Characters. There are so many things to be said about them, so many questions to be asked. Should you pick a male or a female MC (main character); how many characters should you have in a story; how to build them, make them realistic and not forget what they are like… So many things that I’ll have to write several chapters on this topic. I’m not even sure where to start! But I’ll give it a try.

Let’s begin with something basic – gender. That, my friends, is entirely up to you. So far I usually have a guy and a girl as main characters for my works but I’ve read wattpad stories about sisters or brothers or about same-sex friendships that I’ve found truly touching. Besides, you can give the same traits to a woman that you can give to a man and personality is more important than the person’s gender.

So how many characters should you have and what type?

As many as needed. If you are writing a story about everyday life and something that could truly happen, then you will need more characters than if you are writing about two lovers on a lonely island. Here are some roles that are typical for the majority of books (in no particular order):

1. Your main character.

2. Their rival. If your main character is the good guy (or girl), then this guy/girl needs to be the villain; if your main character is a bank robber, then the rival could be the cop who is hot on his trail.

3. Love interest. The other person might love them back, they might hate them or they might not even know your MC exists.

4. Mentor. This could be a parent, another relative or a really good friend; the mentor is typically older, wiser and more experienced.

5. Best friend(s).

6. Family. This is optional; your character could be an orphan. But if they are not, then at least mention the family, even if your MC no longer lives with them.

7. Roommates.

8. Classmates, colleagues, employers and employees. If you are writing a modern-day story then don’t forget: your characters go or have gone to school; they need a job to make money, especially if they don’t have someone to support them (mommy, daddy, rich aunt/uncle, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.)

9. People you meet outside of your house: waitresses, bartenders, bankers, street performers, bus drivers, cab drivers, police officers, beggars… Unless your character lives in isolation, there must be other people, even if you use them as a part of the background. You don’t have to actually develop such characters but if your MC gives his lunch money to a beggar then hey, I know your MC is a decent, compassionate human being; and if your male MC always walks by the beggar without so much as a glance their way but gives the unfortunate man money when he sees a cute girl standing by, I’d know he’s a prick and a player. See? Even if you don’t give that beggar a name and he does nothing in the story but sit on the sidewalk with his arm extended towards the people who pass by him, he can be used to display a trait of your MC’s personality.

By the way, just because I wrote “main character” in number one, it doesn’t mean you only have to have ONE main character. Your story could resolve around a group of friends, each with their own problems and goals.

Now, let’s for argument’s sake imagine that you already have a plot and a basic idea about some of the characters.

How do you make sure you don’t forget what they look like?

Or what is their favorite food?

Or even how old they are?

Here is where character sheets come in!

What is a character sheet?

It is a list with everything important about your character as well as some minor things you might not end up using. I use character sheets for each story I create and I make them in the form of a table consisting of 2 columns and as many rows as traits you want to add. A basic character sheet would look like this (you’ll get a better idea if you look at the picture in the multimedia section and click on the links in the first comment):

*Column One*            | *Column Two*

Name                            | Write the character’s first and family name

Nick names                  | A good place to show what their friends or enemies call them

Age                            | You can write a specific number or something like “in their twenties”

Height                           | This could be a specific number or tall, short, average

Complexion                  | Fair, tanned, etc.

Eye color                       | Here you write the color of their eyes

Hair                             | Write the color of their hair and maybe long, short, wavy, favorite style, etc.

Related to                     | Person’s name and what they are to this character, e.g. mother - Vanessa

Friends with                 | Write their friends’ names

Enemies with               | Write their enemies’ names

Love interest           | Here you can put not only a name but also “crush”, “dating”, “married”, etc.

Mentor/Role model    | Who guides and inspires them?

Goals/Dreams            | What they strive to (good grades, get a raise, discover a hidden treasure)

Fears                             | We have them so why not your character?

Additional info         |  Here you put everything you don’t have a row for: piercings, tattoos, favorite food/drink/movie/actor/band, which year they are in high school/college or what is their profession, the name of the town they live in, their nationality, catch phrase, most common traits, hobby, languages they speak… everything you can think of; each character will have different things about them as additional info.

If you are writing a fantasy or sci-fi novel, here are some other things you might include:

Race/species;

World they come from;

Abilities (shape shifters, healers, warriors);

Weapon of choice;

Who/what is their familiar (if you are writing about witches) or spirit animal/guide.

If you write a series, add this:

*Column One*                      | *Column Two*

Books with this character | Book One – mentioned, Book Two – not present, Book Three – main                        character

Important note: if your character grows up during the series, write the age for each of the books. Their profession or the town they are in might also change. For example:

*Column One*                     | *Column Two*

Name                                    | Alissa Clover Green

Nick names                          | Alice

Age                                        | The Green Girl – 17; Frost on the Green - 18

Books with this character | Book One – main character, Book Two – main character

I’ll post a link in the comments and as an external link to a site that might help you pick names for your characters. You could also search for other sites that offer baby names; they’ll show you how popular a name is, its origin and variations and whether it’s a girl’s or a boy’s name (useful when looking for foreign names).

Okay, I think this is all you need to know about character sheets/tables. More tips on characters - such as how to make them seem real and keep track of them - in future chapters.