The Only Character Workbook You'll Ever Need: Your New Character Bible

by T.M. Holladay

Become a master of incredible characters. In this first installment of Series Bibles for Writers, discover the backstories, personalities, vulnerabilities, and what makes your fiction characters tick.
Contents include fully-customizable, in-depth pages
Whether writing a series or multiple stand-alones, this workbook is comprehensive enough to handle it all. Think of this as a guided notebook--part of your own "series bible"-- that won't let you forget any detail. Even better, you can quickly search through your cast of characters as you're writing! Please this is not a textbook. This is an organized space for you to create outstanding characters. No more sticky notes on the wall and thoughts scribbled out on lost envelopes. Free up your mind to write amazing fiction, and let these workbooks keep track of all the details that make your characters and worlds compelling. About the T.M. Holladay writes YA fantasy. She’s also a perfectionist. When her story worlds became too complicated for the sticky notes on her wall, she knew something had to be done, and she wasn’t the only writer out there with that problem. The “Series Bibles for Writers” workbooks are the product of a massive effort to cover every possible detail in a flexible, adaptable form. Her labor of love has quickly become a new favorite among creators. For more Series Bibles for Writers, look for "The Only World Building Workbook You'll Ever Need," and "The Only Fantasy Workbook You'll Ever Need."

Genres: Writing, Reference, Nonfiction

161 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2020

About the author

In a letter to Mrs. Broyles, my third grade teacher, my eight-year-old-self declared I would be a writer. That desire was shadowed by other dreams and goals, and by college was forgotten. In my last few semesters, while in an elective creative writing course, I started writing Haelo, a rough draft that still makes me blush.

I graduated with a Bachelors from BYU-Hawai’i in World Music Studies, studying composition (the surprisingly useful hippie degree), and then an MPA in Public Policy from Grand Canyon University (the practical degree).

Though writing novels is my go-to creative outlet, life stays pretty busy with motherhood to my three minions, various music endeavors, church service, and home renovating. I live in my dear home state of Arizona with my incredible husband and three kids, and only sometimes wish we were back in Hawai'i. 

My dream job, (besides writing novels from a hammock in the forest, of course) would be movie score composing. I'm a total fan girl for Hans Zimmer and Martin Phipps.

I'm also a sucker for watermelon, chips & salsa, and a great pair of aviator sunglasses.

Hunt me down for loads of Haelo extras on my website tmholladay.com, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

Reviews

[Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

ohhhh myyyyyy

I've looked at many "character organization" books for writing but THIS book, this is a good book. I mean, good. The depth of a character's psychology is good detail.

I will be buying another.

[Tami Winbush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it’s just me, but I want something that’s going to give me a little bit more guidance. I guess that comes as a first time writer needing to know how to do things a little bit more in depth. But the book does definitely have its merit. It is well thought out. But, I don’t see myself using this in the future. 3 1/2 stars.

[Howard Frisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am writing my first novel and this book was invaluable in helping me to get to know my characters. It's a workbook, meaning there is not much instructional material aside from the introduction. There is a two-page questionnaire for each main character, where you enter information about their physical description, style of speech, skills, memories, and relationships, etc.

It's well worth the price.

[Liberty Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself wishing the “ask your character” interview style section was longer, and was hoping less of the book would be blank notes style sections, but overall I liked this book and would recommend, especially for fantasy or sci-fi authors where there’s a lot of world building.

My favorite part was taking a look at all of my minor characters and their descriptions.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, definitely disappointed. Mostly blank pages. Very little guidance. Felt like a waste of money.

[Luna Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is incredibly helpful, absolutely, but I could've used a bit more guidance within the book, so I wouldn't have to Google things I was uncertain of. Nonetheless, I’ve been using it for my original works; so far, so good, my characters feel like actual characters instead of self inserts.