So you want to create great characters?
Think about the characters that stay with you long after you've finished a book. They're not just names on a page. They feel like people you've actually met. And from Elizabeth Bennet to Atticus Finch, what they all share in common is a complex psychology: they're people with contradictions, desires, fears, and choices that make sense even when they're complicated.
You might already see them clearly in your mind—their voice, their mannerisms, what makes them tick! The challenge is capturing all that complexity in a way that's organized and usable when you're actually writing. How do you build depth without writing 40 pages of backstory you'll never use? How do you track character arcs, relationships, and growth without losing the spontaneity that makes characters feel real?
That's why we created a complete collection of character development templates: to help you build three-dimensional people systematically, without turning character creation into homework or losing what makes them come alive.
Get access to every character template you'll ever need
Downloaded by over 200,000 authors since we first created it, our character profile template has long been one of our most beloved resources.
And now we've made it even better. We've expanded it into a complete collection of character templates covering profiles, backstories, relationships, arcs, motivations, and more. From protagonists to antagonists, major players to supporting cast, here's a sample of what's inside.
The Ultimate Character Profile Template
What you can do with it: Build a fully realized character through Reedsy's Ultimate Character Profile and explore their personal background, personality, motivations, growth, and role within the story.
- Describe them as if you caught sight of them across an open field.
- What qualities of their face make them memorable?
- What are their distinguishing mannerisms?
- Who counts as chosen family?
- Who do they think about nowadays in the past tense?
- List their bucket list at the age of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50.
- What do they value above all else?
The Antagonist Template
What you can do with it: Create an antagonist that challenges your hero — whether it's a villain, force of nature, or conflict within the protagonist themeslves.
- What is the antagonist’s goal?
- In what ways is the antagonist a foil to the protagonist — or a mirror?
- How does the antagonist view the protagonist?
- What happens to people who challenge the system?
- What skills would help the protagonist overcome or survive the natural force?
- In what way does fate oppose the protagonist’s goals?
- What specific flaw, fear, or belief antagonizes the protagonist?
The Antihero Template
What you can do with it: Craft a morally complex antihero and explore the strengths, flaws, and moral code that will make them endlessly compelling to readers.
- What does your anti-hero want most?
- What fate would they consider worse than death?
- What regret from their past still haunts them?
- What part of themselves do they most despise — but can’t change?
- Who do they truly value as a friend or ally?
- What do they believe is the most overrated virtue?
- How would they choose to die, if they had control?
The Supporting Character Template
What you can do with it: Build out a supporting cast that's distinct, memorable, and necessary to your story.
- What is their signature or preferred outfit?
- What gestures or habits reveal who they are?
- How would the story change significantly if they were removed?
- What early experience most defines who they are now?
- Who are the people who matter most to them?
- What is their relationship to the protagonist?
- What role do they play within their family or closest circle?
Develop your characters, step by step
Just as there's no single "right" way to write, there's no one way to develop characters. That said, a few guiding principles can help you create three-dimensional people.
- Start with desire and obstacle. What does your character want more than anything? What stands in their way—externally and internally? Answer these first, then layer in everything else. Backstory, relationships, and quirks matter most when they illuminate motivation or create conflict.
- Develop in proportion to page time. Your protagonist needs depth and complexity. Your antagonist needs understandable motivations. Your supporting characters need enough definition to feel real, but not so much detail you lose track of your story. Minor characters? A few vivid details beat exhaustive profiles.
- Use templates to discover, not dictate. The best character insights often come from questions you hadn't thought to ask. Use templates to explore contradictions, test motivations, and uncover blind spots in your understanding. Skip questions that don't reveal anything new about who this person really is.
- Write before they're "complete." Characters become real when you put them in scenes making choices, not when you've documented every aspect of their childhood. Build enough to start writing, then let them surprise you. The best character development happens on the page.
What makes Reedsy's character templates different
We built these templates around a simple philosophy: character development should deepen your story, not delay it. Each one is focused, intentional, and designed to fit naturally into your writing workflow. They’re all also integrated into Reedsy Studio, where you'll find an entire ecosystem to strengthen your writing: tools and resources that help you work better, faster, and stronger.
Beyond the template, Studio provides:
- A full universe of planning templates—worldbuilding, story structure, scene planning, timelines, and more
- Seamless integration between all templates and your manuscript
- Full-featured manuscript editor for drafting and revision
- Automatic saving and cross-device syncing
- Export options in multiple formats
- Collaboration tools for writing partners
- Distraction-free writing environment
And of course, these character templates are lovingly built for authors, by authors.
So what are you waiting for? Start creating memorable characters today.
