The promised character template
Here's a blank character outline that the_emu posted to the MA mailing list once upon a time. I've found it quite useful over the past few years, so I thought I'd post it here for everyone to share. You don't have to use this to outline your character(s), but it may be a good idea since it goes into a lot of really specific details. Whenever I've used it, I've found that it makes me grow extremely familiar and comfortable with a character before I ever begin writing.
If you have any ideas for the direction you might want this shared world to go in, feel free to share them. What kind of a world do we want to create? Where do we want it to take place? Is this a fantasy universe, or is it more real-world? Does it take place in the present? The future? The past? Once we get some kind of direction going, we can start talking plot and characters. :)
Character Name:
Physical appearance:
1. Height, weight; body type; age:
·
2. Shape of face, nose and mouth:
·
3. Skin, hair and eye color and quality (texture, where applicable), any birthmarks:
·
4. Hands (size and condition):
·
5. Manner of dress:
·
Voice and speech:
1. The tone and pitch of the voice:
·
2. Whether the character is soft-spoken or loud:
·
3. The accent, if any:
·
4. The nature of the character's vocabulary:
·
5. Whether the character speaks grammatical or ungrammatical language:
·
Movement and gestures:
1. Whether the character is hyperactive, slothful or something in between:
·
2. Awkward or graceful:
·
3. Whether the character is or is not expressive with his or her hands and body:
·
4. Poor posture or good posture:
·
5. Agility or lack of it:
·
Past life:
1. Date and place birth:
·
2. Whether parents were rich, poor or middle class:
·
3. Whether parents were good, bad or indifferent:
·
4. Father's occupation, mother's occupation:
·
5. Ethnic background:
·
6. Childhood traumas, if any:
·
7. Childhood Highs:
·
8. Brothers and sisters, if any:
·
9. Whether or not the character was successful in school:
·
10. Whether the character was popular with other children or not:
·
11. The most influential person in the character's childhood and why:
·
12. Childhood hobbies:
·
13. Defeats and triumphs:
·
14. Job history:
·
15. What level of education, and in what fields?
·
16. What is parent's relationship like?
·
17. What extra-curricular activities did they do in school?
·
18. Details of family if they have them:
·
Religion:
1. Whether the character is a Catholic, Jew, Protestant, agnostic, atheist or something else:
·
2. How often the character attends services:
·
3. Whether the character is devoutly, casually or fanatically faithful to the tenets of the religion:
·
4. Miscellaneous relevant effects on the character's attitudes:
·
Sexuality:
1. Whether the character is a virgin or well-experienced or even possibly promiscuous:
·
2. Marital status:
·
3. Whether the character is heterosexual, gay or bisexual:
·
4. Whether the character likes sex or not:
·
5. Whether the character is a good or bad lover:
·
6. Guilt-ridden or guilt-free:
·
7. What sort of lovers they generally have:
·
Vocation:
1. Nature of the career:
·
2. Whether the character does his or her job well:
·
3. Whether the character likes the work:
·
4. What the character's co-workers and bosses think of him or her:
·
5. Ways in which the vocation affects economic and social status of the character, if relevant:
·
General:
1. Skills and talents:
·
2. What do they do on their days off? Hobbies (group or solitary?):
·
3. What sort of books do they read?
·
4. Fears:
·
5. Dreams:
·
6. Pleasures:
·
7. Plans for the future:
·
8. Sense of humor:
·
9. Politics:
·
10. Attitudes toward the opposite sex:
·
11. Attitudes toward children:
·
12. Attitudes toward money:
·
13. Attitudes toward love:
·
14. Attitudes toward death:
·
15. Attitudes toward liquor and drugs:
·
16. Ideals:
·
17. Regrets:
·
18. General likes and dislikes:
·
19. Pet hate:
·
20. Personal hero:
·
21. Any pets? (If none, what would they be most likely to have?)
·
22. Most admirable quality:
·
23. Least admirable quality:
·
24. Describe their home - area, size, style of furnishings:
·
25. What sort of car they drive:
·
26. Fave colour:
·
27. Fave food:
·
28. Fave music:
·
29. Fave TV show:
·
30. Couple of sentences describing the people they're closest to:
·
31. Other strong traits?
·
If you have any ideas for the direction you might want this shared world to go in, feel free to share them. What kind of a world do we want to create? Where do we want it to take place? Is this a fantasy universe, or is it more real-world? Does it take place in the present? The future? The past? Once we get some kind of direction going, we can start talking plot and characters. :)
Character Name:
Physical appearance:
1. Height, weight; body type; age:
·
2. Shape of face, nose and mouth:
·
3. Skin, hair and eye color and quality (texture, where applicable), any birthmarks:
·
4. Hands (size and condition):
·
5. Manner of dress:
·
Voice and speech:
1. The tone and pitch of the voice:
·
2. Whether the character is soft-spoken or loud:
·
3. The accent, if any:
·
4. The nature of the character's vocabulary:
·
5. Whether the character speaks grammatical or ungrammatical language:
·
Movement and gestures:
1. Whether the character is hyperactive, slothful or something in between:
·
2. Awkward or graceful:
·
3. Whether the character is or is not expressive with his or her hands and body:
·
4. Poor posture or good posture:
·
5. Agility or lack of it:
·
Past life:
1. Date and place birth:
·
2. Whether parents were rich, poor or middle class:
·
3. Whether parents were good, bad or indifferent:
·
4. Father's occupation, mother's occupation:
·
5. Ethnic background:
·
6. Childhood traumas, if any:
·
7. Childhood Highs:
·
8. Brothers and sisters, if any:
·
9. Whether or not the character was successful in school:
·
10. Whether the character was popular with other children or not:
·
11. The most influential person in the character's childhood and why:
·
12. Childhood hobbies:
·
13. Defeats and triumphs:
·
14. Job history:
·
15. What level of education, and in what fields?
·
16. What is parent's relationship like?
·
17. What extra-curricular activities did they do in school?
·
18. Details of family if they have them:
·
Religion:
1. Whether the character is a Catholic, Jew, Protestant, agnostic, atheist or something else:
·
2. How often the character attends services:
·
3. Whether the character is devoutly, casually or fanatically faithful to the tenets of the religion:
·
4. Miscellaneous relevant effects on the character's attitudes:
·
Sexuality:
1. Whether the character is a virgin or well-experienced or even possibly promiscuous:
·
2. Marital status:
·
3. Whether the character is heterosexual, gay or bisexual:
·
4. Whether the character likes sex or not:
·
5. Whether the character is a good or bad lover:
·
6. Guilt-ridden or guilt-free:
·
7. What sort of lovers they generally have:
·
Vocation:
1. Nature of the career:
·
2. Whether the character does his or her job well:
·
3. Whether the character likes the work:
·
4. What the character's co-workers and bosses think of him or her:
·
5. Ways in which the vocation affects economic and social status of the character, if relevant:
·
General:
1. Skills and talents:
·
2. What do they do on their days off? Hobbies (group or solitary?):
·
3. What sort of books do they read?
·
4. Fears:
·
5. Dreams:
·
6. Pleasures:
·
7. Plans for the future:
·
8. Sense of humor:
·
9. Politics:
·
10. Attitudes toward the opposite sex:
·
11. Attitudes toward children:
·
12. Attitudes toward money:
·
13. Attitudes toward love:
·
14. Attitudes toward death:
·
15. Attitudes toward liquor and drugs:
·
16. Ideals:
·
17. Regrets:
·
18. General likes and dislikes:
·
19. Pet hate:
·
20. Personal hero:
·
21. Any pets? (If none, what would they be most likely to have?)
·
22. Most admirable quality:
·
23. Least admirable quality:
·
24. Describe their home - area, size, style of furnishings:
·
25. What sort of car they drive:
·
26. Fave colour:
·
27. Fave food:
·
28. Fave music:
·
29. Fave TV show:
·
30. Couple of sentences describing the people they're closest to:
·
31. Other strong traits?
·