Character Template – Free Download!
Here is a free character template for you to use when planning your own stories. If you don’t yet have a process for sketching out your characters, now’s a great time to start.
Some weeks ago I told you my plan for outlining (and you could download it, too). Part of that plan obviously involved character design. I have since refined that portion and now have a template I work with to get the job done! You can download the character template here:
Click on the image, or the text above to download your Character Template
The basic principles of the character design template
I am always concerned with the amount of planning I do. In truth, I am still finding the balance between not enough planning and planning-turned-procrastination. With that in mind, this character template is designed for focus. The idea is to identify the kernel of the character and work outwards from there just enough to start drafting.
It’s still undergoing testing by me, but it should allow me to get to drafting quickly, without leaving me up the creek without enough information. If you struggle with your characters, I’d love you to give this a go and let me know if it was useful. Feedback is always welcome, and that way we can help each other! Just use the comment section below to tell me what you think.
The focus of the template is the two-word method for creating characters. I have mentioned this before, because as soon as I read it, it seemed to fit what I wanted out of character creation. I first read about this method on K. M. Weiland’s blog, Wordplay, in a post by Nick Thacker. The actual idea originally came from Creating Characters: How to Build Story People by Dwight V. Swain. I summarise the method below, but you should really check out the post for a thorough briefing.
What two words would you use to describe these chaps if they were in your story? Image courtesy of o5com.
How I use the template
Scrivener!
I use Scrivener. You may have heard of it from me or countless other writers. It’s a great tool, so it’s no wonder people can’t shut up about it!
If you don’t have it, and don’t want to read about it, you can skip this section.
Creating a template in Scrivener is dead easy:
- First, grab the Word version of the character template and open it. Select everything (you can leave out the footer of course) and copy it.
- Now open Scrivener and open your project.
- If you don’t have a template folder (a blue folder with a white “T”), right-click in your Binder to create a new folder. Select that folder and then go to Project->Set Selection As Template Folder.
- Now create a new document in the template folder by right-clicking on it and selecting Add->New Text. Notice the new document will have a little “T” by it to indicate it will be a template.
- Name it “Character Sheet” or similar and open it. Paste the text you copied earlier. Check it for formatting, and edit to taste.
- Voila! You have a character template in Scrivener! Whenever you want to use it, right-click a folder in your binder and choose Add->New From Template.
That’s the Scrivener Corkboard feature, for example, right there. Very handy.
Templates is just one of many great Scrivener features. If you haven’t already, please check it out! Honestly, I’m not sponsored by them, I just really love the product! For more information on Scrivener templates, see section 8.4 of your Scrivener manual.
Made to order
I have laid out the template in the order I think is best for reference, so it is as useful as possible whilst drafting. But that’s not the order I fill it in!
- Start with those all-important two words, Occupation and Manner.
- Occupation – the character’s job or career. Like it or not, we are often defined by our jobs. For many of us it’s where we spend the majority of our time and can represent years of study and personal development. It also carries with it a vast amount of data – we associate certain characteristics with certain jobs. So it’s a great shortcut. Don’t worry if your character bucks the trends of their career – you’ll have a chance to mention that later.
- Manner – how does the character behave? In one word! I know it’s tough, and that’s partly the point, as it gets you to really focus in and think about your character. I like to free-write a list of candidates for the most defining characteristic, then narrow it down until I have just one.
- Now expand! You get to weed out the details just a little. Write a couple of short paragraphs around the two words.
- Occupation – Keep it brief, but write out some salient points about your character’s occupation. Maybe you could focus on how they got started, why they love/hate the job, or how it’s relevant to the story for example.
- Manner – Again, keep it brief, but explain the one word a little. Does this manner come out more or less in certain situations? How does this affect their role in the story?
- And speaking of role, here is where I fill out the bit at the top – one sentence describing the character’s role in the story. I likely have had this in my head from the beginning anyway, so it’s just a matter of getting it down. I leave it ’til now because sometimes my work on the two-word portion has refined my thinking.
- Next are the all-important conflicts. I feel like I’ve done most of the important groundwork by this point, and I already have a bunch of conflicts (both internal and external) floating around my noggin. This section is “just in case” I haven’t thought of anything. And even if I have, it’s a good idea to write them down – we know how important conflict is.
- I tend to stop here – the notes section is for things I think of during the drafting that I don’t want to forget.
And that’s that! If you’ve never followed some kind of process for your characters, you are now that little bit more organised. Hopefully this will save you some time, and make your planning stage much more predictable.
Over to you:
But maybe you have a process already – I’d love to hear it! Do you plan out every particular of your characters, from the colour of their eyes to their life-history, wing it entirely, or something in between? Enlighten me, and others in the comments!