Okay, so we’ve been slacking this last week. A lot’s been going on over here, and the blog…well, the blog was not exactly in the top three of last week’s to-do list. So, while I’m putting together the article about writing character descriptions, here’s an outline/worksheet that lists many (but not all) of the characteristics you should have developed for your characters in order to make them believable, well-rounded, and memorable. Again, this is a starter list, and should be no means be the end to the depths in which you can describe your character.
P.S.
To expedite things, I’m writing as if all the characters are males. Sorry girls – it’s just a pain in the ass to have to jump back and forth from him/her, he/she, etc. Get over it.
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Character Description Worksheet
PHYSICAL/BASIC TRAITS
Full name (including middle if he has one)
Date of birth
Age
Address/or at least location where he lives (ie, California, Nebraska, Mars…)
Race/ethnicity/nationality
Height
If short, does he have a height complex?
Weight/build
Skin color (also natural, or tanned)
Hair (color, texture, cut)
Eyes (size, color, placement)
Nose
Ears
Size/shape of hands and feet
Wear nails long or short (cut or chewed)
Glasses/contacts?
Teeth (shape, color, size)
Distinguishing marks (birthmarks, scars, tatoos)
Health
Smell (yes yes, ALL of us have our own smell)
Voice (pitch, tone)
Posture
Walking style
Mannerisms
Nervous ticks/twitches
Favorite type of clothes/shoes/accessories
What he actually wears (ie, what he can afford compared to what he likes)
Favorite foods
Favorite drink
Eating habits
Smoke
Drugs
PERSONALITY
Occupation
Does he like his occupation?
Social class
Is he happy where he stands?
Views on money
Actual spending habits
Education/intelligence
Family
Political views
Religious y/n, how does religion play in life
Outlook on life/disposition
Favorite possession
Car/bike
Hobbies
Talents
Describe in three (3) sentences his average daily routine.
Fears/phobias
Major goals
What kind of self-image does he have?
Eating disorders
Physical disorders
Length of time on an average day it takes him to wake up and clean up
Showers daily?
RELATIONSHIPS
Married/single
Sexual orientation
Sexual preferences
In a relationship? Serious?
List people/characters he spends most his time with
Relationships with:
–Father
–Mother
–Siblings
–Grandparents
–extended family
**write a 2-5 sentence description of each family member he’s in contact with
If no father/mother, does he strive to fill that hole?
Have kids?
Their ages.
Best friend
How does he view his friends?
How do his friends view him?
How does he view family?
How does family view him?
Name his hero
OTHER ODD PERSONALITY TRAITS
(These apply only to fantasy/horror/sci fi novels)
Race (as in alien or humanoid…)
Magical abilities
Fighting skills
Survival skills
Types of training received
Work preferences
Is he comfortable around humans
Comfortable around large groups of people
Dead or undead
Weaknesses
Is he similar to others like him, or does he stand out?
Can he use a gun/weapon
Any familiars? (if so, describe)
Views towards his people/fellow creatures/race
Has he traveled much from his town/city before current plot journey?
Is he aware of “the bigger picture” or what “doom” is befalling his tiny village?
Is he comfortable dealing with alien species?
Has he killed before?
Has he killed another human (or another of his race) before?
Was it in cold blood or self defense
Will he break down, or will he do it again (and will he enjoy it)
List immunities
Filed under: Creative Writing, characters, writing
GOD almighty! for TWO years I have been looking for a site like that!!!!!
you are a gift and treasure!
eran
Nice list.
Personally, I think it’s important not that you actually sit down and write answers to each of those traits, but that by a bit of thought you’re *able* to do so. If you know a character that well, then she’ll become a real person.
Lynn
Thanks Eran.
Lynn – that’s kind of the point. You don’t need to have a filled out list for each character – like you said, it’s the fact that if you were to stop and think about it, you would “know” the answer to each question for your character because you know them so well. By the time you’re done with your novel, you should know your character from the inside out; from how many gray hairs they have on their head, to the noises they make when they dream, to their taste in milk (ie whole, low fat) to how he would react to…. etc.
The point is that you need to FILL OUT your characters, so that they are real. Even heros have weaknesses and villans have soft spots….
This worksheet will be very useful. I printed out a few copies to use for future stories and characters.
Hummm, comes to mind that it’d be pretty simple to create a Word form from this, if permission is there to do so.
Then, just fill in the blanks and print!
Will-
go right ahead, no problems here
This is quite a up-to-date info. I think I’ll share it on Twitter.