sports, pet peeves, hopes for college and career or anything else you like.

3. Then, write three interview questions for your partner, but don’t show it to him or her. (Your partner should do the same for you.)

4. Before you start, make sure you have paper and pen to take notes while your interviewee is talking. You might also want to practice recording the conversation with your phone or a tape recorder. That way, you’ll make this interview as similar as possible to the one you will do with the subject of your formal profile piece.

5. Set a timer and spend five minutes on the first interview. Then swap roles for another five minutes. As each interview begins, practice some basic steps that professional journalists take: Ask for your classmate’s name (and how it’s spelled) and age, and make sure it’s clear that your interview will be “on the record” and that you’ll be taking notes.

Please also note that while a good interviewer is curious, be careful to be respectful, too — don’t ask questions that might be taken as rudely invasive.

6. Afterward, reflect together on your experience:

What was it like to be an interviewer? What were the challenges of writing and asking questions? What was fun? Which questions elicited one-word answers, like yes or no? Which questions revealed deeper thoughts and feelings? Did you stick to your list of prepared questions or did you ask spontaneous follow-ups? How did you balance your inquisitiveness with your respect for the other person’s privacy?

What was it like to be an interviewee? What kinds of questions made you really think or feel? What kinds of questions allowed you to open up and share your thoughts and experiences? What did the interviewer do, if anything, to put you at ease or to build your trust?

What lessons might you take from this experience into the interview you’ll do with the subject of your profile?

Activity 2: Research your subject.

When you know who the subject of your piece will be, start doing some preparation to find out as much about the person as you can. Do an internet search and look at your subject’s social media profiles. Talk to people who can tell you the basics about the person’s background.

Why do all this before the interview rather than in the interview itself? Years ago, The New York Times Learning Network published a resource for student journalists called Campus Weblines . That advice still holds:

Do your homework. There is very little more embarrassing than arriving for an interview and not knowing what has already been written about your subject. A question on the order of, “Well, Mr. Jones, have you been teaching here long?” almost guarantees a poor interview. Mr. Jones almost immediately begins to look at his watch to try to figure out a way to get out of this. A far better question, in the same area, may be, “Can we talk about the changes that have occurred during your eight years here at Central?” Or: “You were at East High for a number of years before coming here. Why did you move? Are glad you did?” Or, “What are the major differences between East High, where you taught before coming here, and our school?”

But avoiding seeming amateurish or rude isn’t the only reason to do your research — it also makes for a much richer interview. A Columbia Journalism Review article called “ The Art of the Interview ” quotes the Times journalist Jodi Kantor , who has written a book on the Obamas; helped ignite the #MeToo movement with reporting on Harvey Weinstein ; and also interviews noncelebrities, like janitors working during the pandemic . “To ask a really high-yielding question, you need to have done your homework,” she says.

The article gives an example:

This is especially true when you’re talking to people who are used to being interviewed. Kantor described an interview she did with the President and First Lady: “I had come to understand that equality was a serious issue in the Obama marriage, and that in the White House, the president and first lady are not treated in the same way at all. So I summoned up my nerve and asked them, ‘How do you have an equal marriage when one person is president?’” Their replies were much more illuminating than if Kantor had asked something more generic like, “What are your thoughts on gender equality?”

Activity 3: Think about your angle.

A profile isn’t a biography — it focuses on one aspect of its subject’s personal or professional life. Though you should know enough about the person’s life to include biographical details, the focus, or angle, you choose will dictate what background information you’ll use.

You might go into your interview already knowing what you think the angle will be. After all, you probably had a focus in mind when you chose your subject. But the interview is a process of discovery, and new themes may emerge as you talk.

For example, say you want to interview your local barber because he’s had a shop in your neighborhood for 30 years and you imagine he’ll have a lot to say about neighborhood history. But as you talk to him, you may learn that he is an accomplished artist on the side, or that he had a particularly harrowing pandemic experience, or that he has a long history of triumphing in spite of steep odds. The focus of your final piece may shift to one of those themes instead.

But to move on to Activity 4, select an angle so that you can write related questions. Later in this guide you’ll find advice about shifting your focus if you want to.

Activity 4: Write out your questions.

You should come to your interview with a basic list of good, open-ended questions you’d like to ask, but you should also remember that those questions are just a starting point. Your real job will be to listen and to follow up in as natural a way as possible.

In our webinar, Corey Kilgannon explained it this way:

It’s good to have a list, whether on an index card or on your phone or in a notebook, in case you either get nervous or you forget. But don’t get too scripted. It’s always a conversation. Anything they say can fuel your next question. Like, “Really, you did that?” Or, “How did you pull that off?” Build off what they say and formulate new questions based upon what they’re telling you.

In the Q. and A. profile he annotated for us, Chris Colin gives some additional advice on asking questions:

I try to avoid Big Questions, by and large. When I was starting out as a journalist, I thought Big Questions are the way you get to Big Answers. Not so, at least in my experience. Overly ambitious and reaching questions often shut people down — it’s just too much pressure to come up with the meaning of life or whatever. Far more effective, I think, is when you ask them about smaller details. What did your room look like when you were a kid? What kind of stuff was on your wall? Did you like being in there or not really? Non-small information invariably bubbles up between the cracks.

Feel free to borrow and adapt good questions from the various profiles we have linked here and in other resources. Or, exchange your initial list of questions with a classmate and borrow anything useful you find there as well.

Activity 5: Contact your subject to ask for an interview.

Put your subject at ease by being polite and straightforward. Mr. Kilgannon has advice for this step, too:

Tell the person what your goal is and where you’re coming from — that you’re writing a profile for a school assignment or a contest or a newspaper or whatever. Be straight with the person you’re interviewing. Some people might be a little nervous or shy about how this is going to turn out, or how they’re going to look. So tell them what it’s for, how long it’s going to be, that there will be photos, or whatever you can.

Our contest begins just as the world is going through another coronavirus surge, so we understand you may have to adapt your interview plans. If possible to do it safely — for example, outdoors — we hope you’ll try to interview and photograph your subject in person. The surroundings the person chooses will offer you lots of information, as will mannerisms and posture, details that may not be conveyed through a screen.

This may also be the stage at which you are taking photos of your subject. We have an additional guide to help , though if you are working in pairs, you might also conduct the photo shoot at a different time.

But no matter how or where you’re conducting your interview, the advice below, gathered from various Times sources, will help.

1. Begin with the journalism basics.

From an archived Learning Network resource for student journalists called How to Write a Profile Feature Article:

Identify yourself as a reporter before beginning any conversation with a source. If you don’t, his or her comments will not be considered “on the record” — and therefore they will not be useable in your article. A source cannot retroactively take his or her comments “off the record” — so if a source says at the end of an interview, “but that was all off the record,” that person is out of luck.

Let the subject know that you’ll be taking notes, but also recording the conversation for accuracy. Then, check to make sure your device is recording well, and begin taping what your subject has to say.

2. Start the interview in a natural way, then keep the conversation going.

Adapted from Campus Weblines :

Don’t be so focused on the point of the interview that you jump right in with substantive questions. An interview is also a social interaction; the best ones start with a minute or two of polite small talk about the weather, last night’s game or whatever.

Reading from a list of questions guarantees a mediocre interview. It is one of the clearest signs of a beginner when a reporter arrives with questions all written out and three lines or so left between questions to write down the answers. It is far better to let the conversation follow its own path, with a little steering and nudging from the interviewer.

Take notes on the highlights of the interview, but don’t try to transcribe the entire thing — remember that you will have a recording to listen to later.

Listen to the response to one question while framing the next one in your mind. It sounds harder than it is. But anybody who’s ever done homework while watching television, listening to music and fielding instant messages that pop up on the screen every two minutes can master it.

3. Ask open-ended questions, be a good listener and pose follow-up questions as you go.

From our lesson plan about teaching with “The Daily ”:

Be a good listener, and probe for anecdotes. Get a source talking by asking questions that begin with “how” or “why.” Once a source starts talking, try to keep him or her going by asking follow-up questions like “What do you mean by that?” or “Can you give me an example?”

Your interview questions don’t need to be long or complicated. Michael Barbaro, the host of “The Daily,” often asks simple, direct and open-ended questions, such as:

Tell us about _________?

I wondered if you can walk us through _________?

What’s your understanding of why _________?

Listen and ask follow-up questions. To help, you might use these follow-up question starter phrases drawn from “The Daily”:

So, tell me more about _________?

What does that mean?

Why does that matter?”

4. Check for accuracy and understanding throughout.

Adapted from advice Corey Kilgannon gave in our webinar :

Feeding back to your subject is very important. Ask them to clarify anything that isn’t clear: “From what you’re telling me, it sounds like you do X, Y and Z for a living, right?” Let them correct you.

If they give you a good quote and you can’t catch it all, you can say, “Wait, you just told me that …” Ask them to repeat it so you have it down accurately. It helps you get it right, but it also makes them realize, “This person’s writing down what I’m saying. They’re going to include this!”

If you’re quoting someone, you’re quoting exactly what they’re saying. If they’re using slang, you can ask them to explain the term. If it’s an obscenity and you can’t use curse words, you can tell the person you won’t be able to use that, and they can either rephrase or you can “write around it” later.

The more you feed back what you’re hearing to make sure you have it right, the more they trust you, because then you’re not just some person scribbling away. Open the communication and it puts them at ease, and it also keeps you from getting things wrong.

5. Talk to your subject for over 30 minutes, long enough to get the “best material.”

From Chris Colin, adapted from the piece he annotated for us:

Every interviewer knows you get the best material after your interviewee has exhausted the canned patter. We all have canned patter, no matter how genuine and spontaneous we might try to be. But it seems that we only have about half an hour of it. That’s the rule of thumb they teach you: half an hour of tape loop and then a person has no choice but to dig within for new material. That’s when you get the authentic, unprocessed stuff. Spend 40 minutes with them, minimum.

6. Ask this question before the interview ends.

From Tina Rosenberg , a writer for Fixes, via this piece in The Columbia Journalism Review :

The best advice from Medill’s J-school : At the beginning of every interview, tell subjects: “I’ll ask you at the end: ‘Is there anything I should ask you about that I haven’t?’” Then ask it at the end.

7. If you are interviewing a scientist, historian, researcher or anyone else who works with discoveries and ideas, keep these special tips in mind.

From Science Times journalist Nicholas St. Fleur , adapted from an interview he did for this webinar :

I have a favorite question I ask in every interview: “What surprised you about your work?” It takes scientists aback. They’ll often be speaking a bit about what their work is, and sometimes they’ll trail off and get really academic. This question sometimes catches them off guard, and you get really human answers from it.

I also like to ask people about the moment they made their discovery. Were you in the lab? Were you out there on the field? Was the discovery made by you? Was it made by one of your colleagues? Was it made by a citizen scientist? I especially love stories that have a citizen science angle because it relates to the reader that science is for everyone, and everyone can take part.

When I’m speaking to my researchers, I also always ask them, “Hey, who else should I speak to about this?” Oftentimes a science journalist will only quote the main scientist who is well-established. But in many cases, a good portion of the work is done by researchers or students. I want to know who those people are. It’s very important to elevate voices that historically haven’t been in the limelight in science.

Mr. St. Fleur also echoes Tina Rosenberg’s advice:

I end nearly every one of my interviews by asking, “What did I miss? What did I forget to ask?” Oftentimes they’ll say they think we covered most things … but then a little spark goes off in the back of their heads and they’re like, “But there is this one aspect we didn’t touch upon.” And oftentimes that’ll open up a whole other angle you didn’t even realize was there.

8. If you need to ask a “tough question,” take advice from three Times reporters who often interview celebrities.

From Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Joe Coscarelli and David Marchese, adapted from this Times Insider piece :

All three reporters agree: Never ask the tough questions first.

The key is finding a natural time to ask the question. “I’m looking for an organic point in the conversation to raise a difficult subject so it doesn’t feel like a ‘Gotcha!’ thing,” Mr. Marchese said.

Sometimes, a celebrity is confrontational by nature. When Mr. Coscarelli sat down with 6ix9ine last year, it was the rapper’s first interview since he was released from prison for crimes he committed as a member of a Brooklyn gang. “You want to figure out a way to ask the question without making the person shut down,” said Mr. Coscarelli, who asked 6ix9ine how it would feel when his daughter grew up and saw the allegations that he had physically abused her mother. He framed the question in a way that would pierce what he called the rapper’s “carnival barker” facade and encourage him to focus on those affected by his actions instead of on himself.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that your subjects are human, too, Ms. Brodesser-Akner said. And, she added, sometimes the best move a reporter can make is simply to listen.

9. As soon as possible after your interview ends, make quick notes of your impressions.

Many journalists told us that a helpful final step is to take a few minutes after the interview to review your notes and jot down any new ideas or observations while they are fresh. What stands out? What ideas do you have for the piece now? Is there any information that is missing? What might you need to fact-check or follow up on?

If you are participating in our contest, the profile you’ll be writing will take the form of an edited set of questions and answers from your interview, plus an introduction. In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps for doing that — though it’s fine if you don’t want to follow the steps in the same order.

To make all this easier, we’ll be using just one mentor text, “ Kristina Wong’s Pandemic Story: Sewing With Her Aunties ,” along with advice that the writer, Sarah Bahr, shared with us in an email interview. Ms. Bahr was recently a reporting fellow on The Times’s Culture desk, and is now a freelance writer.

1. Find your focus.

We hope you took the advice Chris Colin offers above and spoke to your subject for at least 40 minutes — either in just one interview or a few conversations. Given the 700-word limit for this contest, you can’t reproduce the whole thing. What parts will you choose? How will you find a focus?

To think about that, take a look at our mentor text. Kristina Wong has been the subject of several Times pieces in the past, including reviews of her work and a video about how she uses humor to make social statements. But the Q. and A. doesn’t try to summarize her entire career. Instead, it focuses on one thing: Ms. Wong’s pandemic sewing group and the new show that grew out of it.

To see how that is done, read the whole piece, from the headline and summary to the introduction and Q. and A. As you go, underline anything that has to do with either Ms. Wong’s pandemic sewing or the show she’s creating as a result. When you’re done, compare with others. How many parts of the piece are not underlined? (Spoiler: very, very few.)

Then, think about the theme your piece will explore. Ask yourself:

What do I want to focus on? What is the most interesting, urgent or useful aspect of what I learned? Who will read this, and why should they care?

What parts of my interview are crucial to include because they fit my focus so well?

What quotes from my interview are so interesting, important, surprising, informative or colorful that I need to find a way to fit them in?

What background, context or detail about this person will my readers need to understand the focus I’ve chosen?

2. Craft an introduction that hooks the reader.

Journalists call the opening of an article a “lede.” Here are the first two paragraphs of the Kristina Wong article. What do you notice?

Kristina Wong is an in-your-face performer who, until this month, hadn’t performed for an in-person audience since March 2020. The thought of looking into dozens of eyes, not just the little green light on her laptop, made her feel, well, weird. So her stage manager, Katie Ailinger, came up with a plan to ease her back into the rhythms of live performance: She taped stock photos of people’s faces around the rehearsal room at New York Theater Workshop, where in September Wong began to prepare “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord,” a one-woman show about running a sewing group during the pandemic.

How does it drop you right into a scene? What information does it manage to convey while telling a story? How does it make Ms. Wong relatable? Does it make you want to read on?

Ms. Bahr tells us she always writes her introductions first — though many journalists write them last. Here are some tips she shared about her process:

I generally close my notebook, then think about what the first thing I would say to a friend who asked how the interview went would be. I start with that, and, whenever possible, write it up as a scene the reader can picture. In this case, I left the interview thinking about the story Kristina told me about her stage manager taping photos of people’s faces around the rehearsal room to get her used to performing for an audience again.

It helps me to write the intro first, because I’m stealing some of the best parts of my interview for it. Once I’ve chosen the quotes I’m going to include there, I know what answers to leave out of the Q. and A. part of the story, rather than having to go back and remove them later.

There are many ways to start a piece, and we’ve detailed some of them in other lessons , but a quick glance at a few other Q. and A. profiles can give you some options.

For instance, here’s another piece that puts the reader right into a scene. It begins, “On a recent morning, Rick Steves was wandering around the ancient Tuscan town of Volterra with a new crop of tour guides.”

You could also start with something surprising you learned in the interview, the way this Q. and A. does: “The actress Aunjanue Ellis is nearly 30 years into an onscreen career, but until about a decade ago, she thought it was all a fluke.”

If you are telling the story of an arc in a person’s life — from failure to success, for instance — you might try teasing that in your opening. The first line of this piece does that: “In the fall of 2019, Pascal Siakam was riding high.” When an article starts that way, you’re just waiting for the “but,” and a couple of paragraphs later, we get it: “Now, Siakam, 27, is facing questions about whether he can truly be a long-term cornerstone in Toronto.”

3. Make sure to also include in your introduction any background information the reader will need.

Ms. Bahr points out: “The intro is also the place to provide context that’ll help the reader understand the rest of the interview. You want to tell the reader both why you’re talking to the person now and why they should care what they have to say.”

Go through the introduction to her Kristina Wong interview. Where did she do that? How does she include what you need to know both succinctly and entertainingly? What lessons can you learn for your own introduction?

4. Edit and condense your interview.

First, take a look at the nine questions Ms. Bahr asks Ms. Wong . What do you notice about them? How do they move chronologically from the beginning of the pandemic through the show to the final question? How does the writer use the Q. and A. format to tell the story?

Then think about the order you’d like to put your questions and answers in. Pro tip: Your questions don’t have to go in the order you originally asked them! Put them in an order that makes the reader want to read on and find out more, but also anticipates what the reader might want to know next.

Now on to editing. You may have noticed that most of the Q. and A.’s we suggest contain a line like “The following interview has been edited and condensed.” No one expects a Q. and A. to be a literal transcription of every sentence. Keep in mind that you cannot put words in your subject’s mouth, but you can edit what they said to make it shorter and clearer — as long as it is still faithful to the original meaning.

Ms. Bahr says that she spoke to Ms. Wong for about an hour, and that in the end she used only about a sixth of the material she got. Here are some of her tips for figuring out what to include:

Remember that you get to decide what is interesting. Sometimes an interviewee will talk about something for 20 minutes, but you’re never obligated to include it if something they spent 30 seconds on is more interesting.

If I ask 10 questions, and include nine, there’s going to be a lot of less-interesting material. But if I ask 25 questions and choose nine to include, now I have a bigger pool of interesting answers to pull from.

A good rule of thumb is that if you’re even slightly bored reading an answer, your reader is 10 times as bored. Treat every sentence as though it’s auditioning to be in your story — only the best quotes and most memorable anecdotes should make it in. For instance, Ms. Wong’s answer to my first question — “At what point did you realize ‘This isn’t just something I’m doing; this is a theater show’?” — was 12 minutes long. Obviously, I can’t put in the entire 1,800-word answer, and nor would I want to. But I was jotting down the highlights as she was talking. Then, later, I went back and transcribed her exact words.

Never add words that the person didn’t say. You can briefly add context if they mention something that the reader will be unfamiliar with. For instance, if the interviewee talks about “Emily,” you might want to add [her sister] so the reader understands who Emily is, but any substantive changes should always be identified by brackets.

You should remove all the “um,” “well,” “you know,” and other filler words from an answer.

You can also eliminate full sentences to streamline an answer. Look for redundancies. If someone says the same thing three times in three different ways, often the last time is closest to the idea they’re trying to express.

Don’t forget to edit yourself! I always go back and tighten up my questions. Just because you ramble — particularly when building up to a tough question — doesn’t mean the reader needs to listen to you doing it. The focus should be on the subject of the piece and the answers you’re prompting them to give, which means you should keep questions as concise as possible.

I’ll also split up long responses I want to include by adding questions where appropriate to help the reader follow the conversation and direct them to focus on one part of the response at a time, as I did with the second question in this story. Just be careful not to position your subject as answering a question that is not true to the conversation you had.

Just because the interview is over doesn’t mean you can’t follow up to ask a few more questions or clarify a response. Never worry about sounding stupid by asking a question about something you think you should already understand. If you’re confused, readers will be, too. And people are happy to clear up any confusion; they want the interview to be as accurate as possible, too.

Above all, remember that it’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and should read like one. You can make connections between someone’s responses, comment on their answers, agree or disagree, or make them laugh.

5. Fact-check, proofread and invite peer editing.

In “ How to Write a Profile Feature Article ” we remind students:

Spell names right. Get grade levels and titles right. Get facts right. If you are unsure of something and cannot verify it, leave it out. Before you turn in your story, ask yourself these questions: Have I attributed or documented all my facts? Are the quotes in my story presented fairly and in context? Am I prepared to publicly defend my facts if they are questioned?

Ms. Bahr echoes that advice. She says:

After I’ve written the story, I go through and fact-check details like years, names, and titles using the recording, Google, and, if the information isn’t publicly available, a follow-up email to the interviewee. It’s important to check information not just against your recording, but on the internet or with your interviewee as well. It’s easy for someone to get a year wrong or misstate a word in a title. In this case, I checked several things with Kristina, including the run time of her show, the spelling of her stage manager’s name, and the month she held a “retirement party” for her sewing group.

At this point, it is time to have a teacher or peer editor read your piece. Ask: Are there questions raised by my story that I haven’t answered? Is anything about it confusing? What are the strongest parts and what are the weakest?

Your headline should be fun to write. It should grab the reader’s attention and summarize the piece in a brief yet bold way. As Corey Kilgannon notes about the headline of his article, “Meet ‘Supergirl,’ The World’s Strongest Teenager”: “People are more likely to click on an article if they can grasp the subject immediately. They often skip over stories that have confusing or unclear headlines.”

Activity: Play a game with the headlines from some recent Times profiles of teens.

To think about the relationship between the headline and top photo, scan the headlines below and guess which goes with the photo above. What clues helped you decide? Click to see if you’re right.

This 18-Year-Old May Be the Key to America’s World Cup Hopes

A Polish Rapper Goes From Scandal to Superstar

‘Sexist,’ ‘Racist,’ ‘Classist’: Georgia 8th Grader Challenges School Dress Code

To Honor His Indigenous Ancestors, He Became a Champion

Teenage Aviator Aims to Be Youngest Woman to Circle the Globe Solo

Is It the Weekend? Not Until He Says So.

A Teenager Mistakenly Moved Into a Senior Living Complex. TikTok Loves It.

To Reach His Dream, This Teen Will Have to Touch the Sky

A Teen Sensation Grows Up

Activity 2: Analyze the headlines — and imitate them

Look back at the headlines above. Then answer these questions:

Which grab your attention best and make you want to click? Why?

Which are clearest and give you the best clues as to what the piece will be about? How?

Which are more mysterious or playful? Do those headlines still work, in your opinion? Why or why not?

What do you notice about the different headlines and their grammar, syntax and punctuation? What conclusions can you draw?

Next, ask yourself: Do any of these offer useful structures for my headline? How might I adapt them? If not, look at the other profiles we have linked here for ideas. Play with a few options and get advice from others. Which most makes people want to read on?

Finally, when you are happy with your headline and are ready to submit your profile, use the submission form on this page . Good luck and thank you for participating!

Katherine Schulten has been a Learning Network editor since 2006. Before that, she spent 19 years in New York City public schools as an English teacher, school-newspaper adviser and literacy coach. More about Katherine Schulten

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"A garden of words" (Psychopathology Portfolio)

“remember tonight… for it is the beginning of always” ― dante alighieri.

Character Profile Assignment: Part 1/2 (Story Analysis)

For this assignment we choose one of the characters from the stories we read in class, and wrote an in-depth analysis on that character, specifically pointing out the psychological disorder/illness/phenomenon we thought they had.

The story and character I chose was Asterion from “The House of Asterion” by Jorge Luis Borges

=======================================================================

Brandon Vasquez

“AND THE QUEEN gave birth to a child who was called Asterion.” In the story “The House of Asterion” by Jorge Luis Borges, we follow the pitiful and hopeless life that the protagonist–Asterion is subjugated to. The story provides a very dark and inhumane side of society, one that casts those who are not the same as them into a world of loneliness and despair. Asterion–a minotaur–is thrust into a world where everyone around him fears him, because of his half-human half-bull physical appearance. This fear and repulsiveness from society confine him to the walls of his “home;” a home that resembles the illusion of freedom while also serving as a reminder of his loneliness in the world. However, this painstaking life that the infamous minotaur faces is set ablaze once he learns of how freeing death is, he learns of its ability to take away his loneliness. Asterion’s detrimental disorder–depersonalization–detaches him from his solitary reality and from his understanding of what he wants, but this same detachment is also what fuels his view of death as freeing.

Asterion’s childlike playfulness removes him from his subconscious need to be with someone else, though he states that he is “ not interested in what one man may transmit to other men,” he also likes to “pretend that…the other Asterion…comes to visit me and that I show him my house,” and “sometimes I make a mistake and the two of us laugh heartily.” This wholehearted moment that Asterion would like to share with the “other Asterion” presents a sad dilemma, one where he wants to speak and be with the world but because he is different he is cast away and shunned by society forcing him to struggle in his solitary reality, even if it’s him pretending to show someone around his home.

A key factor that reflects Asterion’s state of mind is the “house” he lives in, he describes it as being infinite but also vacant. He mentions that “there is not one single piece of furniture within the house.” Also that the house has “Doors(whose numbers are infinite)” and “dusty gray stone galleries.” This description relates to a lack of comfort and vacant feeling, much like the coldness and entrapping feeling of being trapped…while it may seem like there are many doors for him to get out (escape) of the house, the doors only serve as a reminder that he cannot escape the loneliness of this empty home he lives in. Even when Asterion steps foot outside he is forced back into his home, “because of the fear that the faces of the common people inspired” in him. The solitude of his home didn’t stay bound to just his home and soon he began to believe the skewed reality that “The house is the same size as the world; or rather it is the world.” He is stuck between this solitary prison and the world that is repulsed by him. Society strikes fear into him because of the way they run from him and “gathered stones,” once he stepped foot outside. Asterion seemed to have no place in the world, that is why he began to associate his “home” with the world, both being vast and empty with doors that led to nowhere. This sad reality drives asterion into a detached perspective on life, one where he is in a fleeting world unbeknown to him whether he is even awake or asleep…“sometimes I really sleep, sometimes the color of day has changed when I open my eyes.”

In all of the disgust and expulsion from society and the solitude of his home, Asterion found a ray of hope, what he considered as his redemption–death. This new-found redemption was one that would free him from this infinite repetition of “pool, courtyard, drinking trough, manger; the mangers, drinking troughs, courtyards pools;” the infinite loop of his solitary and ever repetitive home. The moment that Asterion encountered the man who said that “someday [his] redeemer would come” Asterion began to immerse himself deeper into his derealization/depersonalization as he begins to associate his mere existence with meeting this stranger who at least–in a morbid sense–cares for Asterion, even if this stranger’s sole purpose is to kill Asterion he sees only the beauty in finally meeting someone else who could save him from the nightmare he lived. “Since then my loneliness does not pain me.” He no longer felt the malignant pain of being alone, he could only think of the numbing reality that death provides, which makes him ‘hope he will take me to a place with fewer galleries fewer doors.” A place where he can step outside without fear of hateful judgment and also a place where he won’t see the repetition of his infinite solitude.

Asterion suffered from the direct prejudices of society, this forced him to isolate himself within the emptiness of his home…a hollow and unwelcoming place that caused him to detach himself from the reality of his situation, that he was alone. He tries to numb his loneliness in several ways, whether it be pretending , by inviting over another Asterion or hiding from an imaginary pursuer. He finds little success in escaping his solitude, that is until Asterion met his purpose in life–death.

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Psychopathology in LIterature – Alyssa Paulino

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Character Profile Assignment

The character I have chosen for this assignment is Arnold from the story “The Stone Boy” written by Gina Berriault. In this story, the main character, a little boy, shows symptoms of Schizoid Personality Disorder. Arnold has shown difficulty expressing emotions or acting appropriately in emotional situations, humorless, indifferent or emotionally cold to others, and he doesn’t react to praise or critical remarks from others. After killing his brother Arnold was treated like he didn’t exist, the officers would talk about how insane the situation was right in front of him, his parents somewhat ignored him as well as his sister. He didn’t really have much of a reaction after hearing what the Sheriff thought of him, but he did think about why he left his brother, he questioned himself which shows that he’s not actually cold-hearted and that he just could have had a different way of grieving or reacting. Some causes of Schizoid Personality disorder are trauma, especially emotional and physical abuse, violence, or abuse in the home during childhood, and trauma caused by war or having a parental figure who is cold, neglectful, and remote. Arnold could have been probably traumatized after seeing he shot his brother in the neck, the guilt was probably too much and in actuality he is still a little boy at the end of the day. He was still not open to the idea of dying, or killing, he’s just starting out in life. Also, regarding the cause of having a cold parental figure, for all we could have known, the way he is could’ve been because of his parents. Why did the parents leave a weapon like that out in the first place anyway? Why do the kids feel comfortable Paulino 2 to go out for that long by themselves without their parents worrying one bit? There were many factors in the situation that would have prevented the shooting if they never happened, so this makes me question the mom and dad’s parenting. I will be using the scene where “He was feeling the same discomfort he had felt when he had watched Eugie sleeping; his brother didn’t know that he was lying face down in the pasture. Again he said, “Hey, Eugie,” An anxious nudge in his voice. But Eugie was as still as the morning about them.” The setting of this scene was outside near the lake, some objects that surround Arnold and Eugie are the tub that he uses for the peas, the fence that the rifle got caught on, and there were ducks rising from the lake. Using the senses to describe the scene, I would say touch is the main one, Arnold describes the peas being cold and not realizing that they were numbing his fingers. An example of dramatic irony is that Arnold said he felt somewhat anxious or uncomfortable yet he carried on with his day as if nothing happened or as if he did not care. In the quote “Then Arnold saw it, under the tendril of hair at the nape of the neck–a slow rising of bright blood.”, color is being used to describe Eugie’s blood, perhaps it was bright for a reason. Key aspects of the character Arnold that are also interesting, are how he acts and his behavior. He seems emotionless but given the way he thinks and questions himself, there has to be more to him. He wants to let his emotions out and express his feelings but he doesn’t seem to know how to. A probable cause could have been the environment that he grew up in because he seems to bottle up his emotions and keep everything inside very frequently. He would actually rather let the sheriff and his parents think that he is a complete monster, than say he did not know why he did what he did. His parents did not seem like they were the most affectionate and did not show him the love he needed which caused him to act that way. I think we gain a different Paulino 3 perspective of Arnold’s point of view since it is in third person.We get to be more intrigued and hypothesize what or why he feels the need to keep to himself. After my first time going over the story I genuinely believed that Arnold had some form of psychopathy and that he felt nothing because I did not really analyze his behavior close enough to notice that he was actually questioning himself. I believed that he often lacked empathy, and after accidentally shooting his brother and killing him, he still failed to show any type of remorse or guilt. After going through other people’s thoughts on the situation I saw that Arnold is just hiding and he’s letting the guilt eat him up, he’s letting his parents and sister take out their emotions on him instead of thinking about how he feels. They never stopped to think about how a child must be coping with the fact that he accidentally killed his brother and is now looked at as some kind of a monster. In this scene in the book “he had had no answer–all he could say was that he had gone down into the garden to pick the peas. His father had stared at him in a pale, puzzled way.” Arnold was explaining to his uncle and father that after accidentally shooting his brother Eugie, that he continued the task his parents sent him to do in the first place which actually says a lot. This may mean that Arnold was more scared of coming home without picking the peas like he was supposed to than going back to the house to tell his parents about his brother. Also, the fact that earlier on in the story he was freezing and his legs got to the point where they were numb he still continued to pick the peas. He was probably scared of disappointing his parents, and once again he’s just a child.

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History of Western Civilization II – HIEU 202

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/01/2024

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Course Description

A survey of the major currents in Western civilization since 1648.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog .

This survey course introduces students to political, economic, military, religious, and cultural developments of the modern West in order to foster a better understanding of the conditions and challenges of the twenty-first century. It is a required prerequisite for upper-level courses in European history and it may also fulfill a portion of the General Education requirement.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings, presentations, videos, and learning activities

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. The purpose of Discussions is to generate interaction in regards to relevant current course topics. Therefore, the student will post a thread of 200–250 words and then 2 replies of 100–150 words. (CLO: A, C, D, E, F; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

Research in History Assignments (3)

The student will complete the initial stages of a history research project using the resources of the Jerry Falwell Library The purpose of this project is to reinforce learning outcomes for competency in information literacy. The student will complete the project in three parts. For Part One, the student selects a theme, develops a research question, identifies sources, and writes about the process for finding sources. For Part Two, the student creates a properly formatted bibliography and writes an explanation of this stage of the research process. For Part Three, the student revises the bibliography and writes a rationale and reflection about the selection, evaluation, and citation of sources for research in history. (CLO: A, C, D, E, F; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

Primary Source Activity: Two Declarations Assignment

The student will examine primary source documents and respond to a set of related questions using the MindTap platform. The purpose of this assignment is to introduce analysis of primary source documents as a tool for the study of history. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F; CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

Map Activity Assignments (2)

The student will examine maps and respond to a set of related questions using the MindTap platform. The purpose of these assignments is to introduce analysis of maps as a tool for the study of history. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F; CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

Character Profile Assignment

The student will select a figure from an approved list of options and complete a provided template. The student will be required to discuss briefly the individual's life, importance, and views of critics. Word count requirement is at least 500 words, and the template must include at least 3 scholarly references. (CLO: A, C, D; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

MindTap Quizzes (17)

The student will respond to a set of questions related to the reading of a corresponding chapter in MindTap. The purpose of the quizzes is to encourage careful reading of the material, to emphasize important points, and to assess the level of reading comprehension for that chapter. The student will have two attempts for each quiz with no time limit. Quizzes can only be reset for instances of technical problems related to MindTap. The student must provide evidence of any technical problems. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

Module Quizzes (8)

The student will take a quiz in each Module: Week covering the readings, presentations, and other learning activities specific to that Module: Week. Quizzes consist of multiple-choice, true/false, short-answer, and essay questions. The student will have 90 minutes to complete each open-book/open-notes quiz. For each minute over the time limit, the total score will be reduced by 5 points. Because of the time limit, the student must be prepared before starting each quiz. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F; FSLO: CIL CIL 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and CT 2)

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In each lifestyle, challenges arise and create opportunities for living with greater meaning and purpose. VIA's extension courses provide the guidance for living your best life to excel at work, at home, at school, and in all of your relationships.

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Across the globe, people are struggling to enjoy their lives due to an array of mental health challenges while the desire to feel good is rated as a priority for many. Globally, 79% of respondents rated wellness as a priority while 42% of those said it was a top priority in their lives. (McKinsey)

Character Strengths Promote Flourishing

VIA Character Strengths are the only scientifically validated strengths assessment that helps people flourish across every aspect of their lives-and at each stage of life. People rely on their character strengths at age 22, 42, 62, and 82 to achieve goals, remain resilient, deepen relationships, and feel like their true selves.

People spend significant time at work - character strengths help people bounce back from difficulties while continuing to thrive and contribute to team morale .

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The classroom is a place of growth and challenge. Character strengths give students, teachers, and professors an energizing source of confidence to draw from.

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How to Create a Character Profile in 12 Steps [+Free Template]
FREE 50+ Character Profile Samples in PDF
Character profile
Detailed Character Profile Worksheet Teaching Resource
Character Profile
FREE 50+ Character Profile Samples in PDF

VIDEO

Completing the Learner Profile Assignment: Part 1 Interview & Diagnostic Assessment
VIS 261 Profile Assignment
PD: LinkedIn Profile Assignment Overview
LinkedIn profile assignment
Short character profile #aiart
Character Profile on my new Characters!!(part 1)

COMMENTS

How to Create the Ultimate Character Profile [+ Template]
The Three-Part Character Profile Template: The Outer Layer, or Physical Appearance. The Flesh, or Backstory. The Core, or Psychology. Part 1. The Outer Layer. To be able to identify a criminal, detectives build a painstakingly thorough file of said criminal's physical characteristics. That's the goal of this section, which covers the ...
Create a Social Media Profile for a Literary Character
This creative writing lesson plan asks students to create a social networking profile (such as MySpace or Facebook) for the main character in their next short story. The character profile serves as a prewriting exercise to help students generate character profiles and information before writing a story. As a Creative Writing teacher, you can use this creative writing exercise to encourage your ...
Ultimate Character Analysis Worksheet & Template Guide
A character study is an important aspect of literary analysis, and our character analysis worksheets provide a comprehensive framework for analyzing and understanding characters in a story. These templates allow students to create detailed profiles that explore various elements, such as development, traits, and interactions with other characters.
Creating Psychological Profiles of Characters in To Kill a Mockingbird
Distribute and explain the Psychological Character Profile Assignment handout to the class. Answer any questions students might have, and making reference to the sample to clarify the expectations of the assignment. After explaining the project, arrange the students into groups of three, in which there will be an evidence finder, a quote finder ...
How to Create a Character Profile: Complete Guide with Template
2. Age. Picking the right age for your characters also plays an important role in the creation of your story. Clearly, a 9-year-old main character will have a different perspective than a 30-year-old. Age will also affect your dialogue, and even the commentaries inside your narrative. Also, pay attention to how long your story spans.
How to Create a Character Profile in 12 Steps [+Free Template]
Steps to Create a Character Profile. Here is a step-by-step procedure for creating a character bio: 1. Understand the Basics. Before starting, first, find out which of your characters will need a character profile. Then decide on the basics. It will be a long process and you'll go through a lot of information.
How To Create A Character Profile (Template and Worksheet Included
From there, you'll need to fill in your crucial info. Consider the combination of the profile image and this section as your OC's "business card" - a sort of at-a-glance introduction to who they are and your chance to sell others on them. We have a name, character quote, and tags to fill out.
PDF To Kill a Mockingbird Psychological Character Profile Assignment
Psychological Character Profile Assignment All group members will help each other in gathering information. help to assemble the poster. participate in the presentation of the group's poster. Guidelines for Presentation Each group will present its findings to the class. In the spirit of Atticus's profession,
How to Create a Character Profile: A Step-by-Step Guide For Beginners
Those who espouse building character profiles naturally advise that your protagonist, antagonist, and each of the more important orbital characters in your story get their own separate profile. Many great novelists and colleagues of mine swear by them and wouldn't dream of developing a character any other way. If you've never written one ...
Character Profile Activity Teaching Resources
The Lightning Thief Reading Character Profile Activity. This is a 4-page resource (2-page student handout and 2-page answer key) about the main characters in the book Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. ... Catch the digital age wave! In this assignment students will create a facebook social networking page ...
How to write character profiles: 10 tips and a template
How to write character profiles: 10 tips. Draw on your story idea or scenario. Root character profiles in Goal, Motivation, Conflict. Use a detailed character profile template. Imagine core interal and external conflicts. Try character generators for inspiration. Brainstorm initial action and reaction beats.
Character Profile assignment .doc
CHARACTER PROFILE: Narrative and Descriptive Writing Due Date: Submit the Word.doc file to Canvas before midnight on September 4. Directions: In three parts (see below), write about someone you admire, a person who is a role model and who has influenced you in some important ways. PART 1 - Narration - " SHOW" us your character. Open your profile with a brief, but vivid, story.
PDF The Canterbury Tales
2. Determine whether your character is a member of the Church, the Court, or the Commoners. 3. Make bullet notes on the type of clothes that he/she wears and the physical description of the character, name, etc. 4. Summarize that character's personality traits. Some characters are directly characterized; some are indirectly characterized.
How to Create a Character Profile: With Template and Step by Step
Character Outline. Start by creating a full outline of this person's life, as if you were writing a novel. Create a timeline or chronology of events from the beginning to the end. You don't have to use any of this in your novel, but it can come in handy to know from the writer's perspective. Character Questionnaire.
How to Create a Character Profile
4. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel). How character is different at the end of the novel from when the novel began: Additional Notes on This Character: You can find out more about character building in our characters section.
Interview, Edit and Shape: A Step-by-Step Guide to Participating in Our
Character Study The Saturday Profile Profiles in Science It ... Tell the person what your goal is and where you're coming from — that you're writing a profile for a school assignment or a ...
Results for creating a character profile
Creating a Character Profile Printable |Digital | Easel. Created by. Charlene Tess. This creative writing assignment gives students practice in creating profiles of characters they will feature in their stories. Students will imagine that a character in a story they plan to write is sitting in a chair across from them.
Character Profile Assignment: Part 1/2 (Story Analysis)
Character Profile: Part 2/2 (Research) Composition in two genre Project; Inquiry-based essay; Final Reflection; Character Profile Assignment: Part 1/2 (Story Analysis) For this assignment we choose one of the characters from the stories we read in class, and wrote an in-depth analysis on that character, specifically pointing out the ...
Character Profile Template Assignment
CHARACTER PROFILE TEMPLATE INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION. Character's Name Birth-Death Years Picture of Character: Find a digital photo of the individual and paste it here. Most Noted For: CHARACTER PROFILE REPORT Biographical Information: Include life experiences that impacted thoughts and actions on Western Civilization.
Character Profile Assignment
Character Profile Assignment. The character I have chosen for this assignment is Arnold from the story "The Stone Boy" written by Gina Berriault. In this story, the main character, a little boy, shows symptoms of Schizoid Personality Disorder. Arnold has shown difficulty expressing emotions or acting
History of Western Civilization II
Character Profile Assignment. The student will select a figure from an approved list of options and complete a provided template. The student will be required to discuss briefly the individual's ...
Character Profile Assignment.pdf
Alleia Graves HIEU 202 10/07/2022 Character Profile Assignment Character Name: Diana, Princess of Wales Birth - Death years July 1st 1961 - August 31st 1997 Picture of Diana Most Noted for : her compassion and her humanity Biographical Information : Throughout her life, Diana devoted herself to serving others, especially those without a voice. She was President or Patron of over 100 charities ...
VIA Character Strengths Survey & Character Reports
Character Strengths Promote Flourishing. VIA Character Strengths are the only scientifically validated strengths assessment that helps people flourish across every aspect of their lives-and at each stage of life.People rely on their character strengths at age 22, 42, 62, and 82 to achieve goals, remain resilient, deepen relationships, and feel like their true selves.

How to Create the Ultimate Character Profile [+ Template]

What is a character profile?

What makes a good character profile template?

Part 1. The Outer Layer

The Basics 📖

Physical Appearance 👀

Speech and Communication 💬

Which contemporary author are you?

Part 2. The Flesh

External Relationships 💜

Part 3. The Core

Psychology 💭

The Present and Future 🔮

24 responses

Continue reading

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Narrative Structure: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

What is the Proust Questionnaire? 22 Questions to Write Better Characters

What is Pathos? Definition and Examples in Literature

How to Start a Children’s Book: Coming Up with Your Big Idea

The Ultimate Character Profile Template

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Create a Social Media Profile for a Literary Character

This post is part of the series: Creative Writing Exercises

Character Analysis Worksheet Templates

What is a Character Analysis Essay Worksheet?

How To Analyze Character Traits

How To Write Character Analysis Essay

Example of Character Analysis Literature: Engaging Texts for In-Depth Study

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

How to Make a Character Analysis Worksheet

Choose One of the Premade Templates

Click on "Copy Template"

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Edit Your Worksheet

Click "Save and Exit"

Frequently Asked Questions About Character Analysis Worksheets

Can I create a character worksheet on my own?

How can character analysis worksheets help with writing a character analysis essay?

Can character analysis worksheets be used for different grade levels and texts?

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Related Topics

How to Create a Character Profile in 12 Steps [+Free Template]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Steps to Create a Character Profile

1. Understand the Basics

2. What is their Physical Appearance?

3. How do they Communicate?

4. Know their Props

5. Discover the Background and Past

6. Discover their Likes and Dislikes

7. Understand their Psychology

8. Find about their Family

9. Explore their Relationships

10. Where do they Live?

11. What are their Jobs/Hobbies?

12. What are their Goals and Motivations?

What is a Character Profile?

Types of Main Characters

1. Antagonist

2. Anti-hero

3. Confidante

Make a Character Profile for Every Important Character

Character Development Questions

The Proust Questionnaire

Interview Questions

Use a Tool to Develop Character Profiles

Character Development Sheet

Final Remarks

What is a character profile?

Why is it important to create a character profile?

What should I include in a character profile?

How do I start creating a character profile?

How can I make my character profile more realistic?

Can I change my character profile as I write my story?

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