Character Development

Create a character reference sheet you will actually use

A useful character sheet answers the questions that interrupt your writing: what does this person want, what will they refuse to admit, and what should stay recognizable from one scene to the next? Start there. You can add a visual identity without turning your story notebook into a form-filling exercise.

Language

Add a character where the story lives

Open a project’s overview, choose Characters, and select Add character. Characters added here are associated with that project. The shared Story notes screen also lets you see and edit characters across your workspace. Select a card to open its notebook; closing the notebook keeps your changes.

Write a name and a role before adding detail. Protagonist, witness, rival, or mentor tells you how to use the person in a scene. A summary can be as short as two sentences: what they want, and what they are doing to get it.

Separate motivation from appearance

Use Traits & appearance for the details a reader or viewer should recognize: mannerisms, silhouette, habitual clothing, speech, or a distinctive prop. Put the contradiction that makes decisions interesting into Inner conflict. A guarded character who wants intimacy gives you something to write; a list of eye colors does not.

The established-fact checkbox distinguishes a settled detail from an experiment. It does not check your manuscript automatically or prove consistency. Revisit the sheet when a scene changes your understanding of the character.

Choose initials, a cartoon, or your own reference

Initials keep the notebook quiet. Cartoon creates a simple illustrated portrait, and Another look cycles through appearances. These are procedural illustrations, not AI-generated likenesses. They provide a visual marker without a generation request or credit charge.

For your own visual direction, upload a JPG, PNG, or WebP under 8 MB. The image is resized for the notebook and saved with the character. Use your own artwork or an image you have permission to use. You can switch back to initials when an image feels distracting.

Carry the same character into your storyboard

In Storyboard or Visual notebook, open a shot and select the characters present. Their descriptions and appearance notes become part of that shot’s production prompt. Edit the character once to update future prompt copies wherever they appear.

A copied prompt and a visual reference have different jobs. Export brief contains the text, not the image files. Keep the original references and attach them separately in your image or video tool. Matching references can support consistency, but SagaFold does not guarantee the result another generator will produce.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

A little reading. A little making.

Use this checklist as you try the workflow. Your notes stay in this browser, separate from your account.

0/4 steps explored
A little reading. A little making.
Try it in the studio
Opening your notebook…