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Character Backstory and Motivation Sheet

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The prompt

Help me build a believable backstory for a character in my story. Story: [genre, setting, one-line premise] Character: [name, age, role in the story: hero, villain, side character] What I know so far: [notes] What the plot needs them to do: [key actions or choices] Give me a character sheet: 1. What they want (outer goal) and what they need (inner growth). 2. A key wound or event from their past that shaped them, and how it shows today. 3. Fears, secrets and contradictions. 4. How they talk: 3 sample lines of dialogue in their voice. 5. Relationships with 2-3 other characters. 6. How they change by the end, and the moment that forces the change. Offer 2 alternative backstories so I can choose, and keep everything consistent with my notes. Keep my ideas mine: suggest, don't take over.

Why this prompt

• Hand-picked, editorially reviewed prompt
• Written for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

Source

Created by BestPromptFinder — editorial prompt, not user-generated. See our content & source policy.

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