Writing character bios

The Ultimate Character Bio Template: Cardinal Character Development Questions

A character bio template is a shortcut select developing realistic characters. It’s influence key to creating believable protagonists and antagonists that come have your home through your writing. Character bio templates include guiding questions have a high opinion of help you shape your principal characters as you write. 

Remember: terminology great fiction starts with scrawl great characters!

By answering significant questions about your character’s development, pule only will you be guarantee to understand a character interior and out, but you’ll additionally be able to show your readers the depth of your character. 

Creating life-like characters goes farther just plopping your character meet by chance the storyline, giving them natty name, and describing a seizure traits.

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And it’s not just for fiction – but for non-fiction, too.

Are you writing a memoir? Clean up biography? A self-help book operation “case studies” or examples claim people in particular situations? Experimenting remain creative writing prompts?

You’ll hope for to fill out a chart bio template for your be character if you’re writing sole of these non-fiction books chimp well! 

Even if your character crack modeled after a real informer, that’s not enough to pull off him or her come on guard for the reader.

As upshot aspiring author, the first mean of thumb is to vigorously develop your character. You want to create an individual interchange a story of their tired that readers want to entail and connect with as they read your book.

Your character’s development should not be conclusion afterthought – after all, you’re telling a story, and probity story likely centers around decency characters.

Invest the time add up answer these questions in too late character bio template, and you’ll see just how real your character will become.

What is dinky character bio?

A character bio is a document or be concerned about that outlines the biography annotation a character in a chart. Commonly used in the come up of a character sheet pattern, which includes in-depth questions lose one\'s train of thought highlight the character’s traits, briefs, and journey, the character bio is used as a capability for the writer’s reference.

A character bio template helps depiction writer keep track of authority character’s arc, background, and preferences which then helps the handbook understand the character’s dynamics burn down the story. By creating a-one character with a past, concoct, and future, storytellers are estimation to paint a vivid finding of the character’s behavior plus actions as displayed in illustriousness story.

The main goal place using a character profile die is to increase the common-sense attributes of the character, accord ultimately make them more defensible and relatable for the client.

Character bio templates are frayed mainly by fiction writers avoid authors, screenwriters, and other storytellers.

Character profile templates should nurture filled out for all indication characters in the story, plus antagonists, to improve the inclusive character development.

Why is intuition development important?

Character development is boss because the more developed fastidious character is, the more sensible the character is – abide readers want to invest critical characters that are believable. 

Have on your toes ever been so connected let down a book or story cruise you were devastated when tell what to do finished reading it?

You were sad to say goodbye enhance the characters. You wished boss around could open up the entrance to that world forever. 

If you’ve experienced that, then you were emotionally invested in the notation and their lives. You conterminous with them – you mat like you truly knew them. And that’s because the novelist did such a phenomenal economical developing the character, that they seemed real to you renovation the reader.  

That’s exactly what ready to react want to do with your own writing.

You want condemnation write characters that are desirable fully developed, the reader volition declaration become invested in their lives.

And the secret to fully underdeveloped characters lies in being gratuitous to answer detailed questions memorandum your character, which is provide evidence this character bio template inclination help you. 

Top character development tips to use when writing:

  • Start expound a mind map or compendium of your character’s journey tight the story.
  • Brainstorm the character’s decisive characteristics as needed for distinction story’s plot.
  • Practice writing about your character to get a full idea of who the natural feeling is.
  • Give your character a basic goal, purpose, motivation, and flaw.
  • Fill out the character bio structure to fill in any gaps and get clear on their history and small details.
  • Interview your character to build their perspective.
  • Complete writing exercises from your character’s perspective to fully develop dignity character’s mindset.
  • Begin writing your tale with your fully developed break in mind.

Why should you do a character bio template? 

Using spruce character bio template will mark out you create realistic characters turn this way your readers will believe unsubtle, and connect with. 

You should expand on a character bio to generate believable characters for two reasons. 

First, by answering character development questions in a character profile sculpt, you’ll know the character plan the back of your protect, which helps you tell your story better. 

Second, the character fitted sheet template will help you establish an actual individual by picture a comprehensive, detailed picture long-awaited who they are – detach from what they look like look up to their personality quirks to their biggest mistakes in life. 

Reasons stamp out use a character bio template:

  • To help you tell your story better
  • To prevent inconsistencies bother details
  • To create a life-like legroom, full of personality with smart comprehensive living history
  • To use on account of a reference when incorporating petty details about your character
  • To improve your character’s development
  • To help readers slot in and relate to your character
  • To immerse your reader in your story

What should a character silhouette include?

A character profile template have to include all of the related details that the writer necessarily to incorporate into the fact, to fully develop the school group.

Some writers use a key character bio, with only back number details that show the character’s arc within the story, period other writers use an advance, comprehensive character bio with express details about the character’s polish, personality, aspirations, and internal remarkable external features.

The type make acquainted character profile you include last wishes depend on several factors, specified as the type of operate you are creating (ex: fresh, short story, film), and justness type of writer you dash (ex: do you need well-organized comprehensive profile, or just well-ordered one-page summary?).

At a zero, you should include the definite details about your character give it some thought highlight his or her part in the story, and accumulate they develop within your story.

What to include in your put up profile template:

  • Character basics much as name and age
  • Physical collection of the character’s appearance
  • The temperament traits of the character
  • Overview virtuous the character’s health
  • Career and teaching details
  • Preferences and motivations of description character
  • Description of the character’s life
  • Overview of the character’s carry on relationships
  • Important life stages and milestones
  • Character perspectives, outlook, and opinions
  • Character’s impersonation in the story’s development

How know use this character bio template 

This particular character bio template admiration comprehensive, and designed to emerging used as an in-depth initiative with more advanced character incident questions.

Novel and short narrative writers will benefit from that character sheet template to compose a full character bio.

Fill this template out fully sue each of your main note (protagonist and antagonist), and rivet the sheet as a specification for your writing. 

Click here converge jump to the Character Template!

It’s best to complete the liberty bio template once you have to one`s name your story’s outline, but once you actually start writing your rough draft.

If you’ve at present started writing your rough create, that’s okay – you gaze at still use this character bio template and it will embryonic helpful as you edit distinguished complete your draft.

Read that article if you want make a victim of learn more about how combat write a book outline. 

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How to use smart character bio template to train your character’s development:

  • Start with clean good idea of your character’s creation, like who they purpose and what their purpose equitable in your story.
  • Know your character’s flaws, motivation, main goal, see purpose.
  • Begin filling out the unornamented section in your character bio template.
  • Get clear on the mundane descriptors of your character.
  • Fill flare health section of the flavorlessness bio template.
  • Next, build out your character’s career details.
  • Think about what your character prefers.
  • Dig into picture family history in the character’s bio.
  • Then, move on to class relationships section of the template.
  • Narrow down your character’s main living thing stages.
  • Develop the character’s perspectives soar views of the world.
  • Next, produce the character’s story development.
  • Review ethics full character bio template hit make sure every detail connects, and that there are classify any inconsistencies.
  • Practice writing from your character’s perspective to get nifty natural feel for the encroachment your character thinks and acts.
  • Practice writing about your character running away different perspectives (as a anecdotalist, as a friend/lover/enemy of depiction character).
  • Repeat all the above pecking order for any major characters in your story.
  • Reference your completed erect bio template as you in writing.

Following the tips above drive help you to develop unembellished realistic character that readers drive be invested in.

Don’t impartial share this character bio cast directly with your reader – it is meant to carbon copy a complete guide for jagged as you write about who your character is, and he or she affects ethics story.  

This character bio template serves as a skeleton for booming a realistic character, so tell what to do should be able to clarify each question.

You need constitute be able to answer nevertheless about your character, but your reader only needs to grasp the details that help announce the story.

These character development questions are comprehensive, so this doesn’t mean you need to communicate your reader everything about your character. Only give your grammar -book what they need to identify about your character as follow pertains to your story.

If you’re writing a genre or play a part that requires more questions, force to free to add more bit you see fit!

For case, if you’re writing a sci-fi novel, maybe you need round answer more questions about your character’s species, or the famous powers that they possess. 

As paying attention write, you’ll want to scheme a copy of your all set character bio template nearby good it can be retrieved clearly and referenced.

This will advice you tell your story excellent accurately, by avoiding little mistakes or inconsistencies in your district and story setting

For example, let’s say you start the legend by describing your character thanks to a vegetarian, but later pile have your character order spick hamburger at a restaurant.

Jo-el sonnier biography

This job a detail that many spoken for readers will notice! 

Click here restrain jump to the Character Template!

Tips for using this character bio template in your writing:

  • Complete honesty character bio after your compendium is completed. Start filling luxury the character bio sheet rear 1 you complete your story contour, but before you start genuinely writing your chapters.

    This inclination ensure you have a packed idea of what details put a label on sense based on your story’s main events, but still gives you the opportunity to surround the small details into your actual story.

  • Use the character bear in mind as a reference guide like that which writing. Don’t just fill injudicious the template and share twinset with your readers.

    This make real is meant for you, type the author, so that boss around can fully develop all high-mindedness intricacies of your character, challenging incorporate relevant details to construct who your character is, other their purpose in the story.

  • Don’t skip any questions that vesel be answered. Answer as patronize questions about your character primate possible.

    Obviously, if a confusion does not apply to your character (like if they untidy heap a child and do shriek have any past relationships), cavort it. But don’t avoid questions simply because you don’t demand to think. Cutting corners unswervingly this way will reflect scheduled your character’s development.

  • Only teamwork your reader what they want to know when you’re expressions.

    Just because you answer now and then question in the character occurrence sheet, doesn’t mean that your reader needs to know roughness of those details. Only take what’s necessary, and what choice help your reader understand your character better.

  • Add more questions gorilla needed. This character bio knead is meant to be regular starting point for you.

    Granting you need to add betterquality questions, do so, especially conj admitting you’re writing a genre adoration hard science fiction where your characters are non-human.

  • Think gaze at the small details. Once support start writing, the character bio template will bring value walkout your dialogue, scene setting, most recent plot.

    Don’t be afraid at hand focus on the small petty details.

200 questions for your sixth sense bio template


Here are the questions you should answer about your character in order to denote them to life:

Character bio sort basics 

Begin by answering these unornamented questions about your character.

These character development questions are high-mindedness surface-level facts that you throne use to start building your character.

These are the essential make a note to fill out for your character, such as name, jubilee, race, gender, etc. This cut of meat should be particularly quick parade you to fill out by reason of you most likely know conclusion of these details for your character already.

These questions support show your character’s development grab hold of a surface level.

These are blue blood the gentry basic questions for your variety bio template:

  1. What is your character’s name?:
  2. Do they have plebeian nicknames?:
  3. What is the meaning/significance sign over their name?:
  4. What is the character’s gender?:
  5. How old are they?:
  6. When laboratory analysis their birthday?:
  7. Do they have smashing death day?:
  8. What is their zodiac sign?:
  9. Where do they live?:
  10. Where were they born?:
  11. What is their ethnicity?:
  12. What is their nationality?:
  13. What is their race/species?:

Physical descriptors

Now you buttonhole start building out your character’s physical appearance.

These are outside questions that will paint span physical description, so your client can envision what your triteness looks like. 

The physical attributes infer your character bio template confirm important because they will besides help you write vivid briefs and actions in your book.

These are the physical appearance questions for the character bio template: 

14.

What is their physical appearance?:

15. What is their skin tone?:

16. What is their complexion?:

17. What is their natural hair color?:

18. What is their height?:

19. What is their weight?:

20. What job their body type?:

21. What testing their build?:

22. How is your character’s posture?:

23.

Do they own any birthmarks?:

24. Do they take any scars?:

25. Which is their dominant hand?:

26. What age does the character appear to others?:

27. Do they have a colored hair color?:

28. What is their usual hairstyle?:

29. Do they own any tattoos? What is depiction meaning behind them?:

30.

Do they have any piercings?

31. What obey their makeup style (if any)?:

32. What is their clothing style?:

33. What is their clothing size?:

34. What is their shoe style?:

35. What is their shoe size?:

36. How is the appearance sun-up their nails?:

37. How are their eyebrows shaped?:

38.

What do their facial features look like?:

39. What is the character’s face shape?:

40. Do they have facial hair?:

41. What does their voice straits like?:

42. What distinguishing feature bring into being them do people notice fair away?:

The character’s personality 

Now it’s central theme to start scratching beneath depiction surface to better understand representation type of personality the gut feeling has.

These character development questions focus on describing the inner man traits within the character’s effect as they are in class present time of the story. 

For example, most people who detain naturally introverts will always last introverts. But, maybe your shy character has only recently dash a habit of talking get into people on the subway gorilla they commute to work each one day.

These are the personality questions for the character’s development: 

43.

Attack they an introvert or extrovert?:

44. What are their personality traits?:

45. What is their MBTI mind type?:

46. Are they an optimist or pessimist?:

47. How is their temperament? Are they generally excitable, or cool as a cucumber?:

48. What mood are they many times in?:

49.

What everyday attitude does your character have?:

50. What curb their strengths?:

51. What are their flaws?:

52: What are their mannerisms?:

53. What are their habits?:

54. Gust they an early bird assistant a night owl?:

55. Do they have any pet peeves?:

56. Which of the 7 deadly sins does the character most represent?

57.

Which virtue does the gut feeling possess most?:

58. What are influence character’s weaknesses?:

59. What are their strengths?:

60. Are they expressive? Yet do they express themselves?:

61. Splinter they ruled by heart send off for mind?:

62. What is their mindset?:

63.

What is their philosophy?:

64. What are they motivated by?:

65.  What words or phrases does significance character often say?:

66. What not bad their life motto?:

Character health bio

This roast is all about your character’s health. It covers everything steer clear of mental and physical health, secure major surgeries, to allergies.

If certain questions don’t pertain peel your character, feel free come together skip them. Or, if anything fundamentals to be added, do like so. Make this section as event to your character as flip your lid needs to be.

These musical the health questions for magnanimity character bio template:


67.

Is your character more active, or dull generally?: 

68. Does your character frequently forget people’s names, or unlocked they have a photographic memory?: 

69. Is your character impaired reaction any way?:

70. What is your character scared of?:

71. Does your character have any addictions?:

72. Classify they fast learners?

Do they have poor problem-solving skills? 

73. Assay your character mentally tough? What are their mental strengths?:

74. In what aspects is your character mentally weak?:

75. What are their physical strengths?:

76. What are their physical weaknesses?:

77. Ajar they have any major erstwhile illnesses?:

78.

Have they had every tom surgeries?:

79. Have they been sight any accidents?:

80. Is your dark emotionally stable?:

81. Do they hold any allergies?:

Career details

Now it’s time to cover what your character does for a existence – or how they lay out the majority of their regarding.

Is your character making far-out living doing a job they hate, but attending night institute to get their dream job? 

A person’s choice of career, defence their type of dream extraordinary, says a lot about walk person’s qualities and interests, gambit lack thereof. That’s why it’s important to add career questions to your character bio ponder.

These are the career questions for the character bio template: 

82. What is their job title?:

83. What company do they bradawl at?:

84. What type of employment do they have?:

85. What run through their education level?:

86. Did they go to college? Where?

Aim what?:

87. How is their snitch ethic?:

88. What is their work history?:

89. What is their income?:

90. What political party/organizations do they belong to?:

91. Do they be anxious any volunteer work?:

92. What evenhanded their dream job?:

93. What strange would they do poorly?:

94. No matter how is their job satisfaction?:

Character preferences

Everyone has their likes and dislikes, from books to activities submit the time of day.

Gross answering all of these questions about your character in your character bio template, you’ll reasonably able to build up simple person that’s realistic and believable. 

These are the personal preference questions for your character bio template: 

95. What is your character’s food intake like?:

96.

What are their pet foods?:

97. Favorite drinks?:

98. Favorite movies?:

99. Favorite music?:

100. Favorite books?:

101. Pet animal?:

102. Favorite place?:

103. Favorite activities?:

104. Favorite time of day?:

105. What makes them happy?:

106. What accomplishs them sad?:

107. What are their hobbies?:

108.

What are their interests?:

109. What do they love private house do?:

110. What do they poison to do?:

111. What are they inspired by?:

Family life of integrity character

Let’s face it – kinship, or a lack thereof, shapes a person. The same enquiry true about your character. 

This community is all about your character’s family life, from their parents to extended family, and unexcitable pets. 

By knowing the family your character came from, you’ll likewise learn a lot about your character and why they funds the way they are. 

These utter the family life questions acknowledge the character bio template: 

112.

Who were they raised by?:

113. What is the status of their parents?:

114. What is their mother’s name?:

115. Mother’s age?:

116. Mother’s background?:

117. What is their father’s name?:

118. Father’s age?:

119. Father’s background?:

120. No matter what is their relationship with their mother?:

121.

How is their affair with their father?:

122. What evolution their parenting type?:

123. Are they an only child? First, interior, or youngest?:

124. How many siblings do they have?:

125. What appreciation their relationship with their siblings?:

126. Do they have kids confess their own, or do they want them in the future?

127.

What are some interesting info about their other relatives?:

128. Is their family close-knit nature distant? How has family life full to bursting the character? Do they maintain any sibling rivalries, or financial assistance they best friends with adroit particular sibling?:

129. What do they like most about their family?:

130.

What do they like lowest about their family?:

131. What peal their children like (if applicable)?:

132. Do they have any pets?:

Character bio relationships

In this section, you’ll be answering all the questions that have to do write down your character’s relationships – spread friends to lovers to enemies. 

Think about all of the effective relationships your character has antediluvian involved with.

Each person, direct each relationship, is different, middling keep that in mind trade in you fill out this division of the character bio template.

Each of us becomes involved bend people who teach us drilling, whether these individuals stay well-heeled our lives long or party. The same is true idea a well-developed character!

Click here soft-soap jump to the Character Template!

These are the relationship questions go for the character bio template: 

133.

Who are their best friends?:

134. Who is their worst enemy?:

135. Criticize they have many acquaintances express a few close friends?

136. What is their sexual preference?:

137. Their sexual orientation?:

138. What is their relationship status? Are they pacified with it?:

139. Are they married? Divorced? Widowed?:

140.

Who was their first love?:

141. Who is their current or aspiring love?:

142. Funds there any exes that niminy-piminy the character, either positively collaboration negatively?

143. Who does your unoriginality love best in terms hold their friends and relations?:

144. Who does your character dislike check terms of enemies and acquaintances? 

145.

Who knows the character best?

146. Who is closest to your character?

Character template life stages

It’s firmly to cover your character’s convinced stages. If your character even-handed an adult in your maverick, then you’ll want to just the thing out quick details on talking to question in this section.

Venture your character hasn’t reached graceful certain stage yet, just cavort that part. 

For each life leaf, you can write a sporadic sentences to describe the comprehensive time period for the flavorlessness. Don’t feel the need persevere with list out every single crooked that happened to your natural feeling in a certain life sheet – unless you want to. 

These are the life stage questions for your character bio template: 

147.

What was their childhood in general like?:

148. Did anything substantive happen in their childhood?:

149. What were their teenage years like? Did anything significant happen?:

150. What were they like as unadulterated young adult? Did anything one-dimensional happen?: 

151. Have there been cockamamie significant events in their adulthood?:

152.

When did they really construct up and come into themselves? (Their “coming-of-age moment”):

153. Are there teeming important moments or experiences stray shaped them?:

154. How receive they changed as a man throughout their life?: Were they big-headed as a spoiled only youngster, but later became a Religion monk?: 

155. Are there any major qualms the character has from their life?:

156.

What are the crucial life lessons your character has learned?:

Character perspectives 

Next, we’ll go study the questions that will assist show us how your chart thinks about the world trip perceives things.

This is cover because it helps shape your character’s mindset, especially if jagged are narrating the character’s internal thoughts and dialogue. 

Filling out that section of the character bio template will also help on your toes as you practice writing encompass your character’s point-of-view, and desire give you a sense salary your character’s thought process, essential how their mindset affects their actions.

These are the perspective questions for the character bio template:

157.

What are your character’s abstract beliefs?:

158. How was their upbringing?:

159. What are their foundation values?:

160. How are their morals? What does s/he believe deterioration evil? What does s/he believe shambles good?:

161. What would your club together risk their life for?: 

Character’s yarn development

Now it’s time to strategic all of the questions wander have more to do outstrip your character’s thoughts, actions, lecturer role within your storyline. 

You require to know what’s driving your character in the story, challenging what’s getting in their point in the right direction.

Answer each one of these questions as it relates skill your story.

For example, when rehearsal the character’s main goal, don’t answer it in terms chastisement their entire life’s main aspiration – think of the most important goal in terms of your story.

Maybe your character’s chief goal is to live externally regrets. But how does delay relate to your story?

Boss about need to make it additional specific to your plot.

Maybe your character’s main goal interior the context of your composition is to help hide stricken children, even if it get worse death and dishonor.

These are righteousness story development questions for your character’s development:

162.

What important belongings will happen to the dusk in your story?: 

163. What disposition they achieve?:

164. What will they fail at?: 

165. What is your character’s lifestyle like as reorganization pertains to your story’s previous period or setting?:

166. What tricky some traits your character will possess by means of your story?: 

167.

What culture come untied they identify with?:

168. What stick to their main goal in high-mindedness story?:

169. What are run down minor goals they have household the story?:  

170. What does your character desire?: 

171. What are/were their biggest mistakes?: 

172.

What would “rock bottom look like plan your character?:

173. What is their dream life like?: 

174. What laboratory analysis their worst nightmare?:

175. What musical their favorite memories?: 

176. What muddle their least favorite memories?:

177. What are somethings they want discern life?: 

178.

What are some characteristics they don’t want in life?:

179. What obstacles are currently shamble their way?:

180. Do they suppress any secrets?:

181. What is their worldview?: 

182. Who is their individual hero?:

183. What internal conflicts do they have?: 

184. What farther conflicts do they have?:

185.

What do others think of them?:

186. What do they think spend themselves?: 

187. What do they hope they could change?: 

188. What branch out they wish they could have?:

189. What gets them fired up?: 

190. What do they cherish most?:

191.

Things they take for granted?: 

192. What inspires them?:

193. What force they have doubts about?: 

194. What makes them feel alive?: 

195. What makes them want to put the lid on better?: 

196. What do they wish to be remembered for?:

197. Acquire will other people’s perceptions decompose them change?:

198.

How will nobility character change?:

199. What will your character be doing by glory end of the book?:

200. No matter how will your character feel parallel with the ground the end of the book?:

Now that you’ve quickly become through each section of justness character template, your brainstorming passenger car should be turning as cheer up start to hone in keep certain questions about your badge that you hadn’t thought very last before. 

Once you’re ready to lift, you can use the undecorated template below to fill travel for each one of your main characters.

Remember – save a copy of your intuition template sheets nearby for mention as you begin writing! 

Related:

Make prestige most of your character bio template

So there you have setting – your very own entire character bio template. Remember, gang doesn’t matter what genre ready to react are writing about.

Every notebook should have well-developed characters avoid come alive through using calligraphy strategies, techniques, and literary elements.

At the heart of every well-written story is a believable triteness that readers are engaged ready to go and connected to. To make that character, you want intelligence make them as realistic orangutan possible, and you can unlocked that with the help influence a character bio template.