How to Use a Notion OC (Original Character) Template for Creating and Developing Fictional Characters

Creating original characters (OCs) is an exciting and essential process for various creative endeavors, including storytelling, art, or role-playing. Notion, a powerful all-in-one Productivity tool, continues to evolve and can help you streamline your character development process. In this article, we explore how to use a Notion OC template with current features and best practices for creating and developing fictional characters.

Why Use a Notion OC Template?

Notion provides a flexible and intuitive platform to organize and manage your OCs. By starting with a template, you gain a structured framework that covers essential aspects of character development while allowing complete customization. With powerful databases, inline mentions, and updated sharing features, Notion enables you to tailor your template to your specific needs, ensuring a personalized and dynamic approach to character creation.

Creating a Notion OC Template

Before diving into building an OC template, consider the information you want to include. The following sections are a great starting point for constructing your template:

1. Overview

Create an overview that offers a brief summary and key details about your character such as their name, age, gender, and appearance. Use this space to capture the general essence of your OC and include any quick notes or status updates, utilizing Notion’s inline tagging features for added context.

2. Backstory

The backstory section explores your character’s history, upbringing, and major life events. Organize the information using bullet points or structured paragraphs to present events either chronologically or thematically. You can also use Notion’s database properties to tag and filter significant moments.

3. Personality Traits

Detail your character’s personality by listing their traits, strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Use this section to record insights into their behavior and interactions. Notion’s flexible text blocks let you easily update and rearrange information as your character develops.

4. Abilities and Skills

If your OC has unique abilities or skills, dedicate a section to describe them. Whether it’s magical powers, combat prowess, or intellectual talents, provide a clear outline of the capabilities that make your character unique. Enhanced database options in Notion allow you to link these abilities to specific events or storylines later on.

5. Relationships

Characters are shaped by their interactions with others. Document significant relationships your OC maintains with other characters in your story or universe. Include both positive and negative connections and use inline labels or tags to quickly discern the role each relationship plays.

6. Goals and Motivations

Understanding what drives your character is key to effective storytelling. In this section, outline both short-term and long-term goals, as well as the motivations behind them. Notion’s checklist and progress tracking features can help you monitor the evolution of these aspirations over time.

7. Visual References

Visual references enrich your character’s profile. Attach images, sketches, or mood boards that capture your OC’s appearance, clothing, or key visual elements. As Notion now offers improved media embedding and integration, you can easily update this section to ensure consistency with your creative vision.

8. Additional Considerations

Depending on your project’s needs, you might include additional sections such as cultural background, family dynamics, significant objects, or any other details that contribute to your character’s depth. With Notion’s current integration capabilities, you can even connect other databases (like world-building or plot outlines) to your character template for a more holistic view.

How to Use the Notion OC Template

Once your Notion OC template is ready, follow these steps to use it effectively for character development:

1. Duplicate the template – Create a new page or duplicate an existing one based on your template. This new page will serve as the starting point for each OC you develop.

2. Customize the template – Replace placeholder content with character-specific details. Fill sections with relevant information, ensuring you capture your character's essence using Notion’s inline editing tools such as Ctrl + A for quick selections and adjustments.

3. Structure your Workspace – Leverage Notion's organizational features to build a comprehensive workspace. Use tags and databases or tables to categorize characters, making them easier to navigate and reference when needed.

4. Practice iterative development – As your OC grows, revisit and update the template. Notion’s real-time collaboration and version history features allow you to track changes and refine details continuously.

Take Your Characters to the Next Level with Notion

Utilizing a Notion OC template can significantly enhance your creative process—whether you are a writer, artist, or role-player. With Notion's updated features like seamless media integration, dynamic databases, and powerful collaboration tools, you have a robust platform to organize and develop engaging fictional characters. By following these guidelines and continuously refining your template, you will be well-equipped to bring dynamic, well-rounded characters to life in your creative projects.