How to Create a simple Character Profile: Lionel Lewis

What is a character profile?

Outstanding characters make or break a story. It is essential to know your characters like they’re your best friends. Ask them questions. What’s their favorite snack? Do they have any pet peeves? Are they afraid of anything? Compile the answers to create a character profile.

A character profile is a collection of information you know about your characters, such as their backstory, traits, and physical appearance.

In this blog post and in this series, I will share character profiles I created for my newest cast of characters. Any information regarding this story is subject to change. After this post, check out future profiles in this series.

Lionel Lewis

Role: MC's love interest

Age: 27

Birthday: February 5th

Zodiac sign: Aquarius

Species: Human

Appearance

Go-to-hairstyle: curly, cut short, fade

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'11

Wears Glasses?: No

Personality Traits

• believes charismatic

• courageous

• loyal

• family oriented

• hopeless romantic

Background

Lionel grew up in one of the troubled neighborhoods in town. It's where most humans live because magic makes the world go round nowadays and humans have none. Growing up poor didn't make Lionel feel unfortunate. His mother was an alcoholic and never met his father, but he still had his grandma, who loved him to the end of the earth. She took him to church, had presents under the tree waiting for him on Christmas, and never judged him because he wanted to be a singer instead of going to school.

Wants and Fears

Lionel wants to become a famous singer because before she passed away, his grandma made him promise to follow his dreams and she believed in him.

He fears he won't be able to do it. Even though he believes in himself, sometimes he doubts that it's enough for the music industry. He also fears he'll let his team down who needs him to make their dreams happen.

Q & A

Asking your characters questions about themselves is an easy way to understand them. If you wonder how a character might react in certain situations, go back and look at their answers as a reference. I got my questions from this ultimate character questionnaire. I came up with a few of my own after not using all 150. Use theirs or create your own list. It should cater to you and your characters.

Questions	Answer
Do they have a catchphrase?	No
2. What words or phrases do they overuse?	N/A
3. Are they optimistic or pessimistic?	Optimistic
4. Introverted or extroverted?	Extroverted
5. How do they want to be seen by others?	He doesn't care how anyone sees him.
6. How do they see themselves?	Lionel sees himself as a simple guy who loved music.
7. How do others see them?	Strangers think he's a womanizing musician. Those who know him know Lionel is a great guy.
8. Strongest character trait?	He isn't afraid to put himself out there. If he wants it, he'll try to get it.
9. Biggest character flaw?	He puts his heart on his sleeve and dates women who use him.
10. Are they competitive?	No
11. What are their pet peeves?	​He hates listening to music by Mackenzie
12. What is their obsession?	N/A
13. Is their family big or small?	Small
14. What is their ideal best friend?	Lionel expects his best friend to be loyal just like him and to keep his best interest at heart.
15. Do they have any pets?	No
16. Did they grow up rich or poor?	Poor
17. Were they nurtured or neglected as a child?	He was nurtured by his Grandma and neglected by his mom.
18. Strongest childhood memory?	His grandma told him to follow his dream.
19. Do they believe in love at first sight?	Yes
20. Have they ever been in love?	Yes
21. Have they ever had their heart broken?	Yes
22. Are they more likely to get into a fight?	No
​23. Do they hate anyone?	No
​24. Were they ever bullied?	No
​25. What is their current job?	Lionel works as a full-time singer. His main gig is at the Soul Café.
​26. How do they feel about their current job?	They love their current job.
​27. What is their favorite food?	​All-meat pizza with onions
​28. Highest level of education?	Highschool diploma
29. What are their spiritual beliefs?	Lionel isn't religious, but he does believe there is something out there.
30. What is their treasured possession if they have one?	His car. It belonged to his Grandma.

Conclusion

Characters are just as important to story as plot. We want our characters to be lovable, memorable, and relatable. Keeping a character profile is an excellent reference tool when writing because it reminds of their motivations and ambitions. What do they want? Why do they want it? Why are they mean? Why are they upset? Should they not be? A character profile can help answer these questions.