Fiction Writer's Character Chart

If you're a fiction writer -- whether you want to produce a novel, short story, screenplay, television series, play, web series, online soap, or blog-based fiction -- your characters should come alive for your reader or audience. This highly detailed chart is a writer's guide to creating fictional characters who are believable, captivating, and unique. From romance novels to science fiction / fantasy novels, from an action/adventure screenplay to a sitcom, any work will be improved if you develop original, fully-fledged characters. If this chart is helpful, please let us know! To join our community, which focuses on online writing, please visit http://www.epiguide.com -- and feel free to show off your character charts.

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Reason for or meaning of name:
Nickname(s):
Reason:
Birth Date:
Place of Birth:
Ethnic Background:
Religion:
Degree of Religious Practice:
Current Address:
Does s/he rent or own?
Brief Description of Home (apartment, trailer, house, other, etc.):
Does s/he live with anyone?
Describe the area in which s/he lives (big city, town, rural, other):
Is this his or her ideal home and location? If not, what would s/he prefer?
Home decor (check all that apply):	___ Expensive ___ Inexpensive ___ Carefully planned ___ Comfortable ___ Neat ___ Cluttered
When someone walks in, what's their first impression?
Any Pets?	___ No (why?) ___ Yes
If yes, what kind and how many? Name(s)?
How important are they? How well are they treated?
Current Occupation:
Current Employer:
Income Level:
Education:
Marital Status:
Length of Time Married (if more than one marriage, include all):
Current Spouse's/Lover/Partner's Name:
Name by Which S/he Addresses Spouse/Lover/Partner:
How Did They Meet?
Children (number and names):
Does s/he drive? What kind of car does s/he own, if any? (Make, model, color, age, etc.):
What's his or her most prized possession, and why?

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE:

Age:
Eye Color:
Glasses or contacts:
Weight: Height:
Type of body/build:
Skin tone: Skin type:
Distinguishing Marks:
Shape of face/Predominant feature:
Any famous person s/he looks like?:
General Health/Good, Excellent, Poor...?
Chronic Conditions?
Current Conditions?
How Does S/he Dress? (Price/Style)	___ Expensive/Conservative and Classic ___ Expensive/Trendy and Daring ___ Average/Conservative and Classic ___ Average/Trendy and Daring ___ Inexpensive/Casual (Whatever's comfortable?) ___ Inexpensive/Shabby (Why? Is S/he poor? Or just sloppy/careless?)
Does S/he Dress to be Noticed? Why?
Jewelry:
Other accessories:
Grooming:	___ Every hair in place, very neat (Why?) ___ Average grooming ___ Clean but sloppy ___ Unkempt (Why?)
Describe Hairstyle (long, short, crewcut, dreds, bangs, side-part etc.):
Natural Hair Texture (thick, thin, wiry, smooth, wavy, curly, nappy, etc.):
Current Hair Texture (if different from above):
Natural Hair Color:
Current Hair Color (if different from above):

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE/COMMUNICATION:

Pace: (Talks fast, Average, Slow...)
Accent or Dialect, if any:
Voice Tone (shrill, high, average, deep, squeaky, hoarse, harsh, authoritative, cultured, etc.):
Any Favorite Words or Phrases?
Usual Curse Words? If None, Why?
Mannerisms/Demeanor?	___ Cool/confident ___ Volatile/moody ___ Nervous/fidgety/shy ___ Other?
Posture:	___ Stiff and rigid ___ Stands straight but not stiffly ___ Average, varies with mood ___ Slumped and defeated ___ Slouchy, careless ___ Relaxed ___ Other
Gestures:	___ Doesn't gesture much ___ Deliberate and controled ___ Only when excited/upset ___ Most of the time ___ Wildly/weirdly
Favorite Gesture:

THE PAST:

Hometown:
Type of childhood:
First memory:
Most important childhood event that still affects him/her:
Why?
Did/does s/he like school? Why or why not?
Significant Past Jobs:
Police Record?
Arrest(s) for:
Convictions? Sentence(s) served?
First sexual experience was with...?
First (romantic) love?
Major accidents or traumas? How is s/he still affected, if at all?

FAVORITES:

Color:
Music:
Food:
Literature:
Hangouts:

EVERYDAY BEHAVIOR / HABITS:

Finances: (prudent/cautious, average w/some debt, lives paycheck to paycheck, deep in debt, criminal activity, etc.):
Personal Habits: Smoking, Drinking, Drugs, Gambling, Sex? Are any of these addictions?
Morning Routine: Describe the character's morning rituals. Who else is sleeping in the same bed? What time does he/she wake up? Is he/she cheerful in the morning? What wakes him/her up -- alarm, spouse/lover, kids, pet? What does he/she do during breakfast-read, watch tv, feed kids, etc.
Afternoon/Workday: Now describe the character's workday or afternoon behavior. Does s/he work outside the home? How does he/she get there? Does he/she anticipate, dread, resent the work ahead? Does s/he give the job genuine attention and effort? Does s/he enjoy this work? Is s/he good at this job? What would he/she rather be doing? How long and hard is the work day? Does s/he stop for lunch? Where? Does s/he have any friends, rivals, enemies?
Dinner: Does s/he eat at home or go out a lot? If the latter, what is/are his or her favorite restaurant(s)? At home, who prepares the meal? Who does he/she eat it with? What does it typically consist of? What goes on during dinner -- tv, conversation, fighting, reading, etc? Who cleans up?
Evening: What does your character do on a typical evening? Where? With whom? How much does he/she enjoy it? What is the ideal evening for him or her?
Bedtime: Does he/she go to bed at a consistent time? Alone or with someone else? Does s/he usually fall asleep right way, or is s/he an insomniac? Does he/she dream -- a lot, a little, never? Are most of his/her dreams scary, pleasant, sexual, imaginative? Are there any recurring dreams? Does s/he sleep well or poorly (e.g. tossing & turning)?
Talents:
Unskilled at:

FAMILY:

Mother's name:
Mother's current status:	___ living ___ deceased
Relationship with her:
Father's name:
Father's current status:	___ living ___ deceased
Relationship with him:
Any Step Parents, Foster Parents, or Birth Parents (if not same as above):
Sibling(s):
How many? Birth order:
Relationship with each:
Children of siblings:
In-Laws, if any:
Other than the above, who else in the story is part of his/her extended family (e.g. cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents, etc.)?

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS:

How does character relate to others? How in general is s/he perceived by...
Strangers?
Friends?
Wife/Husband/Lover?
Own children, if any?
Other family members
The opposite sex?
Children in general?
Others who are more successful
Others who are less successful
Boss
Underlings at work
Competitors
Authority (police, IRS, politicians, attorneys, doctors, etc.)
Anyone who challenges him or her
Anyone who angers him or her
Anyone who asks for help
What about him/her do family/friends like most?
What about him/her do family/friends like least?
Is s/he attracted to anyone with whom s/he's not 'officially' involved? If so, does the other person know it? Has there been any actual romantic/sexual activity?
Person s/he dislikes most & why:
Person s/he likes most & why:
Person s/he most misunderstands or misjudges:
Person who most misunderstands or misjudges him or her:

MENTAL ATTITUDE/PERSONAL BELIEFS:

Optimist or pessimist: Why?
Introvert or extrovert: Why?
Most comfortable when ... (alone, hanging w/friends, drinking, etc.):
Most uncomfortable when ... (in a crowd, alone, speaking in public, etc.:
What does s/he most value/prioritize? (family, money, success, religion, etc.)
Whom does he/she really love best?
What would he/she be willing to die for?
Is s/he generally compassionate, sensitive to others? Or self-involved/selfish/oblivious?
Personal philosophy:
Past failure s/he would be embarrassed to have people know about, and why:
If granted one wish, what would it be? Why?
Psychological issues (e.g. phobias, depression, paranoia, narcissism, etc.)?
Any prejudices (race, culture, sexuality, religion, etc.)?
Political party or beliefs, if any:
Does s/he believe in fate or destiny? Is s/he superstitious?
Character's greatest strength (whether s/he sees it as such or not):
Other good characteristics:
Character's greatest flaw (whether s/he sees it as such or not):
Other character flaws:
Character's chief vulnerability/soft spot:
Is this vulnerability obvious to others? If not, how does character hide it?
Quirks:
Biggest accomplishment:
Minor accomplishments:
Character's darkest secret(s):
Does anyone else know?
If yes, how did this person/people find out?
How does s/he react to a crisis?
What types of problems occur most often? (Romance, jealousy, financial, etc.)
How character reacts to change:
Whom does s/he secretly admire, and why?
Who was his/her biggest influence, and why?
Who's the most important person in his/her life right now, and why?

SELF-PERCEPTION:

One word self-description:
Paragraph of self-description:
What's his/her favorite physical feature? What about least favorite?
Are these realistic perceptions? If not, why not?
How does s/he think others perceive him or her?:
Biggest regret:
Minor regrets:
What four things would s/he most like to change about self?	1. 2. 3. 4. Why?

ASPIRATIONS/THOUGHTS OF THE FUTURE:

Short term goals:
Long term goals:
How does s/he plan to accomplish these goals?
How will others be affected?
What event does s/he most fear?
What does he/she actively work to gain, keep or protect?

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This chart may be reprinted as long as above credit is included

Character's Full Name:	_________________________________________
Date this chart was completed:	_________________________________________