Create a Character Profile Using ChatGPT or Sudowrite

One of the most labor intensive parts of starting a new book is the planning. Now, there are a lot of authors out there who absolutely LOVE this part of the process. They enjoy creating a character from scratch, knowing everything about them down to the toothpaste they buy or what they think about when they go grocery shopping. It can definitely be fun to create characters!

But there are also times when you have a deadline or you have three kids asking for dinner or you’re just tapped out of good ideas, and you need some character information to get you started. Also, you may be a writer who doesn’t do a lot of planning. You like to figure stuff out as you go. Then you get to the 50% mark of your book, and you wish you had spent five minutes on developing that wily character ahead of time.

Never fear! AI is here to help you!

A Character Building Template

All you really need is a character building template and then you’re good to get started. I’ve put one together here that you’ll be able to copy and paste over into ChatGPT (or OpenAI Playground) or Sudowrite‘s First Draft feature (my affiliate link). You can fill in as much information as you like, add or subtract questions from the template, and go! I’ll give you the template, and then I’ll show you what kind of outputs I’ve gotten.

Hello! Today I need for you to be my writing assistant and help me with building a character profile for a fiction book I’m working on. I need you to create a detailed outline for a fictional character filling all the details requested in the character sheet below. Please do not add extra blank lines. This all needs to fit in a singular response.
CHARACTER SHEET
Type of character: 
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Ethnicity:
Race:
Likes (list 4):
Dislikes (list 4):
Specific mannerisms:
Personality traits:
Childhood events that shaped their life (list 3):
Fears and Phobias:
Loves:
Has a Fascination with:
Biggest dream for their life:
A secret that no one else knows about them:
Quotes or sayings they are known for:
Accomplishments/Achievements they are proud of:
Actions they have taken in their lives they are ashamed of:
Deepest Secret:
Enneagram Character Type (provide summary details):
Chinese Zodiac Animal (provide summary details):
Astrology Sun Sign (provide summary details):
Astrology Moon Sign (provide summary details):
Astrology Ascendant Sign (provide summary details):
Astrology Mercury Sign (provide summary details):
Astrology Venus Sign (provide summary details):
Astrology Mars Sign (provide summary details):
Character Archetype (provide summary details):
Myers-Briggs Character Archetype (provide summary details):
Religion:
Favorite Meal:
Family Members (provide summary details):
Pets (provide summary details):
Based on astrological signs, what kind of person attracted to romantically (provide summary details):
Favorite music:
Favorite dessert:
Favorite drink:
Their best friend and why?:
Their recurring nightmare and what it means:

Use in ChatGPT

Okay, I put this bad boy into ChatGPT and I gave it a little guidance. I filled in two fields – Type of Character and Age. I gave it “A noodle shop owner” and “32.” I wanted to start with a prompt that I surmised would give me an output of an Asian character, and I was correct!

Here’s what ChatGPT gave back to me. (Around the astrological signs of the output, ChatGPT stopped. I prompted it with “Keep going! This is great!” and it picked up where it left off.)

Type of character: A noodle shop owner
Name: Mei Chen
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Chinese
Race: Asian

Likes (list 4):
Preparing and serving delicious noodles
Decorating her restaurant with traditional Chinese art
Reading classic Chinese literature
Visiting local farmer’s markets to source fresh ingredients

Dislikes (list 4):
Customers who complain about the food
Tardiness
People who disregard Chinese culture and traditions
Being underestimated because of her gender

Specific mannerisms:
Mei Chen has a habit of tapping her foot when she’s deep in thought.
She speaks softly but firmly, with a gentle yet authoritative tone.
She’s very meticulous and detail-oriented in everything she does.
Mei Chen is always well-dressed and takes great pride in her appearance.

Personality traits:
Intelligent
Disciplined
Hard-working
Perfectionist
Traditional
Honest

Childhood events that shaped their life (list 3):
Mei Chen’s father was a famous noodle chef, and he taught her the art of noodle-making from a young age.
Growing up, Mei Chen was often teased and underestimated by her male peers, but this only fueled her determination to succeed.
When Mei Chen was 16, her mother passed away from an illness, leaving her to help run the family’s noodle shop and care for her younger siblings.

Fears and Phobias:
Mei Chen has a fear of failure and not living up to her family’s legacy.
She’s also afraid of losing her restaurant and not being able to provide for her family.

Loves:
Her family
Noodle-making
Chinese culture
Traditional Chinese music

Has a Fascination with:
The history and philosophy of Confucianism
Ancient Chinese poetry
Traditional Chinese medicine

Biggest dream for their life:
Mei Chen’s biggest dream is to expand her restaurant into a successful chain, and to share the traditional Chinese noodle-making techniques that have been passed down through her family for generations with the world.

A secret that no one else knows about them:
Mei Chen has a son who she gave up for adoption when she was a teenager.

Quotes or sayings they are known for:
“The key to a good noodle dish is in the broth.”
“In order to achieve great things, one must first master the basics.”

Accomplishments/Achievements they are proud of:
Mei Chen has won multiple awards for her noodle-making skills.
She has successfully managed to keep her family’s noodle shop afloat, despite facing many challenges.

Actions they have taken in their lives they are ashamed of:
Mei Chen once cheated on an important exam in order to pass and avoid disappointing her father.

Deepest Secret:
Mei Chen’s deepest secret is that she’s never been able to forgive herself for giving up her son for adoption.

Enneagram Character Type (provide summary details):
Mei Chen is an Enneagram Type 1, also known as “The Reformer”. She is principled, self-controlled, and strives for perfection.

Chinese Zodiac Animal (provide summary details):
Mei Chen was born in the Year of the Dragon. People born in this year are said to be confident, ambitious, and unafraid of challenges.

Astrology Sun Sign (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s sun sign is Capricorn. Capricorns are often seen as hardworking, ambitious, and disciplined.

Astrology Moon Sign (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s moon sign is Scorpio. Scorpio moon signs are known for being intense, passionate, and private.

Astrology Ascendant Sign (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s ascendant sign is Virgo. Virgo ascendants are typically analytical, practical, and detail-oriented.

Astrology Mercury Sign (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s Mercury sign is also in Capricorn. This placement suggests that she is a strategic thinker who values practicality and logic.

Astrology Venus Sign (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s Venus sign is in Aquarius. People with this placement tend to be independent, unconventional, and enjoy intellectual conversations.

Astrology Mars Sign (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s Mars sign is in Aries. This placement suggests that she is assertive, confident, and enjoys taking on challenges.

Character Archetype (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s character archetype is The Creator. She is a visionary who seeks to express herself through her passion for noodle-making and her love of Chinese culture.

Myers-Briggs Character Archetype (provide summary details):
Mei Chen’s Myers-Briggs character archetype is INTJ, also known as “The Architect”. This type is known for being analytical, strategic, and independent.

Religion:
Mei Chen practices a blend of Taoism and Buddhism.

Favorite Meal:
Mei Chen’s favorite meal is a bowl of handmade noodles with a rich, savory broth.

Family Members (provide summary details):
Mei Chen is the oldest of four siblings. Her father is a famous noodle chef, and her mother passed away when she was a teenager. She also has a son who she gave up for adoption.

Pets (provide summary details):
Mei Chen has a pet goldfish named Xiǎo Hóng (Little Red).

Based on astrological signs, what kind of person attracted to romantically (provide summary details):
Mei Chen is attracted to people who are independent, intelligent, and share her love of Chinese culture. Her Venus sign in Aquarius suggests that she is drawn to unconventional and unique individuals.

Favorite music:
Mei Chen enjoys traditional Chinese music, particularly pieces played on the guzheng (a traditional Chinese plucked instrument).

Favorite dessert:
Mei Chen’s favorite dessert is tangyuan, a type of sweet glutinous rice dumpling.

Favorite drink:
Mei Chen’s favorite drink is chrysanthemum tea.

Their best friend and why?:
Mei Chen’s best friend is a fellow noodle chef named Li Wei. They bonded over their shared passion for noodle-making and have been close friends ever since.

Their recurring nightmare and what it means:
Mei Chen’s recurring nightmare is that her restaurant burns down and she is unable to rebuild it. This nightmare represents her fear of losing her family’s legacy and her livelihood.

Boom! I have a character now. 💃

Reading this through, I can see obvious places where I would like to deviate from the character profile. Some of these answers are pretty stereotypical of a Chinese/Asian woman, right? That’s something you as the author need to know and be aware of. Stereotypes and biases are pretty rampant in AI right now, and you will have to adjust accordingly.

Remember that AI tools like ChatGPT are built on LLMs (Large Language Models) and their Transformer algorithm is looking for the next possible predicted word in the sentence. If most cats written about in the LLM corpus are orange, most likely you will get an orange cat from the output unless you prompt it differently. Same goes for cultures, races, people, animals, etc.

Use in Sudowrite

Now, let’s try it in Sudowrite’s First Draft. For this exercise, I deleted the opening “Hello! Today I need for you to be my writing assistant and help me with building a character profile for a fiction book I’m working on. ” since Sudowrite is already trained for fiction. With ChatGPT, you often have to tell it you’re writing fiction or it will confuse it with real life. I left the entire template blank this time, and Sudowrite gave me the following 652 words.

Type of Character: Adventurer

Name: Tanner Wilkins

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Race: Human

Likes: Animals, travelling, reading, and hiking

Dislikes: Being undervalued, being ignored, people who litter, and being rushed

Specific Mannerisms: Fidgeting with his hands, laughing when nervous, tapping his foot when deep in thought, and occasionally humming

Personality Traits: Adventurous, selfless, open-minded, and creative

Childhood Events That Shaped His Life:

1. Moving away from his childhood friends at the age of 10

2. Becoming the first in his family to attend college

3. Being the recipient of a full college scholarship

Fears and Phobias: Fear of heights, fear of failure, fear of being forgotten, and fear of the unknown

Loves: His family, nature, reading, and animals

Has a Fascination With: Ancient civilizations, space exploration, and problem-solving

Biggest Dream For His Life: To travel the world and experience new cultures

A Secret That No One Else Knows About Him: He is secretly writing a book about his travels

Quotes or Sayings He is Known For: “Life is an adventure, so why not make the most of it?” and “Live today, as if it were your last.”

Accomplishments/Achievements He is Proud Of:

1. Completing a marathon

2. Graduating college with honors

3. Being the recipient of a full college scholarship

Actions He Has Taken In His Life He is Ashamed Of:

1. Lying to his family about going to a party in high school

2. Cheating on a test in college

3. Stealing a book from the library

Deepest Secret: He has a fear of being forgotten

Enneagram Character Type: Type 3 (The Achiever) – Achievers are highly motivated, ambitious, and driven to succeed. They are optimistic and are often seen as the life of the party.

Chinese Zodiac Animal: Rabbit – Rabbits are known for their patience, understanding, and careful nature. They are also very diplomatic and have a knack for finding creative solutions to problems.

Astrology Sun Sign: Libra – Libras are often seen as graceful, charming, and intellectual. They are sociable, peaceful, and seek harmony in all of their relationships.

Astrology Moon Sign: Capricorn – Capricorns are known for their ambitious, responsible, and hardworking nature. They are practical and value results over anything else.

Astrology Ascendant Sign: Pisces – Pisces are often seen as compassionate, artistic, and intuitive. They are also highly sensitive, spiritual, and creative.

Astrology Mercury Sign: Scorpio – Scorpios are often seen as persuasive, thoughtful, and private. They are also secretive, passionate, and have an intense focus on their goals.

Astrology Venus Sign: Sagittarius – Sagittarians are often seen as adventurous, independent, and passionate. They are also optimistic, generous, and open-minded.

Astrology Mars Sign: Aquarius – Aquarians are often seen as innovative, original, and rebellious. They are also independent, determined, and have a strong sense of justice.

Character Archetype: The Explorer – Explorers are often seen as brave, curious, and independent. They are also independent, adventurous, and always looking for new challenges.

Myers-Briggs Character Archetype: INTP – INTPs are often seen as independent, analytical, and logical thinkers. They are also creative, imaginative, and innovative.

Religion: None

Favorite Meal: Pizza

Family Members: His parents and two sisters. His parents are both retired and his sisters are both in college.

Pets: None

Based On Astrological Signs, What Kind Of Person Is Attracted To Romantically: People that are imaginative, passionate, and share similar interests.

Favorite Music: Indie rock

Favorite Dessert: Chocolate chip cookies

Favorite Drink: Coffee

Their Best Friend and Why: His best friend is a fellow adventurer named Mark. Mark and Tanner have a great connection and understand each other like no one else can.

Their Recurring Nightmare And What It Means: Tanner’s recurring nightmare is that he is lost in a dark, unfamiliar place. This is a reflection of his fear of the unknown and his desire to explore new places. He feels as if he is stuck in a rut and is unable to break free and experience the world to its fullest.

Well, I hate to say it, but I’m already a little in love with this character. 😍 He seems like a lot of fun!

Okay, now that you know how to create your own characters using ChatGPT or Sudowrite, go enjoy making your job a little easier. Maybe you can use the time you saved to go for a walk or take a nap. 😉 Who are we kidding? You’re going to write some more, aren’t you?