Character creation can be the most fun part of writing for the author. It allows you to get to know a character well. Which in turn makes it much easier to develop and write about the character in the story itself.

This isn’t so useful in short stories as there is little room for character detail. However, for a series of short stories and indeed for novels, it’s vital to ensure you have well-rounded and realistic feeling characters.

Sometimes you don’t even need to create the character. Holly for me wasn’t a creation -- she was real. She told me all I needed to know about her and I could see her so clearly in my mind. So, her character sheet was just that reflection of what I saw and was told.

Other characters develop as you write about them. This is fine and fun too -- especially if you go wild and fantastical with it.  

In either case, the character development sheet you will see gives you a place to put all the information. A reference to check as you go along. It’s also a place for all the details you know about the character that won’t make the book. Yes, it's good to keep a secret or two from the reader. This gives the character depth and interest.

Below are the basic points for the character creation sheet. Make one of these for each of the characters. Remembering that the more important that character's role is, the more detail you need.

This sheet is at a basic level so feel free to add as many categories as you need to flesh out your character.

Copy this into a document and have fun!

Character Bio

Name- 

Age-               Eyes-              Hair-

Weight-         Build-             Height-

….

Distinguishing features- 

Clothing-

Special items-

….

Likes- 

Dislikes-

Family-  

….

Education- 

Occupation- 

Place of Birth

Residence- 

Personality type- 

….

Brief History- 

Character story- 

Personal Goals- 

Future- 

….

Quirks and foibles- 

You can find a myriad of similar character sheets freely available on Pinterest among places too.  
Happy writing!