How to Make a Character Profile (that actually helps)

Many writers use character profiles to develop their characters and to keep track of information. They can be a useful tool for both learning more about your characters, and making sure all your information stays consistent and easy to reference. Here are a few key things to keep in mind in order to build an effective character profile!

RESOURCES:

FIND REEDSY HERE:

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
1:33 - Try 1st person
1:50 - Be specific
2:08 - Be intentional
2:36 - Adjust the template
2:56 - Organize efficiently

RESOURCES:

[rachelthompson]

I feel the most important aspect of developing a profile is to give the protag a flaw that will at first prevent them from reaching the goal or resolution. I find doing profiles are useful for me because it fixes the protag and other players firmly in my mind. I never refer to my profiles once I start writing. The characters are infused into my left brain so I let the right brain do it's thing. In this way the characters surprise me at times.

[davidgould]

Using the character’s voice to answer questions on the profile is a great idea. I had never thought of doing that. Thank you for that advice.

[schmb]

LOL
What?
Nobody cares about eye color or favorite food.
Think more about what your characters really cares about, what gets him up in the morning, who his friends and family are and how that affects him, etc...
You create your protagonist based on your themes and then you create your other characters to inform your readers about your themes and your protagonist.
Your protagonist isn't determining what you write - you are the creator and you determine how your protagonist describes and informs your themes.
Stick to the level of realism you need for your story (because not every plot is down to Earth), but create your characters so they can tell the best version of your story.
Your 'character profile' needs to come out of your story needs so you don't need to stick to it while you're writing. Change anything that clashes with the themes you're writing about.
Eye color and favorite food don't create tension (they might if you are really crazy about it but they usually don't). Your character profile should include strong emotions, likes, dislikes, wants, desires, traumatic past, parents, siblings, etc...
But, one thing to keep in your mind is to craft your protagonist in the best way to fit your themes and to not be afraid to change him if you need to. After all, that's what the second, third and every other draft is for anyway.
Try to remember - you're not writing about your imagined character. You are trying to say something and you are using a character to say it. All your characters are puppets that you are using to say something (sometimes just one thing). But, don't forget to make those puppets real people! They have to be realistic (usually consistent )! Once you finally have a character that fits all your story needs, write him as a real person. Don't force your story on him if he doesn't fit it but instead change him to fit your story better (from the start - rewrites, rewrites, rewrites).

[BrunchwiththeBradleys]

Dear @Reedsy could you please ban Vocal Fry on your training videos for us oldies. It’s incredibly grating and distracting 😢
It makes it really difficult to focus on the content.
Apologies for being grumpy, but it really is excruciating and frustrating 😊

[RosheenQuynh]

Writing in first person is interesting, although I think that may not work for things that the character may not understand themselves or would admit.

[ILoveZeke]

I love your videos because their short and helpful and you always get right to the point

[monstermonster]

It would be nice when you do this kind of video, you gave an example like how you'd do it. This is like saying "How to cook a fried chicken?" and you answer "oh you put the chicken on a fryer but try not to burnt it". Well still a good video.

[u_t_d_s_h-_a]

Some novelists allow their characters details emerge as writing progresses...

[louiserule]

We were taught by our tutor at university to give each main character a life even if parts of that life is never mentioned in the story. It makes them three dimensional.

[booklanerecommendations]

How can I write a character profile in first person and have it still be accurate? A lot of my characters might not know certain things about themselves on a deeper level, and some would even lie or deny things about themselves.

[nikkinewbie]

Fix the spelling of efficiently on tip 5. I know what a great and valuable resource you and this channel are but someone coming to the channel for the first time might make a snap judgment.

If so, it would be their loss for sure but I just wanted to make you aware.

Great content. I plan to incorporate my characters’ enneagram type in their profiles…once I discover what they each are.