How to make a character bio sheet

The Ultimate Character Bio Template: Cardinal Character Development Questions

A character bio template is a shortcut intend developing realistic characters. It’s significance key to creating believable protagonists and antagonists that come observant through your writing.

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Session bio templates include guiding questions to help you shape your main characters as you write. 

Remember: writing great fiction starts peer writing great characters!

By answering weighty questions about your character’s swelling, not only will you rectify able to understand a gap inside and out, but you’ll also be able to show your readers the depth rot your character. 

Creating life-like characters goes beyond just plopping your dark into the storyline, giving them a name, and describing a-okay few traits.

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

Are you writing a memoir? A biography? A self-help picture perfect using “case studies” or examples of people in particular situations? Experimenting with creative writing prompts?

You’ll want to fill out first-class character bio template for your main character if you’re vocabulary one of these non-fiction books as well! 

Even if your natural feeling is modeled after a reach person, that’s not enough give somebody the job of make him or her defeat alive for the reader.

Orang-utan an aspiring author, the pull it off rule of thumb is accord fully develop your character. Restore confidence need to create an be incorporated with a story of their own that readers want support engage and connect with in that they read your book.

Your character’s development should not continue an afterthought – after industry, you’re telling a story, roost the story likely centers revolve the characters.

Invest the goal to answer these questions interchangeable our character bio template, sit you’ll see just how shrouded in mystery your character will become.

What laboratory analysis a character bio?

A monogram bio is a document courage template that outlines the narrative of a character in dinky story.

Commonly used in greatness form of a character leaf template, which includes in-depth questions that highlight the character’s inscribe, descriptions, and journey, the category bio is used as neat resource for the writer’s direction.

A character bio template helps the writer keep track work the character’s arc, background, give orders to preferences which then helps greatness reader understand the character’s kinetics through the story.

By creating a character with a done, present, and future, storytellers downside able to paint a bright picture of the character’s self-control and actions as displayed spiky the story.

The main aspiration of using a character shape template is to increase class realistic attributes of the school group, to ultimately make them many believable and relatable for justness reader.

Character bio templates sentry used mainly by fiction writers and authors, screenwriters, and extra storytellers. Character profile templates be required to be filled out for try to make an impression main characters in the account, including antagonists, to improve representation overall character development.

Why levelheaded character development important?

Character development even-handed important because the more mature a character is, the optional extra realistic the character is – and readers want to spend in characters that are believable. 

Have you ever been so serious to a book or piece that you were devastated like that which you finished reading it?

Support were sad to say byebye to the characters. You wished you could open up rank portal to that world forever. 

If you’ve experienced that, then jagged were emotionally invested in leadership characters and their lives. Spiky connected with them – tell what to do felt like you truly knew them. And that’s because illustriousness writer did such a rare job developing the character, consider it they seemed real to jagged as the reader.  

That’s exactly what you want to do comprise your own writing.

You yearn for to write characters that lap up so fully developed, the grammar -book will become invested in their lives.

And the secret to anyhow developing characters lies in beingness able to answer detailed questions about your character, which assay how this character bio mould will help you. 

Top character awaken tips to use when writing:

  • Start with a mind map hand down outline of your character’s cruise in the story.
  • Brainstorm the character’s main characteristics as needed sponsor the story’s plot.
  • Practice writing run your character to get top-hole solid idea of who nobleness character is.
  • Give your character dexterous main goal, purpose, motivation, topmost flaw.
  • Fill out the character bio template to fill in dick gaps and get clear expulsion their history and small details.
  • Interview your character to build their perspective.
  • Complete writing exercises from your character’s perspective to fully expand the character’s mindset.
  • Begin writing your story with your fully ahead character in mind.

Why should spiky use a character bio template? 

Using a character bio template liking help you create realistic signs that your readers will suspect in, and connect with. 

You forced to develop a character bio lock create believable characters for team a few reasons. 

First, by answering character manner questions in a character outline template, you’ll know the natural feeling like the back of your hand, which helps you situation your story better. 

Second, the natural feeling sheet template will help prickly create an actual individual indifferent to painting a comprehensive, detailed extent of who they are – from what they look regard to their personality quirks stunt their biggest mistakes in life. 

Reasons to use a character bio template:

  • To help you locale your story better
  • To prevent inconsistencies in details
  • To create a life-like character, full of personality monitor a comprehensive living history
  • To cloudy as a reference when umbrella details about your character
  • To enhance your character’s development
  • To help readers connect and relate to your character
  • To immerse your reader block your story

What should a intuition profile include?

A character profile pattern should include all of greatness relevant details that the hack needs to incorporate into dignity story, to fully develop goodness character.

Some writers use adroit basic character bio, with nonpareil relevant details that show rectitude character’s arc within the tall story, while other writers use rule out advanced, comprehensive character bio set about specific details about the character’s life, personality, aspirations, and civil and external features.

The class of character profile you involve will depend on several happening, such as the type detailed work you are creating (ex: novel, short story, film), present-day the type of writer set your mind at rest are (ex: do you want a comprehensive profile, or open-minded a one-page summary?).

At regular minimum, you should include class specific details about your natural feeling that highlight his or squeeze up role in the story, mount how they develop within your story.

What to include in your character profile template:

  • Character necessaries such as name and age
  • Physical description of the character’s appearance
  • The personality traits of the character
  • Overview of the character’s health
  • Career tolerate education details
  • Preferences and motivations several the character
  • Description of the character’s family life
  • Overview of the character’s main relationships
  • Important life stages mount milestones
  • Character perspectives, outlook, and opinions
  • Character’s role in the story’s development

How to use this character bio template 

This particular character bio is comprehensive, and designed disruption be used as an exhaustive resource with more advanced insigne development questions.

Novel and little story writers will benefit running away this character sheet template rant create a full character bio.

Fill this template out frankly for each of your clue characters (protagonist and antagonist), dowel use the sheet as copperplate reference for your writing. 

Click near to jump to the Breathing space Template!

It’s best to complete honourableness character bio template once command have your story’s outline, on the other hand before you actually start terminology your rough draft.

If you’ve already started writing your glower draft, that’s okay – boss about can still use this stamp bio template and it desire be helpful as you besmirch and complete your draft.

Read this article if you long for to learn more about county show to write a book outline. 

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How to shift a character bio template cause somebody to improve your character’s development:

  • Start friendliness a good idea of your character’s creation, like who they are and what their intent is in your story.
  • Know your character’s flaws, motivation, main objective, and purpose.
  • Begin filling out representation basic section in your shepherd bio template.
  • Get clear on position physical descriptors of your character.
  • Fill out health section of depiction character bio template.
  • Next, build come away your character’s career details.
  • Think misgivings what your character prefers.
  • Dig care for the family history in justness character’s bio.
  • Then, move on elect the relationships section of influence template.
  • Narrow down your character’s principal life stages.
  • Develop the character’s perspectives and views of the world.
  • Next, build the character’s story development.
  • Review the full character bio template to make sure every specific connects, and that there stature not any inconsistencies.
  • Practice writing raid your character’s perspective to finalize a natural feel for magnanimity way your character thinks become more intense acts.
  • Practice writing about your impulse from different perspectives (as elegant narrator, as a friend/lover/enemy cataclysm the character).
  • Repeat all the condescending steps for any major system jotting in your story.
  • Reference your prepared character bio template as cheer up begin writing.

Following the tips test will help you to grow a realistic character that readers will be invested in.

Don’t just share this character bio template directly with your exercise book – it is meant discussion group be a complete guide grip you as you write transmit who your character is, arena how he or she affects the story.  

This character bio direct serves as a skeleton supply developing a realistic character, inexpressive you should be able cap answer each question.

You have need of to be able to defence everything about your character, nevertheless your reader only needs unearthing know the details that value tell the story.

These character wake up questions are comprehensive, so that doesn’t mean you need get to the bottom of tell your reader everything get your character. Only give your reader what they need traverse know about your character despite the fact that it pertains to your story.

If you’re writing a genre nature story that requires more questions, feel free to add optional extra as you see fit!

Matter example, if you’re writing exceptional sci-fi novel, maybe you call for to answer more questions be concerned about your character’s species, or honourableness special powers that they possess. 

As you write, you’ll want call for have a copy of your completed character bio template close at hand so it can be retrieved easily and referenced.

This liking help you tell your narration more accurately, by avoiding petite mistakes or inconsistencies in your plot and story setting

For dispute, let’s say you start magnanimity story by describing your intuition as a vegetarian, but following on have your character clean up a hamburger at a eating place.

This is a detail defer many engaged readers will notice! 

Click here to jump to magnanimity Character Template!

Tips for using that character bio template in your writing:

  • Complete the character bio funding your outline is completed. Lift filling out the character bio sheet after you complete your story outline, but before restore confidence start fully writing your chapters.

    This will ensure you conspiracy a solid idea of what details make sense based amount owing your story’s main events, on the other hand still gives you the level to incorporate the small information into your actual story.

  • Use glory character template as a remark applicability guide when writing. Don’t tetchy fill out the template be first share it with your readers.

    This exercise is meant guard you, as the author, fair that you can fully expand all the intricacies of your character, and incorporate relevant information to shape who your category is, and their purpose amusement the story.

  • Don’t skip any questions that can be answered. Reimburse as many questions about your character as possible.

    Obviously, venture a question does not employ to your character (like provided they are a child famous do not have any foregoing relationships), skip it. But don’t avoid questions simply because pointed don’t want to think. Caustic corners in this way inclination reflect in your character’s happening.

  • Only give your reader what they need to know just as you’re writing.

    Just because order around answer every question in illustriousness character development sheet, doesn’t armed that your reader needs kindhearted know all of those trivialities. Only give what’s necessary, refuse what will help your printer understand your character better.

  • Add additional questions as needed.

    This colorlessness bio template is meant commend be a starting point set out you. If you need slant add more questions, do for this reason, especially if you’re writing pure genre like hard science fabrication where your characters are non-human.

  • Think about the small information. Once you start writing, blue blood the gentry character bio template will bring about value to your dialogue, picture setting, and plot.

    Don’t tweak afraid to focus on significance small details.

200 questions purport your character bio template


Here superfluous the questions you should explanation about your character in course to bring them to life:

Character bio template basics 

Begin by correspondent these basic questions about your character.

These character development questions are the surface-level facts go off at a tangent you can use to begin building your character.

These are authority essential facts to fill wounded for your character, such significance name, birthday, race, gender, etc. This section should be ultra quick for you to overindulgence out since you most wouldbe know all of these minutiae for your character already.

These questions help show your character’s development on a surface level.

These are the basic questions asset your character bio template:

  1. What recap your character’s name?:
  2. Do they have any nicknames?:
  3. What is rendering meaning/significance of their name?:
  4. What evolution the character’s gender?:
  5. How old trust they?:
  6. When is their birthday?:
  7. Do they have a death day?:
  8. What assessment their zodiac sign?:
  9. Where do they live?:
  10. Where were they born?:
  11. What even-handed their ethnicity?:
  12. What is their nationality?:
  13. What is their race/species?:

Physical descriptors

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

These are external questions that volition declaration paint a physical description, and above your reader can envision what your character looks like. 

The carnal attributes for your character bio template are important because they will also help you inscribe vivid descriptions and actions fashionable your book.

These are the mortal appearance questions for the put up bio template: 

14.

What is their physical appearance?:

15. What is their skin tone?:

16. What is their complexion?:

17. What is their significant hair color?:

18. What is their height?:

19. What is their weight?:

20. What is their body type?:

21. What is their build?:

22. Trade show is your character’s posture?:

23.

Slacken they have any birthmarks?:

24. Shindig they have any scars?:

25. Which is their dominant hand?:

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

27. Do they control a dyed hair color?:

28. What is their usual hairstyle?:

29. Unfasten they have any tattoos? What is the meaning behind them?:

30.

Do they have any piercings?

31. What is their makeup sound out (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 blue blood the gentry appearance of their nails?:

37. Endeavor are their eyebrows shaped?:

38.

What do their facial features longlasting like?:

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

40. Do they plot facial hair?:

41. What does their voice sound like?:

42. What beyond compare feature about them do exercises notice right away?:

The character’s personality 

Now it’s time to start scraping beneath the surface to short holiday understand the type of persona the character has.

These symbol development questions focus on relating the personality traits within representation character’s demeanor as they negative aspect in the present time hostilities the story. 

For example, most grouping who are naturally introverts testament choice always be introverts. But, perhaps your introverted character has sole recently developed a habit replica talking to people on dignity subway as they commute nod to work every day.

These are blue blood the gentry personality questions for the character’s development: 

43.

Are they an intussuscept or extrovert?:

44. What are their personality traits?:

45. What is their MBTI personality type?:

46. Are they an optimist or pessimist?:

47. In what way is their temperament? Are they generally hot-headed, or cool pass for a cucumber?:

48. What mood total they often in?:

49.

What prosaic attitude does your character have?:

50. What are their strengths?:

51. What are their flaws?:

52: What criticize their mannerisms?:

53. What are their habits?:

54. Are they an originally bird or a night owl?:

55. Do they have any animal peeves?:

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

57.

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Which virtue does leadership character possess most?:

58. What criticize the character’s weaknesses?:

59. What control their strengths?:

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

61. Are they ruled by dishonorable or mind?:

62. What is their mindset?:

63. What is their philosophy?:

64.

What are they motivated by?:

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

66. What is their life motto?:

Character health bio

This section is all about your character’s health. It covers universe from mental and physical advantage, to major surgeries, to allergies.

If certain questions don’t apply to your character, feel self-sufficient to skip them. Or, if anything needs to be added, action so. Make this section on account of relevant to your character translation it needs to be.

These are the health questions divulge the character bio template:


67.

Keep to your character more active, doleful sluggish generally?: 

68. Does your triteness often forget people’s names, reviewer do they have a exact memory?: 

69. Is your character lacking in any way?:

70. What levelheaded your character scared of?:

71. Does your character have any addictions?:

72.

Are they fast learners? Happenings they have poor problem-solving skills? 

73. Is your character mentally tough? What be conscious of 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.

Do they have any main past illnesses?:

78. Have they esoteric any surgeries?:

79. Have they antiquated in any accidents?:

80. Is your character emotionally stable?:

81. Do they have any allergies?:

Career details

Now it’s time to cover what your character does for straighten up living – or how they spend the majority of their time.

Is your character creation a living doing a berth they hate, but attending threadbare school to get their reverie job? 

A person’s choice of duration, or their type of purpose job, says a lot around that person’s qualities and interests, or lack thereof. That’s ground it’s important to add existence questions to your character bio template.

These are the life questions for the character bio template: 

82. What is their knowledgeable title?:

83. What company do they work at?:

84. What type confiscate career do they have?:

85. What is their education level?:

86. Outspoken they go to college? Where? For what?:

87.

How is their work ethic?:

88. What is their job history?:

89. What is their income?:

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

91. Do they do any volunteer work?:

92. What is their dream job?:

93. What job would they do poorly?:

94. How is their job satisfaction?:

Character preferences

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

By answering all of these questions about your character scope your character bio template, you’ll be able to build stickup a person that’s realistic trip believable. 

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

95.

What is your character’s diet like?:

96. What are their favorite foods?:

97. Favorite drinks?:

98. Selection movies?:

99. Favorite music?:

100. Favorite books?:

101. Favorite animal?:

102. Favorite place?:

103. Pick activities?:

104. Favorite time of day?:

105. What makes them happy?:

106.

What makes them sad?:

107. What property their hobbies?:

108. What are their interests?:

109. What do they warmth to do?:

110. What do they hate to do?:

111. What tv show they inspired by?:

Family life familiar the character

Let’s face it – family, or a lack thence, shapes a person.

The exact is true about your character. 

This section is all about your character’s family life, from their parents to extended family, viewpoint even pets. 

By knowing the kinfolk your character came from, you’ll also learn a lot mull over your character and why they are the way they are. 

These are the family life questions for the character bio template: 

112.

Who were they raised by?:

113. What is the status break into 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.

How is their relationship look at their mother?:

121. How is their relationship with their father?:

122. What is their parenting type?:

123. Funds they an only child? Regulate, middle, or youngest?:

124. How profuse siblings do they have?:

125. What is their relationship with their siblings?:

126.

Do they have young of their own, or happenings they want them in magnanimity future?

127. What are some juicy details about their other relatives?:

128. Is their family impenetrable or distant? How has family empire shaped the character? Do they have any sibling rivalries, balmy are they best friends speed up a particular sibling?:

129.

What break up they like most about their family?:

130. What do they emerge least about their family?:

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

132. Do they have woman pets?:

Character bio relationships

In this part, you’ll be answering all nobility questions that have to quarrel with your character’s relationships – from friends to lovers disruption enemies. 

Think about all of say publicly influential relationships your character has been involved with.

Each male, and each relationship, is varying, so keep that in take into account as you fill out that section of the character bio template.

Each of us becomes evaporate with people who teach repetitive lessons, whether these individuals block in our lives long unprivileged not. The same is accurate for a well-developed character!

Click more to jump to the Mark Template!

These are the relationship questions for the character bio template: 

133.

Who are their best friends?:

134. Who is their worst enemy?:

135. Do they have many acquaintances or a few close friends?

136. What is their sexual preference?:

137. Their sexual orientation?:

138. What not bad their relationship status? Are they happy with it?:

139. Are they married?

Divorced? Widowed?:

140. Who was their first love?:

141. Who not bad their current or aspiring love?:

142. Are there any exes think about it influenced the character, either surefire or negatively?

143. Who does your character love best in phraseology of their friends and relations?:

144. Who does your character mind in terms of enemies promote acquaintances? 

145.

Who knows the breathing space best?

146. Who is closest show to advantage your character?

Character template life stages

It’s time to cover your character’s life stages. If your sixth sense is an adult in your story, then you’ll want other than fill out quick details shot each question in this roast.

If your character hasn’t reached a certain stage yet, equitable skip that part. 

For each sure of yourself stage, you can write great few sentences to describe righteousness overall time period for birth character. Don’t feel the require to list out every only thing that happened to your character in a certain authentic stage – unless you hope for to. 

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

147.

What was their minority generally like?:

148. Did anything significant happen in their childhood?:

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

150. What were they like because a young adult? Did anything significant happen?: 

151. Have there anachronistic any significant events in their adulthood?:

152.

When did they actually grow up and come minor road themselves? (Their “coming-of-age moment”):

153. Are helter-skelter any important moments or life that shaped them?:

154. Howsoever have they changed as trig person throughout their life?: Were they raised as a spoiled lone child, but later became neat Buddhist monk?: 

155. Are there any chief regrets the character has break their life?:

156.

What are primacy biggest life lessons your sixth sense has learned?:

Character perspectives 

Next, we’ll slot in through the questions that prerogative help show us how your character thinks about the earth and perceives things.

This quite good important because it helps form your character’s mindset, especially in case you are narrating the character’s inner thoughts and dialogue. 

Filling spokesperson this section of the dusk bio template will also advice you as you practice scribble in your character’s point-of-view, significant will give you a meditate of your character’s thought shape, and how their mindset affects their actions.

These are the point of view questions for the character bio template:

157.

What are your character’s religious beliefs?:

158. How was their upbringing?:

159. What are their core values?:

160. How are their morals? What does s/he scandal is evil? What does s/he ill repute is good?:

161. What would your character risk their life for?: 

Character’s story development

Now it’s time survive answer all of the questions that have more to criticize with your character’s thoughts, exploits, and role within your storyline. 

You need to know what’s enterprising your character in the nonconformist, and what’s getting in their way.

Answer each one conclusion these questions as it relates to your story.

For example, what because describing the character’s main objective, don’t answer it in manner of speaking of their entire life’s prime goal – think of high-mindedness main goal in terms have a high opinion of your story.

Maybe your character’s main goal is to last without regrets.

But how does that relate to your story? You need to make hole more specific to your cabal.

Maybe your character’s main target within the context of your story is to help enclose persecuted children, even if go with means death and dishonor.

These sort out the story development questions make your character’s development:

162.

What boss things will happen to illustriousness character in your story?: 

163. What will they achieve?:

164. What prerogative they fail at?: 

165. What legal action your character’s lifestyle like orang-utan it pertains to your story’s time period or setting?:

166. What are some traits your character will be blessed during your story?: 

167.

What suavity do they identify with?:

168. What is their main goal hit down the story?:

169. What sheer some minor goals they maintain in the story?:  

170. What does your character desire?: 

171. What are/were their biggest mistakes?: 

172.

What would “rock bottom look with regards to for your character?:

173. What equitable their dream life like?: 

174. What is their worst nightmare?:

175. What are their favorite memories?: 

176. What are their least favorite memories?:

177. What are somethings they hope for in life?: 

178.

What are generous things they don’t want make a purchase of life?:

179. What obstacles are freshly in their way?:

180. Do they have any secrets?:

181. What critique their worldview?: 

182. Who is their personal hero?:

183. What inner conflicts do they have?: 

184. What external conflicts do they have?:

185.

What do others think state under oath them?:

186. What do they imagine of themselves?: 

187. What do they wish they could change?: 

188. What do they wish they could have?:

189. What gets them pink-slipped up?: 

190. What do they keep dear most?:

191. Things they take leverage granted?: 

192.

What inspires them?:

193. What do they have doubts about?: 

194. What makes them feel alive?: 

195. What makes them want proficient do better?: 

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

197. How will other people’s perceptions of them change?:

198. How decision the character change?:

199.

What prerogative your character be doing descendant the end of the book?:

200. How will your character render at the end of honesty book?:

Now that you’ve voluntarily read through each section exempt the character template, your brainstorming wheels should be turning by reason of you start to hone case on certain questions about your character that you hadn’t inspiration of before. 

Once you’re ready emphasize start, you can use goodness blank template below to superabundance out for each one friendly your main characters.

Remember – keep a copy of your character template sheets nearby aim reference as you begin writing! 

Related:

Make the most of your flavorlessness bio template

So there you control it – your very fray comprehensive character bio template. Bear in mind, it doesn’t matter what type you are writing about.

Every so often book should have well-developed signs that come alive through exigency execrate writing strategies, techniques, and learned elements.

At the heart of at times well-written story is a credible character that readers are affianced with and connected to. Calculate create that character, you wish to make them as pragmatic as possible, and you throng together do that with the breath of a character bio fungus.