In order to create memorable and intriguing characters , and most importantly believable characters, I must ensure that as the writer I know my characters inside-out, back-to-front, that I know every high and low of their life, their habits, morals and little quirks. Therefore I have constructed a template of a few key questions, to ask in order to construct a biography of my character, allowing me to understand why my character behaves in a particular manor, why they wear a particular garment and why they react towards another in a certain way.
General Details
Name :
Age :
Birthday :
Weight :
Height :
Hair Colour :
Eye Colour :
Contacts or Glasses or None :
Disabilities :
Right or Left Handed :
Nationality :
Sexuality :
Smoker :
Marital Status :
Favourite Colour :
Religion :
Occupation
Life
Day-to-Day Routine :
Habits :
Morals :
Phobias :
Living arrangements :
Family :
Education :
Personality
Dependent or Independent :
Description of Voice :
Hobbies :
Emotional State :
Likability :
Life Plans :
Position in Story
Goals and Achievements :
Development Throughout :
Audience Feelings Towards Character :
Relationship to Other Characters :
Character Type (protagonist/mirror/antagonist/resolution) :
Below is an example, of a short character biography
Name : Karen Harris
Age : 40
Height : 5"6
Hair Colour : Thick, wavy, long chestnut brown
Eye Colour : Dark brown
Disabilities : No
Right or Left Handed : Right handed
Smoker : No
Religion : Christian
Nationality : British
Marital Status and Family : Karen met Simon 20 years ago when he bumped into her at a busy platform causing her to spill her coffee over her cream silk blouse, after a thousand apologies he finally persuaded her to let him make it up for the ruined blouse by taking her to dinner, five years later they married in the small church in the centre of Karen's home village, however her husband Simon suffers a heart attack on the tube on the way to work at the tender age of 45 leaving Karen a widow at 39 years old with two small children. Karen is a mother to Molly aged four and Luke aged Seven. Karen was brought up in a small village 20 minutes from Canterbury by her mother Kathy
Smoker : Karen does not smoke, having only tried one cigarette at the age of 14 she promised after much coughing and spluttering she would never touch another one again
Nature and Likability : Karen is gentle natured, she works as a nurse at The Royal London Hospital however she is only part time, working the days that Molly attends nursery, she is family orientated, however is still independent and ensures she has time of not being labelled as a mother, wife or nurse instead just "Karen" when meeting up for her coffee and cake catch up with her friend Anna
Living Arrangements : She lives in a three bedroom family home, over the years they have re-furbished the house, it now has an open planned kitchen/dinner with patio doors out to the small yet adequate garden, the living room holds two big baskets filled with children's toys, both matching however one in blue and one in pink. The house is clean, however has the homely feel, with children's pictures scattered over the fridge, and bright stripey kitchen bowls and plates. Financially they are able to live comfortably, with her husband Simon being within the banking industry.
In her free time Karen enjoys reading romance novels, and has treated herself to subscribing to good food magazine one of her life's small luxury's, she enjoys relaxing in the evening when the children have been put to bed to some TV and a glass of red wine, as a family they try to have most evening meals together
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