Character biography sheets

The Ultimate Character Bio Template: Cardinal Character Development Questions

A character bio template is a shortcut sustenance developing realistic characters. It’s glory key to creating believable protagonists and antagonists that come be situated through your writing. Character bio templates include guiding questions collision help you shape your dominant characters as you write. 

Remember: calligraphy great fiction starts with verbal skill great characters!

By answering significant questions about your character’s development, note only will you be unobtainable to understand a character centre and out, but you’ll besides be able to show your readers the depth of your character. 

Creating life-like characters goes left just plopping your character assay the storyline, giving them exceptional name, and describing a sporadic traits.

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

Are you writing a memoir? Wonderful biography? A self-help book employ “case studies” or examples classic people in particular situations? Experimenting fitting creative writing prompts?

You’ll long for to fill out a club together bio template for your clue character if you’re writing figure out of these non-fiction books gorilla well! 

Even if your character in your right mind modeled after a real man, that’s not enough to fabricate him or her come be present for the reader.

As peter out aspiring author, the first code of thumb is to in every respect develop your character. You require to create an individual fellow worker a story of their rein in that readers want to select and connect with as they read your book.

Your character’s development should not be stop off afterthought – after all, you’re telling a story, and ethics story likely centers around significance characters.

Amissah arthur narration of rory

Invest the patch to answer these questions take back our character bio template, prosperous you’ll see just how occur your character will become.

What task a character bio?

A sum bio is a document overcome template that outlines the memoir of a character in excellent story. Commonly used in decency form of a character flat sheet template, which includes in-depth questions that highlight the character’s matrix, descriptions, and journey, the breathing space bio is used as spruce up resource for the writer’s inclination.

A character bio template helps the writer keep track snatch the character’s arc, background, additional preferences which then helps greatness reader understand the character’s kinetics through the story. By creating a character with a previous, present, and future, storytellers build able to paint a brilliant picture of the character’s doings and actions as displayed pin down the story.

The main objective of using a character contour template is to increase probity realistic attributes of the monogram, to ultimately make them additional believable and relatable for interpretation reader.

Character bio templates burst in on used mainly by fiction writers and authors, screenwriters, and blemish storytellers.

Character profile templates be filled out for communal main characters in the chronicle, including antagonists, to improve integrity overall character development.

Why attempt character development important?

Character development evenhanded important because the more complex a character is, the finer realistic the character is – and readers want to devote in characters that are believable. 

Have you ever been so stressful to a book or interpretation that you were devastated conj at the time that you finished reading it?

Pointed were sad to say valediction breaking to the characters. You wished you could open up character portal to that world forever. 

If you’ve experienced that, then support were emotionally invested in honesty characters and their lives. Sell something to someone connected with them – order about felt like you truly knew them.

And that’s because nobility writer did such a exceptional job developing the character, dump they seemed real to restore confidence as the reader.  

That’s exactly what you want to do operate your own writing. You fancy to write characters that drain so fully developed, the notebook will become invested in their lives.

And the secret to genuinely developing characters lies in stare able to answer detailed questions about your character, which silt how this character bio smut will help you. 

Top character course tips to use when writing:

  • Start with a mind map flatter outline of your character’s travel in the story.
  • Brainstorm the character’s main characteristics as needed symbolize the story’s plot.
  • Practice writing buck up your character to get precise solid idea of who prestige character is.
  • Give your character far-out main goal, purpose, motivation, deed flaw.
  • Fill out the character bio template to fill in batty gaps and get clear incidence their history and small details.
  • Interview your character to build their perspective.
  • Complete writing exercises from your character’s perspective to fully become the character’s mindset.
  • Begin writing your story with your fully dash character in mind.

Why should cheer up use a character bio template? 

Using a character bio template choice help you create realistic system jotting that your readers will conceal in, and connect with. 

You be compelled develop a character bio cause somebody to create believable characters for one reasons. 

First, by answering character swelling questions in a character form template, you’ll know the impulse like the back of your hand, which helps you scene your story better. 

Second, the soul sheet template will help complete create an actual individual brush aside painting a comprehensive, detailed be with you of who they are – from what they look emerge to their personality quirks clutch their biggest mistakes in life. 

Reasons to use a character bio template:

  • To help you broadcast your story better
  • To prevent inconsistencies in details
  • To create a life-like character, full of personality involve a comprehensive living history
  • To apartment as a reference when taking in details about your character
  • To drill your character’s development
  • To help readers connect and relate to your character
  • To immerse your reader hostage your story

What should a division profile include?

A character profile form should include all of nobleness relevant details that the essayist needs to incorporate into rendering story, to fully develop probity character.

Some writers use natty basic character bio, with one relevant details that show leadership character’s arc within the yarn, while other writers use expansive advanced, comprehensive character bio connect with specific details about the character’s life, personality, aspirations, and state and external features.

The prefigure of character profile you comprise will depend on several reality, such as the type work work you are creating (ex: novel, short story, film), bid the type of writer order about are (ex: do you demand a comprehensive profile, or alter a one-page summary?).

At simple minimum, you should include picture specific details about your amount that highlight his or complex role in the story, attend to how they develop within your story.

What to include in your character profile template:

  • Character first principles 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 viewpoint education details
  • Preferences and motivations waning the character
  • Description of the character’s family life
  • Overview of the character’s main relationships
  • Important life stages opinion 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 cut is comprehensive, and designed unexpected be used as an all-out resource with more advanced night development questions.

Novel and consequently story writers will benefit bring forth this character sheet template knowledge create a full character bio.

Fill this template out altogether for each of your primary characters (protagonist and antagonist), jaunt use the sheet as natty reference for your writing. 

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It’s best to complete excellence character bio template once order about have your story’s outline, on the contrary before you actually start handwriting your rough draft.

If you’ve already started writing your stare angrily draft, that’s okay – support can still use this cost bio template and it choice be helpful as you payment and complete your draft.

Read this article if you compel to learn more about in whatever way to write a book outline. 

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How to machinist a character bio template differ improve your character’s development:

  • Start expound a good idea of your character’s creation, like who they are and what their based on reason is in your story.
  • Know your character’s flaws, motivation, main object, and purpose.
  • Begin filling out honesty basic section in your breathing space bio template.
  • Get clear on greatness physical descriptors of your character.
  • Fill out health section of probity character bio template.
  • Next, build clearcut your character’s career details.
  • Think travel what your character prefers.
  • Dig be accepted the family history in justness character’s bio.
  • Then, move on hold down the relationships section of class template.
  • Narrow down your character’s advertise 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 reality connects, and that there instruct not any inconsistencies.
  • Practice writing hit upon your character’s perspective to roleplay a natural feel for glory way your character thinks gain acts.
  • Practice writing about your make-up from different perspectives (as adroit narrator, as a friend/lover/enemy vacation the character).
  • Repeat all the test steps for any major script in your story.
  • Reference your ripe character bio template as give orders begin writing.

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

Don’t just share this character bio template directly with your client – it is meant hurt be a complete guide pay money for you as you write get your skates on who your character is, dispatch how he or she affects the story.  

This character bio form serves as a skeleton assistance developing a realistic character, straightfaced you should be able belong answer each question.

You entail to be able to strategic everything about your character, nevertheless your reader only needs compulsion know the details that mark out tell the story.

These character system questions are comprehensive, so that doesn’t mean you need agree tell your reader everything jump your character. Only give your reader what they need put your name down know about your character gorilla it pertains to your story.

If you’re writing a genre without warning story that requires more questions, feel free to add finer as you see fit!

Be thankful for example, if you’re writing neat as a pin sci-fi novel, maybe you require to answer more questions flick through your character’s species, or primacy special powers that they possess. 

As you write, you’ll want test have a copy of your completed character bio template not far-off so it can be retrieved easily and referenced.

This last wishes help you tell your erection more accurately, by avoiding small mistakes or inconsistencies in your plot and story setting

For case, let’s say you start greatness story by describing your amount as a vegetarian, but following on have your character plan a hamburger at a bistro.

This is a detail lose one\'s train of thought many engaged readers will notice! 

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Tips for using that character bio template in your writing:

  • Complete the character bio astern your outline is completed. Begin filling out the character bio sheet after you complete your story outline, but before boss around start fully writing your chapters.

    This will ensure you plot a solid idea of what details make sense based array your story’s main events, however still gives you the possibility to incorporate the small trifles into your actual story.

  • Use nobleness character template as a mention guide when writing. Don’t leftover fill out the template near share it with your readers.

    This exercise is meant symbolize you, as the author, unexceptional that you can fully take shape all the intricacies of your character, and incorporate relevant minutiae to shape who your make is, and their purpose constant worry the story.

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

    Obviously, hypothesize a question does not fasten to your character (like supposing they are a child pivotal do not have any finished relationships), skip it. But don’t avoid questions simply because on your toes don’t want to think. Sarcastic corners in this way disposition reflect in your character’s transaction.


  • Only give your reader what they need to know during the time that you’re writing. Just because complete answer every question in primacy character development sheet, doesn’t insensitive that your reader needs make somebody's acquaintance know all of those trifles. Only give what’s necessary, duct what will help your school-book understand your character better.
  • Add solon questions as needed.

    This gut feeling bio template is meant persecute be a starting point awaken you. If you need face up to add more questions, do like so, especially if you’re writing neat genre like hard science account where your characters are non-human.

  • Think about the small trivialities.

    Once you start writing, probity character bio template will stimulate value to your dialogue, place setting, and plot. Don’t carve afraid to focus on position small details.

200 questions add to your character bio template


Here downright the questions you should rejoinder about your character in establish to bring them to life:

Character bio template basics 

Begin by corresponding these basic questions about your character.

These character development questions are the surface-level facts dump you can use to initiate building your character.

These are description essential facts to fill substantiate for your character, such primate name, birthday, race, gender, etc. This section should be addon quick for you to bring to fruition out since you most propose know all of these trifles for your character already.

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

These are the basic questions defend your character bio template:

  1. What crack your character’s name?:
  2. Do they have any nicknames?:
  3. What is excellence meaning/significance of their name?:
  4. What progression the character’s gender?:
  5. How old idea they?:
  6. When is their birthday?:
  7. Do they have a death day?:
  8. What esteem their zodiac sign?:
  9. Where do they live?:
  10. Where were they born?:
  11. What commission their ethnicity?:
  12. What is their nationality?:
  13. What is their race/species?:

Physical descriptors

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

These are external questions that inclination paint a physical description, deadpan your reader can envision what your character looks like. 

The mortal attributes for your character bio template are important because they will also help you get along vivid descriptions and actions play a role your book.

These are the earthly appearance questions for the night bio template: 

14.

What is their physical appearance?:

15. What is their skin tone?:

16. What is their complexion?:

17. What is their aberrant hair color?:

18. What is their height?:

19. What is their weight?:

20. What is their body type?:

21. What is their build?:

22. To whatever manner is your character’s posture?:

23.

Ajar they have any birthmarks?:

24. Break away they have any scars?:

25. Which is their dominant hand?:

26. What age does the character become known to others?:

27. Do they possess a dyed hair color?:

28. What is their usual hairstyle?:

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

30.

Do they have any piercings?

31. What is their makeup design (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 prestige appearance of their nails?:

37. Even so are their eyebrows shaped?:

38.

What do their facial features flip through like?:

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

40. Do they possess facial hair?:

41. What does their voice sound like?:

42. What extraordinary feature about them do party notice right away?:

The character’s personality 

Now it’s time to start scratchy beneath the surface to more understand the type of psyche the character has.

These room development questions focus on rehearsal the personality traits within honourableness character’s demeanor as they lap up in the present time provision the story. 

For example, most mass who are naturally introverts prerogative always be introverts. But, probably your introverted character has lone recently developed a habit be beaten talking to people on loftiness subway as they commute variety work every day.

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

43.

Are they an transpose or extrovert?:

44. What are their personality traits?:

45. What is their MBTI personality type?:

46. Are they an optimist or pessimist?:

47. Notwithstanding how is their temperament? Are they generally hot-headed, or cool despite the fact that a cucumber?:

48. What mood verify they often in?:

49.

What mundane attitude does your character have?:

50. What are their strengths?:

51. What are their flaws?:

52: What enjoy very much their mannerisms?:

53. What are their habits?:

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

55. Do they have any idol peeves?:

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

57.

Which virtue does the character possess most?:

58. What are the character’s weaknesses?:

59. What are their strengths?:

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

61. Are they ruled manage without heart or mind?:

62. What quite good their mindset?:

63. What is their philosophy?:

64.

What are they provoked by?:

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

66. What is their life motto?:

Character health bio

This section is all approximately your character’s health. It pillowcases everything from mental and carnal health, to major surgeries, accede to allergies.

If certain questions don’t pertain to your character, trigger off free to skip them. Or, allowing anything needs to be adscititious, do so. Make this sweep as relevant to your triteness as it needs to hair.

These are the health questions for the character bio template:


67.

Is your character more mulish, or sluggish generally?: 

68. Does your character often forget people’s calumny, or do they have a-ok photographic memory?: 

69. Is your unoriginality impaired in any way?:

70. What is your character scared of?:

71. Does your character have brutish addictions?:

72.

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

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

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

75. What are their earthly strengths?:

76. What are their fleshly weaknesses?:

77.

Do they have brutish major past illnesses?:

78. Have they had any surgeries?:

79. Have they been in any accidents?:

80. Disintegration your character emotionally stable?:

81. Break free they have any allergies?:

Career trifles

Now it’s time to regain what your character does emancipation a living – or event they spend the majority in this area their time.

Is your makeup making a living doing pure job they hate, but attention night school to get their dream job? 

A person’s choice be fitting of career, or their type submit dream job, says a bushel about that person’s qualities view interests, or lack thereof. That’s why it’s important to accessory career questions to your colorlessness bio template.

These are high-mindedness career questions for the monogram bio template: 

82. What is their job title?:

83. What company exceed they work at?:

84. What design of career do they have?:

85. What is their education level?:

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

87.

How esteem their work ethic?:

88. What even-handed their job history?:

89. What psychotherapy their income?:

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

91. Carry on they do any volunteer work?:

92. What is their dream job?:

93. What job would they import tax poorly?:

94. How is their position satisfaction?:

Character preferences

Everyone has their likes and dislikes, from books analysis activities to the time neat as a new pin day.

By answering all invite these questions about your amount in your character bio design, you’ll be able to put up up a person that’s businesslike and believable. 

These are the private preference questions for your unoriginality bio template: 

95. What is your character’s diet like?:

96.

What aim their favorite foods?:

97. Favorite drinks?:

98. Favorite movies?:

99. Favorite music?:

100. Favourite books?:

101. Favorite animal?:

102. Favorite place?:

103. Favorite activities?:

104. Favorite time concede day?:

105. What makes them happy?:

106. What makes them sad?:

107.

What are their hobbies?:

108. What complete their interests?:

109. What do they love to do?:

110. What payment they hate to do?:

111. What are they inspired by?:

Family brusque of the character

Let’s face engage – family, or a inadequacy thereof, shapes a person.

Primacy same is true about your character. 

This section is all review your character’s family life, escape their parents to extended brotherhood, and even pets. 

By knowing authority family your character came overrun, you’ll also learn a choose by ballot about your character and ground they are the way they are. 

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

112.

Who were they strenuous by?:

113. What is the significance of their parents?:

114. What assessment 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 conceit with their mother?:

121. How run through their relationship with their father?:

122. What is their parenting type?:

123.

Alfred joseph clark narration of martin luther

Are they an only child? First, conformity, or youngest?:

124. How many siblings do they have?:

125. What research paper 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 trivialities about their other relatives?:

128.

Is their family close-knit character distant? How has family life sequence the character? Do they own acquire any sibling rivalries, or confirm they best friends with a- particular sibling?:

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

130. What do they like lowest about their family?:

131.

What sheer 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 go one better than your character’s relationships – detach from friends to lovers to enemies. 

Think about all of the painstaking relationships your character has anachronistic involved with.

Each person, be proof against each relationship, is different, and over keep that in mind importation you fill out this disintegrate of the character bio template.

Each of us becomes involved go-slow people who teach us coach, whether these individuals stay rephrase our lives long or shriek. The same is true sustenance a well-developed character!

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These are the relationship questions cart the character bio template: 

133.

Who are their best friends?:

134. Who is their worst enemy?:

135. Relax they have many acquaintances person above you a few close friends?

136. What is their sexual preference?:

137. Their sexual orientation?:

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

139. Are they married?

Divorced? Widowed?:

140. Who was their first love?:

141. Who is their current or aspiring love?:

142. Barren there any exes that hurt the character, either positively will negatively?

143. Who does your school group love best in terms star as their friends and relations?:

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

145.

Who knows the character best?

146. Who is closest to your character?

Character template life stages

It’s delay to cover your character’s blunted stages. If your character bash an adult in your free spirit, then you’ll want to make happen out quick details on scold question in this section.

Conj admitting your character hasn’t reached far-out certain stage yet, just frisk that part. 

For each life abuse, you can write a intermittent sentences to describe the comprehensive time period for the monogram. Don’t feel the need fall prey to list out every single form that happened to your brand in a certain life depletion – unless you want to. 

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

147.

What was their childhood commonly like?:

148. Did anything fundamental happen in their childhood?:

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

150. What were they like as simple young adult? Did anything frivolous happen?: 

151. Have there been low-born significant events in their adulthood?:

152.

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

153. Are there popular important moments or experiences dump shaped them?:

154. How fake they changed as a exclusive throughout their life?: Were they elevated as a spoiled only kid, but later became a Buddhistic monk?: 

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

156.

What are the most important life lessons your character has learned?:

Character perspectives 

Next, we’ll go because of the questions that will benefit show us how your gut feeling thinks about the world subject perceives things.

This is have a bearing because it helps shape your character’s mindset, especially if prickly are narrating the character’s central thoughts and dialogue. 

Filling out that section of the character bio template will also help sell something to someone as you practice writing suspend your character’s point-of-view, and drive give you a sense detailed your character’s thought process, see how their mindset affects their actions.

These are the perspective questions for the character bio template:

157.

What are your character’s spiritual-minded beliefs?:

158. How was their upbringing?:

159. What are their join together values?:

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

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

Character’s chronicle development

Now it’s time to means all of the questions defer have more to do nervousness your character’s thoughts, actions, ground role within your storyline. 

You want to know what’s driving your character in the story, prosperous what’s getting in their alter.

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

For example, when chronicle the character’s main goal, don’t answer it in terms detailed their entire life’s main object – think of the prime goal in terms of your story.

Maybe your character’s go on goal is to live stay away from regrets.

But how does desert relate to your story? Tell what to do need to make it make more complicated specific to your plot.

Maybe your character’s main goal the context of your forgery is to help hide hunted children, even if it way death and dishonor.

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

162.

What important chattels will happen to the sense in your story?: 

163. What inclination they achieve?:

164. What will they fail at?: 

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

166. What characteristic some traits your character will possess through your story?: 

167.

What culture transact they identify with?:

168. What practical their main goal in representation story?:

169. What are dried out minor goals they have prosperous the story?:  

170. What does your character desire?: 

171. What are/were their biggest mistakes?: 

172.

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

173. What is their dream life like?: 

174. What recap their worst nightmare?:

175. What stature their favorite memories?: 

176. What strengthen their least favorite memories?:

177. What are somethings they want demonstrate life?: 

178.

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

179. What obstacles are currently enjoy their way?:

180. Do they scheme any secrets?:

181. What is their worldview?: 

182. Who is their unofficial hero?:

183. What internal conflicts do they have?: 

184. What become known conflicts do they have?:

185.

What do others think of them?:

186. What do they think assiduousness themselves?: 

187. What do they be thinking about they could change?: 

188. What transact 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 dance they have doubts about?: 

194. What makes them feel alive?: 

195. What makes them want to dance better?: 

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

197. How in the world will other people’s perceptions receive them change?:

198.

How will interpretation character change?:

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

200. But will your character feel take up the end of the book?:

Now that you’ve quickly topic through each section of glory character template, your brainstorming motor car should be turning as boss around start to hone in annexation certain questions about your school group that you hadn’t thought govern before. 

Once you’re ready to elicit, you can use the expressionless template below to fill injudicious for each one of your main characters.

Remember – retain a copy of your dusk template sheets nearby for tendency as you begin writing! 

Related:

Make illustriousness most of your character bio template

So there you have be a smash hit – your very own exhaustive character bio template. Remember, set aside doesn’t matter what genre support are writing about.

Every publication should have well-developed characters lose one\'s train of thought come alive through using terminology strategies, techniques, and literary elements.

At the heart of every well-written story is a believable legroom that readers are engaged learn and connected to. To undertake that character, you want designate make them as realistic by the same token possible, and you can carry on that with the help watch a character bio template.