Writing fictional character profiles – Fact file template

Okay, you’re working on your future bestseller.

You’ve got the perfect world. The perfect plot twists. The perfect deadline. You sit at your desk, mind bursting with ideas, pen ready…

But your characters are being difficult. They’re hard to write about and they’re not getting any more interesting as the story goes on.

Wait…did you forget to write character profiles?

How much do you really know about your characters? Do they have flaws? Strengths? A secret teddy bear?

Characters are so important in a story! They make the story intriguing for the reader and drive the plot forward.

Fictional characters aren’t real (I’m sure you know this already!) but we connect with them as if they are real people. That’s down to character profiles.

And you can create awesome characters as well, this post is bursting with tips and advice.

Ready to create fantastic characters that your readers will LOVE?

Of course you are 🙂

What is a character profile?

“Your character profile is a record of everything you know about your character, from their origins and backstory to their personality traits and physical appearance.“

– Masterclass

What’s the point of writing down so much information about my characters?

The more deeper you go into the characters and think about them, the more lovable they become.

You should be able to understand your character and this will improve your skills when it comes to writing about them.

Every author needs to know and understand their characters like the back of their hand. The more the reader learns about your character, the more realistic your character will seem to them.

Tip: Be careful not to dump a whole load of information about your character in the first few pages. This can be very overwhelming. Slowly reveal more about the character as the story goes on.

Keep a few things hidden and present it in the second book if you’re writing a series, or so the reader will wonder about it.

Develop your characters like a bestselling author

The basics:

These are the basic things you should know when about your character/s.

Feel free to download the templates below, add your own or print them out.

Go more in depth:

Here are some interesting questions to ask yourself about your characters. You don’t have to answer all of them!

• What words or phrases do they overuse?
• Biggest secret?
• Has anyone ever saved their life?
• Where do they go when they’re angry?
• What is their most treasured possession?
• What is their biggest regret?
• What do they do in their spare time?
• Who were they closest to as a child?
• Who or what do they turn to when they’re upset?
• What do they do if they can’t sleep?
• Can they lie easily?
• When was the last time they lied and why?
• What is one place your character wants to visit?

Nobody likes dull characters, so make sure your characters don’t have similar personalities or boring backstories!

Quirks and flaws will make your character more realistic and relatable to the reader.

Take a look at Ron Weasley.

He’s thousands of people’s favourite fictional character because of his personality. He’s not the perfect hero, he has lots of flaws, and this makes him more realistic.

He is hilarious, fun, daft, scared of spiders and is a good friend to Harry Potter.

His unique personality makes him popular amongst readers in the book series.

Character flaws and quirks

What is a character flaw?

A character flaw is a fault or weakness in a person’s character.

Why do readers like characters with flaws?

Flaws make the character more interesting for the reader, and realistic as no one is perfect.

Try not to create a character that is flawless, they cannot go wrong. This is not that intriguing for the reader.

Ideas for character flaws:

• Stubbornness
• Clumsiness
• Greed
• Obsessed with something or someone
• Spoiled
• Proud
• Forgetful
• Loves to daydream
• A loud mouth
• Bold (rude, no manners…)
• Cheeky
• Childish
• Dependent (opposite of independent)

These should give you some idea of planting flaws in your characters.

What is a character quirk?

“Character quirks are the memorable little things about a character’s personality that make them charming, endearing, weird, or unique. A quirk is anything worth describing about a character. It can be visual, like the eccentric way a character dresses or their uncommon eye color“

– Masterclass

Ideas for character quirks:

• Constantly chews gum
• Always wears a particular shade of lipstick (like brick-red)
• Walks on their toes
• Types with one finger
• Eats toothpaste
• Chews on ice cubes
• Dresses in one colour
• Ties their hair into Princess Leia buns

• Has a phobia of cracks on the pavement
• Has a fear of clowns
• Has a fear of spiders
• Has a fear of everything

• Has a habit of nailbiting
• Has a habit of laughing at the end of every sentence

• Is a pickpocket
• Is an awful driver
• Can never get to work on time
• Enjoys being cruel

• Is a gifted storyteller or poet
• Has an incredible memory
• Carries around a secret teddy bear
• Hums ‘Incy wincy spider’ when they get stressed

Need extra help creating lovable characters? Click here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it!

Have fun crafting unique, incredible characters!

If you have any questions, please let me know down below. I’d love to see what you’re working on and if you have any other quirks/ideas or points that I’ve missed on this post.

Thank you for reading.

Stay safe and stay awesome,