Hi guys,

I tried to make a character creation checklist for pony characters and stories.
If you have ideas or suggestions please post them so we can refine and expand the list.
Here is what I have so far:

Character Creation:

Name:
Species:
Gender:
Age:
Primary Mane Color:
Secondary Mane Color or Color Gradient:
Coat Color:
Cutie Mark:
Special Talent:
How they Got their Cutie Mark:
Extraordinary Skills:
Ordinary Skills:
Lacking Skills:
Personality Strengths:
Personality Weaknesses:
Double-Edged Personality Traits:
Behavior when Happy:
Behavior when Excited:
Behavior when Horny:
Behavior when Bored:
Behavior when Exhausted:
Behavior when Drunk (Completely Uninhibited):
Behavior when Regretful:
Behavior when Sad:
Behavior when Angry:
Behavior when Afraid:
Thing they would Never Do:
Thing they do All Too Often:
Most Valued Possession:
Favorite Meal:
Hobbies:
Pets:
Siblings:
Sexual Orientation:
Turn-Ons:
Turn-Offs:
Misadventures:

Character Development:

Epic Destiny:
Epic Callenges:
Epic Win:
Epic Fail:
Something Precious that is Gained in the Story:
Something Precious that is Lost in the Story:
Something that is Learned in the Story:
Something that is Not Learned in the Story:
Their Greatest Success Before the Story:
Their Greatest Success After the Story:
Their Greatest Regret Before the Story:
Their Greatest Regret After the Story:
Character Alignment at Beginning of Story:
Character Alignment at Middle of Story:
Character Alignment at End of Story:
Enemies at Beginning of Story:
Enemies at Middle of Story:
Enemies at End of Story:
Friends at Beginning of Story:
Friends at Middle of Story:
Freinds at End of Story:
Relationship Status at Beginning of Story:
Relationship Status at Middle of Story:
Relationship Status at End of Story:
Relation to Parents at Beginning of Story:
Relation to Parents at Middle of Story:
Relation to Parents at End of Story:
-Credited to ocalhoun- 2297204
Values (2 or more values, bonus if some of them are conflicting)
Values at Beginning of Story:
Values at Middle of Story:
Values at End of Story:
Ambitions (2 or more values, bonus if some of them are conflicting in the connections & resources they require)
Ambitions at Beginning of Story:
Ambitions at Middle of Story:
Ambitions at End of Story:
Goals (each character (yes even side characters) as a main goal - and maybe a few secondary goals.)
As the character evolves goals may change - this differentiates it from Epic Destiny, which is closer to fate or vocation.
Goals need to challenge the character,
seem attainable (you can still write a tragedy),
be able to be verified (even if you write an ambigious ending) You need parameters that are fulfilled or not fulfilled.
& be important (what else would the story be about) even Slice of Life involves short-term goals)
If you write perspective piece you need goals for each character you observe, even if you often switch viewpoints.
Goals at Beginning of Story:
Goals at Middle of Story:
Goals at End of Story:

Still looking for ideas and suggestions

What do you think?

2297083

TOO LONG

2297083
I would separate this into ones that are necessary to have and ones which are optional since not all of these are necessary for making a character and some of them don't apply to every character.

2297102 Thank you for the input. List has been reorganized.

I would start with the basics:

Values:
Two or three (or more for a main character) values. These are the things that your character believes without knowing or being able to explain why. 'love is worth the risk' 'safety is more important than freedom' 'being recognized for your talents is best' 'family is the most important thing'
It's fine (even beneficial) if some of these conflict with each other. If a character's values conflict, that's a potential source of internal conflict in your story, and it makes for a deep character.

Ambitions:
Two or three things you character wants. 'to be famous' 'to get the attention of that pretty mare' 'to save the family farm' These should rise naturally from the character's values combined with the situation they find themselves in.

Goal:
The ONE thing your character is trying to do in the story. It should be unambiguous (easy for readers to tell if they succeeded or not), important (succeeding or failing at it is a big deal), difficult (they might fail), and achievable (they might succeed).
Examples: 'Pass the entry exam for the wonderbolts' 'go on a date with Luna' 'defeat <generic villain>'
The goal of your main character will drive the plot of your story, but every character should have his or her own goal.
(A character's goal can change over time, but the main character's goal should become constant at least by the time you get about 20% through the story -- for the sake of an effective plot.)

2297083 I'm saving this. Could we get a sticky for this?

2297204 Thank you for your ideas, I really had not considered that. Character Creation has been updated, with full credit for your ideas.

I'm gonna make a Google Document of a character creation sheet, but I want to use a few of these notes that you've put down here. Is that okay? I'll even credit ya in the footnotes. :3