Detailed Character Profile Chart: Templates & Examples

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Get expert insights on fictional character creation & how to build your character’s profile

Co-authored by Grant Faulkner, MA and Samantha Fulton, BA

Last Updated: August 3, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Character Chart Elements
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• Using a Character Chart
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• How Much to Include

|Show more |Show less

If you have a cool new idea for a fictional character but need a little help getting organized, we’re here to help. We’ve partnered with professional writers to put together this character chart guide. We’ll break down the key elements to include in your character chart with exclusive expert insights along the way. Plus, we’ll give you extra tips on how to use a character chart during the creative process, so don’t forget to keep reading!

Character Chart Guide

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Start with key elements like name, role, appearance, and personality. Then, get more specific by detailing their attitudes, relationships, and background. Most importantly, establish their desires, motivations, conflicts, and story arc, and focus on character elements that drive your plot (to make drafting easier).

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Character Chart Elements

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   Name Give your character a name that you think suits them. Your character’s name doesn’t always need to have special meaning, but if you think adding a layer of depth to their name will be important for your story, go for it! You might consider where your character is from or whether you want their name to convey certain traits.

   • Need help coming up with something? Use our character name generator for inspiration!

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Nathan Featherstone, known as the Crazy Hermit DM online, is a content creator, writer, and podcaster, mainly focusing on tabletop gaming content.

   Megan Maclaine is a professional writer and fiction coach based in Orlando, FL. She has been writing professionally since 2017 and has published poetry, short fiction, and journalism.

   Grant Faulkner, MA, serves as the executive director of National Novel Writing Month and has been published in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest.

   Francesca Graziella is a literary expert based in Florida. She has over a decade of experience reviewing thousands of titles and is the founder of Under the Covers Book Blog and host of the Reading Under the Covers Podcast.
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   Role What purpose does your character serve in your story? Are they the protagonist, the antagonist, or a supporting character? Make sure to give yourself a clear idea of why this character is in your story to make the plotting process more seamless. You might also decide whether this character fits a certain character archetype.
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   Physical description Professional writer and fiction coach Megan Maclaine says physical descriptions are a good place to get started when creating a character. However, she advises having a specific reason for giving a character physical traits. “Have a reason for everything,” she says. “If your character is blonde instead of brown-haired, how did that influence them growing up?” Consider how your fictional world might respond to or influence certain physical traits.
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   Personality Personality is another good baseline to have for a character, according to Maclaine. As with physical descriptions, make sure there’s an impact and reason for your character’s personality traits. Did an event from their past shape their personality? Is their personality a response to their surroundings? How has their personality impacted them within your fictional world, and how might it drive your plot?
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   Attitude and beliefs Where is your character at mentally? Are they an optimist, or do they see things as glass half empty? Are they upbeat or a bit more reserved? Making these decisions can help you figure out where your character goes in their arc. Decide if you want your character to maintain the same attitudes and beliefs throughout your story, or if they’ll undergo an internal change of some sort.
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   Relationships Characters don’t exist in a vacuum—it’s crucial to know how your character relates to and interacts with other characters in your story. Maybe their attitudes challenge those of another character, or maybe their personality rubs the antagonist the wrong way. Consider what your character’s dynamic will be with your other characters in your fictional world. Do they have a love interest? An enemy? How do their connections with other characters drive the plot?
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   Background Book reviewer & literary expert Francesca Graziella adds that a character’s backstory is one of the crucial elements to know as you go into the character creation process. She suggests asking yourself, “Who is this character? Where do they come from?” Make sure your character’s backstory is relevant to your plot. How does their background influence their decision-making and move the plot forward?

   • Got writer’s block? Try our character backstory generator!
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   Motives and desires Understand what drives your character and why. Your plot will grow around your character’s pursuit of what they want. Professional writer Grant Faulkner, MA, says what your character wants is the most important thing to consider when creating their profile. “Your character isn't just a compilation of character descriptions or physical descriptions, your character is a soul moving through the world,” Faulkner notes.
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   External and internal conflicts Decide what’s standing in your character’s way. Faulkner notes that this pairs with your character’s motives and desires to make up the foundation of your story. He advises asking yourself, “What does that character want and why can't he or she get it?” Your character’s conflicts can be external, such as a pesky antagonist, or internal, like insecurities. Remember, conflicts don’t need to be earth-shattering to make for a compelling plot.

   • Give your character some flaws, suggests tabletop role-playing game expert Nathan Featherstone. He says that sometimes, a character is more fun if there are things your character isn’t good at.
   • For instance, Featherstone says if you’re writing a wizard, you might make him a bookish type instead of someone who’s very strong. And if you’re writing a fighter, you might make them more street-smart than academic.
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    Key plot points in their arc Maclaine says that, in addition to knowing your character’s backstory, you should know their future. Decide where you want your character to go throughout your plot. What events take place that gets them from the start of their story to the end? Understanding the key points in your character’s arc can help the writing process go smoothly.
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Use a Character Chart

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   Develop an idea for your story first. Starting with a strong concept can make it easier to develop your character with the chart. If you know the parameters of the fictional world you’re working with, it may make it more straightforward to choose your character’s background, conflicts, and plot arc. Start with a compelling “what if?” question to come up with an idea.

   • Stumped? Check out our guide on how to find story ideas to get out of your rut!
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   Decide which characters need to be fleshed out. You may not need a character chart for every single character in a piece. Some characters may play smaller roles, or you may already have an idea of certain characters’ profiles. Spend some time triaging and considering which characters need the most attention and development.
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   Fill out your chart with a focus on plot. Oftentimes, your plot builds the characters—not the other way around. As you fill out your chart, pay attention to how the information about your characters will influence the arc of your narrative. Likewise, how will your plan for the narrative impact your characters? Faulkner offers the reminder to focus on what your character wants and why they can’t get it—this is what builds a story.
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   Pair your chart(s) with a plot outline. As you fill out your character chart(s), you may get ideas for your plot. On the flipside, as you develop your plot, you may get ideas for your characters. Allow the plot and your characters to work in tandem by spending time mapping out both. Try writing a story outline before or after you make your character charts. Then, edit the other to fill in any gaps.
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   Refer to your character chart(s) as you write. Now that you have your character outlines, it’s time for the fun part! As you write drafts of your story, keep your character chart handy to maintain your character’s consistency. But remember, nothing in your chart has to be set in stone. It’s totally normal to tweak things as your plot develops. Feel free to make changes to your character chart as you write—you may discover something new about your characters during the creative process!

   • Tip: If you make changes to your character, make sure to go back through your draft and make any necessary edits to previous scenes.
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Section 3 of 3:

How much should I include in a character chart?

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   Be wary of including too many minor details in your character chart. Some writers caution against going overboard with character charts since it can keep you from actually writing. However, if you find that getting into the nitty-gritty of a character before you start drafting helps you in the writing process, go for it! Just make sure the information you’re adding is helping you get to know your characters and fueling your story. If you want a more detailed character chart, you might include:

   • Character’s job or career
   • Where the character lives
   • Character’s accent or dialect
   • Unique quirks or mannerisms
   • Character’s favorite hobbies
   • Character’s education
   • How the character likes to dress
   • Personal habits and routines
   • Things the character strongly likes or dislikes
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   Try to focus on elements that will help you during the writing process. Faulkner says it’s most productive to focus on a character’s desires and conflicts when creating a character profile. While you can spend time on details like physical descriptions and personality quirks, make sure you also have a fully fleshed-out idea of what’s driving your character and what’s getting in their way. This will help you write a narrative with a clear and compelling plot.
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