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How to Write a Character Analysis — Tips and Techniques

A great story is often, if not always, synonymous with great characters. Crafting great characters is not an easy feat. So it’s no wonder that readers and writers alike gravitate toward the best characters in storytelling. Analyzing characters can be incredibly helpful for crafting your own characters or simply understanding your favorite story more deeply. In this article, we’ll dive into how to write a character analysis by asking the right questions, analyzing characterization, and retaining curiosity throughout the process.  

How to Write a Character Analysis

First, let’s define character analysis.

Before we dive into the details of how to write a great character analysis let’s make sure we on the same page by looking at the character analysis definition.  

CHARACTER ANALYSIS DEFINITION

What is a character analysis.

A character analysis is a written body of work that analyzes the qualities and traits of a specific character. These characters are primarily from literary works, but can also be from cinema and television. The purpose of a character analysis is to dissect the various intricacies of a character and their role within a story. A character analysis should focus on the quality and function of a character in a story rather than on personal opinions on how the writer might feel about the character. A character analysis should dissect various types of characterization from the writer of the character to form a well-rounded analysis. 

Example character analysis types:

Protagonist.

First and foremost, it’s important to identify the type of character you're writing about. To identify the character type of your analysis here are two questions that are important to address: What is their function in the story? And how do they change or not change throughout the story?

How to Do a Character Analysis

Determine the character’s function.

A character’s function in a story is incredibly important to understand because it gives context as to why the writer made specific choices around the character such as their goals, behavior, and even outward appearance. 

Depending on a character’s function in the story they will fall under one of the following types: protagonist, antagonist, foil, or mentor.

A protagonist is a character who pushes a story forward. He or she is also the central force of the story. Here's a video where break down the main types.

What is a Protagonist  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Derived from the Greek words prōtos and agōnistēs, “protagonist” quite literally translates to “first actor.” In the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter is the protagonist.

An antagonist is the force of a story that the protagonist contends with; whether it be human, natural or supernatural. Every protagonist needs an antagonistic force. Here is a quick rundown on antagonists.

What is a Antagonist  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Derived from the Greek word agonizesthai, “antagonist” literally translates to English as “to contend with.” In the Harry Potter series, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" is the antagonist. Alright we’ll say it for clarity — Lord Voldemort.

A foil character is a fictional character that serves to expose something intrinsic in another character. Oftentimes, the thing that is exposed is a character folly, like cowardice or greed. 

In the Harry Potter series, Draco Malfoy is often Harry’s foil.

A mentor is a character that serves a guide and/or teacher for the story’s protagonist. The mentor is an integral component of Joseph Cambell’s hero’s journey story structure . 

In the Harry Potter series, Albus Dumbledore is Harry’s mentor.

Analyze the character’s development

This second question will help you write a better character analysis because it addresses whether or not your character changes or does not change over the course of the story. 

Static character

A static character is a character that does not undergo any significant internal change over the course of a story. Throughout a story, a static character largely remains the same and does not grow or develop in a substantial way.

Watch our character analysis of Marty McFly and his "flat arc" for a great example of a character who doesn't change.

Dissecting a "flat" character arc  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Dynamic character.

A dynamic character is a character that undergoes significant internal change over the course of a story. This change can happen subtly and gradually throughout the story and can be a change for better or worse. This is a character who often learns a lesson or changes in beliefs or principles. 

For a few examples that will drive home the differences between dynamic and static characters, check out this video breakdown below. 

Analyzing Characters  •  Dynamic vs Static Characters 

Understanding what a character’s function is and what their development is over time will help you determine the focus point of your character development analysis

Related Posts

• What is a Character Study? →
• Character Archetypes in Literature & Movies →
• Character Development: Write Stronger Characters →

How to Write a Proper Character Analysis

Choose a point of focus.

When learning how to write a character analysis choosing a focus point is important for creating a thoughtful, and poignant analysis. Without a solid focus, you run the risk of writing a character synopsis and regurgitating facts and details the reader already knows about the character. 

To reverse engineer a focus point in your character analysis, ask yourself what the reader can learn from this character from a writer’s perspective? Is this character a complex hero ? What makes this character memorable or iconic?

In the video below, we analyze the character Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men and focus on what makes Chigurh the perfect antagonist. 

Why Anton Chigurh is the Perfect Antagonist  •   Subscribe on YouTube

It can be difficult to land on the focus point of your character analysis right away. This is why it is important to first analyze the function of your character and their development throughout the story.

In this process, you will find what makes this character unique and what readers can take away from your analysis. 

Analyzing characterization

Once you have your focus point, it’s time to gather evidence and support for your thesis. These pieces of support will derive from the characterization . 

Characterization is the process through which an artist communicates character to an audience. In writing, characterization is achieved through dialogue, actions, and descriptions. There is both direct characterization and indirect characterization. To help you analyze these two types of characterization, let’s break them down. 

Direct and Indirect Characterization  •  Analyzing Characters

Direct characterization.

Direct characterization is “surface level” characterization. It’s simply the overt information we’re given about a character, such as “what they look like, what their job is, and what they appear to others.” Many literary scholars describe this type of characterization as “what we’re told about a character.”

An example of this can be found in The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway uses direct characterization to describe the main character writing “Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”

Indirect characterization

Indirect characterization , on the other hand, is a subtype of characterization that’s defined by “showing” rather than “telling.” It is an important technique used by writers for developing nuanced characters. It is primarily utilized through what the character says, thinks, and does. 

A common acronym for indirect characterization is “STEAL” which refers to speech, thinks, effect, action, and looks. These details often come from dialogue, goals, desires, and the history or background of the character. 

An example of indirect characterization can be found in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird . Harper writes, “First of all,’ he said, ‘if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

• What is a Character Arc? →
• What is a Flat Character? →
• How to Introduce Characters in a Screenplay →

Character analysis questions

As you continue to flesh out and write your character analysis you may hit some road blocks. A valuable tool to overcome these roadblocks are questions. Try to think of the character that you are analyzing as a person that actually exists that you are interviewing.

What questions would you ask them to really understand who they are? Here are a few examples of character analysis questions to get you started.

What are your values?

What is your background? How did you grow up?

How have you changed from what happened to you or through what you experienced?

Is there a lesson you learned from all of this?

While you may not be able to answer all of these questions from the characterization the author provides, it’s a great exercise to uncover what you may not have yet realized about this character. 

Character analyses are not only a dive into the craft of writing and storytelling, but an analysis of psychology and experience. When analyzing a character, it’s important to wear both hats to provide an insightful, well-rounded character analysis that is unique and thoughtfully presented.

Up Next 

What is characterization .

As we mentioned above, characterization is incredibly important to understanding the characters of a great story. In our next article, we take a deeper dive into characterization and more examples of both indirect and direct characterization. 

Up Next: Characterization Explained  →

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Writing a Character Analysis Essay | Step-by-Step Guide

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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I’m also going to give you a ton of examples.

This post is split into four parts for easy navigation:

• What is a Character Analysis Essay?
• What is the best Format to Use?
• 11 Character Analysis Example Ideas
• Template, Checklist and Outline for Your own Piece

In this post, I’m going to explain to you clearly and in a step-by-step way how to conduct a character analysis.

1. What is a Character Analysis Essay?

Let’s get you started with some really simple details about what a character analysis is:

• A Quick Definition: A character analysis essay zooms-in on a character in a book, movie or even real life. It provides what we sometimes call a ‘sketch’ of a character.
• The Purpose of a Character Analysis: The purpose of a character analysis is to reveal interesting details about the character that might contain a broader moral message about the human condition. For example, Atticus Finch is not just a lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird. Rather, he provides us with a moral message about the importance of doing what you believe is right even though you know you will likely fail.

2. What is the best Character Analysis Essay Format?

Character analysis essays do not have just one format.

However, let me offer some advice that might act as a character analysis essay outline or ‘checklist’ of possible things you could discuss:

1. Start with the Simple Details.

You can start a character analysis by providing a simple, clear description of who your character is. Look at some basic identity traits such as:

• Race (if relevant)
• Social class (if relevant)
• Protagonist or Antagonist? A protagonist is the character who is our central character in the plot; the antagonist is often the protagonist’s opponent or challenger.
• Major or minor character?

2. What are the character’s distinctive personality features?

Your character might have some really clearly identifiable character traits. It’s best to highlight in your character analysis the exact traits that this character possesses. Some common character traits include:

I recommend you take a moment to write down what you think the top 3 to 5 words are that you’d use to explain your character’s personality traits. These will be important to discuss throughout your character analysis.

Sometimes a character may start out with some personality traits, but change over the course of the text. This is quite common; and one clear example of this is Lady Macbeth she deteriorates from a cutthroat power player to a guilt ridden shell of a person roaming the halls of the castle. This dramatic character change is something that makes her very interesting, and is worthy of discussion!

3. What are the character’s key relationships?

Does your character have a close relationship with a certain person in the storyline?

You might want to discuss the character’s relationships as a part of your character analysis. These relationships may reveal some key personality traits of your character.

For example, in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Horatio is the loyal offsider to Hamlet. Through his actions in staying by Hamlet through thick and thin, we learn that he is a deeply loyal character.

Examining the character’s relationships with their friends and foes therefore is very useful for digging deeper into who this character actually is, and what personality traits they have when they are put to the test within the narrative.

4. What are the character’s motivations?

Another thing you might want to examine are the character’s motivations . What do they desire most in the world? Some common motivations for characters in stories are:

• A simple life
• To serve others

This list really could be endless, but I hope the above examples give you a bit of an idea of the sorts of traits to look out for. By mentioning and examining the motivations of the character, we will come closer and closer to learning exactly what moral message this character might be able to tell us.

5. What are the character’s key conflicts?

Stories tend to have a beginning, a complication, and a resolution.

The complication involves conflicts and challenges that need to be overcome. For Edmund in Narnia, it’s cowardice. For Romeo and Juliet, it’s the conflict between love and family loyalty. Here’s some other common conflicts for characters:

• Whether to stay loyal to a friend;
• To overcome obstacles to love;
• To seek a way out of a challenging situation;
• To escape war or poverty;
• To persevere through imprisonment;
• To overcome personal fear

Again, this list is endless.

Knowing the character’s core conflict gets us even closer to knowing the moral that the character is trying to teach us.

For example, in Romeo and Juliet, the challenge of Romeo and Juliet being together despite their families’ objections teaches us something. Personally, I believe it teaches us the importance of letting go of old grudges in order to let love bloom.

This moral lesson was taught to us through conflict: namely, the conflict that Romeo and Juliet were right in the center of.

6. What are the character’s epiphanies?

Sometimes a character has an epiphany. This often happens towards the end of the story and helps the character overcome the challenge or conflict that we discussed in the point above.

Here’s an example of an epiphany:

• In the Lion King, Simba runs away from his tribe to live in exile. After a chance encounter with his childhood friend Nala, he has an epiphany that he has a duty to his tribe. This leads him back home to fight Scar and return freedom to Pride Rock.

Not all characters have an epiphany. But, if they do, I strongly encourage you to write about it in your character analysis.

7. Examine the moral message the character teaches us.

Finally, conclude by examining the moral message behind the character. Nearly every character has something to teach the reader. Authors put a lot of thought into creating complex characters with whom we can relate. We relate to the character and say “wow, they taught me a lesson about something!”

The lesson might be something like:

• Money doesn’t buy happiness;
• Loyalty to family comes above all else;
• Love gives life meaning;
• Honesty is always the best policy

This is the core of your character analysis essay. If you can pick out exactly what moral message the character teaches you, you’ll be well on your way to writing a strong character analysis.

Below I’m going to give you some examples to help you out. I know it can be hard to really get your head around a character, so sometimes the best thing is to look at some samples!

3. Here’s 13 Example Character Analysis Essay Ideas.

Most times when we create a character analysis, we’re exploring the deeper moral stories / aspects of humanity. Here’s some example ideas. I’ve tried to outline in less than a paragraph exactly what your key point will be about each character:

• Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird: A character who teaches us a lesson about standing up for what’s right, even if you know you’re likely to lose.
• Huckleberry Finn from Huckleberry Finn: A character who reveals our inner desire for freedom from the elements of society that constrain us.
• Dudley from Harry Potter: A character whose personality tells us a cautionary tale of the perils of middle-class narcissism, parents’ desire to wrap their children in cotton wool, and the lack of discipline we perceive in contemporary childhoods.
• Jack from Lord of the Flies: A character who represents the innate desire for power that seems to lurk not too far from the surface of the human condition. When social structures are stripped away, he quickly reverts to violence and superstition to assert control over his peers.
• Lady Macbeth from Macbeth: Lady Macbeth teaches us a valuable lesson about the perils of contravening our own morality. She starts out a cutthroat killer but is increasingly consumed by the guilt of her own actions. While we may be able to escape full punishment from outside forces, it is the inner guilt that might eat us away to our last.
• The Boy who Cried Wolf: The boy who cried wolf is a character whose fatal flaw is his desire for attention and adulation. His repeated attempts at gaining the attention of others leads the townspeople to no longer take him seriously, which causes him harm when he actually needs the villagers to take him seriously to save his life. He teaches us the virtue of honest and humility.
• Nick Carraway from the Great Gatsby: Nick shows us all the inner conflict between the trappings of wealth, glamor and spectacle; and the desire for simplicity, honesty and community. He is drawn by the dazzling world of East Egg, New York, but by the end of the novel sees live in East Egg as shallow and lacking the moral depth of his former life in small town Minnesota.
• Alice from Alice in Wonderland: In many ways, Alice represents the child within all of us. She is a character of goodwill to all and who looks upon the world (or, rather, Wonderland) with awe. Travelling with a cadre of flawed characters, she learns with them the importance of seeking strength from within.
• The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet: Like many Shakespearian characters, the nurse’s role is both as loyal confidante to a central character and comic relief. Shakespeare uses minor characters to regale his crowd and sustain viewer interest between scenes.
• Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Lucy represents a surprising character whose youthfulness and small stature make her an underrated character by all around her. Nonetheless, she possesses within the bravery and loyalty necessary to carry out the quest for Aslan. Lucy represents the goodness in children and, by extension, all of mankind.
• Anne in Anne of Green Gables: Anne occupies the typical literary role of young girls in many classical novels: she represents innocence and wonder, and her contraventions of rules are seen through a prism of childhood innocence. This frames Anne not as a deviant but as a precious soul.
• Simba from The Lion King: Simba’s story follows his struggle with growing up, embracing his destiny and duty to his family, or fleeing towards freedom and a ‘no worries’ lifestyle. Simba flees Pride Rock and goes through an existential crisis with his existentialist friends Timon and Pumba. When he runs into an old childhood friend, he realizes how shallow his new carefree life has become and reflects upon his obligation to his community back home.
• Woody from Toy Story: Woody starts out Andy’s favorite toy, but when Andy gets a new flashier toy, Woody’s status amongst the toys falls apart. Woody’s key character challenge is to learn to be humble and inclusive living within the group. By the end of the movie, Woody realizes his duty to love and serve Andy is more important than his own status within the group.

4. Here’s an Example Template for your own Character Analysis Essay

Feel free to use this brainstorming template to get you started with your character analysis essay. I recommend filling out as many of these key points as you can, but remember sometimes you might have to skip some of these points if they’re not relevant to your character.

Once you’ve brainstormed the ideas in Table 1, follow the character analysis essay outline in Table 2 to stay on track for your character analysis essay. Do remember though that each assignment will be different and you should adjust it based on your teacher’s requirements.

Here’s Table 1, which is a brainstorming template for your character analysis essay:

And here’s Table 2, which is an example character analysis essay outline. This is for a 1500 word character analysis essay. Change the word count according to how long your essay should be:

Read Also: 39 Better Ways to Write ‘In Conclusion’ in an Essay

Character analyses can be really tough. You need to know your character really well. You might even need to re-read (or watch) your book or movie a few times over to get to know the character really well.

I recommend when you re-read or re-watch the text before you write your character analysis, have the checklist I provided above handy and take notes. Then, use the essay outline I provided above to put all of those notes together into a clear and thorough final character analysis essay.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 15 Green Flags in a Relationship
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 15 Signs you're Burnt Out, Not Lazy
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 15 Toxic Things Parents Say to their Children
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 15 Red Flags Early in a Relationship

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1 December 2023

A Foolproof Character Cheat Sheet (With Downloadable Template)

Writers know that characters are one of the most important things for a story to be successful. But without fully developed, believable characters, the entire story will feel flat and lifeless. A character cheat sheet can help in the early stages of character development and ensure you write well-rounded characters every time.

Why you need a character profile

A character profile is a detailed overview of your character and their life. It is a thorough description of your character, including their history, traits, appearance, and any particulars of their personality, relationships, and behaviours.

The reason why this is so important is that having more information will generate more ideas for plot points, scenes, and interactions between characters.

Most of what you put into a character profile will never make it into your finished manuscript, but knowing your characters inside out will inform the way you write. Knowing how someone will react in a certain situation ahead of time will help you get the most out of your writing time and make it so much easier to create a believable and immersive story world .

Determine the type of character you’re creating

Your story will have a variety of different characters, each with their own distinct personality and role. But before you create your characters, it’s important to first determine the type of character you’re writing. While every story is different and unique, there are a few common roles your characters will play:

• Protagonist: your main character, and the primary driver of narrative events.
• Antagonist: an opposing force who stands in the way of your protagonist achieving success.
• Anti-hero: someone who possesses qualities that make them morally ambiguous or questionable; they may do things society frowns upon but still help move the plot forward.
• Confidante: someone who provides counsel and guidance during times of trouble; they are often privy to information that is unknown by others within the story.
• Foil: someone who serves to highlight the qualities of your protagonist by possessing opposite or contrasting traits. This character serves to aid or subvert the protagonist’s aims.
• Love Interest: a character who serves as the protagonist’s goal or the reward they receive at the end of the story.

None of these types needs to be binary, and you can play with different roles for your characters. So long as you clearly define what role or combination you’d like them to play going in, you’ll be able to build something truly unique.

You might also like to consider how character archetypes fit into this framework and experiment with how those archetypes might affect the development of the role you want them to play.

Cover the basics

Covering the basics may seem like an obvious thing to do—after all, you’re writing a story, so you want people to visualise your characters in their mind’s eye—but this step is often overlooked. The result is inconsistent character descriptions or a complete lack of them in the narrative.

You can start by listing the basic information about your character: name, age, place of birth, where they live, their nationality/ethnicity/race/religion/etc., all the way down to education level (if applicable), occupation(s), and marital status.

Go into as much detail about their appearance as possible; i.e., height and build type, eye colour(s), hair colour(s), its length/style/texture, face shape, mode of dress including accessories, whether their social standing affects the way they present themselves publicly, hidden or visible disabilities or chronic illnesses, scars, or other notable physical characteristics like tattoos and birthmarks.

Give them personalities

Now it’s time to discover who your character truly is.

This is where you’ll describe how they express themselves, their likes, and dislikes. Really try to get a handle on the kind of person they are.

I discovered a handy matrix from writer Simon K Jones that I now use as a basis for developing each of my character’s personalities.

For each row, choose one of two options. There’s room for a range of responses within those choices.

You can make some interesting choices that seemingly contradict each other. For instance, someone could be both honourable and selfish. Or someone could be altruistic and apathetic at the same time.

This helps you get to know a character quickly and easily so that you and your readers can relate to them, while simultaneously giving them some interesting depth.

Once you have this fleshed out, you can also look at their relationships with others like family, co-workers, and friends (if any). A character’s personality will change how readers react to them, so it’s important you make sure this fits into your story world.

Determine their goal or motivation

This section may be the shortest, but it’s likely to be one of the most difficult. Your character has several goals and motivations, but one will stand above all others in terms of importance. You want to make sure that this is the main motivation for your protagonist—and if it isn’t, think about how you can make it so!

Once you know what that goal is, write down why they want it so badly. What drives them? What are their dreams and aspirations? But make sure you flesh out all their other goals too. This will help you discover conflicts, and also see how varying goals might feed into each other and help with world-building , even if they never end up in the finished manuscript.

Delve into their psyche

The first step in creating a character is to get to know them. A character’s history will have shaped who they are as a person, so it’s important to explore their past, childhood, and the events that made them who they are.

Outline their opinions, and how they developed. How do they emotionally respond to events? What drives their decision-making? What does true happiness look like to them? Why do they act the way they do? Knowing their psychology and the inner workings of who they are, creates a consistency that will bleed into your writing as you tackle your first draft.

How to use your character cheat sheet

All of the questions I’ve listed in the steps above will get you off to a good start. But, each section can be developed and fleshed out even more. The deeper you dig into your character, the better.

This downloadable character cheat sheet gives a list of questions for you to answer about your character. Fill out as many as you can. Import it directly into the notes section of your Novlr project to edit and develop for easy reference as you write.

Also included in the cheat sheet is The Proust Questionnaire — a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust as part of a parlour game of his day called a “confession album.”

These questions are still used by interviewers to this day and can be a great way to really get to know your characters. After you’ve built out your character profile, answer these questions from the point of view of that character as a final step to make sure you’ve really connected with them.

There you have it: a foolproof character cheat sheet that will make your characters come to life. Make sure you download the template for easy use, then fill it in to get started. You’ll be writing characters with depth, purpose, and personality in no time!

Take back your planning time with engaging, no-prep resources!

Ultimate Guide to Character Analysis

By  MARISSA DESPINS  Updated June 10, 2024

When teaching fiction, character analysis is crucially important. Without understanding the characters, a story is just a series of events. Character analysis lets readers and writers explore the psychological intricacies and social implications of a character’s actions, making their journeys resonate on a personal level.

A successful character analysis gives insight into the complex nature of human behavior as reflected in literature. This detailed examination helps us appreciate the nuances of a character’s development and their contribution to the overall theme of a work. Understanding characters is fundamental to appreciating literature because it mirrors the complexity of our own human experiences.

In this ultimate guide to character analysis, we’ll break down the elements that bring characters to life. Through this, we will sharpen the analytical skills of your students and deepen their understanding of literary characters.

Understanding the Purpose of Character Analysis

Character analysis is essential for understanding literature. It allows us to explore the traits, motivations, actions, and growth of characters in a story. By analyzing characters, readers can uncover the complexities and contributions these figures make to the plot and understand the author’s intentions behind their creation. This process gives a deeper understanding of both the characters and the story, highlighting each character’s intricacies.

Why is character analysis important in literature?

Exploring characters’ behaviors, motivations, personalities, and interactions paints a detailed portrait that, combined with their narrative situations, reveals key aspects of human experience and emotion. Engaging in character analysis enables a deeper appreciation of the characters and their evolution. This, in turn, enriches the reader’s understanding of the narrative and its underlying themes.

Key Elements of Character Analysis

Character analysis is like assembling a complex puzzle. Every piece—challenges faced, interactions with other characters, and the environment in which the character operates—contributes to a complete portrait of the literary figure. At the core of character analysis is the study of how characters respond to adversity, whether it be internal struggles or external opposition. These responses show us the character’s journey, highlighting their growth, vulnerabilities, and resistance or ability to change.

Establishing the Character’s Role in the Story

Exploring a character’s journey is key to understanding how they change or stay the same throughout the story. Their path is shaped by significant events that test and mold them. By looking at how a character moves through the plot—making choices, building relationships, and facing conflicts—we get a deeper understanding of their role. This includes seeing if they take on leadership roles, how they interact with others, and noticing traits like pride that affect their behavior and place in the story.

Analyzing the Character’s Physical Appearance

A character’s outward appearance often shapes how the audience perceives them, with their physical traits hinting at deeper truths in the story. Through detailed descriptions like age, body type, and ethnicity, authors provide clues that help readers understand the character’s traits and motivations. These subtle hints can reveal a character’s mental state or hint at their future, encouraging readers to engage more deeply with the text.

For more information, check out our complete guide to understanding character traits.

Examining the Character’s Personality Traits and Behaviors

Personality traits, both internal like beliefs and values, and external like actions, drive a character’s narrative. By examining these traits , we uncover the basis for their decisions and reactions to the world. Character analysis goes beyond just listing these traits; it looks at how a character’s inner thoughts and outward behavior interact and shape their journey. While main characters give us lots to explore, minor characters need careful attention to small details to understand them fully.

Looking for a  detailed list of character traits  that you can use with your learners? Download this FREE Character Trait resource by clicking on the image or button below. This resource contains a complete list of character traits along with a fun character trait wheel activity.

Uncovering the Character’s Motivations and Goals

Character analysis aims to understand a character’s deeper drives—their hopes, fears, and the experiences that lead to their transformation or downfall. Identifying the type of arc a character follows, whether it’s a journey of self-discovery or a tragic path, helps explain their actions and decisions. Major events, like personal triumphs or devastating losses, often trigger changes in a character’s motives. By examining what drives a character’s goals and choices, we can better understand their behavior throughout the story.

Types of Characters in Literature

Characters are the center around which a story revolves. Their types vary widely, shaping the plot with their actions and personalities. Key characters like protagonists and antagonists drive the storyline, while major and minor characters add depth, enriching the narrative. Stock characters, the familiar stereotypes in genres like romance or mystery, play roles that move the plot in predictable ways. Static characters stay the same throughout the story, providing stability and a benchmark for others. Meanwhile, dynamic characters captivate readers with their growth and change, often reflecting the story’s emotional and thematic heart.

Dynamic Characters: Exploring Growth and Change

Dynamic characters are the heart of a story’s power to change. They go through significant transformations, shaped by the events in the story. These characters embark on journeys—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—that lead to their growth, often resonating with readers. Analyzing dynamic characters is essential because their arcs show their journey from innocence to awareness or weakness to strength. Key to this analysis is identifying the crucial events that drive their transformation, shaping their resolution or downfall in the story.

Static Characters: Examining Consistency and Lack of Change

Static characters serve as the steady anchors in a story, standing firm against the changes that dynamic characters experience. These characters, with their consistent nature, provide a constant backdrop to the unfolding drama. Analyzing static characters focuses on their stable traits and how these contribute to the storyline, often serving as a foil or catalyst without undergoing significant changes themselves. Notable examples, like the ever-logical Sherlock Holmes or the determined Lady Macbeth, show characters who remain steadfast from start to finish. Static characters play crucial roles and are key to understanding the unchanging aspects of human nature or societal archetypes.

Major Characters: Central Figures in the Story

Major characters dominate the pages of any story, acting as the linchpins to the central themes and conflicts. These characters—whether protagonists, antagonists, or key supporting roles—are crafted to carry the weight of the plot. Major characters are often multi-dimensional, offering a window into their minds as they navigate complex interactions and challenges. By analyzing these characters, we gain insights into their development, ambitions, and ultimate fates, which shape our understanding of the story’s goals and significance.

Stock Characters: Recognizable and Stereotypical Figures

Stock characters are the classic prototypes of storytelling, easily recognizable and instantly connecting with the audience. They serve specific functions, like the foolish sidekick or the wise mentor, and are defined by familiar traits that drive the plot without needing character development. Lady Macbeth, as a dark and tragic figure, is an example of a timeless type—a stock character whose predefined role is crucial to the narrative. Despite their simplicity, stock characters are essential in storytelling, ensuring that certain plot elements unfold in ways the audience expects.

Conducting a Character Analysis

Character analysis is a key part of studying literature, focusing on the unique makeup of characters in a story. It involves closely examining a character’s traits, motivations, development, and their impact on the overall narrative. When doing a character analysis, it’s important to go beyond just summarizing their role and instead delve into their deeper attributes and significance. This means outlining their personalities and traits, as well as interpreting their struggles, challenges, and relationships with other characters. To do this effectively, you need to focus on the specifics of the character while also considering the narrative environment that shapes them.

For a detailed list of creative character analysis activities that you can use with your learners, check out these fun ideas!

Choosing a Character for Analysis

The best candidates for character analysis are usually dynamic characters who show a range of emotions and behaviors that drive the plot. While flat characters, who are simple and underdeveloped, can be studied, they don’t offer as much depth. It’s better to choose a character who plays a key role in the story and has complex motivations and actions that are crucial to the plot. These characters, who go beyond simple good or evil, provide a more nuanced and insightful subject for analysis.

Gathering Evidence: Examining the Character’s Words and Actions

A key step in character analysis is gathering evidence to support your insights. This evidence often comes from the character’s dialogue, reactions to events, personal thoughts, emotional responses, and changes in behavior. Other characters’ perspectives on the subject can also provide a deeper understanding. By carefully examining the text, students can document detailed character traits, using analysis charts to track developments chapter by chapter. A strong character analysis includes key pieces of evidence, such as direct quotes from the text, to support the thesis statement that summarizes the character’s journey.

Analyzing the Character’s Relationships and Interactions

Relationships and interactions with other characters offer deep insights into a character’s habits, roles, and personal traits. It’s important to pay attention to what the character says and how they say it, as this can reveal their social standing, sincerity, and hidden motivations. Observing the character’s behavior in different interactions—how they influence or are influenced by others—can uncover the essence of their personality. The way these relationships evolve or stay the same throughout the story can also show whether the character is dynamic or static, a key aspect of character analysis.

Examining the Character’s Arc: Changes and Development

Investigating a character’s narrative arc is crucial to character analysis, focusing on how they change, grow, regress, or stay the same. These changes or consistencies help flesh out a character’s persona within the story. Identifying key moments that drive changes in the character can reveal the reasons behind important decisions and shifts in the plot. Understanding whether a character’s arc is positive, negative, or static gives deeper insight into their role and the path of their personal journey within the story.

Techniques for Effective Character Analysis

Character analysis is a multifaceted technique used to understand the complexity of individuals in literature and film. The effectiveness of this approach is enhanced by several key methods:

Focus on the Character’s Traits and Development: Break down the different aspects of a character’s personality to understand their core qualities and how they change or stay the same throughout the story.

Use of Comparative Analysis: Comparing characters can highlight their unique traits or roles. Look at how the protagonist differs from the antagonist to better understand their significance.

Support with Textual Evidence: Be specific. Use direct quotes, actions, decisions, and other details from the text to back up your analysis. This makes your points more convincing.

Link Character to Themes: Explore how the character reflects the broader themes of the work. Consider what their experiences and traits reveal about the underlying messages or social commentary of the piece.

Examples of Character Analysis

A thorough character analysis uses specific character types to illustrate arguments, always backed by evidence and quotes from the text. It avoids summarizing the plot and instead connects the complexities of a character to the larger storyline, themes, and even real-life parallels where appropriate. This holistic approach not only deepens our understanding of the character but also enriches our perception of the human condition as seen through fiction.

Character Analysis of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen in Suzanne Collins’ gripping novel, “The Hunger Games,” is a quintessential example of a strong and resilient protagonist. Raised in the impoverished District 12, Katniss is thrust into the brutal world of the Hunger Games, where her survival skills, bravery, and sense of justice are put to the test. Throughout the series, she evolves from a resourceful survivor focused solely on protecting her family to a symbol of rebellion against the oppressive Capitol.

Conducting a character analysis of Katniss involves delving into her personal struggles and the external forces that shape her journey. From the outset, Katniss is driven by a fierce protectiveness over her sister, Prim, and a profound distrust of the Capitol’s authority. These motivations underpin her actions and decisions, illustrating her complex relationship with the dystopian society in which she lives. Katniss’s experiences in the arena and her interactions with other tributes and allies reveal her growth from a wary and independent hunter to a leader who inspires and unites others against tyranny.

Katniss’s character development is marked by her increasing awareness of her symbolic role in the rebellion. Initially, she is reluctant to embrace this role, focusing instead on immediate survival and the well-being of her loved ones. However, her empathy, sense of justice, and encounters with the harsh realities of the Games and the Capitol’s cruelty push her towards becoming a reluctant hero. Her relationships with characters like Peeta, Gale, and Rue further highlight her inner conflicts and capacity for deep emotional connections, despite the constant threat of loss and betrayal.

Throughout the series, Katniss’s internal and external conflicts drive her evolution. Her struggle with PTSD, moral dilemmas about taking lives, and the manipulation by figures of power like President Snow and Coin illustrate her complexity as a character. Katniss’s journey from a survivalist to the Mockingjay, a symbol of hope and resistance, underscores themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and the fight for justice.

Analyzing Katniss Everdeen involves tracking her transformation from a reluctant participant in the Capitol’s cruel games to a powerful symbol of resistance. Her character embodies the fight against oppression, the importance of personal integrity, and the strength found in unity. Katniss Everdeen’s story is a testament to the impact one individual can have in challenging injustice and inspiring change.

For additional information on Katniss, and ways to use this engaging novel in your classroom, check out out guide to using The Hunger Games in the classroom.

Wrapping Up

I hope you enjoyed this look at character analysis in literature, emphasizing its importance in understanding stories beyond just their events. It explains how character analysis explores psychological and social complexities, motivations, and growth, enhancing appreciation of the narrative and its themes.

Looking for ready to teach character analysis activities that you can print and use with your learners? Click on the image or button below to see all of the different character analysis activities available in my TPT shop!

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Character Development: How to Create Fan-Favorite Characters in 5 Steps

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Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.

In fiction, character development is the process of writing a character who feels as complex and real as a person. This means sketching the character’s inner world 一 their wants and needs, strengths and weaknesses 一 as well as their outer appearance and behavior. It also means showing how the character  changes throughout the story — their arc.

In this article, we will guide you through a step-by-step process to create multi-faceted characters that readers will care to read about. You can also download our free character development template to start crafting your own protagonist. 

How to develop a fictional character:

1. Give the characters wants and needs

2. identify their strengths and flaws, 3. sketch out their antagonists, 4. develop their look and behavior, 5. research their trade and culture.

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First, it’s important to point out that your main character will be inextricably linked to your book's plot. As author Tom Bromley teaches in  his course on writing novels , “the protagonist should shape the plot, and the plot should shape the protagonist.”  

In this regard, the most important character building blocks are their Wants and Needs. As Bromley explains, a Want is what the character thinks will make them happy, a goal they are motivated to pursue, that propels them on an inner and outer journey. 

A character’s Need, on the other hand, is something deeper, more fundamental. It’s a truth they must learn about themselves or the world around them. Most of the time, a character’s internal story arc sees them realizing that their Want was fuelled by a lie they told themselves — and coming to understand a new truth (their Need) that is the secret to unlocking their success:

• A character might want to be famous, but what they need is to be heard. 
• They might want to get married, but what they need is love.

For an example, think of Joy in Pixar’s Inside Out : 

• Want : Joy wants to ensure that Riley is always happy and only experiences positive emotions. This is because she believes that emotions like sadness and anger are harmful and unnecessary.
• Need : Joy needs to realize that all emotions have their place and are important for Riley’s psychological development and a healthy emotional life. 

Or take Jay Gatsby (who actually doesn’t learn what he needs , and has a negative arc): 

• Want : Gatsby wants to be reunited with Daisy, his long-lost love. He believes that by attaining wealth and status, he can win her back.
• Need : Gatsby must learn that happiness cannot be bought and that living in the past or for another's affection is self-destructive.

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• What does your character think they want?
• What do they actually need in order to feel fulfilled?

Mapping your character’s wants and needs 一 two key components of their character arc 一 will help you figure out what psychological space they’re in at the beginning of the story and in what direction they should move as the plot progresses. But to figure out whether they’ll have a smooth ride or not and what type of obstacles they might encounter, we have to know their strengths and weaknesses.

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Much of the intrigue in your story will stem from how your character responds to the external and internal conflicts they face in the pursuit of their Goal. Every type of character — from superheroes to lovelorn accountants — will need both strengths to draw upon and flaws that threaten to drag them down.

If in The Lord of The Rings Frodo walked up to Mount Doom unbothered, dropped the ring in the lava, and made it back in time for a second breakfast, he’d be a dull protagonist. It’s the obstacles he faces — Sauron’s army of orcs and the ring’s power over his spirit, to name a couple — that force him to make decisions and evolve as a character.

The iconic characters we know and love tend to have a nuanced mix of positive and negative traits. Consider Woody from Toy Story : he's a charismatic figure and a natural leader among the toys, known for his loyalty to Andy. However, he can be vain and petty, so the arrival of Buzz Lightyear causes him to feel jealous and insecure. 

While Woody’s charisma is admirable, it's his flaws that make him relatable. We may not all relate to being the leader of the pack, but we all know the fear of being overshadowed and replaced, as well as feeling jealous and insecure. 

So many of the challenges Woody faces are meant to test his strengths and flaws, from his face on the wall and bed cover being replaced with Buzz’s, to the other toys questioning his leadership and morals when he kicks him out of the window. Ultimately, he has to overcome his jealousy, cooperate with Buzz, and learn that they can both have a place in Andy's heart.

Some other common examples of character strengths are courage, intelligence, resilience, integrity, perseverance, and creativity, whereas character flaws are qualities like bitterness, arrogance, greed, selfishness, deceitfulness, and pessimism. You can find more examples of interesting flaws in this post .  

• What are your character’s best qualities?
• What are some of their negative traits?

Pick a mix of both to give your readers something to root for. Your character should be plausibly able to overcome the challenges the plot throws at them, whether that’s destroying the ring or saving the wizarding world. At the same time, there should be a real risk that your character will fail — whether they fall prey to the ring’s power at the very edge of Mt. Doom, or die in a burst of green light from the Dark Lord’s wand. 

This brings us to another key piece of character development, which is sketching out your hero’s main antagonist. 

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An important point to make is that you can’t create a character in a vacuum. You need to define them in relation to other people and the world they inhabit. As John Truby writes in The Anatomy of Story , “[to] create great characters, think of all your characters as part of a web in which each helps define the others. To put it another way, a character is often defined by who he is not.” 

Of particular importance, according to Truby, is your primary antagonist. “The relationship between the hero and the opponent is the single most important relationship in the story. In working out the struggle between these two characters, the larger issues and themes of the story unfold.”

It bears noting that the main antagonist doesn’t have to be another character (or even have evil intent). As we explain in our post on types of conflict, your hero might be up against nature, technology, society at large, or other forces that keep them from achieving what they want. Regardless of the form your story’s opposing force will take, Truby reminds us that it’s crucial to develop their morals or logic in parallel to your hero’s. 

“The main opponent is the one person in the world best able to attack the great weakness of the hero. And he should attack it relentlessly. The necessary opponent either forces the hero to overcome his weakness or destroys him. Put another way, the necessary opponent makes it possible for the hero to grow.” 

Think of Voldemort: an orphan and a brilliant wizard, he deeply understands Harry. He also knows his main weakness 一 the death of his parents 一 because he’s responsible for it. And he keeps putting his finger in the wound: from (indirectly) killing Sirius Black and other people he loves, to pervading his mind with fear, to literally trying to kill him. Ultimately, it’s his evil competence that forces Harry to grow into the wise and selfless man he needs to become. 

• Who is your hero’s antagonist? 
• What is their background? What are their motivations?
• How do they relentlessly attack the hero?

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And other secondary characters

While the antagonist is the most important other character in the story, you can also craft your hero by sketching out secondary characters 一 other enemies or allies who contrasts with the hero in order to highlight some qualities of their personality. 

In Tarantino’s Django Unchained for example, both Django and Stephen display high intelligence and adaptability in dealing with enslavement. But their paths couldn’t be further from each other. Django uses his wit and skills to free himself and others, while Stephen embraces racism and even participates in its practices in order to gain protection and comfort for himself. The juxtaposition between Django's quest for freedom and justice and Stephen's acquiescence to the status quo of slavery sharpens Django's resolve and moral stance. 

For another quick example, think of Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird : despite him remaining  relatively unchanged , his steadfast belief in justice allows Scout to evolve from an innocent child into a girl with a strong sense of right and wrong.

As Truby explains, each secondary character can make the hero confront the central moral problem of the story, either by providing support and new perspectives or throwing obstacles at them trying to tear him down. 

• Who are the allies your hero will need on their path to achieve their goal?
• Which other enemies (or false enemies) can force them to grow?

Alright, after mapping the inner life of our main characters, it’s now time to look outwards.. 

Yes, the internal goals and motivations are the "heart" of a character. But that doesn't mean that their external characteristics should just be an afterthought. Sure, the fact that your protagonist has blonde hair may not impact the plot — but it might color how other characters respond to them. So, early in your character development, put a bit of time into sketching out your protagonist's physical features.

• Appearance : What do they look like? Does their look play a role in the story?
• Voice: What do they sound like? Does their voice match their look?

Remember that people’s looks don’t always match who they are inside. Some of the most compelling characters are baby-faced killers and brutes with a heart of gold. So try and play around with interesting contradictions.

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

Physical traits don’t end with eye color and voice type. To make your brown-eyed alto stand out from similar characters in the literary canon, you’ll want to round out that physical profile with some distinctive behavior quirks . 

After all, a character’s physicality takes so much more than describing their static body in isolation. It’s about how they move through space — and about how they interact with everything around them, from objects to other characters. By focusing on their mannerisms, you take a step towards showing instead of telling: big, bold movements imply confidence so you don’t have to spell it out, whereas frantically moving or fidgeting suggests a nervous nature.

To achieve this, you’ll want to reflect on how your character consciously and subconsciously responds to the world around them.

• Communication style : How do they engage in dialogue? How does the way they communicate shape their relationships? Does their speech have any idiosyncrasies or quirks ?
• Gait : How do they make their way around their environment, and how does this impact how they’re treated?
• Tics and tells : What do they do when they’re nervous, uncertain of how to proceed, or telling lies?

Reedsy’s Character Questionnaire

40 questions to help you develop memorable characters.

Some character mannerisms will be situationally dependent and can serve as a shorthand for describing a character’s emotional state. For example, Nynaeve from the Wheel of Time series tugs on her braid when she's agitated, and Bond villain Le Chiffre bleeds from his eye when under intense pressure.

Other mannerisms, however, are part of a character’s default state — as essential to our view of them as their coloring. Just think of Draco Malfoy’s permanent sneer: it’s as much a part of him as his pale blond hair.

To make your character truly memorable, you’ll want to consider adding both these types of mannerisms to their behavioral repertoire. Anger shouldn’t look the same on everyone: someone might flare up like an inferno, going red in the face, while others turn icily polite, smiling insincerely. 

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When it comes to character development, imagination will only take you so far. Unless you’re intimately familiar with your protagonist’s world, you’ll need to work to get the details right. 

If your hero is a NASA astronaut or a veteran of the Vietnam war, there are readily available resources that will let you find out what their life might be like. You might uncover small details that are key to bringing them to life — perhaps some slang they used back in the seventies, or some unusual morning routine astronauts go through. 

The research doesn’t stop at your character’s main trade, but it can include everything else about their culture 一 their ethnicity, social class, political and spiritual views, education, interests, and language. 

Say you’re writing a British character when you’ve never set foot outside of Florida, you’ll want to do a bit of research when scripting his dialogue. Perhaps you could search “croydon slang” on YouTube or watch a British-made TV show set in the character’s hometown to collect some helpful examples of speech . 

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By now, you will have chiseled away at the blank marble and uncovered enough about your character to have a good sense of them. You can now work on the fine details — those subtle psychological touches — by putting them through these eight character development exercises or by getting character feedback from groups such as CharacterHub . 

If you’re not sure how your characters might be received by people from different backgrounds consider engaging the services of a sensitivity reader. Think of them as research assistants, committed to making your character development as authentic and nuanced as possible. 

Be patient with yourself. Character development is hard. It will take a little time (and a lot of refining) before you’ll create a protagonist as complex and real as a person, but when you do — you’ll know it and your readers will thank you for it. With a fully developed character by your side, your story will almost start writing itself.

2 responses

Diane says:

07/06/2018 – 09:01

Indeed Indeed Indeed. Brilliant article. Everything is simple and difficult in the same time. But with this tips it is easier to create your full tutoriage character.

16/04/2020 – 19:50

clearly the writers of star wars episodes 7, 8, and 9 never read this article.

Comments are currently closed.

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How to Write a Character Analysis

Last Updated: May 15, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Jamie Korsmo, PhD . Jamie Korsmo is a Ph.D. candidate in English at Georgia State University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 760,422 times.

Learning how to write a character analysis requires a thorough reading of the literary work with attention to what the author reveals about the character through dialogue, narrative, and plot. A literary analyst writes about the role each character plays in the work. The protagonist is the most important character, while the character who plays the villain in the conflict with the main character is called the antagonist. Great writers create characters with many facets, so character analysis should focus on these complexities. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you write your own character analysis.

Getting Started

• For example, if you are reading Mark Twain's classic Huckleberry Finn , you might consider choosing Huck or the runaway slave, Jim, because they are dynamic characters who show a wide range of emotion, who often act in unpredictable ways, and who move the plot forward with their actions.
• It might be less effective to choose the duke or the king, the tricksters Huck and Jim meet in Arkansas, because they have fairly minor roles in the story, they don't show a wide range of emotions, and, more than anything, they're simply stock characters (the story needs a humorous detour and a way for Jim and Huck to be separated, so that Huck can have his infamous All right, then, I'll go to hell! moment, and the duke and the king fulfill that role).

• For the Huck Finn example, you might think about how Huck is described as a backwoods boy, but he clearly wrestles with larger issues that have complex social implications - like slavery and religion.
• Think about how Huck relates to runaway slave Jim, both in the beginning of the novel and at the end. Think about Huck's relationship with his drunk, abusive father and how it shaped his identity.
• Huck is the main character, so obviously his actions are important. But what, specifically, is special about the way Huck acts? How does he make different decisions than someone else in the same situation might? You could talk about how Huck decides to rescue Jim from the people who intend to return him to his owner because he decides that slavery is wrong, even though this idea contradicts everything society has taught him.
• Think about how Huck grows and learns throughout the story. In the beginning, he is more likely to get caught up in schemes (like faking his own death); but later on, he avoids the trickery he observes (like when he tries to ditch the deceptive duke and king).

• You can also keep a notebook handy while you're reading to help you keep track of your thoughts about the character as you read.

• For the Huck Finn example, you might choose something about the hypocrisy of civilized society since, in essence, the novel is about a boy who was brought up to support enslaving blacks, but decides, through his experiences with Jim on the river, to value Jim as a person and a friend rather than just as a slave. Similarly, Huck's own father captures and "enslaves" Huck, a situation that Huck eventually escapes and mirrors Jim's own quest for freedom. Society views Huck's escape as moral and just, but Jim's escape is a terrible crime to the townspeople. In this contradiction lies a major crux of the story.

• An outline will help keep your thoughts organized and maintain an effective flow as you move through the analysis.

Writing the Character Analysis

• Your introduction should provide the topic of your analysis, enough background information to inform and intrigue your reader, and your thesis idea/claim.

• Think about Huck's ragged clothes and what that says about his character. Discuss how Huck dresses up like a little girl to find out the news in town and how this altered appearance influences your analysis of Huck.

• Discuss Huck's relationship with his father and with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, who take him in. How do these characters influence Huck's development? The contrast between Huck's alcoholic father and the conservative ladies who care for Huck later is an interesting continuum of social behavior to analyze and consider where Huck's own beliefs/actions fall on that continuum.

• Huck has an admittedly vulgar attitude for a little boy and often does not speak in a way that the Widow Douglas approves of. He does try hard to obey her and act appropriately in church, but he often missteps and announces himself, through his actions and words, as a person who is far less civilized than he pretends to be, or than the Widow would like him to be.

• Huck Finn tries to abide by the rules of society, but at the end of the day he acts based on emotions. He decides to rescue Jim from being returned to his master, even though it is against the law, because he believes that Jim does not deserve to be treated like a slave. Huck decides this on his own, in direct opposition to the values his society has taught him.

• Huck's external conflict relies on all of the events that take place on his journey down the river - the physical struggle of the trip, his mishaps along the way, getting caught up in various scandals and schemes, etc. His internal conflict reaches its climax when Huck decides to help Jim attain freedom from slavery. This is a crucial moment in the story where Huck follows his heart instead of his social conscience.

Using Evidence in Your Writing

• Using quotes from the text will increase your credibility as an author and will support your ideas more effectively.

• For example, you might say the following: Huck Finn garners a significant new identity from being a raftsman. He insists, "It amounted to something being a raftsman on such a craft as that." This shows the freedom and pride he associates with his raft.

• Incorrect: "It amounted to something being a raftsman on such a craft as that."
• Correct: He insists that "It amounted to something being a raftsman on such a craft as that."
• Correct: "It amounted to something being a raftsman on such a craft as that," Huck insists.

Writing Help

Community Q&A

• Write a rough draft to gather your thoughts about the analysis before polishing your work for submission. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• Organize the analysis carefully. Write an introduction that will attract a reader to your work. Make sure that each paragraph is unified around a central topic. Tie your work together with a polished conclusion. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Use specific details from the text to support every point. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar/writing/how-to-write-a-character-analysis.html
• ↑ https://www.germanna.edu/wp-content/uploads/tutoring/handouts/Literary-Analysis.pdf
• ↑ https://www.tcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/archive/writing-center-handouts/essay-types-character-analysis-essay.pdf
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/film-analysis/
• ↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/character-trait-examples.html
• ↑ https://purdueglobalwriting.center/paragraph-development-with-pie-2/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/quoting-paraphrasing-summarizing

About This Article

To write a character analysis, first you'll need to come up with a main idea, or thesis statement, for your character, like "Huck Finn embodies the struggles of growing up as a young boy." Then, you'll want to write about each facet of your character, like their appearance, background, personality, relationships, and growth throughout the story, and explain how they prove your thesis. As you're writing your analysis, try to use quotes and examples from the text to back up what you're saying. To learn how to outline a character analysis, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Home / Book Writing / 17 Character Development Exercises for Writers

17 Character Development Exercises for Writers

Character development exercises are short forms of deliberate practice to improve your writing skills and round out your characters.

They are typically not used in the final novel, but are little extras that help you understand the personalities that you are writing.

Because for some of us, nailing down that perfect character can be hard. And to help with that, we’ve assembled 17 different exercises to improve your characters.

• Why character exercises are important
• A list of 17 different exercises that you can implement today
• Examples and advice to improve your characters

Table of contents

• Why Are Character Development Exercises Important?
• Exercise #1: Write a FULL Description
• Exercise #2: Play Dress Up
• Exercise #3: Write a Description Scene Through the Character’s Eyes
• Exercise #4: Practice Showing Emotion
• Exercise #5: Write a “Slice of Life” Episode
• Exercise #6: Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character
• Exercise #7: Write a Progression Short Story
• Exercise #8: Draw the Character
• Exercise #9: Create a Character Profile
• Exercise #10: Conduct a Character Interview
• Exercise #11: Play the “Why” Game
• Exercise #12: Create a Character Based on Someone You Know
• Exercise #13: Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel
• Exercise #14: Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)
• Exercise #15: Create a Timeline
• Exercise #16: Do a Little Fan-fiction
• Exercise #17: Use Character Writing Prompts

So why use a character development exercise in the first place?

This may be a valid question, especially for authors like myself, who just want to dive into the writing and let the characters unfold as I write.

But honestly, a little work up front can save you a load of headache afterward.

Running through a handful of these exercises will help you to:

• Understand your character’s emotions
• Give you practice writing in their voice and from their point of view
• Find out what sets them apart from other characters
• Flesh them out to create round and dynamic characters
• Establish the relationship between your characters and the setting, or other characters
• Deliberate practice of the process to create complex and well-written characters

In short, it’s a great way to deliberately practice writing and reduces the need to go back and do extensive revisions on your characters.

That said, this might not be the best thing to do if you’re a pantser and just want to dive in and discover your characters along the way. But it can be a great tool in your author tool belt.

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

So without further ado, here are 17 of our best picks for character development exercises. 

Exercise #1 : Write a FULL Description

When it comes to writing characters, most of us focus on the facial features, things like hair color, eye color, etc.

A great way to begin getting to know your character is to do a full description of them. In a book, we might not do this to the extent you might in a creative writing exercise, which is why it’s good to practice here.

Here are some things to consider: 

• Skin/hair/eye color
• Do they have any warts or moles?
• What is their hair style?
• What is their build?
• Do they have any scars, tattoos, etc.
• What is their general complexion. Is their skin smooth and silky, rough and calloused, or even bruised and battered?
• What default facial expression do they have?
• What does he/she smell like?

Exercise #2 : Play Dress Up

What we choose to wear says a lot about a person. Someone wearing an extravagant French-style outfit from the 18th century will give you a completely different impression than a cut business suit from the 21st century.

The problem is that most authors, when they’re writing about their characters, often forget to add a lot of detail about the clothes they are wearing. It’s easy to see these things in your mind and forget that your readers don’t see what you see. They see what you write.

One way to help overcome this oversight is to continue the exercise above, but focus on clothing.

And don’t just focus on any one type, because your protagonist will most likely use several types of clothing throughout the course of your novel. Here are just some examples:

• Travel clothing
• Clothes for a night on the town
• Clothes for wilderness survival
• Combat wear

Exercise #3 : Write a Description Scene Through the Character’s Eyes

Ideally, every character should experience the same thing differently, depending on their background, their wants and desires, and their tastes.

Additionally, great prose is often written from the perspective of the character making the observation.

For example, let’s say you have two people, one who has grown up in a desert their whole life, where water is scarce, and the other who grew up in a place where water was plentiful. 

Imagine these two people on a hot day, observing a third person splashing water on their face. If you’re writing from the first character’s perspective, you could describe this as “and the man took a handful of water and wasted it on his face.” The second person might describe it this way, “I watched as the man poured the cool liquid and splashed it all over his face. I wish I were him right now.”

Do you see the difference there? In one, the character sees using water in one way as a waste, and for the other, it’s something to be sought after. 

Exercise #4 : Practice Showing Emotion

We’ve all heard the adage to “show, don’t tell,” but what does this really look like for most characters?

This is something that really only comes with practice. Once you’ve done it enough times, you’ll recognize instances where you’re saying things like “he felt hungry,” and can replace them with something like “He winced and put a hand to his stomach as it growled, and he swallowed hard.”

Character emotion is one of these areas where showing rather than telling can really enhance your novel.

Exercise #5 : Write a “Slice of Life” Episode

There are a lot of scenes in a book, and most of them have a purpose. That said, there are many scenes that probably occur in that character’s life, but that we don’t talk about because they’re not important for the story.

However, you as the author should have an idea of what happens in these less important moments.

Some examples of a “slice of life” episode might include:

• Having dinner with family
• Going to the bathroom
• The morning routine
• A conversation with a co-worker
• Late-night conversations with a spouse
• Cooking a meal
• Going on vacation
• Playing with their kids
• Coming home a little too drunk
• Visiting a museum

Exercise #6 : Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character

Very often, we learn more from others about ourselves that we might not have known on our own. Others can provide unique perspectives, and in some cases expose huge biases (on both sides).

For example, a proud character might not realize that he/she is proud, but it’s easy for an outside observer to spot this.

Exercise #7 : Write a Progression Short Story

In real life, people change a lot, and characters should change in stories too (most of the time). 

A great way to show this is to write a short story that examines the character at different parts of her/his life. You can focus on key moments in their life, but you could also just follow exercise #5 and focus on a few more everyday events.

The purpose of this exercise is to show how that person may have changed. Do they view the world differently as a working adult, vs as a teenager? A child? An elderly person?

What about before or after experiencing some kind of trauma?

Exercise #8 : Draw the Character

I’ll be honest, I’m not an artist. But I am a visual person, and getting some solid visuals of the character can be a huge boost in helping me understand them.

If you’re like me and really have no design skills , then finding a few photos is fine.

I’d recommend several photos though, since one might not be enough. You could have some for their face and general appearance, one for their clothes and how they look, etc.

If you know a program like Photoshop, you could even crop these together to get an even better sense of what you character looks like.

This is a great exercise for understanding the feel of a character, which is often harder to put into words.

Exercise #9 : Create a Character Profile

Imagine you work for the FBI, and you have to draft up a dossier about your character. What might that look like?

Fortunately, we’ve done a whole article about this topic, so you should definitely check that out, and also don’t forget to pick up our character profile template, which can easily help you through this process.

If you want a thorough process to identify the character’s appearance, personality, background, and more, this is the way to go. 

The best aspects to focus on are the flaws, motivations, and fears of your character. What prompts them to action? Understanding these things will help you get at the core of your character’s personality traits.

Exercise #10 : Conduct a Character Interview

Imagine you sat in a darkened room, across the table from you is your character. You can ask them anything, they won’t be offended, and they will understand the question.

What do you ask them about?

Writing a character interview is almost like writing yourself into a short story where you get to personally meet your character and ask them questions.

This is huge for helping you understand the character’s voice, but also a good strategy for building solid character backstory and character traits.

To help, we’ve already assembled over 200 character development questions that can aid you in this process.

Exercise #11 : Play the “Why” Game

This goes along with the idea of an interview, but sometimes in order to dig really deep into the motivations of your character, you’ve got to ask why.

Is your character aggressive? Ask them why. 

From there you might find out that his mother shouted at him as a kid, and he saw his parents fight a lot. Ask why.

You might learn that his father had a drinking problem and it meant that his mother took it out on him. Ask why.

From there, it might come out that his father had lost a lot of money in a business deal, leading him to turn to drink.

I hope you get the idea. The more you ask why, the more you’ll dig deeper into your character’s past, and the better you will understand them.

Exercise #12 : Create a Character Based on Someone You Know

This can be a little dangerous, because to be honest, most of the people we know are not that interesting. And we also want to avoid lawsuits for defamation if the comparison is too obvious.

That said, the people we know can be a huge inspiration to pick and choose ideas to incorporate into your characters.

For example, my own father and uncle have a really fun way of talking to each other. They’re always ribbing on each other and calling eachother weird, made-up names. You can tell that they love each other, but it’s an uncommon way of showing it.

This might make a good relationship between two people in a book.

Exercise #13 : Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel

The writer is mostly concerned with what happens during the plot of her novel. But if written well, a character will feel like they exist long before and long after the pages of the book.

So it’s a good idea to try dreaming up what happens to these characters in that time. 

It can be dramatic, or it can be mundane. Impactful, or ordinary. It doesn’t matter much. All that matters is that you have a past and future in mind for that character (unless you plan to kill them off of course).

And who knows, you might even come up with some good ideas for other books involving those characters.

Exercise #14 : Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)

I’ve heard it said that you should basically put your characters through hell in a story, and never let up.

While this is good advice, it’s not always practical. That said, putting your characters through the meat-grinder is a great way to learn how they react to conflict.

These scenarios don’t have to be trials you will actually use in your novel. These are just different ways to put your character in pain and see how they react (I know I sound like a very unethical scientist, don't @ me).

Here are some possibilities:

• The loss of a loved one
• A diagnosis of cancer
• The loss of a limb
• Getting tortured
• Breaking up with the love of their life
• Losing everything they own
• Being betrayed by a friend

Exercise #15 : Create a Timeline

Sometimes it’s hard to keep every part of a character’s life straight. That’s where a timeline can be helpful.

A timeline is a simple list of events in the character’s life, though they can get more complex and interesting, and you can even put some design skills to work if you want.

But timelines only have to be a simple list of events. They can include events from before their birth to their death, or they can be focused on a specific period of their life.

It will depend on the character and the story you will want to tell.

Exercise #16 : Do a Little Fan-fiction

When we’re writing a story, we might not have a full grasp on it yet, and that’s where writing fan fiction can help.

Imagine your character interacting with characters from a story you already know? Imagine the ultimate crossover between your story and your favorite franchise.

For example, what Hogwarts house would your character belong in? What might it look like when he/she is sorted and interacts with other characters in that house or other characters from the Harry Potter books.

It’s a great way to lean on characters you already know, to help unveil more about the characters you’re trying to discover.

Exercise #17 : Use Character Writing Prompts

There are a bunch of character-related creative writing prompts out there, and many of them can be quite helpful in getting your brain to think outside of the box.

In theory, we could have a list much longer than 17 if we wanted to include more of these prompts, but that would end up being too much.

Instead, I recommend this post , or checking out our list of character questions to give you ideas.

Final Thoughts on Character Development Exercises

If you’ve made it far, first of all, well done.

Second of all, you might be a little overwhelmed, but don’t worry. This list is not meant to be a checklist for everything you should do to expand on your characters.

Instead, this is a handful of ideas that you can take (or leave) and use them to better understand your characters.

As you apply these exercises, I can pretty much guarantee that you will grow as a writer, become more familiar with your characters, and increase your chances of having a great dynamic character in your books.

Let us know how it goes!

Jason Hamilton

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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The eNotes Blog

Books, study tips, new features, and more—from your favorite literature experts.

How to Write a Character Analysis in 11 Steps

At first, learning how to write a character analysis may seem like an overwhelming task, especially when characters are evolving throughout the text. Not every aspect of a character will be directly stated by the author. Therefore, it’s up to you to find textual evidence that supports your interpretation of the character’s disposition.

The goal of a character analysis is to explain how a character’s specific traits are represented in and influence a literary work. When analyzing characters, you should evaluate how an author describes them, their actions, and their dialogue within the plot.

To help get you started, let’s review 11 steps to writing a character analysis.

1. Identify the character

Before writing, you should have a basic understanding of the character you want to analyze. Several important questions to ask yourself include the following:

• What is the character’s role in the story? Is it a major or minor role?
• Who does the character interact with? Who is important to the character?
• What possessions does the character have? How does the character relate to them?

To best answer these questions, it’s helpful to identify the specific types of characters and roles within a story.

2. Take notes

Regardless of how many times you’ve read the text, skim the piece again and actively note specific scenes in which your character appears. Highlight any meaningful dialogues or descriptions provided by the author. Once you start writing, your notes will be helpful references to add textual support into your analysis.

3. Locate the character’s initial introduction

First impressions are important, and so identifying how an author introduces a character is vital to a successful character analysis.

Ask yourself:

• How is the character first introduced by the author?
• What is she doing?
• What is her relation to the other characters?

Character introductions often provide physical descriptions that may reflect specific aspects about the character’s nature or livelihood.

4.  Look for words repeatedly used to describe the character

Make note of the words used to describe your character, especially if they’re repeated throughout the text. These recurring descriptions may provide insight into the character’s psychology and motivations behind the actions the character makes.

5.  Be aware of items associated with the character

Whether these items are part of the character’s physical descriptions or part of a larger symbolic significance, they may express important aspects of the character, which will help you better define who your character is.

6. Identify the character’s use of language

You can learn a lot about characters by how they communicate. For instance, a character’s language may reveal insights into her background or current livelihood:

• Is she educated?
• Does she use slang?
• Does her language reflect where she’s from?

7. Note the character’s actions and their effects on others

Actions do tend to speak louder than words. A character’s behavior will often provide more insight into a character’s persona rather than the physical descriptions given by the author or other characters.

8. Identify the character’s motivation

As you consider the effects of your character’s internal thoughts and external actions on others, you’ll want to also consider why the character is acting or thinking in a particular way.

9.  Consider the historical time period

You should always put the character’s actions and thoughts in context and refrain from making contemporary judgments about the past. The setting is a crucial component of the plot and can significantly influence character development, so develop an understanding of the historical context in which your character is a part.

10.  Identify the author’s attitude

Be mindful of the author’s attitude towards the characters he or she has created. The author may be directing you toward an intended interpretation.

11. Create an outline

At this point, you should have enough information about your character to start constructing an outline for your analysis. This is the time to refer back to your notes to find textual evidence that supports conclusions you’ve made about your character and the role she plays in the literary work. When you feel confident in your comprehension and interpretation of the text, you should be on your way to writing a successful character analysis!

For a more in-depth review on how to write a character analysis and specific examples for each step, visit eNotes’ How To Series .

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How to Write a Character Analysis

Learn to spot and describe character traits and development

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• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Being mindful of subtle hints, like mood changes and reactions that might provide insight into your character's personality, can help you write a character analysis.

Describe the Character's Personality

We get to know the characters in our stories through the things they say, feel, and do. It's not as difficult as it may seem to figure out personality traits based on a character's thoughts and behaviors:

"'Say cheese!' the exasperated photographer shouted, as she pointed her camera toward the group of squirming children. Margot displayed her broadest, most convincing fake smile as she inched ever-closer to her younger cousin. Just as the photographer's finger twitched over the shutter button, Margot leaned into her young cousin's side and pinched hard. The boy let out a yelp, just as the camera clicked."

You can probably make some assumptions about Margot from the brief segment above. If you had to name three character traits to describe her, what would they be? Is she a nice, innocent girl? Doesn't seem like it from this passage. From the brief paragraph, we can assume that she's apparently sneaky, mean, and deceptive.

Determine the Character Type of Your Protagonist

You will receive clues about personality through a character's words, actions, reactions, feelings, movements, thoughts, and mannerisms. Even a character's opinions can help you learn more about the individual, and you may discover that the person fits one of these stock character types:

• Flat character. A flat character has one or two personality traits that don't change. The flat character can play a major or a minor role.
• Round character. A round character has many complex traits; those traits develop and change in a story. A round character seems more real than a flat character because real people are complex.
• Stock or stereotype character. Stock characters are stereotypes, such as hot-tempered redheads, stingy businessmen, and absent-minded professors. They are often found in genre fiction (romance novels and mysteries, for example), and are usually flat characters. They are often used as a tool to move a plot forward.
• Static character. A static character never changes. A loud, obnoxious "background" character who remains the same throughout the story is static. A boring character who is never changed by events is also static.
• Dynamic character. Unlike a static character, a dynamic character does change and grow as the story unfolds. Dynamic characters respond to events and experience changes in attitude or outlook. The character might go through a transformation during the course of the storyline, and grow as a result of actions that took place.

Define Your Character's Role in the Work You're Analyzing

When you write a character analysis, you must define that character's role. Identifying the character type and personality traits can help you better understand what the larger role of the character is within the story. The character either plays a major role, as a central element to the story, or a minor role to support the major characters in the story.

Protagonist. The protagonist of a story is another name for the main character. The plot revolves around the protagonist. There may even be more than one main character.

• In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ," Huck Finn is the protagonist.
• In "Little Red Riding Hood," the little girl is the protagonist.

Antagonist. The antagonist is the character who represents a challenge or an obstacle to the protagonist in a story. In some stories, the antagonist is not a person but rather a larger entity or force that must be dealt with.

• In " Little Red Riding Hood ," the wolf is the antagonist.
• In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," society is the antagonist. Society, with its unfair laws and rules, represents the obstacle to Huck's development as a person.

Foil. A foil is a character who provides contrast to the main character (protagonist), in order to emphasize the main character's traits. In "A Christmas Carol," the kind nephew, Fred, is the foil to nasty Ebenezer Scrooge.

Show Your Character's Development (Growth and Change)

When you are asked to write a character analysis, you will be expected to explain how a character changes and grows. Most major characters go through some kind of significant growth as a story unfolds, often a direct result of dealing with some sort of conflict . Notice, as you read, which main characters grow stronger, fall apart, develop new relationships, or discover new aspects of themselves. Make note of scenes in which character changes become apparent or the character's opinions on a topic change. Clues include phrases such as "she suddenly realized that..." or "for the first time, he..."

Understanding the journey of your character and how it relates to the story as a whole can help you better understand that character's motives and better represent the person in your overall analysis.

Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

5 Character Tools You Absolutely Need to Know

April 9, 2019 by Guest Contributor

Angela here, happy to welcome Savannah Cordova from Reedsy who has done some sleuthing to find tools that might help you create your characters. Play around with ideas, or take a deep dive into their backstory, personality, and the forces that drive them to achieve meaningful story goals, it’s up to you!

We all know characters are the beating heart of any good story. No matter how original or exciting your plot is, readers simply won’t be able to get invested unless they care about the people (or robots, or animals, or whatever your characters are!). That’s why before you start writing — possibly before you even figure out your plot — you need to create characters that are well-rounded and compelling.

It’s this prerequisite of character development that makes features like the occupation thesaurus so valuable. Because when creating characters, you can’t leave anything out! We’re all “round” in real life, after all. So if some of your characters are mysteriously missing careers, motivations, or discernible personalities, readers are going to notice.

Luckily, there are plenty of stellar tools to assist you with character development and profiling. Here are five character tools you need to know, each one designed to serve a different purpose .

1. The Character Creator

Though this tool is titled the rather general-sounding “Character Creator,” it really encompasses just one aspect of the character: their physical appearance. Though there are plenty of “physical appearance” generators out there, they tend to just spit out a combination of traits (“curly brown hair/green eyes/freckles”) rather than actually showing you what the character would look like. I find it much more helpful to have concrete visuals of your characters as you’re writing about them —  plus it’s just fun to experiment with different physical traits and see how they manifest.

Of course, you can always comb through headshots on sites like Backstage, or use images of your favorite actors or models. This may be best if you need a visual for a character who’s especially tall, short, fat, or skinny; the main drawback of Character Creator is its lack of diverse body types. But everything else is intricately customizable, from face shape to hairstyle to the wide range of accessories.

TIP: If you need help describing your character’s appearance, make sure to check out this Physical Features Descriptive Database .

2. Reedsy’s Character Name Generator

After you’ve checked off character appearances, Reedsy’s character name generator should be your next stop. In the name (get it?) of full disclosure, my team created this tool, so I might be a bit biased as to how cool it is. But seriously — it’s divided by language, archetype, and even various countries’ mythologies, with over a million potential options for character names.

If you want a strong moniker for your protag, you can try out the hero name generator to find one that means something empowering, like “fighter” or “radiant.” Or say one of your characters is Korean, but you don’t speak Korean: you can use the relevant language generator to produce some authentic names. In any case, for those who agonize over picking out character names (and are sick and tired of baby name websites!), this generator is your lifeline.

3. RanGen’s Personality Generator

Now we’re getting into the meat and potatoes of your characters: their personalities. You’ve probably already thought about how your characters will behave and interact with one another, since character dynamics are often pretty intertwined with plot. However, you may not have considered how their outward behavior actually relates to their personality. For example, you might have a character who’s always loud, energetic, and the life of the party — but do they act that way because they’re actually very confident and secure, or because they crave attention and approval? This is where personality comes into play.

As you’re coming up with character personalities, you may wish to consult a personality generator like RanGen’s. It provides lists of qualities pertaining to a character’s friendliness, confidence, emotional capacity, intelligence, and other attributes. But of course, true to the “RanGen” name, this is a random generator — which means the traits may be completely arbitrary in relation to the characters you’ve started constructing, and even in relation to each other. For instance, I got a profile where the character’s friendliness was “callous,”yet their agreeableness was “harmonic” (needless to say, not the most compatible combination).

While character personalities don’t need to be perfectly cohesive — to paraphrase Whitman, they can contain multitudes — you probably shouldn’t have traits that clearly contradict one another. And you definitely don’t want your characters to seem cobbled together at random, especially because their experiences and environments affect them in very specific ways, which a generator cannot take into account. As a result, this tool is best used for brainstorming, rather than creating full-on character profiles.

TIP: Planning your character’s personality using the database of positive traits and negative traits at One Stop for Writers is also a great option, as it helps you describe these traits through behaviors, attitudes, etc.

4. Springhole’s Character Motivation Generator

It’s designed for roleplaying, but this character motivation tool can definitely be applied to the characters in your story. You might have to rephrase certain motivations for them to make sense (for example, instead of “character wants to bring glory to their planet,” you might say “to their family” or “to their community” instead), but otherwise it’s a pretty nuanced tool.

Again, as with character dynamics, you probably already have some idea of your characters’ motivations, as they’ll relate closely to your plot. However, for any characters you’re unsure about, or who might need additional motivations to make them more complex, this generator can really help. It might even spark a subplot or spin-off for a secondary character, who suddenly gets a lot more interesting with the help of motivations!

TIP: For more motivations (and indeed in-depth descriptive characteristics of all stripes), you should check out the Character Motivation Database over at One Stop for Writers . Which brings us to…

5. One Stop for Writers Character Builder

Naturally, I have to give a shout out to One Stop for Writers’ super-comprehensive Character Builder. For those who haven’t tried it already, this is no average character template. Rather than merely providing the minimum number of blank spaces for you to fill in, the Character Builder walks you through the whole process and highlights the importance of connection among every aspect of your character.

You’ll start with the basics: your character’s backstory , which will emphasize how their past experience has led to their current vulnerabilities. This foundation allows you to build their personality , behavior , motivations , and more intuitively from there. Indeed, the Character Builder’s greatest strength is that it truly helps you breathe life into your characters: while all the other tools on this list will give you ideas, the Character Builder will enable you to hone those ideas into consistent, realistic, in-depth characters. Watch it in action :

Best of all? You can try the Character Builder any time because One Stop for Writers has a 2-Week FREE TRIAL .

Yes, all these tools have their own individual strengths — but they’re best used in conjunction with one another. The whole here is definitely greater than the sum of the parts, because the whole is ultimately the character themselves, and that character has limitless potential.

Have a favorite character tool? Let us know in the comments!

Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories (and occasionally terrible novels).

You can read more of her professional work on the Reedsy blog , or personal writing on Medium .

Interested in posting at Writers Helping Writers? Review our content guidelines to see what we’re looking for and how to pitch us your ideas.

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Reader Interactions

May 2, 2021 at 10:10 pm

The hero machine link previously mentioned no longer works. I found the female options on your suggested site a little disheartening. I personally like hero forge. There are options for fantasy, sci-fi, “normal”, a huge range of body types, skin colors, and almost too much customization potential 🙂 Otherwise, these all seem like really cool tools! I’m excited to check them all out.

heroforge.com.

May 3, 2021 at 11:29 am

Thanks for letting us know about the broken link and limitations on some of these links, and for suggesting a new one. Happy writing!

August 3, 2019 at 1:46 pm

Yup, I just created a character description crib sheet: https://thgmwriters.com/blog/describe-character-development-crib-sheet/

That should be helpful for somebody who needs to get organized.

August 3, 2019 at 5:11 pm

Thanks David!

April 9, 2019 at 12:43 pm

Tools are great 🙂 And my boyfriend just found this one ’cause I said the Character Creator was very limited. This looks good too:

http://www.heromachine.com/heromachine-2-5-character-portrait-creator/

April 9, 2019 at 6:48 pm

Oh! Thanks for the heads up on that one, Donna!

April 10, 2019 at 3:54 pm

Thanks Donna! That one definitely looks to have a better range of body types 🙂

April 9, 2019 at 11:55 am

Thanks Becca & Angela! It was a super fun post to write, since I got to test out a bunch of different tools 🙂 Hope other people find them as useful as I did!

April 9, 2019 at 11:09 am

Thanks so much for sharing these, Savannah! I am a total nerd for new writing tools. 🙂

April 9, 2019 at 9:51 am

What a great round-up. Thanks for putting this list together!

[…] storytellers creating their characters, Savannah Cordova shares 5 character tools you need to know about, Melissa Donovan investigates what makes iconic characters unforgettable, Jim Dempsey writes […]

[…] 5 Character Tools You Need to Know | Writers Helping Writers […]

[…] post 5 Character Tools You Absolutely Need to Know appeared first on WRITERS HELPING […]

Character-Driven Fiction Writing Prompts

by Melissa Donovan | Apr 23, 2024 | Fiction Writing Prompts | 13 comments

Creative writing prompts for creating characters.

Most authors agree that fiction is primarily driven by characters. Authors will often talk about characters who take over the story, who have their own separate and independent consciousnesses. Outlines and plans for plot go out the window as characters insist on moving the story in a direction of their own design.

Because characters are central to most stories and because their primary function is to explore the human condition, it’s essential for characters to be believable. In other words, characters may not be real, but they most certainly should feel real.

It’s not easy to write believable and realistic characters. People (and therefore characters) are highly complex and layered, full of contradictions and flaws. Because writing imposes space-time limitations, we can never craft a character that is as complicated as a real person, but we can certainly try.

Today’s creative writing prompts encourage you to explore the characters in your writing. By working outside of your project on a series of exercises that force you to explore and engage with your characters, you will get to know them better. You’ll also get to use techniques for creating characters that have depth and dimension.

Character Writing Prompts

These character writing prompts are grouped into categories. You can mix and match the prompts according to which ones are most appealing to you, or choose the ones you think will help resolve character problems that you’re struggling with.

Feel free to let these character writing prompts inspire new prompts — in other words, you don’t have to write exactly what the prompt says. One set of prompts deals with character fears and flaws. These might inspire you to write about your character’s strengths and virtues.

Be creative, have fun, and keep writing!

Background and Family

• Unearth your character’s roots. What is the character’s ancestry or cultural background? How does ancestry shape your character? Is the character at odds with family or cultural traditions?
• Write a series of short paragraphical biographies of each of the character’s closest family members: spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings, close friends, etc.
• Write a monologue in which your character summarizes his or her life story; be sure to write it in the character’s voice.

Motivations and Goals

• What motivates your character? Money? Love? Truth? Power? Justice?
• What does your character want more than anything else in the world? What are they searching for?
• What other characters or events are interfering with your character’s goals? What obstacles are in the way?

Flaws and Fears

• What is your character’s single greatest fear? Why is your character afraid of this? How did your character acquire their fears?
• What are your character’s flaws and weaknesses?
• How does the character’s fears and flaws prevent them from reaching their goals?
• What does your character look like? Make a list and include the following: hair, eyes, height, weight, build, etc.
• Now choose one aspect of the character’s appearance, a detail (bitten nails, frizzy hair, a scar) and elaborate on it.
• Write a short scene in which your character is looking in the mirror or write a short scene in which another character first sees your character.

Personality

• How does your character feel on the inside? What kind of person is your character and what does the character’s internal landscape look like?
• We don’t always present ourselves to others in a way that accurately reflects how we feel inside. We might be shy or insecure but come across as stuck-up and aloof. How do others perceive your character?
• Write a scene with dialogue that reveals your character’s external and internal personalities. Good settings for this dialogue would be an interview, an appointment with a therapist, or a conversation with a romantic interest or close friend. Write the scene in third-person omniscient so you can get inside your character’s head as well as the other character’s head; this will allow you explore how your character feels and how he or she is perceived.

If you tackle these creative writing prompts, come back and tell us how they worked for you. What did you write? Did you learn anything new about your character or how to write about your character? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

13 Comments

Great ideas! Answering all these questions I really think can make the difference between a round, motivated character and a flat one. Thanks for your ideas 🙂

Thanks, Sarah. Good luck to you!

Yes, I agree with Sarah. I will make use of these suggestions while writing new books as well as in the film scripts I am presently writing.

(Meant to comment yesterday when I stumbled on this!) Great exercises. Helped me to elaborate more on another character I’m beginning to explore for another novel. I’m in the middle of my first novel now! Thanks for this mini-workshop!

Thanks, Tonya! My goal is to come up with exercises and prompts that help writers learn new concepts and techniques, gain experience through practice, solve problems within their own writing projects, and inspire new ideas. I’m thrilled that these prompts helped you solve a particular problem. Your comment totally made my day!

Great suggestions! Dissection or hotseating your character in many different ways is an excellent way of finding out who this person is who’s appeared in your story. I find myself talking through possible conversations as I walk, helping me round out who they are – even if all that information doesn’t end up in the story.

I always imagine character conversations when I’m trying to fall asleep. Sometimes they keep me up all night!

Excellent tips about creating believable characters. I think you did a great job here. The more authors can delve into their character’s background, the better writer they will be and it all gets down to how much the reader likes the book.

In most cases, I think it’s the characters that make stories so compelling. That’s why it’s so important to know your characters well.

This is amazing! Thanks for putting it together! I need writing prompts like this for class. A marketing class at a Polytechnic in Canada, these will be perfect.

Keep up the great work!

You’re welcome! I’m glad you found these helpful.

Thank you Mellissa for this. It is extremely helpful. I am going to relook at the characters I’ve created based on this.

You’re welcome.

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Click here to jump straight to the questions

The Ultimate Character Questionnaire and Worksheet (over 150 character questions)

The Character Questionnaire is a list of questions, put into groups, to help prompt writers to add detail and depth to their characters.

The best way to use the Character Questionnaire is in the Novel Factory  writing software  (which you can try completely free), but if you don't fancy that, then you can scroll down to view all of the questions below. And if you join our mailing list (form at the bottom of the page), we'll email it to you as a PDF.

What is a Character Questionnaire?

A character questionnaire is a list of character development questions that can be used by writers to add depth and detail to the characters in their novels.

The questions are usually organised into categories, such as personal details, physical appearance, personality, friends and family and backstory.

More detailed character questionnaires may also include topics such as love, conflict, work, education, hobbies, favourites, possessions, spirituality, values, daily life, and more.

Why use a character questionnaire?

A character questionnaire is a great way to get our brains working in new directions.

It's not intended like an exam, that you must complete for each character in order to get full marks. In fact, you should only consider doing it at all for the major characters. And even then it's most useful as an inspirational tool, not a plodding box ticking exercise.

The questions can help us think about aspects of our characters we might not have considered otherwise. They can prompt us to develop new, unique elements of their personality.

We can use questions to give us ideas about how we can contrast our characters and create conflict between them.

Or they can help us discover details about their home or work life which will enrich our descriptions and make them feel more three dimensional to our readers.

Note - a questionnaire is not a good way to  start  building a character. The questions are too piecemeal, and your character needs to have a more coherent core before you get to this stage.

(The Novel Factory includes other  character development worksheets  to help building characters with strong central drives).

How to use these character development questions?

All tools are only really useful if you use them right. Here are a few dos and don'ts to help you get the most out of this character questionnaire:

• Start by browsing quickly over all of the questions to get a sense of the sections
• Vary how you use the questionnaire depending on the character / the day / your mood
• Pick out the questions that you find work best for you, and use them to create your own personal streamlined questionnaire
• Completely ignore any sections you don't feel are relevant to your character
• Mix it up - one day you might decide to pick 10 questions completely at random. Another day you might decide to complete all the questions in a single section.
• Approach it as a brainstorming exercise
• Allow your mind to go down a rabbit hole, if one question inspires you to write an entire scene from that character's history , than fantastic!
• Understand that your in-depth knowledge of the character will bleed into your writing, even if the vast majority of this information is never written in your manuscript
• Try to answer all of the questions for any given character
• Feel you have to go through the questions in order
• Try to follow a rigid pattern over and over
• Use it to start building a character - you should already have the broad brushstrokes of your character, including what drives them and their biggest flaw
• Use all of the information in your novel - most of the answers should be internalised, not spelled out

Don't forget, the Novel Factory software includes other character sheet templates for you to fill in, such as basic info character voice, game show introductions, characterisation and background.

If you like this, then you might want to check out our Roadmap - how to write a book and get published, in fifteen steps.

Would you like this questionnaire in PDF format? Then sign up for our newsletter below.

How to Conduct a “Character Interview”

Rather than simply sitting down and filling out the character development questions as the author, a fun way to use the questionnaire is to use it as a basis for 'interviewing' your character.

To do this, you can imagine you're sitting in a room with your character, and they are answering the questions directly for themselves, in the first person.

So if you had the question:

What is in their fridge?

A straightforward answer might be: seven types of cheese, lots of vegetables and a microwave lasagne.

But if you were conducting the questionnaire as an interview, you would ask the character:

What's in your fridge?

And the answer might be something like this:

"What's in my fridge? Now let me think. I've got that delicious Camembert, which goes perfectly with Merlot, and a few other delicacies for the board, but thinking about it I'm a bit low on cheeses, I should pop down to the market this week. I've got the bog standard veg in the crisper, you know, just the usual: courgettes, kale, celery, aubergine, beef tomatoes, spring onions, broccolli and cauliflower. What else? Oh yes, there's that God awful microwave lasagne that my son bought - I wouldn't go near the disgusting thing with a brage pole, but what can you do?"

As you can see, if you really try to get into the character's head while answering the questions, then you end up learning a lot more about their life and preferences, as well as developing their all important unique voice.

When doing character interviews, it can be very useful to get a clear visual in your head - not only of the character, but of their surroundings.

Where is the interview taking place - can it be somewhere that suits your story world or the character themselves?

Is it happening in a police interrogation room? In their living room? Even on a TV interview show? Having clear visuals like this can really help you get into the zone.

If you're doing this, you might also want to think about which questions you're going to ask in the interview. You may want to delve into their past and passions, particularly if it's a TV interview setting.

If it's a police interview, you might focus on questions relating to conflict, or work, education and hobbies.

Either way, as advised above in the general advice on how to use character questions, you are very unlikely to want to ask all of the questions in one sitting. Better to select a shortlist first and get more detailed answers, then try to rush through too many and get fatigued.

150+ Character Questions

Basic character questions.

• First name?
• Middle names?
• Date of birth?

Physical / Appearance

• Hair colour?
• Hair style?
• Eye colour?
• Glasses or contact lenses?
• Distinguishing facial features?
• Which facial feature is most prominent?
• Which bodily feature is most prominent?
• Other distinguishing features?
• Birthmarks?
• Physical disabilities?
• Type of clothes?
• How do they wear their clothes?
• What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc)
• Race / Ethnicity?
• Mannerisms?
• Are they in good health?
• Do they have any disabilities?

Personality

• What words or phrases do they overuse?
• Do they have a catchphrase?
• Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?
• Are they introverted or extroverted?
• Do they ever put on airs?
• What bad habits do they have?
• What makes them laugh out loud?
• How do they display affection?
• Mental disabilities?
• How do they want to be seen by others?
• How do they see themselves?
• How are they seen by others?
• Strongest character trait?
• Weakest character trait?
• How competitive are they?
• Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?
• How do they react to praise?
• How do they react to criticism?
• What is their greatest fear?
• What are their biggest secrets?
• What is their philosophy of life?
• When was the last time they cried?
• What haunts them?
• What are their political views?
• What will they stand up for?
• Who do they quote?
• Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?
• What is their sinful little habit?
• What sense do they most rely on?
• How do they treat people better than them?
• How do they treat people worse than them?
• What quality do they most value in a friend?
• What do they consider an overrated virtue?
• If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
• What is their obsession?
• What are their pet peeves?
• What are their idiosyncrasies?

Friends and Family

• Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of?
• What is their perception of family?
• Do they have siblings? Older or younger?
• Describe their best friend.
• Ideal best friend?
• Describe their other friends.
• Describe their acquaintances.
• Do they have any pets?
• Who are their natural allies?
• Who are their surprising allies?

Past and Future

• What was your character like as a baby? As a child?
• Did they grow up rich or poor?
• Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?
• What is the most offensive thing they ever said?
• What is their greatest achievement?
• What was their first kiss like?
• What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?
• What are their ambitions?
• What advice would they give their younger self?
• What smells remind them of their childhood?
• What was their childhood ambition?
• What is their best childhood memory?
• What is their worst childhood memory?
• Did they have an imaginary childhood friend?
• When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment?
• What past act are they most ashamed of?
• What past act are they most proud of?
• Has anyone ever saved their life?
• Strongest childhood memory?
• Do they believe in love at first sight?
• Are they in a relationship?
• How do they behave in a relationship?
• When did you character last have sex?
• What sort of sex do they have?
• Has your character ever been in love?
• Have they ever had their heart broken?
• How do they respond to a threat?
• Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?
• What is your character’s kryptonite?
• If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?
• How do they perceive strangers?
• What do they love to hate?
• What are their phobias?
• What is their choice of weapon?
• What living person do they most despise?
• Have they ever been bullied or teased?
• Where do they go when they’re angry?
• Who are their enemies and why?

Work, Education and Hobbies

• What is their current job?
• What do they think about their current job?
• What are some of their past jobs?
• What are their hobbies?
• Educational background?
• Intelligence level?
• Do they have any specialist training?
• Do they have a natural talent for something?
• Do they play a sport? Are they any good?
• What is their socioeconomic status?
• What is their favourite animal?
• Which animal to they dislike the most?
• What place would they most like to visit?
• What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen?
• What is their favourite song?
• Music, art, reading preferred?
• What is their favourite colour?
• What is their password?
• Favourite food:
• What is their favourite work of art?
• Who is their favourite artist?
• What is their favourite day of the week?

Possessions

• What is in their fridge:
• What is on their bedside table?
• What is in their car?
• What is in their bin?
• What is in their purse or wallet?
• What is in their pockets?
• What is their most treasured possession?

Spirituality

• Who or what is your character’s guardian angel?
• Do they believe in the afterlife?
• What are their religious views?
• What do they think heaven is?
• What do they think hell is?
• Are they superstitious?
• What would they like to be reincarnated as?
• How would they like to die?
• What is your character’s patronus?
• What is their zodiac sign?
• What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?
• What is their view of ‘freedom’?
• When did they last lie?
• What’s their view of lying?
• When did they last make a promise?
• Did they keep or break their last promise?
• What are their eating habits?
• Do they have any allergies?
• Describe their home.
• Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?
• What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?
• What do they do on a Sunday afternoon?
• What do they do on a Friday night?
• What is the soft drink of choice?
• What is their alcoholic drink of choice?

Miscellaneous

• What is their  character archetype ?
• Who is their hero?
• What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?
• Are they comfortable with technology?
• If they could save one person, who would it be?
• If they could call one person for help, who would it be?
• What is their favourite proverb?
• What is their greatest extravagance?
• What is their greatest regret?
• What is their perception of redemption?
• What would they do if they won the lottery?
• What is their favourite fairytale?
• What fairytale do they hate?
• Do they believe in happy endings?
• What is their idea of perfect happiness?
• What would they ask a fortune teller?
• If your character could travel through time, where would they go?
• What sport do they excel at?
• What sport do they suck at?
• If they could have a superpower, what would they choose?

If you liked this you'll love the Novel Factory!  Try it free today.

165 Must-Use Character Development Questions For Writers

If you’ve hit a wall with your latest story, sometimes all you need is to get better acquainted with your characters .

The more you know them, the more they talk to you. 

The more you understand what your characters want and why, the more your writing will help the reader understand.

And the harder it will be for them to put your book down. 

This is why we’ve created this list of character development questions for writers. Answering them will bring your characters to life. 

And when you hear their voices in your head, they can lead you down paths you hadn’t thought of before. 

Why do writers need a character questionnaire? 

Questions on character’s appearance, questions on character’s home, questions on character’s chosen career, questions on character’s family, questions on character’s friends and intimate relationships, questions on character’s personality and behavioral traits, questions on character’s goals, values, or motivations.

A character questionnaire forces you to get well-enough acquainted with your characters to know how they’d react to everything you plan on throwing at them in the story. 

• How will they respond to whatever stands in the way of what they want?
• What, if anything, do they want more than the thing they’re searching for or fighting for?

Answering the questions in the list below will help you see your characters as three-dimensional people who could be good friends, indifferent acquaintances, or bitter enemies. And none of them have to stay that way. 

What will your answers reveal to you about your main characters?

165 Character Development Questions

Welcome to Authority Pub’s comprehensive list of questions for character development.

Get yourself a mug or glass of something good, and answer these for each of the characters your story depends on. 

1. What are your character’s physical traits? (skin color, hair color, eye color….)

2. What is their ethnic origin or ancestry?

3. What does your character typically wear? What is their personal style?

4. Do they care about fashion? Or do they just wear what they like?

5. Do they dress provocatively (according to some)? 

6. How do they wear their hair? 

7. Do they groom their eyebrows? 

8. Do they struggle with acne?

9. Do they wear make-up?

10. Do they use hair styling products? What kind?

11. Do they wear glasses or contacts? 

12. Would they wear a swimsuit in public? If yes, what kind?

13. What do they wear when they go to sleep (pajamas? regular clothes? nothing?)

14. What is noticeable about your character’s presence? (Confidence? Nervousness?)

15. Do they sit up or stand up straight? Or do they slouch? 

16. How does your character walk? Run? Dance? 

17. What body language is typical of your character?

18. Does your character have scars or birthmarks?

19. Does your character have any physical disabilities? 

20. What actor would you want playing your character in a movie?

21. Does your character wear any jewelry? Favorite pieces?

22. Does your character have any tattoos? Do they want any?

23. What do they wear on their feet?

24. Do they like/wear hats?

25. Do they color their hair?

26. Do they have any piercings?

27. Do they carry a purse or messenger bag  / backpack / briefcase? 

28. Are they coordinated? How well do they catch things?

29. Are they graceful or clumsy? Do they have natural poise?

30. Would anyone describe them as beautiful? Cute? Hot? Classically handsome?

1. House, apartment, duplex, etc. 

2. Do they live in a city , a suburb, a rural area? 

3. Describe your character’s neighborhood. 

4. Do they have any favorite neighborhood haunts?

5. With whom does your character live?

6. How often does your character eat out or order in?

7. What’s in the fridge? 

8. Do they have a favorite room? 

9. Do they feel at home in the kitchen?

10. What’s the view from their window/s?

11. How does your character feel about their living situation?

12. Neighbors? Do they get along with them?

13. What items does the character keep close to their bed?

14. What do they sleep on?

15. Does your character have their own room? 

16. What is their most prized possession, and where do they keep it?

17. Does your character like having people over?

18. How clean or tidy is your character’s home or private room?

19. Does your character have a pet? Or are there pets in the home?

20. Does your character want to live somewhere else?

21. What would your character’s dream home look like and where would it be?

1. What job does your character have?

2. How did your character get the job they now have?

3. How do they feel about the job? 

4. How do they get along with their boss and coworkers?

5. Does your character have authority over any of their coworkers?

6. Do they ever spend time with coworkers outside work hours?

7. Has your character ever been harassed by coworkers or by their boss?

8. Do they plan on staying there long-term, or are they looking for something else?

9. If they could go (back) to college, what would they study?

10. If they could earn a good living with any job, which would they choose?

11. What is your character’s highest level of education?

12. Does your character want to learn a new trade? 

13. Does your character have a side gig that generates some income?

14. What are some skills or talents your character has?

1. Does the character have a relationship with both parents?

2. To which parent does your character feel closest?

3. Does your character have relationships with any grandparents?

4. Do your character’s political or religious beliefs match those of their parents?

5. Do their parents support them financially in any way?

6. Do their parents accept them as they are? 

7.How involved are their parents in their life?

8. Do they have siblings? If so, how many brothers and how many sisters?

9. If they have siblings, to which of them do they feel closest?

10. Is there someone in the family who is their #1 confidante?

11. Have they ever felt betrayed or abandoned by a family member?

12. How have their family relationships affected their ability to trust?

13. How have their parents disciplined them growing up (if they did)?

14. Can they count on family members to have their back? 

15. What was their financial situation growing up?

16. What jobs do their parents have?

17. What is their family culture and what do they love most about it?

18. Have your character clashed with any of their parents’ beliefs?

19. What languages are spoken at home? 

20. What is your character’s favorite comfort food — and who makes it best?

21. Is your character married or in a committed relationship?

22. Does your character have children of their own? By birth or adoption?

23. What other relatives does your character have? Any of them close?

24. How does your character feel about family functions or gatherings?

25. Has your character ever been embarrased of a family member — or vice-versa?

1. Is your character straight? Gay? Bisexual? Pansexual? Transgender? Asexual? …

2. Has your character come out to anyone? 

3. Does your character have a best friend? Who is it?

4. How does your character feel about dating?

5. How easily does your character make friends?

6. What do your character and their friends do together?

7. Has your character ever lost a friend to political or religious differences?

8. How does your character respond to political or religious differences?

9. Does your character see the best or the worst in others? 

10. Does your character want to trust others and repair relationships?

11. Or is your character more likely to hold a grudge and see forgiveness as weakness?

12. How easy is it to make your character angry? What would it take?

13. Has a friend ever betrayed your character’s trust? Or vice-versa?

14. Has your character ever fallen for someone who was wrong for them?

15. What does your character expect from their closest relationship?

16. Have they found someone they’d want to commit to for life? 

17. Is your character’s significant other (S.O.) someone their friends like, too?

18. Has your character ever had their heart broken? 

19. Is your character someone their friends can count on to be there for them?

20. Do any of your character’s friends go to them for advice? Or vice-versa?

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1. Is your character introverted or extroverted?

2. Do they have issues with hyperactivity or distractibility? 

3. Is your character introspective or outward-focused?

4. Are they Intuitive or do they rely more on their senses?

5. Are they thinking-focused or feeling-focused? 

6. What is their relationship with routines & rituals?

7. What is their relationship with the natural world?

8. What is their sociability quotient (SQ) — low, average, or high?

9. Are they generally compliant or rebellious? 

10. Are they musical? Do they have a favorite musical instrument?

11. What does your character do to relax?

12. Does your character have any addictions? 

13. What music do they listen to? 

14. What books do they read? 

15. What extracurricular activities appeal to your character?

16. How does your character respond to bullies? 

17. How far will your character go to have someone’s back?

18. What TV or movie characters would your character most love to know?

19. Does your character have crushes? How do they act around their crushes?

20. How does your character display affection? Do they like PDA? 

21. Does your character enjoy traveling — or want to travel?

22. Is your character an overachiever, an underachiever, or just an achiever?

23. How well does your character get along with authority figures?

24. How would they respond to a crisis? 

25. Are they a leader, a follower, or neither?

26. Are they more likely to see the best in others or the worst?

27. Are they a good listener? 

28. Would they ever spread a rumor about someone?

29. How would they respond to someone who betrayed their trust?

30. Is your character neurotypical or atypical? 

31. Does your character struggle with depression or anxiety?

32. Do they struggle with a learning disability (ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia…)?

33. Do they struggle socially? If so, are they on the autism spectrum? 

34. Is it a challenge for them to feel complete without a love interest?

35. Do they self-medicate (with legal or illegal drugs)? 

36. Would they avoid or eagerly participate in religious or political discussions?

37. Is your character a dog person? Cat person? Do they want any kind of pet?

1. What does the character want in the story?

2. What is standing in their way?

3. What are they willing to do to remove the obstacle/s? 

4. What gets the character up in the morning?

5. Do they hit the snooze button or get right up at the first alarm?

6. What is their morning routine ?

7. What is their nighttime routine?

8. What do they want to be or to do when they grow up?

9. What would they do if they won the lottery jackpot?

10. How do they generally respond to failure? 

11. How does your character respond to stress? 

12. Would your character create a vision board?

13. Do they journal ? 

14. Do they consciously plan their day? Or do they just take it as it comes?

15. Do they prefer writing things down or using an app?

16. Do they exercise regularly, or are they involved in sports?

17. Describe your character’s ideal love interest and/or ideal relationship status.

18. Do your character’s goals or desires ever get in the way of their relationships?

Did these character questions help you flesh out your characters?

Once you get through these character creation questions, you’ll have a better sense of who each character is and what they would do in a given situation. 

And that makes it a lot easier to keep going when things get rough. 

If you do get stuck, though, try journaling as one of your characters (voice journaling). When you vent their thoughts and feelings about the situation they’re in, you can also more clearly see how they would respond to it.

It’s easier just to make them do what you would do. But it’s not authentic.

Use these questions to invite your characters to come to life and lead the story where they want it to go. 

And be prepared to learn something new about yourself, too. Because when you take a deeper look into your character’s personalities, you also gain insight into your own.

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The Best Character Template Ever (100+ Character Traits!)

So you have an awesome story and want to bring it to life with some incredible characters, but organizing all those character ideas in your head can be tough!

I know, I’ve been there. We’ve all been there (trust me, I did a very legit survey of us all).

To help, here is a very thorough list of more than 100 different character traits you can use to understand more about your character than you do about your friends and family. Fill out this template with as many or as few details as you’d like. You can even grab your fillable PDF at the bottom of this article.

Readers will sniff out a half-baked character from a mile away, and you better pray they never find a poorly written character in your book. Luckily, this template will help you avoid both of those pitfalls.

How to Use This Template

Hopefully, this template is, for the most part, straightforward. But there are some options that might give you some pause. For the sake of clarity, I’m going to quickly go over the different sections of the template.

In general, the traits get deeper and deeper into the abyss of your character’s soul the further down the list you go.

Demographics are your basics. This is the sort of information someone could likely glean from a short conversation with your character or what the government might gather from a census.

Physical appearance is what someone would notice about your character if they looked at them. This goes beyond just hair, eye, and skin color, though. Things like your character’s gait or their fashion style can add a lot of depth for your reader.

History allows you to understand a character’s past. More importantly, it allows you to understand how that past affects their actions in your story. Some of this information might never see the light of day, but it allows you to craft dynamic, complex characters.

Psychological traits are those that aren’t readily apparent to an onlooker but are critical to how your character operates in any given situation. This is where you start getting deep with things like flaws , desires, and traits that make people (or non-people) who they are.

Communication is not only important for things like dialogue and writing, but they are easy ways for you to differentiate between your characters .

Strengths, weaknesses, and abilities are very vague terms but are quite important. This is especially true for genres like fantasy or sci-fi, and these traits can be helpful when crafting your main characters, including villains .

Relationships are important for characters, even if it means highlighting how alone they are. Relationships can go a lot further than immediate friends, family, or partners. Try and take some time to think about exactly who is involved in your character’s life.

Character growth is the most important category in this template. Here is where you include things like arcs, archetypes, conflicts, goals, and motivation. You need to pay attention to this section, because these ideas will be the ones that make memorable characters.

So check out the template below and think about how you can use it to build your characters. 

The Best Character Template Ever

Demographics.

• Sex/Gender:
• Occupation:
• Socioeconomic status:
• Other notes:

Physical Appearance

• Skin color:
• Hair color:
• Fitness level:
• Scars/Birthmarks:
• Other distinguishing features:
• Disabilities:
• Fashion style:
• Accessories:
• Cleanliness/Grooming:
• Posture/Gait:
• Coordination (or lack thereof):
• Weaknesses:
• Birth date:
• Place of birth:
• Key family members:
• Notable events/milestones:
• Criminal record:
• Affiliations:
• Skeletons in the closet:

Psychological Traits

• Personality type:
• Personality traits:
• Temperament:
• Introvert/Extrovert:
• Mannerisms:
• Educational background:
• Intelligence:
• Self-esteem:
• Skills/talents:
• Morals/Virtues:
• Phobias/Fears:
• Angered by:
• Pet peeves:
• Obsessed with:
• Bad habits:
• Favorite sayings:
• Accomplishments:

Communication

• Languages known:
• Preferred communication methods:
• Style and pacing of speech:
• Use of gestures:
• Facial expressions:
• Verbal expressions:

Strengths, Weaknesses, and Abilities

• Physical strengths:
• Physical weaknesses:
• Intellectual strengths:
• Intellectual weaknesses:
• Interpersonal strengths:
• Interpersonal weaknesses:
• Physical abilities:
• Magical abilities:
• Physical illnesses/conditions:
• Mental illnesses/conditions:

Relationships

• Partner(s)/Significant other(s):
• Parents/Guardians:
• Grandparents:
• Grandchildren:
• Best friends:
• Colleagues:
• Mentors/Teachers:
• Idols/Role models:
• Non-living things:
• Clubs/Memberships:
• Social media presence:
• Public perception of them:

Character Growth

• Character archetype:
• Character arc:
• Core values:
• Internal conflicts:
• External conflicts:
• Goals: 
• Motivations:
• Epiphanies:
• Significant events/plot points:

Craft Amazing Characters With Dabble

Creating characters your readers will love (or love to hate) has never been easier than with Dabble. By keeping all of your notes about characters and your plot just a click away from your manuscript, you’ll be able to write a story that is bound for the bestseller lists.

You can click here to grab a PDF copy of this template, or you can just copy and paste the categories you want from this article directly into your Character Notes in Dabble.

That’s not all! We also have a handful of other resources that can help you make some awesome characters. Be sure to check out:

• Our complete guide to creating characters
• 101 character goals
• A metric ton of character ideas you can use with this template
• 65 character development questions
• 20 original character interview questions
• A downloadable character profile

The best part? You can add all of these into your character’s folder in Dabble. Your character will be more real than you or I.

Enough dilly-dallying, time for Dabbling. Click here to get started with your totally free, no credit card required trial of Dabble and build your amazing characters today.

Happy writing!

Doug Landsborough can’t get enough of writing. Whether freelancing as an editor, blog writer, or ghostwriter, Doug is a big fan of the power of words. In his spare time, he writes about monsters, angels, and demons under the name D. William Landsborough. When not obsessing about sympathetic villains and wondrous magic, Doug enjoys board games, horror movies, and spending time with his wife, Sarah.

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What's the defining line between sci-fi and fantasy? There's actually a lot more to it than magic versus technology.

Does science fiction alone feel too limiting for your vast imagination? Do you feel like your fantasy world could use a dash of futuristic technology?

Prose describes how you write your book, and it can be challenging to get right. So, in this article, we cover what makes good prose.

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Characterization Worksheets

Customize characterization worksheets.

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

Using a Characterization Worksheet in the Classroom

Exploring the vibrant world of literature, characterization worksheets offer a unique and interactive way for students to delve into the complexities of characters in stories. Whether it's through a characterization worksheet middle school students use, or the more simplified characterization worksheets elementary teachers might find helpful, these resources aid in understanding both indirect and direct characterization. Characterization worksheets not only enhance reading comprehension but also foster a deeper appreciation for the art of storytelling.

These educational tools are designed to help students deepen their understanding of characters in literature. For teachers, they are an invaluable resource to teach and discuss various aspects of a narrative, such as characters' motivations, and the methods authors use to develop them. From elementary grades to high school, these worksheets allow students to analyze and identify how characters contribute to the story. They can explore these concepts through activities in the classroom, using a characterization practice worksheet as an example.

Free Characterization Worksheets for Kids

Teachers can download and print these materials for free, making them a highly accessible educational tool. There are various templates, makers, organizers, and generators available online to design and create characterization worksheets that suit specific lesson plans and classroom needs. These printable resources are not just a means to learn; they also offer a plethora of ideas for activities and lessons. Whether it's characterization worksheets for kids, characterization worksheets for middle school, or a more advanced characterization worksheet high school students can use, these tools add depth and insight into the study of literature. They are an excellent way to engage students in a dynamic learning process, fostering a comprehensive understanding of characterization in a way that is both structured and creative.

Characterization Practice Worksheet Ideas

• Character Trait Collage (Elementization Worksheet Elementary): After reading a story, students use a characterization worksheet to list key traits of a character. They then create a collage with images and words that represent these traits. This encourages creative expression and understanding of character traits.
• Compare and Contrast Characters (Characterization Worksheet Middle School): Students use a worksheet to compare and contrast two characters from a story, focusing on their traits, motivations, and development. Doing so enhances critical thinking and understanding of characterization nuances.
• Character's Response to Challenges (Characterization Practice Worksheet): Students analyze how a character responds to a major challenge or event in the story, using evidence from the text to support their analysis. This helps students understand character development and motivations.
• Role-Play and Interview (Characterization Worksheets for Kids): Students role-play as characters from a story and participate in a mock interview, answering questions based on their character's perspective. Not only does this teach empathy, but also fosters a deeper understanding of characters.
• Character Diary Entries (Characterization Worksheets for Middle School): Students write diary entries from the perspective of a character, reflecting on events in the story. This enhances narrative understanding and creative writing skills.
• Character Debate (Characterization Middle School Worksheets): Divide the class into groups, each representing a different character's viewpoint. Conduct a debate on a key issue in the story, which promotes critical thinking and understanding of diverse perspectives.
• Direct vs. Indirect Characterization (Direct vs Indirect Characterization Worksheet): Using examples from a text, students identify and differentiate between direct and indirect characterization, teaching students to distinguish between different types of character descriptions.
• Character Evolution Timeline (Characterization Worksheet High School): Students create a timeline tracking the development of a character throughout the story, using key moments and changes. Encourages analysis of character growth and dynamics over time.
• Characterization Skit: Students create a short skit or role-play scenario based on a character from their reading. They use the worksheet to guide their portrayal, emphasizing traits, motivations, and relationships. This helps students engage actively with the character and understand them in a dynamic, real-life context.
• Character Transformation Diary: Students write a series of diary entries from their chosen character's perspective, showing how they change over the course of the story. This activity emphasizes understanding character development and encourages creative writing skills.
• Character Debate Panel: Organize a debate where students represent different characters from a book. They use their characterization worksheets to argue their character's viewpoints on key issues in the story. This fosters critical thinking and persuasive speaking, and deepens understanding of characters' motivations and perspectives.
• Character's Future Prediction: Students use their worksheet to predict what might happen to the character after the story ends, based on their traits and the story's events. This encourages imaginative thinking and a deeper engagement with the narrative.
• Character Analysis Blog Post: Students write a blog post analyzing a character, using their worksheets as a basis for their insights and conclusions. This integrates technology into learning and helps students practice writing and analytical skills in a modern format.
• Character Map Display: Create a visual character map on a bulletin board or digital platform, where students can add insights from their worksheets about different characters, creating a collaborative and ongoing project that visually demonstrates character connections and developments.
• Character's Perspective Writing: Students write a scene from the book from the perspective of their character, using the worksheet to ensure they capture the character's voice and viewpoint accurately. This enhances understanding of narrative voice and point of view in literature.
• Character Interview Podcast: Students create a podcast episode where they interview a character (played by a student or teacher), using questions and topics generated from their worksheets. This modern, multimedia approach engages students in a different format and deepens their understanding of characters.

More Storyboard That Resources and Free Printables

• Character Analysis Worksheets
• Compare & Contrast Characters Worksheet
• Author's Purpose Worksheet
• Figurative Language Worksheets
• Fact and Opinion Worksheet

How to Make a Characterization Worksheet

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on "Copy Template"

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions about Characterization Worksheets

What is the purpose of using characterization worksheets in the classroom.

The primary purpose of using characterization worksheets is to help students develop a deeper understanding of characters in literature. These worksheets guide students to analyze and reflect on various aspects of a character, such as their traits, motivations, changes throughout the story, and their relationships with other characters. This practice not only enhances reading comprehension but also encourages critical thinking and empathy.

How can characterization worksheets be adapted for different grade levels?

Characterization worksheets can be adapted for various grades by altering the complexity of the tasks and the depth of analysis required. For younger students, worksheets might focus on identifying basic traits and actions of characters (characterization worksheets for kids), while middle and high school students can engage with more complex tasks like comparing direct vs. indirect characterization (characterization worksheet middle school and characterization worksheet high school). The worksheets can be tailored to the specific reading level and comprehension skills of each age group.

What are some key elements that should be included in a characterization practice worksheet?

A comprehensive characterization practice worksheet should include sections for noting physical traits, personality traits, character actions, their impact on the story, changes over time, relationships with other characters, and examples of direct and indirect characterization. This structure helps students methodically break down and understand the various facets of a character.

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