Are you struggling with creating well-rounded characters for your story? Don't worry, I've got you covered!
Check out my latest article on how to create a detailed character outline spreadsheet to help you get started. This article provides useful tips on how to categorize your character details, including identifying details, basic personal info, physical traits, personality traits, relationships, and even inventory.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced writer, this guide is a great tool to have in your arsenal.
Have any additional character details you think should be included in the outline? Let me know in the comments below!
Character outlining is a very important part of novel writing preparation. The more you know about your characters, the easier it is to…
How to Create a Detailed Character Outline Spreadsheet
If you're a writer, you know that creating well-rounded characters is essential for any successful story. But where do you start? Check out my article on how to create a detailed character outline spreadsheet to learn how.
This article is full of tips on how to organize your character details into categories like identifying details, basic personal info, physical traits, personality traits, and even relationships and inventory.
Let me know what character details you think I missed!
Read the Article: https://medium.com/@kimberseverance/how-to-create-a-detailed-character-outline-spreadsheet-2534fcf60e85
Now for a spreadsheet for one of my Inquisitors! |>
Name: Katherine "Kate" Trevelyan
Favorite drink: Any sort of hard liquor that doesn't taste bitter.
Favorite sport: She loves to hand-to-hand combat.
Body looks like: Short, curvy, somewhat toned.
Walks like: has a slight spring to her step, unconsciously walks on the balls of her feet.
Voice sounds like: I'm still trying to find the right voice for her. :U
Hands feel like: Narrow, bony, and a bit coarse skinned.
Lips taste like: Blackberries.
Breath smells like: Mint.
Clothes typically worn: Black turtleneck, reinforced leather pants, boots, red coat that's always open.
Ethnicity: Human; Free Marcher
Date of birth: The 24th
Place of birth: The Trevelyan Estate in Ostwick.
Currently lives in: Skyhold.
Typical mood at home: analytical, serious, and calculating.
Parents’ names: Sophia Trevelyan and Nathan Trevelyan.
Parents’ occupations: Both of them are nobles of Ostwick. Nathan is an retired Templar though.
Sibling(s) names and occupations: Shane Trevelyan (older brother; dock worker); Lucas Trevelyan (older brother; Templar Captain in Nevarra); Marielle Trevelyan (older sister; Chantry sister); Lloyd Trevelyan (twin brother; Circle Mage turned spy)
Friend(s) names and occupations: Practically everyone in the Inquisition. |D
Rival(s) names and occupations: Alain- Templar Commander; Cerys- elven assassin; Bann Derick- Bann of Ostwick.
Person most likely to get in a fight with: The three mentioned above.
Education: She had many tutors and governesses to help her in her education.
What he or she wanted to be when grown up: At one point, she did want to be a Templar like her father.
First job: Does being the Herald of Andraste count?
Current job: The Inquisitor.
Typical mood at work: Focused, driven, tries to work herself too hard.
Spends most money on: Mostly on things the Inquisition and Skyhold needs- upkeep on the keeps, new weapons and armor, etc. She never really gets a chance to spend money on herself. |D;
Favorite hangout: the library.
Most frequent hangout: On the training grounds.
Typical mood when out: Silly, unpredictable, and a bit spastic.
Crime most likely to commit: Brawling in public.
Political ideas: She never really gave a damn about politics. When too many conflicting ideas overlapped one another and started making no sense, she just gave up trying to figure out anything.
Religious ideas: She's a devout Andrastian.
Ideal tourist destination: She'd love to go to Nevarra or Tevinter. The history at those places make her giddy.
Last tourist destination: She can't really remember the last place she's been to. |>;;;
Greatest accomplishment: Winning a duel against the Bann of Ostwick. He was a judgmental, racist prick who needed to be taken down a couple notches.
Biggest tragedy so far: Her reputation as a noble being so thoroughly tarnished by false rumors spread by her ex.
Tragedy most feared to happen: She dreads making decisions that would end in her companions leaving her. She knows her decisions won't make everyone happy and fears that there will be one that causes someone to leave.
Takes pride in doing: having a rather large knowledge of history and ruins.
Feels shame in doing: Before her change in demeanor, she'd definitely feel some shame in being a virgin at her age. |D;
Believes people should do what to abide by their code: don't be a dickwad and treat everyone like you'd want to be treated.
Favorite drink: when she doesn't want anything alcoholic or is at work or is working on one of her videos for her channel, she'll drink Red Bull or Mountain Dew. Otherwise, you will see her knock back a beer like nobody's business.
Favorite sport: Volleyball and basketball.
Body looks like: Skinny as a rail and mostly all leg. She's fair skinned with some muscle tone and has piercings in her ears and nose. On her neck she has a tattoo of a Creeper face and plans to get more when she has more money saved up.
Walks like: Kinda quick with short strides. When she's in a hurry, SHE FUCKING SPRINTS LIKE SHE SHOULD BE A TRACK STAR.
Voice sounds like: It's a bit low-pitched and slightly breathy. Can sound a bit sleepy too, especially if she's played a horror game for a video and didn't sleep the night before. Also, she picked up her grandfather's voice cracks when stressed.
Hands feel like: The tops of her hands are smooth, but her fingertips are calloused. Sometimes they can get a bit dry from her forgetting to put on lotion every once in a while.
Lips taste like: Raspberry lipgloss or watermelon lipgloss.
Breath smells like: Bubblegum or Mountain Dew.
Clothes typically worn: Skinny jeans and one of the t-shirts that the gaming community sells (ex: RT shirts, Game Grumps shirts, etc.)
Ethnicity: American.
Date of birth: August 21.
Place of birth: In a city outside her grandfather's home.
Currently lives in: an apartment in America.
Typical mood at home: Relaxed and rather goofy.
Parents’ names: Khan Jen Fei-Everdeen (father); Barbara Michaelson (mother)
Parents’ occupations: Khan- hacker for the FBI; Barbara- freelancer agent.
Sibling(s) names and occupations: She's an only child. |>
Friend(s) names and occupations: Xavier Frost- independant filmmaker.
Rival(s) names and occupations: Those that who think they can take her on in a game simply because she's a girl.
Person most likely to get in a fight with: No one really. |>
Education: A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Design and a Bachelor's Degree in Art.
What he or she wanted to be when grown up: She wanted to be either like Barb and go into the FBI or be like Steven and do commissioned sculptures and such.
First job: Worked at GameStop.
Current job: Running her own YouTube channel.
Typical mood at work: Passionate and hyper, but can get a bit silly.
Spends most money on: Games, new consoles, recording equipment and software, and new computer parts.
Favorite hangout: The arcade.
Most frequent hangout: Her game room at home.
Typical mood when out: She's a bit calmer and relaxed, unless you give her a drink. Then she's just as nutty and crazy as she is when she's working.
Crime most likely to commit: Drunk in public.
Political ideas: To her she's all "fuck politics." especially since her mom and dad work with the FBI and that politics enter their work quite often.
Religious ideas: Agnostic.
Ideal tourist destination: Bethseda Softworks, BioWare, or Bungie.
Last tourist destination: New York City, New York.
Greatest accomplishment: When her video for one of the games she was playing from her channel reached 1 million views.
Biggest tragedy so far: Probably when Xavier left to go back to Australia. She lost her best gaming partner.
Tragedy most feared to happen: She'd hate for anything to happen to her family or friends.
Takes pride in doing: Her Gamerscore. It's quite high.
Feels shame in doing: Rage quitting. She explodes worse than Michael would. |D
Believes people should do what to abide by their code: Don't judge a person by their sex. She hates it when guys think that she's fake when she games.
Strongest prejudice: Misogynists are a big problem with her. She also has a problem with trolls.
Favorite curse: “Fuck a duck! DX"
Best compliment given: Even though it's likely given after they got their butts beaten by her, she's been complimented on how good she is at gaming.
Most annoying habit: Taunting people over headsets.
Most endearing habit: She takes her losses in stride and is known to be quite helpful in co-op games.
Virginity lost in what manner: Not likely any time soon. |>
Sex life: Nonexistent.
Typical mood after sex: Nope.
Principal goal: To prove that she's as great a gamer and YouTube content creator as some of the other Let's Players and gamers out there.
Biggest obstacle: Those that hate on her because she's a girl.
Due to a recent bout of inspiration and current RPs, it is time for a new spreadsheet! This time for my Chinese reaper, Yin Zhi.
Name: Zhong Yin Zhi
Favorite drink: Like all the other Reapers I did spreadsheets for (Juliette, Azrail, Dragomir), she's dead. But she does enjoy hot tea with clover honey.
Favorite sport: Can you count tai-chi as a sport?
Body looks like: Where Dragomir is the largest Reaper in the DOD, Yin Zhi is the smallest at around 4'8". She's also very petite in width, very, very fair skinned, and willowy.
Walks like: Small steps. Very quick, but they look a little painful because of a certain practice done to her feet (foot-binding).
Voice sounds like: Sharp and cold. Very strict and almost demanding. When she is flustered or in a mode of dead seriousness, she will only speak Chinese rather than English.
Hands feel like: Small, dainty, smooth.
Lips taste like: They're rather soft and cool and have the slight taste of honeysuckle nectar.
Breath smells like: Green tea.
Clothes typically worn: Yin Zhi normally wears the traditional gowns that women wore in ancient China in various patterns and colors.
Ethnicity: Chinese
Date of birth: January, the year 620. She died later on in the Tang dynasty when either a scorned lover or a housemaid poisoned her cup of tea.
Place of birth: Xi'an, China. At the time though, it was known as Chang'an.
Currently lives in: a small home in rural China nestled among a cherry tree orchard.
Typical mood at home: contemplative, lonely, somewhat sad.
Parents’ names: Zhong Shui Wei (father); Zhong Bai Jia (mother)
Parents’ occupations: Her father was once a general of the Chinese army and her mother was a clothmaker.
Sibling(s) names and occupations: She's an only child.
Friend(s) names and occupations: Can't say she has many of those. |3; Her personality tends to drive people away.
Rival(s) names and occupations: Torio Sakuya- Reaper Captain of the Japanese faction.
Person most likely to get in a fight with: Again, Torio. Mostly because she is a jealous lady and thinks he is undeserving of Yama's attention.
Education: She was tutored a lot when she was alive.
What he or she wanted to be when grown up: She wanted to be a clothmaker much like her mother was.
First job: didn't have one.
Current job: Captain of the Chinese division of Reapers for the DOD.
Typical mood at work: fierce, calm, determined.
Spends most money on: silks for her gowns, strings for her ehru, tea, makeup.
Favorite hangout: The cherry blossom tree garden at the DOD.
Most frequent hangout: Se above.
Typical mood when out: quiet, somber, at ease.
Crime most likely to commit: She'd probably be the only one to have a spotless record. |>;
Political ideas: She doesn't really keep up with politics yo.
Religious ideas: Buddhism.
Ideal tourist destination: She'd like to be anywhere outside of her home country.
Last tourist destination: Hong Kong.
Greatest accomplishment: Gaining Yama's favor.
Biggest tragedy so far: To her, it would have to be not being selected for this "special training" that Yama had given to Torio. She believed wholeheartedly that she deserves the same training, but Yama told her otherwise.
Tragedy most feared to happen: Losing Yama's favor. She idolizes the god.
Takes pride in doing: her musical talent and skill with clothing.
Feels shame in doing: her jealousy.
Believes people should do what to abide by their code: not act as if you have to go out and prove what you are to others when they already know.
Strongest prejudice: She kinda has it against those who don't work hard to gain respect.
Favorite curse: Gǒupì... (Shit...)
Best compliment given: She has been complimented on her beauty and her musical ability.
Most annoying habit: "whipping people into shape".
Most endearing habit: Her drive to make herself better.
Virginity lost in what manner: |D She never lost it!
Sex life: ---
Typical mood after sex: ---
Principal goal: Pretty much in the beginning, Yin Zhi just wanted to solely have Yama's attention for herself. But now, she's made it top priority to whip her team into shape.
Biggest obstacle: Her overzealous devotion to the god Yama and her acerbic attitude toward others.
You know the drill. A character spreadsheet for my reaper, Dragomir "Big Bear" Maksimov.
Name: Dragomir "Big Bear" Maksimov
Favorite drink: Like Azrail and Juliette, Dragomir is dead as dead can be. But he can and will knock back alcohol like nobody's business.
Favorite sport: Any kind of hand-to-hand combat.
Body looks like: The man's a GIANT. He is the largest Reaper in the Department of Death at 7'1". He's quite muscular too- built like a brick wall.
Walks like: Heavy steps, huge strides, walks slowly though.
Voice sounds like: Can be VERY LOUD AND BOOMING. But he often tones it down because he can scare people within ten feet of him with his voice. It also has a thick Russian accent, which he will slip in his native tongue should he so choose to. He mostly speaks English though.
Hands feel like: Large, calloused, strong.
Lips taste like: A bit cold with a slight taste of vodka or whiskey.
Breath smells like: Cinnamon.
Clothes typically worn: A long tan overcoat with a dark brown furred collar, black slacks, boots that stop midway to his calf, and leather gloves.
Ethnicity: Russian.
Date of birth: April of 1973. He died in the middle of a riot when the Berlin Wall had fallen.
Place of birth: Moscow, Russia.
Currently lives in: his old home back in Moscow. He was surprised to see the building still standing.
Typical mood at home: Quiet, at ease, a bit homesick.
Parents’ names: He never knew his parents.
Parents’ occupations: Again, he never knew them.
Sibling(s) names and occupations: He had a sister that had died from the measles when she was younger. He still visits her gravesite and her spirit in his free time.
Friend(s) names and occupations: Juliette LaPonte- Captain of the French Division; Claudia Alfero- Captain of the Italian division; Torio Sakuya- Captain of the Japanese division; Arthur McDougal- reaper of the Great Britain division; Azrail Sombra- second-in-command for the North American God of Death
Rival(s) names and occupations: There seems to be a bit of bad blood between Ulrich Reiniger, a reaper of the German division.
Person most likely to get in a fight with: He'd be the one breaking up fights if he can help it. But he will also get a bit hostile toward those who harass his friends.
Education: He at least graduated high-school and went through a few years of college. Never completed it though.
What he or she wanted to be when grown up: A cosmonaut. Yuri Gagarin inspired him. |3
First job: Factory worker
Current job: Captain of the Russian division of Reapers for the DOD.
Typical mood at work: hot-blooded, serious, willing to kill.
Spends most money on: Liquor, tickets to sports events.
Favorite hangout: The training grounds at the DOD.
Most frequent hangout: The bar/lounge at the DOD.
Typical mood when out: a bit boisterous, light-hearted, has a higher tolerance than most for people's stupidity.
Crime most likely to commit: brawling in public.
Political ideas: He believed in Communism for a long, long time. But since death, his old political views kind have lost their flavor with him. He still holds pride for his country though.
Religious ideas: Religion is the last thing on his mind.
Ideal tourist destination: He's not really the touristy kind of person. He'd prefer to stay at home if he can.
Last tourist destination: Siberia in winter. Less for tourist reasons though.
Greatest accomplishment: Being able to outdrink even the heaviest of drinkers.
Biggest tragedy so far: He really hasn't had anything tragic to happen to him.
Tragedy most feared to happen: Not being able to do anything to help his friends when they are in need.
Takes pride in doing: his steadfastness and loyalty.
Feels shame in doing: letting the 'bear' inside him out.
Believes people should do what to abide by their code: stay loyal and true to those in your inner circle.
Strongest prejudice: Not really prejudiced.
Favorite curse: Otvali! (Fuck off!)
Best compliment given: He brushes off compliments. Not that he doesn't like them, he just doesn't think they're that important to him.
Most annoying habit: Giving people nicknames and being slightly overprotective.
Most endearing habit: When he encourages people to get stronger and stand on their own.
Virginity lost in what manner: He lost it to an old flame years ago when he was 25.
Sex life: Doesn't happen. Not because he's dead, but because he is single and not exactly looking for a girl.
Typical mood after sex: Undetermined.
Principal goal: He at first just wanted to get through his unlife with as little trouble as possible. Now he wants to be that figure that everyone can look up to and remake himself into a better person.
Favorite drink: Like Azrail, she's dead as a doornail, so drinking won't really matter to her. But she enjoys the taste of wines and fruit drinks.
Favorite sport: Fencing.
Body looks like: For a woman, she is tall. I mean, 6'3" tall. She is also toned to the point where her curves are a bit more defined.
Walks like: long strides, brisk steps, her head held high.
Voice sounds like: It is somewhat soft, but can carry a harsh edge. She doesn't need to raise her voice to sound threatening. Her voice is also slightly French accented, despite the fact that she rarely speaks her native tongue- unless aggravated or tired.
Hands feel like: Smooth, dainty, but have a firm grip.
Lips taste like: Most likely cigarette tobacco. Whoops for old vices.
Breath smells like: Again, cigarette tobacco, or perhaps mint.
Clothes typically worn: A dark blue riding jacket with tails, trimmed in silver, red waistcoat (also trimmed in silver), white button-up long sleeved shirt with ruffled sleeves, dark blue riding pants, black heeled boots, and a cravat around her neck with a sapphire pin.
Ethnicity: French
Date of birth: January 1779. She can't remember an exact day though. She died April of 1796.
Place of birth: Bourdeaux, France.
Currently lives in: a small apartment in Paris, France amongst the Living.
Typical mood at home: Calm, relaxed, more like herself
Sibling(s) names and occupations: Bernadette LaPonte (Alaia)- sister; gypsy and demon hunter
Friend(s) names and occupations: Dragomir Maksimov- reaper of the European division, Claudia Alfero- reaper of the European division, Torio Sakuya- reaper of the Asian division, Persephone- Hades' second in command and wife, Hades- Council member and God of Death for Europe.
Rival(s) names and occupations: None to note.
Person most likely to get in a fight with: Soul Eaters, Harvesters, and other Reapers who think that they can take her on so easily because she doesn't appear all that strong. She isn't the Department's strongest for nothing.
Education: She had many governesses teach her throughout her years alive. But if you had to compare her educational level to a more modern scale, she would be at least a high school graduate.
What he or she wanted to be when grown up: Preferably not a housewife, despite how women were treated around that era in history. She always wanted to be a professional fencer or rider.
First job: Revolutionist
Current job: head of the French division of Reapers for the DOD
Typical mood at work: driven, calculating, cold. She leaves no room for error in her work.
Spends most money on: clothing, cigarettes, and rent for her apartment. Hey, rent is expensive!
Favorite hangout: the very top of the Eiffel Tower.
Most frequent hangout: Wherever her friends are at, she'll likely be there.
Typical mood when out: silent, soft-spoken, perhaps a bit shy and bashful. She's not exactly the most eloquent in speaking to others.
Crime most likely to commit: starting a riot. Aaaaaaand, she has already done that prior to death.
Political ideas: Having lived during a time where the monarchy was really, really flawed, she believes that the people need more freedom than what they have had in the past, but not so much to where it causes anarchy. Rules are there for a reason- to be followed and also to be broken, but not to the point where people rebel and not to the point where the people are uncontrollable from their freedoms.
Religious ideas: She was born and raised Catholic, but since her death, she's not exactly followed her religious beliefs from her past as heavily as she had before.
Ideal tourist destination: She'd love to go to Cancun.
Last tourist destination: The Catacombs in Paris for some intensive spiritual training.
Greatest accomplishment: Outside of being Captain of the French division? Taking down a Soul Eater on her own when she first started out.
Biggest tragedy so far: Watching her mentor be devoured by a Soul Eater.
Tragedy most feared to happen: Something happening to Claudia or Torio to where they are killed in action.
Takes pride in doing: her strength in battle and her combat skills
Feels shame in doing: hiding her true feelings to those she cares about
Believes people should do what to abide by their code: stay true to yourself and your beliefs.
Strongest prejudice: She kinda has a thing against men who believe that women are weak.
Favorite curse: Merde tous... (Dammit all...)
Best compliment given: Her looks and her height.
Most annoying habit: Being silent and appearing heartless around others.
Most endearing habit: Her being somewhat overprotective over women that aren't as strong as she is.
Virginity lost in what manner: She lost it to her lover, Salvador, at 16 when he was 25.
Sex life: Non-existant. |D
Typical mood after sex: Dunno.
Principal goal: She didn't really have one in the beginning, but now it's to keep Claudia and Torio safe from harm.
