Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! Over the years, I feel like I’ve perfected (more or less) my world/character-building process, so I figured, why not make a post about it? I’m a neat freak as well, which helps a ton. Below, I’ve included everything I do/make to keep track of all my characters, worlds, and their traits as well as other resources that help. Enjoy!

psst… head over to my Freebies page for downloadable character worksheets!

>> Brief Character Notes <<

If you have a lot of characters (background or main) it can be easy to get them mixed up, or forget about some, or forget certain traits they may have. So, I like to first make a document with all the characters in my book as well as any basic traits that are important to remember. For example:

Callie Elizabeth
Age: 20
Race: white (American, of European descent)
Hair Color: light brown
Eye Color: green
Brief Description: Callie is a bright-spirited and friendly young woman. She is almost always enamored by “the little things” and will draw everyone’s attention to the sunset or a pretty flower at any given moment. She loves coffee, candles, and being outside, and is working toward living more organic/natural. She hopes to someday live on multiple acres and homestead.

Think about it as if you’re introducing a friend of yours to someone you know. Just some basic, quick facts to give them a general idea of their character, vibe, etc.!

🌻 🌻 🌻

>> Detailed Character Notes <<

I reserve this only for my primary characters. This is the in-depth stuff for those characters that you’ll be writing about throughout the book(s); things that come up in conversation, inner-dialogue, things that may sway their actions, etc.

Callie Elizabeth
Age: 20
Race: white (American, of European descent)
Hair Color: light brown
Eye Color: green
Height: 5’4
Weight/Build: average build, strong legs
Favorite Color: dark brown
Favorite Food: salad
Fear(s): bugs
Inward Flaws: OCD, depression, impulsivity
Outward Flaws: slightly crooked jaw, burn scar on left forearm
Miscellaneous: learning Italian, knows a bit of ASL, has 8 siblings, gets motion sickness very easily

☕ ☕ ☕

>> Basic Notes <<

This is for the most basic notes regarding your story. Plot summary, themes, a brief timeline of how/when events occur, anything. You can even include random scenarios/concepts that you want to eventually include in the story. This is one place where you can map it out.

🍄 🍄 🍄

>> Planet/Realm/Notes <<

This dives into the details specifically about the world(s)/planet(s)/realms(s) where your story takes place. I include the calendar of my world parallel to Earth’s calendar, the different “races” between planets, the world’s backstory, etc. Any of those specifics that set your world(s)/planet(s)/realm(s) apart from Earth, or even just where you live.
I had a classmate who would ask me a ton of questions about my story (most of the times unprompted lol), but it helped me think more deeply about how things work. So, I would talk to a friend, family member, etc. about your world (or story, in general) and really process everything and have them ask questions. Their questions and curiosity could help you pull your creation together.

🤎 🤎 🤎

>> Planet/Realm/Etc. Terminology <<

This is for things such as terms of measurement, monetary names, and things like that. Your world’s money compared to the American dollar, or how many inches equal a certain measurement in your world. Again, any specific terminology that sets your world apart from Earth and what folks may be used to.

>> Other Helpful Resources <<

Babynames.com

On this website, you can find all sorts of names by origin, meaning, etc. It’s a great resource for writers who like to put meaning behind character names!

Dictionary.com

It’s never a bad thing to double-check what a word means!

Thesaurus.com

It’s also never a bad thing to try and find a more accurate word for something OR to get rid of using “really,” “very,” and those not-so-fun words.

Masterclass.com/articles

I like looking at their basic writing articles, but they have over 1,000 articles for sports, entertainment, cooking, etc. If you have a character who enjoys football, or a character who really knows how to cook, take a look through those articles to get a good idea of what to include!

Calendar-365.com

This is especially helpful for writers whose world’s calendar is different from Earth’s. You can find what number in the year is, say, March 20th, 2024. You can also look ahead or behind to other years and see how the dates lined up. It’s overall so so so helpful for creating a calendar!

There you go! I hope you found this post helpful and/or inspiring. If you have any other resources for writing that you’d like to share, drop them in the comments below!
How do you like to outline your stories?
… or do you totally wing it and then outline?
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day or night. Keep on loving others and seeking the Lord!