Feel free to create the type of character sketch that best suits you. If you don’t know where to start, you can use the character sketch outline that I use for my stories. In my opinion, this document covers the most important points of a sketch. Let’s take a closer look at them:

1. General Features

You know that I like to organize my sketches by number and add their creation date. I also make note of what story they belong to. Next, I write the character’s name or nickname with its corresponding origin and meaning. I also like to add the character’s role in the story (protagonist, antagonist, mentor, driver, tempter, etc.) and specify in which part of the plot (s)he participates. In addition, I jot down his/her gender, age, marital status, studies, occupation, and place of residence (rented or owned).

2. Appearance

In this section, I write about the character’s appearance: physical features, clothes, gestures, manners, etc. I tend to pay attention to the features that make a character different from everyone else (a scar on the face, whether (s)he wears glasses, etc.).

3. Personality

I think it’s important to include information about their character traits. Search for the adjectives that best define your character and the way (s)he sees himself/herself as well as the way others describe him or her. Remember to reflect on your character’s hobbies, fears, phobias, fixations, dreams, and goals.

4. Family and Friends

It can be very useful to make note of information about the parents of each characters including their names, jobs, ages, and type of relationship with their son or daughter. You can include other relevant data such as hobbies or events that marked them deeply.

In scenarios where your main character has siblings, a partner, children, or other intimate acquaintances, record them as well, and don’t forget about their name, age, and relationship with the main character, etc.

5. Biography

Past Events – Include a short summary of your character’s most important life experiences before the beginning of the story.

Present Circumstances – Add an explanation of your character’s situation in life when the story begins.

Future Events – Make a brief explanation of how the storyline will affect your character’s life in the future.

6. Relationships and Other Notes

In this section, include the rest of the characters and state how they met your main character, the type of relationship (s)he has with them, and how it affects their life and their actions.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to leave blank space for random notes and observations.

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How to Write Character Sketches (Part 2)
How to Present your Characters

To illustrate this, let me show you how I have designed my own character sketches:

1. Sketch Number

To start with, I like to organize my sketches by number and add their creation date. I also like to make note of what story they belong (or could belong) to.

2. Character’s Name or Nickname

If you want to delve deeper into this topic, take a look at the post titled, How to Name your Characters.

3. Type of Character

This point is easy to complete if your characters are part of a specific story because you already know what role they play in it (protagonist, antagonist, mentor, driver, tempter, etc.). You’ll find more information about the different roles in the post, The Importance of Secondary Characters.

However, when a character isn’t part of any story yet, it is not that easy to assign him (or her) to a role. To solve this problem, ask yourself these questions: Does (s)he meet the requirements to be classified as a protagonist (or antagonist)? Should (s)he play a minor role? Is (s)he a hero or an anti-hero? As you can see, there are many possible combinations.

4. General Information

I usually add data such as the characters’ gender, age, date and place of birth, place of residence, etc.

5. Appearance

In this section, it’s not necessary to go into too much detail. You just have to consider the features that make a character different from the everyone else (a scar, a limp, strange physique, speech defect, etc.). I also like to include the characters’ height, eye color, and hair color.

6. Personality

As in the previous point, try to focus on what makes each of your characters special. Is he or she a home-loving introvert or a rather independent and sociable adventurer? Choose the adjectives that best define your characters’ personality. When I fill in this section, I like to take into account their main virtues and shortcomings as well as their hobbies, fears, dreams, and goals (which can be important to define their motivations in the story).

7. Profession/Studies

What do your characters do for a living? In this part, there’s also room to explain the characters’ frustrated vocations because I think the things they have given up can also define them. This section is important unless your characters are animals or fantastic creatures.

8. Family, Friends, and Acquaintances

It can be helpful to specify the kind of relationship your characters have with their family, friends, and acquaintances. Who are the most important people in their lives?

9. Personal Motto

A personal motto, slogan, or catchphrase is a sentence or concept that sums up a character’s philosophy and values. It’s not compulsory to invent it. You can always use sayings such as “you live and learn” or “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” etc. You can also use quotes by famous philosophers.

10. Notes

Finally, I tend to leave a blank space for other relevant information such as my characters’ biography, a funny anecdote, etc. Anything that helps you visualize them in more detail will come in handy when you start writing your story.

If your want to keep reading about character sketches, please visit How to Write Character Sketches Part 3.

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Character sketches are, so to speak, the characters’ biography or CV. They can take many forms, but they are usually divided into two groups according to their purpose:

Short Sketches

These contain the most basic information about the character. They are perfect for describing minor characters and can also be used as writing prompts.

You can store them in a folder and resort to them when you are in need of inspiration. Georges Simenon use to choose two characters (a man and a woman, for example) and ask himself what would take them to the limit. The answer to that question was the beginning of a story.

Character Bible

This document contains a lot of information about each of the protagonists and their relationships with other characters. It’s used during the prewriting stage.

Thanks to these sketches, your characters will have no secrets. You’ll be clear about their appearance, behavior, past, and above all, about the way they must react under different circumstances.

If your want to keep reading about character sketches, please visit How to Write Character Sketches Part 2.

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1. The Film and TV Script

TThis is one of the most rigid formats as it is a technical document used by film crews in order to develop the final product. The dialogue will be center-aligned. The speaking character’s name will be capitalized, the stage directions (if any) will appear just below the name, and the lines of dialogue will be at the bottom. Here’s an example:

2. The Stage Play

This type of dialogue format shares some features with the film script. The speaking characters’ names are capitalized but left-aligned instead of center-aligned, and the stage directions are in brackets and italics. Here is an example:

JACK. (Happy) I love this game, dad. We should play more often.
JAMES. (He picks up the ball) Sure!

3. Traditional Format

In the case of novels and short stories, when a character is speaking, his/her exact words must be in quotations so the readers know someone is speaking. You must also follow these additional rules:

A. Each speaker has his or her own paragraph including a return and indent. This mimics real conversation, indicating pauses, and so forth.

B. Attributions (“He said,” “She said,” and variations) should be used, but not too much. They should be varied in order to not be repetitious. They can be used at the beginning of quotes, in the middle, or at the end. When attributions are overused, they get in the way. The key is the reader should always know who is speaking.

C. Always use a comma with attributions (she said,) when introducing a quote.

Example of traditional dialogue:

“I love this game, Dad,” Jack said. “We should play more often.”
“Sure.”

4. Indirect Dialogue

In this less common format, the narrator speaks for the characters. This can be confusing if the dialogues are abundant and long, and the writer risks writing the word “that” all the time:

“Jack says that he loves the game and that they should play more often. His father smiles at him and answers that of course they will.”

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Every name has different connotations for each of us because they remind us of different people; thus, it’s impossible to foresee the effect names will have on your readers. Nevertheless, here are some steps you can take to find names that best suit your characters:

1. Choose meaningful names.

Don’t choose a name just because it looks nice to you or because it was the name of your high school girlfriend. Give the name meaning, and your story will gain complexity. A dictionary of names can come in handy when it comes to baptizing (i.e. naming) your characters. You can find both digital as well as paper versions, and many of them explain each name’s origin and meaning.

2. Don’t rule out a name for its simplicity.

The fact that your characters’ names have meaning doesn’t imply they must be bizarre. Don’t discard a name for being too common. “Mary” and “John” are quite ordinary, but you can use them to highlight a character’s dullness.

3. Names are not obligatory.

Not all of the characters in your story must have a name. They can be identified by a nickname (such as “Maga” in Julio Cortazar’s Hopscotch), by an external feature (like “one-eyed,” “old fellow,” “girl in the pink suit”), and/or by their job, etc.

4. Keep it simple.

Avoid long and complicated names – especially if there are many characters in your story, and try to always refer to a character in the same way. For example, if Henry is usually called “the one-eyed person,” but he also appears as “Harry” or as “Owen” (his family name). In the end, it will be difficult to know who the writer is talking about.

In the novel Crime and Punishment, every character has many different names (Rodion is also called Rodka, Rodia, Romanovich, and Raskolnikov). While reading the book, I had to make a concentrated effort to know who was who, so I finally decided to assign a letter to each of them. In this way, I translated Rodion, Rodka, or Rodia, etc. as simply “R”.

Nevertheless, unless you are Dostoyevsky, I recommend you not confuse your readers that much. If you take such a risk, they will quit reading and save their time for a different author!

5. Avoid similar names.

If you want your readers to remember who you’re talking about, avoid giving similar names to minor characters. In my novel Santa Matriusca, Fermin, and Felipe were two characters whose names I mixed up. They had nothing to do with each other, but those who read my first draft also tended to confuse them. Therefore, I renamed one of them, and the problem was solved.

6. Think holistically.

Casting directors usually look for chemistry between actors. Your characters’ names should also match each other. In fact, they can even have related meanings. In the film Sex and Lucia by the Spanish director Julio Medem, there are symbols that refer to light, to the Sun, and to the Moon. The protagonists’ names – Lucia (means light in Latin), Lorenzo (Spanish colloquial for the sun), and Luna (meaning moon) – revolve around the same idea and interact as a whole.

7. Be coherent.

Names should be consistent with the characters’ circumstances, age, history (names change over time), country of origin, social stratum, parents’ ideology, etc. Think about your own name. It was conditioned by many different circumstances. If you maintain a certain logic in the names you choose, your story will be more credible.

You can always resort to a third-person narrator in order to describe your characters, but that’s not enough sometimes. If you want to create lively characters, there are six more effective ways to do so without using a narrator. Let’s analyze them one by one:

1. What do your characters think?

A character’s thoughts and emotions provide readers with a lot details about him or her. What happens inside a character’s head can be very revealing – especially if it contradicts what s/he says and does.

2. What do your characters say?

As the saying goes, “Loose lips sink ships.” The way your characters speak and the things they say can be a great source of information.

3. What do your characters do?

Even if the narrator (or the protagonist himself/herself) tells you s/he is brave, your readers won’t believe it if that’s not shown through his/her actions.

4. Which are their virtues and shortcomings?

The characters in a story have features that make them unique. Maybe they blush easily, always wear loud colors, or are constantly looking at their pocket watch. For example, in the film Amélie, Nino collects discarded photographs from photo booths. We don’t know much else about him, but his peculiar pastime gives us hints about his personality.

5. What’s their name?

A character’s name or nickname can reflect aspects of his/her personality. How you name your characters is a key decision as it helps you define their features and the role they play in the story.

6. What do other characters think about them?

Your readers must be informed about the relationship between your characters. For instance, in the film The Searchers, the character played by John Wayne doesn’t say much about himself, and his actions only reveal that he’s a hard and bitter man.

Your readers must be informed about the relationships between your characters. For instance, in the film The Searchers, the character played by John Wayne doesn’t say much about himself, and his actions only reveal that he’s a hard and bitter man. As a consequence, it’s through what other characters say about him and through his own interactions with them that we gather information about this character.

In this way, we discover that he has a muddy past, he’s killed other men, he’s in love with his brother’s wife, and in spite of his roughness, he’s a vulnerable person (we can figure this out from his relationship with his nieces and his sister-in-law). If you stop and think about it, these six points can also help us define our own relatives, friends, and acquaintances. After all, fiction is a representation of reality!

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In addition, the first-person narrator is often used in crime fiction. This is the case of in the novels written by Jeff Lindsay about the serial killer Dexter. Nevertheless, we can also find this type of narrator in the epistolary genre, personal diaries, biographies, internal monologues, etc. Regardless of the literary genre, here are some general features that can help us determine if the first-person narrator fits our story:

1. The narrator is the axis.

As I stated above, the first-person narrator is the story’s protagonist as well as the axis of the narration.

2. He/she lends credibility to the main character.

A character who narrates the story in the first person is perceived as real by the reader because he turns into a voice who speaks to him (or her) directly.

3. He/she must be well developed.

Depending on the story you want to tell and the feelings you want to transmit to the reader (empathy, rejection, understanding, condescension, admiration, etc.), your protagonist (and narrator) will have different traits.

4. He/she has a particular voice.

As a consequence of what’s explained in the previous point, the main character has a personal voice in line with his personality, age, origin, social stratum, etc.

5. He/she has a subjective and restricted point of view.

The protagonist has his individual opinions, thoughts, and feelings about the world around him, and the reader has to accept that and live the story through his eyes.

Be careful: The voice behind the first-person narrator belongs to the protagonist – not to the author. Make sure your main character has his own life!

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This type of narrator is also typical of the epistolary form; in fact, many novels contain letters or emails the characters send to each other. Nevertheless, the addressee of the second-person narrations I want to analyze in this section are not characters, but the readers themselves.

For instance, in Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, the second-person narrator acts as the master in a role-playing game attempting to get the reader to identify with the main character. A much more recent example is Paul Auster’s Winter Journal. This fictionalized autobiography is written in the second person as a way of putting the reader in the writer’s shoes. Through this technique, the author wants to show the emotions and experiences he has gathered throughout his life could be those of any other person in the world. The opening line of the book is a clear declaration of intent:

“You think it will never happen to you, that it cannot happen to you, that you are the only person in the world to whom none of these things will ever happen, and then, one by one, they all begin to happen to you in the same way they happen to everyone else.”

After this introduction to the second-person narrator, here is a list of his main features:

1. The reader is the protagonist.

The narrator has to make the reader feel that he (or she) has become the story’s main character.

2. The narrator describes and senses.

This type of narrator must show deep psychological insight. Like a good role-playing game master, he has to describe in detail what happens in the story so the reader can visualize himself right in the middle of the action. Furthermore, he must anticipate the reader’s reactions, emotions, and thoughts in order to avoid discord. Your second-person narrator can write “now you’re feeling excited,” but that will be of little use if the story’s events leave the reader indifferent.

3. The setting is very important.

The setting is fundamental to engaging your reader’s interest and making him read your story as if he were part of it. Your story’s atmosphere will have to be powerful enough to hook your reader.

4. The story is written in present tense.

When your potential reader is the story’s protagonist, you must address him in present tense as if you were writing a script. After all, the reader is the actor who plays the role you have chosen for him.

Anyway, think twice before starting to write a second-person narration. It’s not an easy task, and if you don’t do it well, the story will be confusing for the reader. Unless your story requires it, I recommend you to select first-person or third-person narrators.

If you feel like trying out this type of narrator despite the difficulties, I recommend you read some books where this technique is used so that you can discover the pros and cons. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler and Winter Journal are a very good place to start.

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You just read the words of a witness narrator which is a role played by a character who tells the story in the third person (he isn’t the protagonist) and has the point of view of someone who has witnessed it either from the inside or from the outside. This type of narrator doesn’t usually write about himself or herself.

There are many different types of witness narrators, each with his distinctive features. Here are the most common ones:

Impersonal witness – he (or she) behaves like a camera that just records what it sees, thus the readers feel as if they are watching a film. The Hive, by Camilo Jose Cela, would exemplify this type of witness narrator.

Eyewitness – he (or she) recalls past events he watched first hand. An example of this type of narrator is Sherlock Holmes’ assistant, Dr Watson.

Informant – he (or she) transcribes the events as if he were writing an official report and presents them as true. Brodie’s Report, by Jorge Luis Borges, is a good example of this type of narrator.

As I have said before, there are many other types of witness narrators (some of them a mixture of those described above), but all of them share a series of features:

1. He/she is not the protagonist.

The character who plays the role of witness is never the protagonist of the story’s events and tries to be as impartial as possible in his account of them.

2. He/she has a limited perspective.

He/she tells the story from his point of view and is limited by his own perceptions. He can’t be everywhere and see everything, nor can he know what the other characters are thinking.

3. He/she describes and suggests.

As a result of his restricted perspective, the witness narrator can’t explain why the other characters act one way or another, and he rarely makes value judgments. He merely describes what he has seen and suggests what he can’t see (always from his limited point of view).

4. He/she is reliable.

He/she makes the readers feel that the events he’s describing are real – just like when you hear something first hand. This type of narrator establishes a deep connection with the reader.

5. He/she uses his own language.

The witness narrator is a character in the story and thus has specific characteristics. For example, he could be a child and unable to explain the events with an adult’s vocabulary, or he could be a policeman who tells what happened as if he were writing a report. The kind of language you choose will depend on your character’s distinctive features.

6. He/she is not the author.

The witness narrator can’t be identified with the author, and the author doesn’t take part in the story. This type of narrator is a character with his own function in the chain of events. When you choose a witness narrator, it must be because you believe it’s the best way to tell the story.

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Thus, his or her vision is limited. He’ll have insight into what a character is thinking or feeling, but he will only have a superficial knowledge of the other characters. Nevertheless, the third-person subjective narrator will always be wiser than a first-person narrator as he can describe his chosen hero from both inside and outside perspectives.

This type of narrator’s perception of reality can be one of two types: simple (he can only take one character’s point of view) or global (he can change his point of view from chapter to chapter or even from scene to scene). A clear lesson on how to use a third-person, subjective, global narrator is in George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones which is the first novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This type of narrator appears in every chapter of the book, and each time he appears, he adopts a different character’s point of view. He can analyze the same event from multiple sides this way.

In order to know whether a third-person subjective narrator is the best choice for the story you want to tell, here’s a list of the main features of this type of narrator:

1. He/she has a limited perspective.

As stated above, this narrator’s point of view is restricted to one character at a time. Therefore, he doesn’t know what the rest of the characters are thinking about or what their motivations are.

2. He/she explains one part and suggests the rest.

Unlike the omniscient narrator who knows everything about the story, the third-person subjective narrator is only sure about what is related to his chosen character. What he can tell about the remaining characters is subjective and based on conjectures.

3. He/she allows multiple perspectives.

The third-person, subjective, global narrator can offer different perspectives of a story, and in this way, be almost as reliable as an omniscient narrator.

4. He/she identifies with a character.

Although the narrator is not a character in the story, his opinions and judgments are those of the character he’s representing.

5. He/she creates a connection between character and reader.

As a consequence of assuming a specific character’s point of view, he can create a bond of empathy between character and reader.

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