Want Lifelike Characters? Create a Character Bible

by Angela Ackerman, @onestop4writers

Some characters are so dynamic on the page it’s easy to imagine them as real people. Everything they say, do, and think is consistent with who they are, they have a past and present, and readers never have to guess at what they feel, want, or need.

This type of authenticity comes about because the writer has invested a good amount of time getting to know the character inside and out, and they kept information about them on hand so they could reference it throughout writing and revising to avoid character-specific mistakes.

And mistakes do happen. We forget things about our characters as we go— Does Emma fear lizards, or birds? —or we change our mind, deciding mid-book Liam is into skateboarding, not parkour. Either way, nothing pulls readers out of the story faster than when details shift mid-story, so we need a system to help us keep each character straight. And this is where a Character Bible can really come in handy.

What is a Character Bible, and how do I create one?

A character bible is a document that contains personal details about a character that you can reference as you write and revise. It will have everything from your character’s appearance and preferences to their backstory wounds, goals, and needs. Not only will building one help you keep track of important details, but you’ll also find you’ve really gotten into their skin and discovered who they are, and that will make it so much easier to write their actions, choices, and behavior in the story.

How detailed your bible is depends on how important the character is, but here’s some things you may wish to write down:

Appearance

What does your character look like? Do they have any interesting features that suggest the type of person they are? For example, their hair: is their go-to a messy bun, is it chronically unwashed, or is every curl carefully tamed? Or do their clothes suggest a style preference or level of wealth? Do they have scars, marks, or defects that hint at an experience or trauma? Sharing a few specific details can help readers visualize the character and get a sense of who they are.

Backstory

Your character had a past before they arrived at the doorstep of this story, and the people and experiences part of their past will have shaped them into who they are today. So, who was influential in this character’s life in good ways and bad? What challenges have they overcome? What negative experiences (emotional wounds) have soured them on certain people or the world in general? What is their greatest achievement to date? Answering some of these will give you a good sense of what their past looked like, and how they may carry some things forward, like emotional baggage, or a sense of duty, a compulsion to fix people, etc.

Personality Traits

Every character will have a unique personality made up of positive traits (strengths & identity markers) and negative traits (flaws that tend to keep people and situations at a distance so the character can avoid being hurt by them). Think about both halves – this character’s defining positive qualities, and also ones that create friction with others or cause them problems in life.

Moral & Spiritual Beliefs

All characters, even the baddies, have their own moral code. What beliefs are so important to your character they will sacrifice other things to stay true to them? Where is their line in the sand? How do they show integrity, and what ideas are important enough to them to protect?

Emotional Range & Behaviors

Each person expresses themselves in a unique way, and characters will too. Think about each character as an individual – are they open and communicative about feelings, or keep it all inside? Ae they reactive and demonstrative, or more reserved? Do they have certain quirks? Are they extroverted or introverted, or somewhere in the middle? Understanding the basics of your character’s emotional responses will help you write their actions and dialogue in a way that lines up.

Fears and Misbeliefs

Every character will have had negative experiences that left behind a fear that it could happen again and cause that same emotional pain. What does that fear look like for your character? And has life’s unkind treatment left them feeling somehow less? Do they believe they are not worthy of trust, friendship, love, responsibility, or praise? Do they believe they are defective in some way, or not deserving of happiness? Knowing the answers here will help you see how they must cast aside this lie and see themselves and/or the world differently to move past what is holding them back.

Talents, Skills, and Abilities

All characters will have a few things they are good at, or abilities that make them unique. Giving your character a talent or skill that will in the end help them achieve their goal (even in an unexpected way) can create a great sense of synchronicity for readers.

Likes and Dislikes

What are some of your character’s preferences…and why? Will these preferences steer their behavior in the story in good ways and bad? (Yes, the answer is yes.)

Hobbies, Interests, and Passions

What does your character enjoy doing? For a character to be realistic, they should have a few things personal to them that make life more enjoyable, things that may have nothing to do with their mission in the story. These things humanize them, and even if they don’t end up in your story, they’ll help you view them as someone rounded and real.

Current Situation

Just like a character has a past, they have a present, too.  Note a few details about where they live, what their family situation is like, what job they do, the vehicle they use to get around, and any routines or habits that might show up in the story.

What They Want Most

Every character wants something – a goal that will make their situation better and leave them happier or more complete. This is what you’re your character is striving to do or achieve in your story.

What They Need

Sometimes what your character wants and what they need are a bit different. Maybe your character wants a new girlfriend to get past the pain of their latest breakup, but what they need is time to look after themselves and understand why they keep choosing toxic partners. This could lead to better understanding what’s missing in their life, and their true goal will be something that completes them, filling this missing need.

Secrets

Every character has a secret (maybe more than a few!) so think about what they are hiding from others. Is there something that could create big problems for them if it was revealed, or does it tie into their unresolved emotional wound? (Readers love secrets, and a hint of one will keep them flipping pages.)

Worldview

How do they view the world – do they believe most people are good, or untrustworthy? Do they put others first, or look out for number one? Do they have biases, avoid certain places and experiences because they have preconceived ideas about what will happen, or refuse to listen to certain opinions that go against their own? If so, try to understand how this might tie to their backstory experiences.

Insecurities & Sensitivities

Life is not always gentle, and experiences where your character’s ego was bruised, or their emotions upended may have left them feeling insecure or easily triggered. If there are emotions your character tries to avoid feeling, or situations they stay away from because they make them feel weak, inept, or emotionally volatile, make a note. These are all pointing to past pain, and you might wish to use them in the story to push them to become more self-aware so they can start a journey to healing.

Whew, that’s a lot of planning, I know! But wow, think of how well you’ll know your character after this brainstorming, and writing it down gives you a reference to turn to when you need it.

TIP: Create a Character Bible the Easy Way

Character Bibles contain a lot of information, meaning it takes time to uncover their inner layers. If you’d like to use a tool that helps you brainstorm faster & creates a character profile that becomes your Character Bible, try the Character Builder at One Stop for Writers.

This Character Builder contains a massive database of character information that will help you create a character from the ground up, planning their backstory, behavior, skills, goals, personality, fears, and everything else listed above.

It also uses psychology to help you see which details will be important for character arc and connects dots for you. For example, if you decide your character is manipulative, the tool shows you all the possible emotional wounds that might have caused this negative trait to form. It also lists the behaviors a manipulative person will exhibit, and more. Or if you decide your character is a teacher, the tool shows you a list of positive traits, skills, and more that someone who does this job will probably have. With a click, you can any traits or skills you wish, and as one decision leads to another, very soon you have a rounded, authentic character.

This profile becomes your Character Bible, and if you make changes as you write, it’s easy to update. To see an example, here’s a Character Bible I created. If you want to try the tool for yourself, the free trial lets you design a character profile for online use.

Are You Writing a Series?

While your characters will evolve in some ways over the course of a story, some things will stay the same, and as Elizabeth notes, we can get fuzzy on details when time passes between books. So, if you plan on writing multiple books in the same world, you may want to create a Series Bible to track characters, settings, important events, and other details that reoccur. This way everything is consistent book to book.

Have you created a Character Bible before? Let me know in the comments!

Angela Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, and its many sequels. Available in nine languages, her guides are sourced by US universities, recommended by agents and editors, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, and psychologists around the world. To date, this book collection has sold over 900,000 copies.

Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers, as well as One Stop for Writers, a portal to game-changing tools and resources that enable writers to craft powerful fiction. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.