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100+ Questions to Help You Interview Your Character

How well do you know your characters? Like the back of my hand, you say? Do you know the color of your hero’s eyes? Do you know where the bad guy went to college? Do you know your heroine’s most embarrassing moment? Can you rattle off a list of your main character’s idiosyncrasies? Typical expressions? Romantic history?

If any one of these questions had you fumbling for an answer, then you’re missing a prime opportunity to deepen your characters and expand your story. Over the years, one of the most useful tools I’ve run across is the “character interview.” My own list started out as twenty or so basic questions regarding physical appearance and personality issues. Now it contains over fifty precise and penetrating questions, designed to get my brain juices flowing and my characters talking.

Interviewing your characters may become a vital part of your outlining process , as it has mine. I’ll often fill up half a notebook with narrative answers to the most probing questions about my characters’ relationships, beliefs, and secrets. I refer to these lists constantly throughout the actual writing process, not only for on-the-spot inspiration, but for fact checking (How old was he when his mother died? Did he break his left or his right leg in that car accident?).

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland

Outlining Your Novel (affiliate link)

I’ve included below the list I’ve compiled for myself. Feel free to copy it out and use it to get your own characters talking. ( Note: Since writing this post, I’ve updated this list when nearly fifty more questions. You can find longer lists in my free e-book Crafting Unforgettable Characters and my book Outlining Your Novel , and the complete list in the Outlining Your Novel Workbook software .)

Character Interview Outlining Your Novel Workbook computer program

Other Options for Interviewing Your Characters

You might also want to keep in mind several other useful techniques, including the Enneagram ( any-a-gram ), a personality test that aligns character traits to one of nine categories and outlines strengths and flaws. Not only is it interesting reading, but it can also help round out a character and summarize his personality. Something I’ve found especially helpful is the “fatal flaw” that accompanies each personality.

All three of these tools, used in concert, can work miracles in breaking open the walls between author and character and forcing your characters to spill their guts and reveal their deepest motivations. Plus, it’s grand fun!

How Well Do You Know Your Character? Infographic

Featured in the Outlining Your Novel Workbook (affiliate link).

Character Interview

Background:

Place of birth:

Ethnic background:

Places lived:

Current address and phone number:

Favorite subject in school:

Special training: Jobs:

Dating, marriage:

What people does he most admire:

Relationship with God:

Overall outlook on life:

Does this character like himself:

What, if anything, would he like to change about his life:

Is he lying to himself about something?

How is he viewed by others:

Physical appearance:

Physical build:

Head shape:

Tattoos/piercings/scars:

Right- or left-handed:

What you notice first:

How would he describe himself:

Health/disabilities:

Characteristics:

Strongest/weakest character traits:

How much self-control and self-discipline does he have:

Political leaning:

Collections, talents:

What people like best about him:

Interests and favorites:

Food, drink:

Sports, recreation:

Did he play in school:

Best way to spend a weekend:

A great gift for this person:

Typical expressions:

When happy:

When angry:

Idiosyncrasies:

Laughs or jeers at:

Ways to cheer up this person:

Ways to annoy this person:

Hopes and dreams:

What’s the worst thing he’s ever done to someone and why:

Greatest success:

Biggest trauma:

What does he care about most in the world:

Does he have a secret:

What does/will he like best about the other main character(s):

What does/will he like least about the other main character(s):

If he could do one thing and succeed at it, what would it be:

Most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him:

He is the kind of person who:

Why will the reader sympathize with this person right away:

Tell me your opinion: How do you get to know your characters?

100 Plus Questions to Help You Interview Your Character

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K.M. Weiland is the award-winning and internationally-published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel , Structuring Your Novel , and Creating Character Arcs . A native of western Nebraska, she writes historical and fantasy novels and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

Copied this off to use. Thanks for this exhaustive list. Great information!

Thanks for a great list. Can’t wait to apply it!

Glad you found it helpful! I can’t take complete credit for it, since I’ve gleaned questions from all kinds of sources.

I went and used this for all my characters, even though I had planned them fairly extensively already. I learnt things I didn’t even know about them from these, if that makes sense haha =] Thanks for posting this up

I’ve added to this list quite a bit since originally posting it. If you’re interested, you can find the updated version in my free ebook Crafting Unforgettable Characters , in the top of the left sidebar.

This is a big help to me! Now I need to read your e-book! Thank you for the info–I’m afraid I’m using your information as a mini-writing course.

The e-book Crafting Unforgettable Characters has an expanded version of the interview, and Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success has an even bigger one!

I should note that this does not work with everyone. Some writers find interviewing their characters to be counterproductive; if they know everything about the character before they begin, there’s nothing for them to discover about the character through storytelling.

Everyone has to find the techniques that work best for them. Most authors find the interview very helpful, but like outlining, some find it stilts their creativity.

Nice. I started to fill it out with me as the character, but didn’t like what I was seeing. So I’ll stick with the made-up ones.

Hah! I’ve actually thought about filling it out for myself. It’d take too much time, but it’d be interesting to see how I’d stack up against my made-up people.

Excellent list…whatever the source. Thanks for compiling them.

Hope they come in handy!

I always mean to ask when I see you mention working on character sketches what you use. Thank you. Very useful list.

If you’ve followed the Writing Question of the Day (#WQOTD) on Facebook or Twitter for the last several months, then you’ve probably seen (and maybe answered) most of these questions already.

I pretty much do the same thing. I was taught this in high school, but not to this depth. This is great stuff and I will use it. Oh…and you’ve given me another reason to get your Outlining book. I’ve been procrastinating because I already have an outlining method I’m happy with… but, I also had a character question list I “was” happy with and you blew that out of the water. Darn you woman! LOL 🙂

All part of my evil plan. Muahahahaha! 😉

So good! Invaluable. I’ve been looking for this since I started writing my own young adult fiction. Thanks.

Glad it came in handy for you!

Thanks a lot for this character interview, it helped me a lot with my main characters of my new novel to get to really thoroughly know them. Before, I only had a vague impression of them, especially one. With this interview technique I was able to create a whole new back story for him and was also able to distinct him clearly from a character with a similar profession.

Awesome! I’m so glad it was useful to you.

Okay, so I downloaded the PDF of Crafting Unforgettable Characters. On the character interview, I noticed that the question “How do people view this character” was listed twice (though slightly different wording): once after “Friends” and then another time between “Confidence level” and “Typical day.” Is this a typo of sorts, or is there a different meaning behind the placement? I know, kind of a weird thing to ask since I can do the questions in whatever order I need/want. But…I had to ask, since I tend to just go through lists in the order written, and it was bugging me that I couldn’t figure this out. Thanks!

By the way: the list helped me to understand a character that refused to be what I wanted him to be. What I got was better! 🙂

Yep, that would be a typo. Unfortunately, I no longer have the ability to update the pdf version. But thanks for letting me know! I’m glad the interview has been helpful to you.

This is great! I used to do this way back in jr. high, when I first started making up characters and stories to put them in (most of which involved the original X-men, but hey, it was jr high), but this is a perfect version for well, the grown-ups.

I would add, for anything involving magic or superhuman powers: weakness or inability (think Superman and Kryptonite), & limitations (noting if they’re specific to the character or general to the magic/powers employed). Also, skills or special talents that might or might not be superhuman. (Those might be in the book, which I’ve bought but not read yet (had to wait for summer).

Thanks for this!

Good point. When I wrote this list I was definitely thinking non-speculative stories. But the possibilities of fantasy and sci-fi open all of kinds of further angles.

I once had a character change sex from one scene to the next, so I really need to write these out – LOL.

And I just thought of something that would be helpful – do this same kind of thing for at least some of my settings!

They tend to be weak, and, I’ve noted change mysteriously from one scene to the next. It’s a desert planet that suddenly grew ferns… etc. Having something like this on file for those, too, would be great.

I discovered your site a couple of months ago, when I was deep into the busiest part of my day job, and am just now getting to go back and investigate all the great things you have here – it’s a treat, both in content and design – and I’m looking forward to finally getting to read your books. Thank you for it all!

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site! I actually do use a similar questionnaire for my speculative settings, which you can find here .

That’s awesome – I hadn’t found that yet! Thank you!!

I know this is an old post, but I just discovered it! 🙂 Do you still have the list of questions for settings? The link isn’t working for me.

Also, I’m looking forward to trying out these questions on my characters!

Glad you enjoyed the post! Try this link: Are You Asking These Important Questions About Your Fantasy Setting? .

This is such a great list! Thank you.

Glad you found it useful!

Brilliant suggestions. Keeping this saved to use for next book. I read to write down twenty things about your character, whether they will feature on the book or not. Helped emensely. I go over it every time I sit down to write that character. . .

Exactly! You never know when even seemingly arcane details might become useful in shaping or understanding the character–and sometimes they surprise you by showing up in the book itself after all.

Hi. I just finished writing and publishing my life’s story and now I want to take a break from all the “heavy” stuff and write a fiction novel. I feel like I can do a great job at describing everything in my stories except the characters. Sure, i can tell if someone is tall or short, fat or skinny, or what color eyes or hair they have, etc., but when I read other people’s books, they always go much deeper – describing the shape of a person’s face or nose, possibly even cheekbones and dimples; they describe a person’s “build” and body shape; they know that when they say their character is a specific height, that person is considered tall or short – but I have no clue how to describe in this much detail. I don’t even know the words to use because I have found that describing people in real life tends to almost always offend someone, so I avoid it whenever possible. However, I would love to learn how to describe my story characters so readers can get a picture of what those characters are supposed to look like. Do you have or know of any resources that could help me? I wasn’t too worried about this aspect in writing my life story because I didn’t really want my characters to be recognizable in real life anyway, but in writing a fiction piece, this seems like an important skill I need to develop. Thanks.

You might start with the article “ 4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions . However, don’t worry about this too much. Lengthy character descriptions have fallen out of style these days. Most readers don’t want such in-depth descriptions of characters. They need only a few details to help them imagine the person for themselves.

This is great but i always always recommend writers to not just fill in an interview form, bc while that might help you iron out superficial and easily categorisable characteristics, what’s even better is getting a sense of your character’s existence, and existence around other people.

Instead, do this interview in prose. Write out either a 3rd party character, a narrator or even another character interviewing your characters. Don’t just name their nervousness, write how their nervousness manifests in an interview as they answer a question about whether they’re a confidant or nervous person. Write the things they lie about in an interview, the characteristics they’re ashamed of, the ones they put on, how they act, their manner, while nutting out details like DOB and eye colour. When asked about their education, don’t just answer with ‘I went to XYZ High School’, say that, and then have your character ramble on some tirade about this kid who bullied them in third grade, and their subject biases, and how they liked their teachers, and what their opinion on the school system is. Write about how they sit, what they’re wearing, how they present, what they do with their hands.

It doesn’t have to be long–just take a page or even a paragraph, and not all of it has to be in great detail, but you’ll end up with a much more 3D and well-rounded character who makes more sense and you’ll have a wealth of info to draw on as you write your novel 🙂

While I don’t interview my characters, I do create records that allow me to keep track of various details about them such as physical description, history, education, family…even their food, drink, and pet preferences. Those who do open up to me may even have notes on favorite music or movie.

Some people used to make fun of my character dossiers, complete with pictures. Fortunately, my father was there to praise them, even telling people how thorough I was by doing these files. When you’re not only a beginner at writing but a kid, this kind of thing goes a LONG way in boosting your confidence.

Maybe because I was a kid, and a comic book collector, my early format was actually based on comic books giving dossiers on comic book characters. I would even alter pictures of various characters to serve as inspiration for my characters.

Over the years, I streamlined/expanded the format and moved from drawings of the characters to using photos of various actors/actresses or models from magazines who remind me of my characters. In recent years, I’ve begun to include layouts of their homes. A great 3D modeling program provides not only floorplans but allows ‘photographs’ of the rooms from various angles after they’ve been furnished and decorated–always a fun project when no one’s talking to me about their story and a great reference to get details right.

Along with format, the information included changes as the characters develop–sometimes their history or education changes due to a necessary plot point. But more often than not it’s details that seem to be added to on a regular basis as I get to know them better.

Thanks for this post, just like my dad’s encouragement all those years ago, it boosts my confidence in continuing this habit.

Oh, and I’ll be checking your interview list to see if there’s anything I can use to once more tweak my dossier format to offer a more detailed ‘picture’ of my characters!

Thank you so much this is will definitly help me on my book report

I would like to some of these questions but I don’t think healers have saltiest since they live on a fictional planet. Everyone trade or barders for what they need.

I am confused on this question-Most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him:

The question about the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to your character has to do with something he’s ashamed of, such as, say, forgetting his lines in a school play when he was a kid.

I get to know my characters by simply chewing them in my head. It’s like I’m pregnant. It could also be like rolling up a ball to make a snowman. I first get an idea of what my story and characters are about. They simply evolve over time due to my constant thinking about them. I don’t force myself to think of anything new. I just keep thinking of what I already know about the plot and characters, and eventually, it leads me to new plot points and more character development… and after about nine months or so, I birth it into the world via my first draft.

Thanks so much K. M. Weiland; this has helped me enormously. I know my character better now. I applied the enneagram technique as well – she is a two with five; self-preservation subtype so her flaws are pride and avarice. Lots of material for my NaNoWriMo attempt. You are such a great help to new authors.

Great post for learning more about your characters.

I approach the character by drawing up a biography first. Then I will free association to reach the character. I find I get to know the character really well as they are apt to “speak” in their voice. You’ll hear, figuratively speaking, the nuances, their sarcasm, or angst as they “answer” your questions.

Thank for your post!

Hi, Im Wend from Indonesia. I really like your book. I am writing my final course and I use your book to be one of the research references on character. Can I find out what Unforgettable Crafting books were released in the year? thanks.

*Crafting Unforgettable Character book

The book was first published in 2010.

Thanks so much!

Would windows 10 pro work ? I was wanting the ‘outlining your novel workbook’

Yes, that should work. If not, we’re always happy to refund.

”Do you know the color of your hero’s eyes? Do you know where the bad guy went to college? Do you know your heroine’s most embarrassing moment? Can you rattle off a list of your main character’s idiosyncrasies? Typical expressions? Romantic history?”

My hero’s eyes are a milk chocolate brown color. There is not clear-cut bad guy, and none of them are old enough for college. My heroine’s most embarrassing moment was when the love interest caught her singing and started singing along (before they were close). My hero absolutely HATES flashing lights, and she has to wear sunglasses indoors when it’s really bad. She twitches when she drinks carbonated drinks, and she refuses to eat Mac and cheese with a spoon. Her typical expression gives her a quick-witted, friendly look that tends to drive people in. She has had only one “serious” boyfriend in the past: Donovan.

Oh ho ho. I’m on fire, lads. But in all seriousness, I’ll be using this interview for all of my characters. It’s so thorough and it’s going to be really helpful. Thank you!

[…] Interviewing your characters should be a vital part of your outlining process […]

[…] https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2008/03/interviewing-your-characters.html […]

[…] 100+ Questions to Help You Interview Your Character on Helping Writers become Authors – I follow this blogger on twitter (@KMWeiland) and love her writing questions of the day. This post includes her version of a character interview as well as a link to her free e-book Crafting Unforgettable Characters which has a much longer and detailed list. […]

[…] Interviewing your characters should be a vital part of your outlining process. […]

[…] Source: http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com […]

[…] I used my own Q&A worksheet, but found it much easier to use someone else’s. I follow K.M. Weiland’s blog and used her great […]

[…] to those who do not love to write fiction but giving the pen to your character, whether through a character interview or free-write, and letting whatever comes up come up, can deliver far more than a list of […]

[…] One of the tips offered is conducting character interviews. A resource mentioned is K.M. Weiland’s article entitled “100+ Questions to Help You Interview Your Character.” […]

[…] 100+ Questions to Help You Interview Your Characters […]

[…] list of questions to ask your characters from Gotham Writers. Also review this wonderful list of 100 questions to ask your characters`from K.M. Weiland. She also has a free e-book called Crafting Unforgettable Characters that you […]

[…] If I run into any issues with building a character, or characters, I get out the trusty old composition book and do a character interview. […]

[…] 100+ Character Questions […]

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[…] 100+ Questions to Help You Interview Your Character (via Helping Writers Become Authors) […]

[…] Here’s another link from K.M. Weiland with 100+ questions for your character. […]

[…] Back to the basics with Character Interviews. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/interviewing-your-characters/ […]

[…] utilize K.M. Weiland’s character interview, but there are several available across the internet. You can also write up your […]

[…] The site itself is really helpful, and I strongly suggest checking it out. Some great posts include 100+ Questions To Help You Interrogate Your Character, How To Write the Perfect Plot, The 6 Best Ways to Rewrite Your Book, and How To Structure […]

[…] 100 questions for interviewing your characters […]

[…] Weiland has developed a comprehensive 100 question interview on her blog and you can get it here. I decided that I would give it a go as a part of my own […]

[…] go through to complete the mission. K.M. Weiland suggested 100+ questions to ask my characters, https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/interviewing-your-characters/ . The interviews gave me an appreciation for my characters as they start their […]

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[…] you like this concept, but prefer more specific questions? Here‘s a similar approach with more of an interview style. Developed by the one and only K. […]

[…] them on the couch and find out about their childhoods! There are lots of good tools online, like here, but I find myself a good interview document and get busy thinking about my main character’s […]

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[…] If you would like some tips for building a memorable character – how to actually make these 5 things happen on the page – check out my Creating Believable Characters video from last week. I also highly recommend Lindsey Summers’ Skillshare video, and KM Weiland’s character interview blog post. […]

[…] find my best results when I use a guided interview process with specific questions. I have curated a list of over 100 questions, which I use on all my POV characters and […]

[…] are adapted from HERE, a post from Allison Maruska, and a list I still had from a creative writing class in […]

[…] HelpingWRitersBecomeAuthors.com […]

[…] next set are from Helping Writers Become Authors. They have a nice infograph and a character interview sheet that you can print to develop your […]

[…] point-of-view, which was when I really had to get to know Bunty properly. Using K M Weiland’s 100+ Questions to help you interview your Character and the 35 questions attributed to Proust, I came to understood in more depth the man who’d […]

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37 Questions to Ask Your Character

by Pamela Hodges | 114 comments

Create a character by conducting an interview. Interview your character before you start writing so you can immerse yourself completely in who they are and what they stand for. Interview them and find out who they are.

Why Interview Your Character Before You Start Writing?

When you completely know your character before you start writing, you will have a better understanding of how they will react in different situations. Your character will be more three-dimensional if you know who they are before you start writing.

Your character will be three-dimensional and not flat if you spend time thinking about how they think and feel about life. If you know your character's worldview it will be easier to keep their personality consistent throughout the story, and you will have a better understanding of how your character will grow and change as they deal with conflict.

37 Questions to Ask Your Characters

These questions will help you find out if your character is kind, honest, loyal, or trustworthy. These questions focus on how your characters think, not what they look like. We will develop their appearance later when the photographer arrives to photograph your characters.

10 Questions

What did you eat for breakfast? Did you make it yourself? What time do you eat breakfast? Do you wash the pan after you cook the eggs or do you leave it for the maid to clean? Do you have a maid?
Do you have a cat? How many cats do you have? Do you wish you were a cat? How many litter boxes do you have? Do you clean the litter boxes every day? Or does your maid clean the litter boxes?
Do you go our for lunch or bring a sack lunch? Do you take an extra long lunch break and charge the company?

Are you an only child? How many siblings do you have? Are you close or are you estranged?

If you are adopted, do you know your birth parents? Do you want to find them?
Do you call your mother every day, or only on her birthday, Mother's Day, and Christmas? Are your parents alive?
Do you like to cook? Do you use recipes or make up your own recipes? Do you eat out every night?
Do you put both socks on first, or one sock, one shoe?
Do you have a dog? Is the dog a rescue dog or bought from a breeder?
Or perhaps a hamster? Or do you have any pets?

11 More Questions

Do you iron your clothes? Who does your laundry? Do you do it yourself or do you send it out?

Are you married? Are you divorced? How many times have you been married?

Do you brush and floss your teeth before you go to bed? Do you use an electric toothbrush and a water pick?
Do you have any cavities?
Are those your real teeth, or are they dentures, or are they all capped?
What do you throw into the garbage? Do you recycle?
Do you live in an apartment or a house?
Do you own your own home or rent?
Do you mow your own lawn or use a landscape service?
Have you ever had a garden?
Have you ever eaten a carrot right out of the ground?

16 More Questions

Do you pick your nose?
Do you bite your fingernails? Do you have any bad habits?
What is your earliest memory?
Do you hold the door open for the person behind you or do you let it go and slam in their face?
Do you take chicken soup to your elderly neighbor when they are sick?
If you had a dog, would you pick up your dog's poop when you go for a walk or sneak off and hope no one saw your dog poop on their lawn?
If your boss asked you to cheat on your invoice and bill your client for extra hours, would you do it?
On Monday morning, are you excited to go to work, or are you sad?

If you could go back in time for one day, where would you go?

You can cure one disease. Which one would you cure?
Do you honk at the car in front of you if they didn’t see the light turn green?
Do you exercise or are you a coach potato?
If a Boy Scout comes to your door selling popcorn, do you hide in the kitchen or buy popcorn?
Have you ever served in the military?
What is your greatest fear?

Would you like me to get you a glass of water? Or would you rather have soda? Wine? Whiskey?

Know Your Characters

Questions like these can help you know your character better. If you'd like even more, read this famous list of 35 questions French novelist Marcel Proust was asked by a friend when he was fourteen years old.

Think of other questions you would like to use in your interview. What questions will help you understand your character's personality, motivations, and goals?

I wonder how your characters in your current story would answer these questions?

What questions would you want to ask your character in an interview? Let me know in the comments section .

Take fifteen minutes to get to know your character better. Using the above list, interview a character in a story you have already written, or interview a new character for a new story you are writing.

After you have interviewed your character, place your character in line at a department store waiting to return a pair of shoes. Based on your interview with your character, how do you think they will react to a long line and one teller?

It will be interesting to see how characters from different writers will respond to the same situation.

Please share what you have written in the comments and read and comment on someone else's story. We can share our writing and support each other.

Pamela Hodges

Pamela writes stories about art and creativity to help you become the artist you were meant to be. She would love to meet you at pamelahodges.com .

114 Comments

Aw, man, this looks like fun, but I don’t think my current character qualifies. The downside of writing historical fiction. Either way, love this list, although I respectfully disagree with your stance. I write the book and let the character ‘tell me’ who they are along the way. It makes it interesting, for me, when I start the book while not really knowing the character. Great, fun post, though. Can’t wait to see the other responses!

Same here, I’m writing historical fiction and none of the characters can answer some of these questions! By the way, your way of getting to know your character is interesting, but how do you let him/her tell you about what they are like? By how they respond to the situations you put them in, for example, or something different?

Yes, pretty much. It’s hard to explain, but I pretty much have to really, really become them (as in, leave reality for awhile!). I start off with a basic shell of a character (name, a bit of background, occupation, etc.), and work from there. As the story progresses and plot twists come up, I look at the character so far and judge how someone like them would respond. How they respond to that determines how they respond to the next problem, and so forth. By the end of the story I have a real, fleshed-out character who is beter than I expected. I used this method with the book I just published, and it seemed to have worked. I hope this helps! (P.S., what era do you write? Mine is 1st century Israel, Biblical-based)

They have method acting, and then there’s method writing. It takes a toll. -_-‘

Hi Reagan/Riff, wanted to chip in since you both said your characters can’t answer these questions since you write historical fiction. I dabble in fan fiction and found these questions a little strange for my characters to answer too. But it was still a useful exercise because putting my characters in situations I’ve never considered before (Eg ‘Have you ever eaten a carrot straight out of the ground?’) helps me find another dimension of their personalities.

Like I have this very prim and proper character who’s a museum director. So her first response to the carrot question would be ‘No, of course not!’ I can imagine her wrinkling her nose in disgust at the very question. But she could also go the other way. I can see a mischievous smile forming and her leaning forward to whisper ‘This is going to sound weird, but back when I was in school…’ Both are avenues for me to further explore the character.

But you have to decide how she feels about the person asking…which is another avenue to further explore the character. 🙂

Oh, that’s true. Hadn’t considered that, thanks for pointing it out! Always happy to find new ways of getting to know characters better.

Sure does 🙂 It sounds fun as well as rewarding. I might try it out. (My current WIP is in the 19th century)

Reagan, I love your approach. Letting your character tell you who they are as you write. Like discovering a new friend. xo Pamela

That’s exactly what it’s like, and it makes writing that much more fun! Thanks, Pamela! 🙂

I have the habit of building my main character around a real person, someone I know well; a family member, a friend, a movie star, singer, a celebrity. Seeing the person in my mind’s eye, helps me to create the story. I love your list of questions, Pamela. Here’s a few others I usually ask. 1) What feature do you like best in a person’s face? 2) Do you like being in company? 3) Do you like team work or tackling a job alone? 4) Do you like children? 5) What’s your favourite colour?

Please ask Harper if he likes being with other cats. Minnie has three friends now, and she looks for them each morning when I let her into the garden. Hugs and blessings to you and the cat clan.

Hello Lillian, Harper says she likes other cats. However, poor thing, she never gets to go outside. She says hello to Minnie. Thank you for sharing the questions you usually ask. I hope you and Minnie are well. xo Pamela and Harper

He is obviously aggravated. Why is the shoe department always understaffed? What happened to the days when the sales person conversed with you, learning a bit about you in order to suggest a second pair of shoes for some other function than the ones you came in to try? Who sat you down and even though you know your shoe size,would immediately put your foot in a Brannock device and measure it? The longer he waits, the more agitated he becomes, sighing and repeating under his breath”Come on, already!”

Me, in this situation. You’ve written a character with whom I can identify.

LOL, thanks.

Hi debbi, Love all of the questions at the beginning. I can feel his frustrations by all of the questions. He is obviously aggravated, sighing and repeating under his breath, “Come on, already.” What about putting the first sentence at the end? Then I can see his aggravation before you tell me what is obvious. xo Pamela

Good suggestion, thanks.

Excellent use of detail here! Nothing felt superfluous, and even though it was a brief piece, it captured who this man is.

Beautifully written article. I like to surprise my readers by letting them discover how my characters react in certain situations. I do use the interview method for them when I need to know the basics though.

Hello James, Thank you for your kind words. I just thought flowers were beautiful. Sometimes I just start writing because I don’t know who the character is yet. Letting your readers discover your characters is a fun way to meet them. The interview is to help the writer know them better before they start writing. xo Pamela

“This is incompetence,” Coral muttered and began to count the people in front of her again. Seven. Eight. Nine. She glanced back to see three more people behind her. She shifted her weight to the other leg, her feet aching. The irony tickled her. “Hey,” she said to the man in front of her. He didn’t respond. “Hey,” she repeated. “You.” “What?” he asked, looking up. “Me?” “Yeah, you. What kind of shoes are you buying?” “The red ones that were on display.” “Oh,” she said, pushing her eyebrows up. “I got some of those last week. I had to return them.” “Really?” he asked. “Oh, yeah. The soles came right out. I would put them back if I were you.” “Oh….thanks for the warning.” He looked wistfully at the box and stepped out of line. “Bye,” she sang and stepped forward. Four. Five. Six. Seven. The girl now ahead of her had earbuds in. Coral reached forward and tapped her on the shoulder.

This made me chuckle. I love that so much of Coral’s identity is left for the reader to surmise.

Oh so devious I love it… job well done

Thanks for reading and thank you for the feedback. I feel very encouraged. 😀 Gracias!

Hello Zerelda, haha, I love your character too. She is funny and resourceful. xo Pamela

Thanks! I’ve spent a lot more time developing characters this time round and it looks like it’s paying off. Your article has some questions that I’m finding to be very helpful. 🙂

Yeah, I kinda like that too- I mean, thanks! 🙂

hee hee hee; please write more with Coral!!! She’s a Hoot!!!

Thank you! I should probably go to bed, but if write more I’ll put it here – https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheQueenZerelda

Delightfully mischievous, Coral! How many different stories did you use?

Amazing what you accomplished, Zerelda, with so few words. Very fun.

Thanks! I’m very happy with how it turned out. 😀 If only I could duplicate.

Haha, love this! Subtle and funny. This is a complete story in itself, love how you did it in so few words!

Thanks! (I feel a need to reply to ever comment. Probably just to say, “received and thank you for reading”.)

You’re welcome! I understand that compulsion, haha.

Coral sounds like a fun character for a reader to follow! Great work!

I’m writing about a cat and he’s pretty feisty. I’m just now getting to know about cats. I knew a little about their nature, but, had no idea of my journey into their lives. (When I was a little girl, my uncle’s 1st wife had a cat. My parents were pet parents because they needed to watch him while they were away. One morning, my sister and I were on the couch and it leaped up on the back of it and the sun flashed in his eyes. They turned red! I was so scared. Sorry to say, that one incident made me dislike cats.) True story. So, my character probably won’t like all of those questions. They will get on his “Cat nerves.”

My apologies to Harper. But, I may be coming around so, it will take some time. I’m hopeful. I had a wonderful German Shepard growing up, he never left my heart.

Hello LaCresha Lawson, Oh, a cat with red eyes would be scary. I understand how the cat made a lasting impression on you. Harper doesn’t mind. She will always love you. You have made me realize how the writers life influences how they write their stories. Yes, the questions would get on your characters “cat nerves.” Do you have a photograph of the German Shepard you had growing up? I never had dogs as a child only cats. But, as an adult I had one, Sally. She lived to fourteen. I hope you are well. xo Pamela

Thank you for your kind words! They are well taken. And, thank you Harper for helping me feel better about my feelings of that traumatic incident. I will fight that fear every step of the way. Also, I will ask my Mom about the picture of that cute puppy we raised. As always, take care my friends.

My character is a teenager battling amnesia and a physical handicap. That led to a lot of “I don’t know/I don’t remember” answers. (Indeed, I know more about her than she does.) Here she is, waiting in that line:

Akiko held the shoebox under her arm. She had asked Mrs. Olsen if she could return the shoes herself, but she knew Mrs. Olsen was watching her. That was what made Mrs. Olsen a good foster mother. She was always concerned about Akiko. The line moved slowly. People in the line, both in front of and behind her, grumbled. Akiko quickly surmised there was only one person at the customer service counter. Somewhere ahead of her, a woman was complaining, demanding another register be opened. In front of that woman (at the register, Akiko assumed) a man shouted, “It’s right there on the receipt, are you blind?” Akiko suppressed a chuckle. The man’s words were insensitive, of course, but nevertheless she found it funny. She made a point of tapping her cane gently on the floor as the line moved up. Unlike the people around her, she felt tranquil. She wondered if that stemmed from her martial arts training. So many people around her seemed to be frustrated with the line. But Akiko was far more frustrated at not knowing anything about her parents, about her past. She knew the line was long. She did not know, in effect, who she was.

I love that thought, “I know more about her than she does”. It’s so stark and tragic. *highfive* I also suppressed a chuckle, but failed. Wow, there is so much story squeezed into so few words. It has to be read slowly. Which I think is excellent. It’s feels three-dimensional. *secret handshake* I would mention that since you start with the point about the foster mother and then end with a related point, they get separated. It threw me off a little, but if the excerpt continued it would make an excellent launch pad and as it is it brings the excerpt to a focused ending- as in, it brings the main conflict of the story to the forefront (that seems to sound right.)

Thanks so much. I think I understand your final paragraph. This scene probably won’t make it into the novel, but I’ve placed it right at the end of the exposition, just before everything hits the fan.

Oh, yeah, I can see that being very effective. 🙂

I like how tranquil this character seems. Most people would be annoyed or frustrated about being stuck in an unmoving line, but Akiko’s amnesia actually seems to make her calmer. Also enjoy how you tied her lack of frustration with the line to her backstory! It weaves in naturally and makes me want to know more.

Thanks so much! It is encouraging to know you want to know more about Akiko’s story. While this scene probably won’t make it into the novel, I’ve placed it just before everything hits the fan, at the very end of the exposition.

Bruce, Thank you for putting Akiko in the shoe line. Her character is so alive. I loved the joke about “are you blind?” And how you didn’t tell us, “she was blind,” but showed us by her tapping her cane. I would love to read more about her. I am frustrated too, who are her parents, what is her past. xo Pamela

Thanks, Pamela. It is encouraging to know you want to know more of her story. I’ve enjoyed the exercises at The Write Practice as they have given me an opportunity to try writing from the perspective of a blind person.

Overall this was very good, with nice details and flow. There were a couple bits of information at the end though, about the martial arts and her amnesia, that felt stuck on. Be sure to show and not tell!

Thanks. I’m still working on showing rather than telling. It is a particular challenge in this case as Akiko has recently discovered she must have had martial arts training in the past (because she is a skilled martial artist) but has no memory of it.

These are some cool questions – some I had never thought of. One of my characters is named Toni Rogers and he is a rich Prince in disguise and lives in a castle. He and several of his friends were interviewed. One of the questions he was asked was what does he do for fun, he said volunteer with habitat for humanity. The reason, he wants to be an example to others.

Hello Debra Johnson, How have you been? It is nice to see you again. Toni Rogers is very kind to be an example to others. I hope the questions helped you know more about your characters. xo Pamela

I’ve been good. Went through a rough patch there with my writing but have found a new muse and he’s great. Working on a 2 part crime story,,, and finding new life for it. Its so comforting to be able to get excited about writing again.

A lot of these questions apply to a modern setting, but it’s not as though they can’t be of use to someone writing about an older or futuristic time period. I guess you could even try to see how your character would react if they WERE from our world, or were suddenly placed here! Either way, it sounds like lots of fun–so let me disappear for a while to interview some of my characters.

Hello Ai-tama, Hmm, I hadn’t realized the questions were for a modern setting. I will have to be more aware of my preconceived notion of where the character is. It would be sad to limit the character to a time period during the interview. I look forward to meeting one of your characters in a shoe line. If they have shoes in their time period. xo Pamela

No, it’s perfectly fine! Like I said, the majority of these questions can be modified to fit any setting. But thanks for taking the time to read my comment!

Great post!! You always make me chuckle. I have asked real people several of these questions, for example, nos. 6 and 8 (particularly this one) in the “10 Questions” and nos. 4 and 9 in the “16 More Questions.” Some folks thought I was the weird one . . . imagine that!!

Hello Okie Writer, Glad to bring you a chuckle. If you could back in time for one day, where would you go? I want to go to 1932, and meet my grandmother before she died. Weird is really creative in disguise. All my best, xo Pamela

Pamela, These are great questions. My son and I are writing a YA mystery together. We will have fun answering these. Thank you

Hello CHERRILYN BISBANO, How fun to write a YA mystery with your son! I hope you had fun answering the questions with your son. You are very welcome. If you and your son write about one of your characters in the shoe line, please post it here. xo Pamela

She knew she would regret buying that pair of shoes. She only ever wore heels, for work, and slippers, for home, so buying that pair of fancy high-heeled boots was completely unnecessary. Why had she bought it anyway? Expressing her unconscious desire for the day her life would be more than just work and an empty home?

Going shopping for shoes had taken a precious thirty minutes out of her already-full day. Coming back to return them was going to take another ten minutes at least. She did the mental calculations as she backed into a finally-available parking lot. Five minutes from the carpark to the store, five minutes to locate the refunds counter, five minutes to talk to the staff, or ten if they didn’t want to give her a refund.

She didn’t think she’d have much trouble on that score, though. If she could ‘persuade’ a lazy waitress to show up for work on time and cajole a set of circuit boards to become a functioning machine, getting a shoe-store guy to help her out shouldn’t be a problem.

Refunds counter. She hadn’t shopped enough to use it before, but had no trouble finding it. She could read signs, after all. The overhead arrow promised she’d find it ‘fifty metres up ahead’, so at first she sailed straight past the twenty-deep queue of people without connecting the dots between it and her destination.

Then she realized that the queue ended – or rather, started – at the counter, above which was perched a big downwards-pointing arrow. Refunds counter.

She hadn’t forgotten that it was Christmas again, had she? She quickly checked her phone calendar. No, it was firmly in the middle of a very boring August. Then why on earth was everyone and their mother recreating the Great Wall of China in the middle of this department store? On the one blue-moon night that she, Kendall Morgan, decided to venture into an area that wasn’t her workplace?

Again she did the math. Given that the single teller at the counter was in danger of being outpaced by a glacier, she didn’t see the twenty-man queue moving anywhere fast. She could spend the rest of her night and possibly part of next morning solidifying in the queue. Or she could bring the shoes home and…well, the eighty bucks she’d dropped on them were gone, and she definitely begrudged the closet space she’d have to make for the shoes, but at least she could spend her night solidifying over work she hadn’t been able to clear, as opposed to in this queue.

Or hey, she could bring the shoes to work with her the next day. Too many of her employees had been underperforming. Maybe she could finally give them the boot.

Stella, Your character was very real in the shoe line story word prompt. I felt like I was with her as she saw the Great Wall of Chine shoe line. Funny ending with, “Maybe she could finally give them the boot.” Is she from a work in progress or a new character. She is very well rounded, as though she has been in your writing life for awhile. xo Pamela

Thanks so much for the encouraging comments everyone! Reading them made my day. Usually check The Write Practice just once a day, so coming back a day later to this feedback was so great.

Pamela, you’ve hit the nail on the head. She’s a character I’ve been struggling with for a while, because she’s very similar to myself in real life. She’s a workaholic, has a sarcastic side, doesn’t make friends easily, quite reserved around people. Which makes it easier to write her most of the time, but on the occasions where we respond differently, I hit a roadblock. Anyone have similar experiences when writing characters similar to yourself? (And Pam, thank you for the wonderful post!)

Definitely! I totally agree with you! @Stella

This is a nice little snapshot of your character! Her defining traits come across very clearly.

Thank you! Very encouraged that you liked it. Haha what would you consider to be her defining traits? (I know what about her strikes me as a writer, but curious what stands out to readers.)

I love how you give us a great idea of how impatient and even a little sarcastic your character can be. You also offer a couple of nice jokes there, which is always a treat.

Thanks! Haha I’d ask which bits you found funny, but there’s a quote I read about attempting to write humour: it’s like dissecting a frog. You can analyse what makes it work and take it apart, but nobody is interested and the frog dies in the process.

I’ve never heard a truer statement about the science that is humor. The more you think about it, the less funny it will be. Likewise, as the Joker from Batman: the Animated Series said: “If you have to explain the joke, then there IS no joke!”

I love this. The character is so relatable! (What does that say about me?) And you’ve really pinned down “show don’t tell”. Specifically the part with the line and the counter…

Thank you! Kendall’s one of my favourite characters and I’m over the moon that you relate to her too. Haha and at the risk of making you state the obvious – what DOES it say about you? Curious what aspects you related to most – shopper’s regret? Getting sarcastic when frustrated? Working too hard?

Shoppers regret, sarcasm…feeling like buying nice things is unnecessary, calculating how many minutes each part of a plan is going to take, being persuasive, having to be persuasive…though one big difference is that in that line I would just be watching people and taking notes. Oh, the freedom of non-writers to live their lives normal *lament, lament*.

“Expressing her unconscious desire for the day her life would be more than just work and an empty home?” I think everyone can relate to this. It’s funny how purchases like that express an “unconscious desire” to fill-in-the-blank. Makes me think of that sunhat I own, and how I don’t live anywhere near a beach. The joke at the end made me smile.

I’m glad! It made my sister roll her eyes and do an extended fake laugh. And thanks for your feedback! Kendall is a character very close to my heart so every time someone relates to her, it’s like meeting a new person and realising you two have mutual friends in your best friend.

Hello Felicia, Glad this could be helpful. All my best, xo Pamela

My current WIP is scifi, so the second half of the prompt doesn’t exactly work for me, but I can post a quick Q&A with two of my characters!

What did you eat for breakfast? Did you make it yourself?

SHANNON: We take turns with the cookin’. I made pancakes this mornin’.

LEIKO: She’s been force feeding me American food.

SHANNON: (slightly wounded) I thought you liked my pancakes?

LEIKO: I do! So far I like pancakes, I like scrambled eggs, but I don’t see what all the fuss is about bacon.

SHANNON: I got a big sister, Cherry. We never got along too good, but our ma’s gettin’ on, and Pa’s not around much. We’re really all we got left in the way of family, so we’re tryin’ to patch things up.

LEIKO: I had a little sister. Her name was Ai.

LEIKO: I was engaged for nine years. My fiancé passed away, but…well…the engagement wouldn’t have gone off anyway.

SHANNON: No, I’ve never been married. But, uh – (glances at Leiko) I’m working on that.

LEIKO: Oh wow. That’s a tough one. There’s a lot of moments in medical history I’d love to see. Or I’d want to visit Japan on Earth Prime before the Exodus. What about you, koibito?

SHANNON: I think I’d like to see my folks when they was young. I’ve always wondered how they got to courtin’, considerin’ how their marriage went.

LEIKO: You have whiskey?! Why didn’t you say so!

SHANNON: (laughing) That’s a yes for both of us on the whiskey, thank you kindly.

That was epic.

Totally epic! Love it. xo Pamela

Dear Endless Exposition, Love the dialog between two characters. They sound like real people. Like, really real. xo Pamela

Your characters seem like so much fun!

Shock. Horror. Does not like Bacon??? lol Heretical. Could tell right away this person in not American, being force fed American food. How funny: they’ve developed a taste for whiskey though!!

Leiko is Japanese, but when it comes to alcohol she considers herself a citizen of the world

Now i understand! :~D since it was sci fi, i thought she might be An alien…. .thank you for explaining! These two sound nicely comfortable with each other.

Thanks! This story is much more romance heavy than usual for me, so I’m glad to hear I’m doing alright.

; ) Very nicely done, then. Yay for romance, lol.

I wonder how your characters in your current story would answer these questions?

Mostly with confusion. He’s not been in a modern world for nearly a decade, and has forgotten most of what these things are. Now, Proust’s Questionnaire, on the other hand, has some questions he could answer. We’ll go with ten.

RwFoster : What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Carter Blake : Being at peace, reunited with my Rishka Keeper Dearbhaile Galadriel.

RwF : What is your greatest fear?

CB Failing to protect my loved ones and innocents.

RwF What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

CB : My recklessness. It has gotten me and others in danger too many times to count.

RwF : Which living person do you most admire?

CB Queen Adora Orwen. Her will, and intelligence, make her a formidable woman. I am glad she is on my side.

RwF : What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

CB Honor. To the dead, it doesn’t matter if you fought them sword-to-sword, or if you cut their throat while they slept. They’re still dead. Worrying too much about fighting your enemy with honor allows innocents to be put in danger through your arrogance.

RwF : On what occasion do you lie?

CB : When confronting my enemies? Almost every time I open my mouth. With my loved ones? Almost never. It is better to be honest with those you care about. In the short term, telling someone what they want to hear might make them happy, but in the long term? They’ll be – usually – pissed off. And hurt.

RwF : Which living person do you most despise?

CB : Drago the Clanless. That dwarf has cause more chaos and harm than any other I’ve met, or heard of, all to rule a single layer of the Abyss. AT the same time, his tenacity and ability to roll with setbacks is admirable. Were he not so foully evil, we might have been able to be friends.

RwF : Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

CB : According to Robilar, it is the word, “Indeed.”

RwF : If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

CB : My lack of knowledge about what the Walker of Worlds is, how my powers work, and what I’m meant to do as the Walker.

RwF : What do you consider your greatest achievement?

CB : Getting Belial so angry with my snark that he forgot he wanted me alive and bellowed for his demons to kill me. All by saying he talked too much.

RwF Thank you for your time, Carter. May you find your answers.

CB : Thanks for having me, Rob, and thank you for the wish.

Dear RevDr. Robert Foster, AbC, EfG , A great use of the questions given to Proust. I hadn’t realized how much you can learn about a character by asking these questions. Very thoughtful. And, you make me want to know more about them. Please say hello to your characters from me. They are real, right? xo Pamela

I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

This was very interesting. I’d like to read more about the world you’ve created just from reading this!

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. If you’re interested, The Chronicles of Carter Blake, Book I is available on Amazon. This guy is the MC of it, and the one I’ve been sharing on here lately.

I will definitely get it as soon as I’m able!

Awesome. I appreciate it. Oh, and would you do me a small, relatively painless favor? After you read it, would you leave me a review? Good, bad, or ugly.

Wow, that was pretty entertaining to read. I agree, I’d definitely want to read this story! I’m already curious as to what the Walker of the Worlds is!

(My characters are actually from Ancient Greece, so there are no shoe stores. However, I decided to see how they would act if they were from our times. I also went a little over 15 minutes–oops!)

With the shoebox tucked under her arm, Rain made for the returns counter. She didn’t want to return the shoes. She thought the sneakers looked awesome. But as soon as Bellanca saw that she’d bought something–gods forbid–as a treat for herself for once, her little sister nearly blew a gasket. She went on and on about Rain’s frivolity, scolding her for using her own damn money to buy something nice. Seriously, what was Bella’s deal? Rain wasn’t harming anyone. But instead of making it into an even bigger thing, Rain promised her she would just return them. If she didn’t, Bellanca would have never let her hear the end of it.

So of course, what did Rain find when she reached the returns counter? A huge line.

She groaned. She was already going out of her way to even bring the shoes back here to return them; now, she had to spend just about a million years waiting in line to actually do so.

Why in the name of sweet Mother Rhea were there so many people in this stupid line? She watched from the back of the queue as a woman with a screeching child was yelling at the poor teller, demanding to know why the kid’s light-up sneakers didn’t light up. The flustered young man was trying to explain that it must have been the batteries, which were easily replaceable. The woman would have none of it. She demanded that he go and fetch a new pair for her brat, one that actually did what it was supposed to.

The teller, not wanting to incur the wrath of the mentally unstable woman, apologized profusely, telling her that he could not leave his station. He would, however, call someone else to do the job, asking that the woman stand to the side while she waits so that he can serve the other customers.

The woman would never be so kind as to oblige. She insisted on standing right there, right at the front of the line, until she got what she and her little demon-spawn wanted.

Rain wrinkled her nose at the sight. Awful, annoying people, breeding awful, annoying children. It was people like this lady, she thought, that made the world a worse place.

Forget this, Rain thought to herself. Who knew how long it would take until this she-devil’s ridiculous desires were sated? She spun on her heel and made for the doors. Bellanca would just have to put up with the sneakers, because this was far too much trouble for a pair of shoes.

I’m glad she turns out to be spunky! At first she seemed to be Belkanca’s victim, but put up against the conflict seemed to make get stand up for herself. Nice turn around!

Thank you very much! You’re right–Rain tends to give into her sister’s complaining a little too much, so it’s good of her to stand up for once!

Maura read the sign over the Returns Desk, the store policies for returns and refunds. The receipt for Milo’s shoes was carefully tucked in the box, the shoes carefully wrapped in the perfect white tissue paper. No one could even tell Milo had tried them on. At least a dozen people in front of her, only one cashier with a calm face, not hurrying at all, pausing to sip from a large water bottle with ice cubes swirling with each swig. Pausing each time she had to point to the sign with the big, bold instructions stating the return and refund policies of McBratten’s Family Department Store.

There should be someone at the beginning of this line checking everyone’s credentials for returns, checking for the receipt, checking in the tags were still attached, checking if the appropriate credit card, if used, were available so the credit could be applied. If not, stand to one side and get it ready. Then people like her could get through quickly. The instructions were easy enough to follow.

But she actually welcomed the few minutes she would be delayed by this line returning her son’s shoes. It gave her more time to think what she wanted to say to Milo, how to react with him about finding out he had done absolutely no homework at all for the last nine weeks. She thought she should have been checking more thoroughly on him, but he was in fifth grade already. He was supposed to be old enough to take on responsibility for himself. (p.s. Pamela: so nice to see Harper has come onboard, on the boards. What Lovely Ears Harper has!! The better to listen with? :~) ).

I’ve been doing this for several years now. I also add in parenthesis how they move, their facial expressions–it really helps with finding a quirk.

It is a great article. It helps to build a solid character foundation.

Hello Jason, Thank you. Hope all is well with your writing. xo Pamela

Loved the article ! Very useful and fun to do ! I am part of a French writing community and we shared your article on fb but as it is in English, not all of us could actually read it, so would you mind if I translated it and the community posted it on its blog (with all the credits and a direct link to the article ?) here’s the blog url : http://www.herosdepapierfroisse.fr/blog/bienvenue/ Thanks in advance for your answer 🙂 Akasora

Hello Akasora, Yes please. What a generous offer to translate the article. If you give credit and post a direct link to the article, you can translate the article. Wishing you well. Now if only I could read and understand the stories in the shoe line that your readers will write in French. All my best, xo Pamela

Have you ever wished that the weird guy with beard, goggles and muffler around the corner of the shopping mall, would suddenly turn out to be Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt in disguise?

Maybe you have.

But I bet, in that case of your wistful fantasy, your imaginations were altogether different from what I am wishing for right now.

No, I would not run screaming like a madwoman towards that hot celeb guy, ferociously searching for a paper in my handbag and fighting others like crazy to get an autograph or shouting on top of my voice “Oh Gooood! I can’t believe it… I can’t believe it… I can’t believe it… I am feeling faint…Owwwwww…..”

No, I wont do any of these.

But, I wish others would react exactly in the above mentioned manner, so that… . . . . . So that, the big queue in front of me would rush towards the Celebrity and I can quickly return the shoes to the refund counter.

Yes, that simple.

You would think that I am out of my mind. But honestly, it has been a long day and there is nobody waiting for me in my apartment to ‘make me feel alright’ ‘on a hard days night.’

Suddenly a buzzing sound startles me out of my musings. My phone. Oh it is my mother on her daily phone call.

“Hey Mum”

“Hi honey, have you returned from university yet?”

“No, actually I am standing in front of a long queue in the shopping mall, hoping to return a pair of shoes I made a mistake of buying yesterday.”

“Oh I can guess! Mimi again cajoled you into buying those killer hills, isn’t it?”

A smile crept on my face despite being really frustrated a moment ago. Yeah, that’s my Mum, knowing me and my lifestyle too well though I have been living out of town for five years now.

“Yes Mum, you are right.”

I heard a soft laughter from the other side of the phone.

“But Kendra, may be you should keep these shoes this time.”

“What! Why?”

“Well, because I am planning to arrange a surprise grand party on your Dad’s fiftieth birthday next month. All of his business associates and colleagues will be invited. You may have a use for those hills then.”

Oh, how I hate those kind of parties. I actually hate being born in such a privileged family. That is why I left my house to live near the university in a small apartment and paying my bills by working as a tour guide in the city.

Don’t misunderstand me. I love my parents and I would love to organize a party on my father’s honor. But a cozy family gathering is my preference.

But then again, my parents respected my choices back then despite being a bit morose and surprised at first. So it is only fair that I too should bear with some snob guy for a few hours in the party, which would be a special occasion for my parents.

And also I would not have to wait at the end of this long queue and wish for intervention from Tom Cruise!

“Kendra, are you there? You would come to the party, wont you?” My mother’s anxious voice caught my attentions.

“Yes Mum. Of course.”

“Well then, goodnight sweetheart. You must be tired.”

“Yes Mum, I feel really sleepy.”

“I can tell. And oh, don’t skip your dinner, it is bad for your health.”

“I sometimes forget that you are a doctor, Mum”, I smiled as I made my way out of the shopping mall.

“Ha ha ha. I love you honey.”

“And I love you too, Mum.”

“One, two, three…” she whispered under her breath as she darted through the crowded aisle with two pairs of pink ballet flats on one hand and one kid in tow on the other.

“Amber! Bailey!” she called. “Come on, kids! Hurry!”

She heard little patters follow her as she charged down the aisle with a mission. ‘Ok,’ she thought. ‘I can do this.’ Suddenly, the little patters disappeared.

“Shit!” she exclaimed. She already knew what happened before she even had a chance to turn her head.

“Shit,” the little girl in hand chuckled.

“Cameron, no!” she exclaimed. “We don’t say that word!”

“Shit,” Cameron repeated.

Emma’s eyes widened as she looked at her innocent little girl. She would’ve scolded her for that, but right now she has two more on the lose.

“Amber! Bailey!” she scurried back up the aisle checking under every clothing rack on the way. “I don’t have time for this, girls!”

After the third clothing rack, Emma heard chuckles from the right. She turned around and marched towards the Junior Miss department with Cameron trailing along. She stopped for a second honing for the sounds of those high-pitched chuckles. It was faint, but she heard it. She turned left, took three steps forward, and heard it once again. Right in the corner of her eyes, she saw a glimpsed of blue slippers and tiny toes underneath the revealing cocktail dresses. She moved towards the clothing rack with the dresses, let go of Cameron’s hand, and stood there for a few seconds. She admired the little dresses and took a deep breath. “I remember when I used to fit in one of these,” she sighed.

She counted under her breath, “One, two, three.” And parted the dresses revealing two mischievous little girls.

“Eeeeeeee!” one, two, three of them shrieked.

Emma was planted in place. Shocked and mortified by the sight of her three little girls running and screaming in three different directions. One, two, three. The shock wore off. Emma darted to the left and scooped a little girl with her right hand. She darted to the right, dropped the ballet slippers, and caught another one with her left. Emma turned around hoping to catch another one, but there was no sight of the third! Panic grew from the pit of her stomach, rose up, and formed a lump in her throat.

‘Calm down, girl,’ she thought. ‘Relax.’

“Ma’am,” a deep throated voice crept behind her. “Is this yours?”

A burly man in blue security uniform with black trousers was holding the third one in arms length.

“Yes,” Emma nodded as she blew a strand of stray brunette hair from her face. “Thank you, sir.”

“You gotta keep your ducks in a row,” he said.

“Quack! Quack! Quack!” three of her little ducklings quacked.

Emma smirked and turned. ‘What does he know,’ she thought. ‘He’s never had three year old triplets before.’

With three little hands in hand, Emma and her triplets picked up the ballet slippers and waddled their way up to the register only to find out that the line was longer than three elephants’ trunk to tail with only one cashier to boot.

‘Oh dear god,’ she thought. She knelt down in front of her triplets, fixed their ponytails, and straightened their matching A, B, and C shirts.

“Amber, Bailey, Cameron,” she said. “Work your magic.”

The three year olds don’t really have tricks, but they have the smiles of cherubs when they’re not being monsters. As soon as Emma stood up, the woman in front of her turned around and adored her little monsters.

“Oh what precious little angels you have,” the woman said. “And you’ve got three! I have problems handling one at home. I don’t know how you can handle three.”

“They’re definitely a handful,” Emma responded.

“Why don’t you go in front of me?” she offered. “I heard what happened there and it seems like you only have two things to buy.”

“I’m just returning these ballet slippers. My husband got the wrong sizes for two of my ballerinas.”

The three little ballerinas twirled, and the line simultaneously exhaled, “Awwwww.

The line parted and let the three little ballerinas through. ‘Happens every time,’ Emma thought.

After they returned the shoes, Emma and her three girls smiled and departed, but before reaching the exit Emma knelt in front of her triplets.

“You three gave me hell, but you’re my tickets to heaven.”

One, two, three. She got three kisses from her three little angels.

(Never really done this before heehee)

Baekyeun furrowed his eyebrows curiously- disoriented- at the cardboard package he held close to his belly. A…shoe box? His stomach hiccuped and he surveyed the surrounding area, a weary yet motivated sense trickling over his awareness as if he’d just awoken from slumber. Nonetheless he felt that moderate twinge of mundaneness that compelled him to believe he’d been standing there for a while. Department store? Why? Something clicked in his mind then, an establishment of authenticity: he had anterograde amnesia. His name was Baekyeun. He lived in South Korea. He was twelve. No. That couldn’t be right. Twelve year olds didn’t hang out in department stores. The edges of his pink clamshell lips quirked up. He began guessing how old he was; that seemed like fun. It also seemed he would need that entertaining pastime; he stood sandwiched between two bodies stoic and much larger than himself near the end of a healthy long line. He bounced on his feet, hummed to himself, then leaned to the side and poked the man in front of him. “Excuse me,” he said with a beaming smile. “What are we waiting for?” The man scowled skeptically then grunted, “The return counter.” Baekyeun nodded when the man impatiently turned away. Baekyeun- who was, in fact, twenty years of age- flipped open the cover of the bright shoe box to take a gander at what was inside. Folded picturesquely beside their twins were two bleach-white converse shoes. Baekyeun’s jaw fell: they were so nice, why would anyone want to return them? With an indifferent shrug he slipped the box under his arm and took one step out of the line when a hand snagged his hoodie and reigned him back in. “Whoa there, Baek. Don’t do that, you’ve waited for so long already.” The relatively short male found himself standing beside a lanky tower of a man, someone who was clearly of the same age. The question, “Who are you?” was ready to fire off of Baekyeun’s tongue when the face suddenly became familiar. His features illuminated with glee. “You’re Chanmyeon, aren’t you?” The taller patted Baekyeun’s short locks of obsidian hair and nodded, then proceeded to inform the other why they were standing in line. Baekyeun frowned, then immediately perked when an idea came to mind. “I don’t really want to wait but…” He thrust the box into Chanmyeon’s chest, grinning. “You could have them!” He peered down at the taller’s paddle board feet, though, and realized the flaw in his plan. “If you want to try to fit into size eight, I mean…” Chanmyeon, the faithful caretaker of the forgetful amnesiac chuckled and tucked Baekyeun to his side, placing an almost protective arm around him. “No. I won’t. We’re going to return them, Baek, even if it takes us an hour.” The shorter giggled. “Then I think a game of I-Spy is in order. Who’s first?”

I squeezed all of my main characters from my fantasy story into this prompt. It wasn’t easy, since the story takes place is a less advanced society with mythical creatures. Tell me what you think!

“Ugg! Why is this taking so long! We haven’t taken a step since we got into this line! All I want to do us return this pair of shoes!” Kaeso grumbled to Corry. The shook the pair of tennis shoes that was way too small for him. “There’s only one kiosk. It’s bound to take awhile,” Corry replied gently. Kaeso growled under his breath, but didn’t say anything. He inched himself forward to help himself feel like he was moving, until he was right on top of the next person. The man twirled around, revealing himself to be the elf, Edwin. “Uh oh,” Corry thought. “This could get ugly.” “What are you doing breathing on my neck, orc scum?” The elf demanded. “Me? I can’t even breathe on your neck your hair’s so long. Why aren’t YOU moving forward? That’s the real question,” Kaeso retorted. Edwin snarled, “I know you don’t have any brains in that thick skull of yours, orc, because if you had, you would have known there is a long line and the EDC machine, the machine that swipes your credit card, is broken.” Now, he had struck a nerve. Corry’s eyes widened as she saw Kaeso ball his left fist. Corry slipped in between them and tried to diffuse the situation. “Settle down you two. Only fools quarrel amongst themselves,” she directed the last comment at Edwin, as it was a famous elven proverb, but she wounded Kaeso’s pride as well. Kaeso took a few heavy breaths and then turned away after deciding the elf wasn’t worth it. Corry glanced at Kaeso and to her relief, his fist was once again relaxed. She let herself exhale a small breath released her tight grip on her shopping basket. “Step aside, human girl. Your words mean nothing!” Edwin snapped. Corry turned to face the elf. He still couldn’t let this go. The nerve of some people. “No.” “Excuse me?” Kaeso stepped forward beside Corry. She tensed up, bracing for the storm to come, when she suddenly exhaled. A warm, calloused hand was wrapped around her fist. Corry glanced at Kaeso, who gave her a reassuring smile and mouthed, “I got this.” She forced herself to smile back. Kaeso straightened, still holding on to Corry’s hand, and mimicked Edwin’s know-it-all British accent, “I know your ears can’t hear a thing buried in all that hair, because if you could, you would have heard CORRY say no. My girl friend will not be stepping aside.” Edwin’s eyebrows narrowed and his face started turning pink, moving quickly towards maroon. Before he could say anything in reply, a voice on the intercom came on. “Sorry for the delay. Our card swiper is malfunctioning, but if you have cash on you, please come to the front of the line.” Kaeso pulled out his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a wad of twenties. “Perfect. I never trusted those plastic cards anyway.” Corry blushed as Kaeso took her hand again and dragged her to the front. “You don’t have to go so fast!” Corry said as she had to jog to stay on her feet. “I’m not letting anyone else get there first. No more waiting!” Kaeso replied. Corry chuckled pleasantly. “Nice come back. Did you see Edwin’s face!” Kaeso laughed, “Yeah, it reminded me of those rotten tomatoes we passed in that bin in the produce aisle in that lousy super market next door.” Corry couldn’t stop laugh, even though she didn’t like the comparison of people to rotten fruit. “Let’s never shop here again.” “Agreed,” Kaeso said. He finally slowed down as they reached the counter. Corry placed the basket next to the scanner, but the box was empty. “No!” Kaeso cried. “Where is the cashier?” He slammed the shoes on the counter. Corry patted Kaeso gently on the back. “It’ll be fine. You need to work on your patience.” Kaeso frowned glumly, “Add that to the list.” “Excuse me, I’m right here,” a tiny voice said. A tophane stepped out from behind the basket. “Whew! You nearly squished me!” “Sorry, Ben,” Corry said. “We didn’t see you there.” She nudged Kaeso “Sorry, Ben,” he muttered. “No problem, you guys. I know you didn’t mean any harm,” Ben replied. Kaeso frowned at the little man. “They let a tophane work as a cash register? No longer it was taking so long!” Ben shrugged, “Apparently, no one else wanted to work here, so they gave me the job. It’s not my fault I can’t reach half the items.” Corry smiled politely. “It’s okay Ben. Let’s just get this over with. There are plenty of grumpy people behind us.” Kaeso and Corry shared a knowing look. Ben glanced between them, and then shrugged again. “Let’s do this!” He went over to the scanner, which was just as big as he was, and jerked it up in the air. Corry winced at Ben’s struggle to keep his balance. “Here, I’ll scan it. You just tell us the total.” “And can you return these shoes while you’re at it?” Kaeso added, placing the receipt next to him. Ben nodded, and let out a huge gasp is relief when Corry took it from him. Corry made short work of scanning her shirt and jeans, while Ben pushed the shoes into a box “6.54 is your total.” “That was cheap,” Kaeso commented. Corry nodded. “That’s the only reason I wanted to come here. A friend told me the prices were off the wall cheap, and since I’m on a tight budget…” Corry trailed off. Kaeso frowned. “Which friend was this?” “Your cash please?” Ben asked. Kaeso handed Ben a twenty. Corry rubbed her arm and glanced away from Kaeso’s face, knowing that he would over react. “Arthur,” she admitted. Kaeso’s mouth dropped open. “Corry-” “13.46 is your change,” Ben interrupted. He handed the money to Kaeso with two hands and bowed slightly. After Kaeso took it, he reached behind him and grabbed another stack of money. “And here is the money for the shoes. Hope you find a better fit.” He stared pointedly at the orc’s bare feet. Kaeso snatched the money and stomped out. Corry sighed apologetically. “I have to go. Sorry about Kaeso. He’s always so over dramatic. Nice to see you again.” “No problem,” Ben replied. Corry turned to leave, when Ben called, “Corry!” She turned her head, impatient to get to Kaeso. “What?” Ben smiled. “Don’t worry about Kaeso. He’ll come around. Remember when he first heard about me?” Corry remembered. It was not pretty, until Kaeso found out that Ben was the size of his hand. Then he wasn’t worried anymore. “Yeah.” “It’ll work itself out.” Ben bobbed his head once, “Now go get ‘im.” Corry nodded in thanks and sprinted out of the store. “Kaeso! Come back!” The End

I made a few mistakes. Ignore Kaeso took her hand again. He’s jerking on her arm trying to get to the front so he doesn’t have to wait

Also, it’s supposed to say he shook the shoes. Not the. Autocorrect. I’m just now rereading it.

Sorry if it sounds forced or like I’m showing more than telling. I’m still working on my writing skills.

hi. I started asking my characters questions but I’m having trouble with part of it. I don’t know whether to do it before or after the books happen. Because some of the answers would be different depending on which way I do it. If you could give me advise on that I’d really appreciate it. thanks.

September 29, 2014-Prologue

I woke up to a world of quiet. A rare moment, but I didn’t stop to think about it then. It was a normal morning, so I thought. And It was, but the mornings after that weren’t. But no one can see into the future, otherwise we would be scared. Maybe that would help us understand the present, but it would be scary. But I’m getting ahead of myself. You don’t even know who I am, or why I am talking in past present form. Well, your questions will be answered, in time.

The reason quiet is a rare gem in my house is because I have a rather large family. But I’m the only girl, sister, or daughter in this house ever since my mom died. I have a twin brother, who is fifty-four minutes older than me. His name is Alex, and he’s my best friend. We look very similar, but not identical because we are fraternal twins. If you’re wondering if we are as close as identical twins, yes, we are just as close as them, if not closer. Whenever he’s gone I feel an emptiness inside, like apart of myself is missing. Lucky for me, he’s never been gone for too long.

I have six brothers, counting Alex. Usually I don’t count him with the rest, mainly because he’s different than a normal brother. Not that any of my brothers are “normal”. They all have their different personalities, and sometimes I don’t even believe we’re related.

The oldest was Gabriel, and he was sixteen at the time of my story. He has a disorder commonly called Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, usually shortened to ADHD. My family has many disorders running through it, like a crayon drawing by a small child. The bright colors are supposed to be in the lines of the drawing, but sometimes they are smudged or wander outside of their lines. Gabe is a wonderful big brother, and he is The Boss when Dad’s not home. Dad isn’t home very often, but I’ll tell you about him after going through all of us first.

After Gabriel was Copper. I liked to think of him as the copper ore in our family. It’s there, shimmery and beautiful, but yet blends in. He’s not there often either. Once he became fifteen he started disappearing, such as not showing up for meals and we could never figure out where he was. Then I found out he had started his own business, which takes up his time. He is a really nice brother, even if he is so distant. Not a mean bone in his body. He was fifteen at the time of….of this story.

The third oldest was Braiden. He was fourteen. Braiden is unique in his own way. He had ADHD like Gabe, which made him have a lot of energy. He used to flip his hair all the time, which used to make me laugh. I think it was a nervous habit, like how some people chew their nails. When I was there, we were the only two kids in our family with glasses, so we used to switch glasses sometimes. It was fun trying to get my tiny pair on him, & then his on mine because my face is small. They kept sliding off my nose.

After Braiden is Alex and I. My name is Joey. No, I was not a boy. I was a girl. A girl named Joey. I and my brother were thirteen in the year 2014. Something was always special about us from the moment we were born. Ever since Mom and Dad brought us home we were inseparable. We refused to have separate rooms since we were five, so Mom set up a big bedroom for both of us and added room dividers for when we went to sleep. Mom used to tell us stories about how she would leave us watching TV in the living room late at night, and then come back and see us asleep under the blanket.

The next youngest was Jackson. When he was smaller I used to play with him and Alex often. He was fun, and he always seemed to know more about the world than I did. He was a sweet little brother for awhile, but then he changed. Slow, but steadily, he changed. Maybe it was the heavy metal music he started enjoying, or maybe it was the meanness he saw around him in Dad & school friends. Or maybe it was just the way he was supposed to be. Whatever it was, I lost him. He liked seeing me angry, because when I get angry it looks funny. Admit it, there’s always that one person who is absolutely hilarious when they’re angry, so they get teased. It’s immensely funny to the people watching. But it felt like torture to me. The internal screaming & fear wasn’t fun. Constantly having to watch for insults wasn’t either. It didn’t help at all that he slowly became my height, & stronger. But he was my little brother, & whenever I was angry at him I would remember who we were before.

After Jackson is the youngest brother, Jake. Jake is almost indescribable. He gets angry sometimes, but he respects others during it. He cares about other people like Alex does, but when he protects the people he loves he sometimes hurts. At least he was loyal to us though. He always tried to protect me, even though I was older than him & a little taller.

Dad & Mom were the people at the head of our family. Mom died when Alex & I were nine. I didn’t like talking about how she died. I always loved her, even though it was hard after the Incident. Dad loved Mom unconditionally. Or at least, he said so. After Mom passed away Dad drank more & more. Dad was always violent when he drank, but I tried to ignore it while I was there. Little did I know it would be the reason for..that’s getting ahead of the story I’m telling though. First I want you to understand the life that we had, & how to forgive. Then you will understand everything.

Our house is not only noisy because of the people living there, but also because of the animals. We owned about five dogs & two cats. The dogs bark, growl & fight, most of which makes noise. They were all mixed breeds, except for the cats, which were tabbies. Most of the dogs were sweet to their family, except for this one, a pit bull mixed with a German Shepard. It wasn’t friendly, but not because of its breed. It was Dad’s favorite dog, so it wasn’t treated with respect whenever Dad got angry. Dad used to get angry a lot, but it got even worse after Mom died.

We lived in St Louis, Missouri, in a two story house. It was rather beat-up looking compared to the other houses, with paint chipping & the backyard fence was falling over & leaning on rusty metal poles. That was the only thing holding it up. When we first moved in, it was a improvement from the hotel we lived in till I was four. Alex & I were born in that hotel. Mom & Dad weren’t able to afford a house back then, so we first grew up playing in the hotel lobby & playing tag while weaving behind suitcases.

When Mom & Dad took us to go see the house, I loved the light bluish grayish colored paint. It was brand new, & the house was spotless. The fence was grey to match the house. For the first week Mom kept the house clean, but after that things went downhill & the weather outside took its toll. The house became messy & pretty soon I couldn’t quite remember how it had looked before we moved in. When I was ten, I found a picture someone had took of Alex & I staring at the house & the for sale sign was still up in the yard of the picture. I still have that picture, hidden away in a box. Sometimes memories are all I have.

My character is from another dimension, so it was tricky to interview her with these questions, but I tried anyway. Arden (the MC) might have been confused or bewildered by the modern mentions, like electric toothbrushes or calling people using phones, but she’s so headstrong and stubborn she ended up just arguing with the interview. I spent an hour asking her questions and at one point I couldn’t get her to answer at all – she just kept asking to interview me because she wanted to know where I was from! It wasn’t planned at all, but I loved it because it showed me how much she hates to be gotten the better of. I know this comment is seriously late (this post is from two years ago!) but thanks anyway, this was so useful to me!

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Home / Book Writing / 200+ Character Development Questions: The Ultimate Questionnaire to Build a Character

200+ Character Development Questions: The Ultimate Questionnaire to Build a Character

Table of contents.

What is a character interview?
Why are character interviews important?
How to Use a Character Questionnaire
Basic Questions
Physical Attributes
Personality
Relationships
Values and Desires
Lifestyle and Habits
Emotions and Spirituality
1. What Do They Want Most?
2. What Is Their Greatest Fear?
3. What is Their Greatest Flaw?
4. What Is Their Character Type?

A lot can happen from the first time you think of a character, to when you begin writing them in your novel. One way to make things easier is to ask them a list of character development questions.

That’s right, I said ask them , i.e. your characters.

This is a discovery writing process that can be invaluable when beginning your story. Because the more you know your characters, the better your book will be.

What a character interview is
Why character interviews are important
How to conduct a character interview
A HUGE list of over 200 potential questions
Some of the most important questions to get right/li>

By far the best way to get to know your character is with a character interview. The character questionnaire allows you to think of things you might not otherwise have done, and help you discover your character.

But first, let’s cover some basics.

The character interview is a time-honored method of discovering your character, learning what makes them tick.

Think of the process like outlining, but instead of a plot, you’re outlining a character.

Character interviews are one of the best ways to develop your characters and make them feel like real people .

If you want to follow the same path that I took, get this template today!

It’s more than just building a character profile, although it can be that too. It’s a way to not only learn the outward characteristics, but dig deep into their soul.

You want to build a real person, and what better way to do it than to interview that person.

For the pantser , this may seem tedious, and unnecessary. You may prefer to discover the character as they write the novel.

But think of it this way.

By taking the time to get to know your character, you engage in the discovery process ahead of time. Once you have a solid character, they will begin to take on a live of their own in the plot.

To conduct your character questionnaire, simply imagine that you are sitting in a room with your main character. You are allowed to be as nosy as you want, and they will understand everything you say. You simply ask them questions and see how they respond.

Repeat this process for any other important characters in your story.

Whatever you do, don’t use every question on this list .

Your character is unique, and you should tailor the questions you ask to that person, just as a real-life journalist would do in a real interview.

Pro Tip: There are more ways to flesh out a character backstory, but actually writing out their answers as if you were interviewing them is how we recommend building your character arc. It allows for the best immersion, and gives you practice writing in their voice.

Make sure you already have the broad strokes of your character in mind already. You should not start from scratch.

However, if you are starting from scratch, you can browse through these questions to brainstorm ideas. And you can start with the basic questions to build the character, then flesh out from there.

List of Questions

Without further ado, here is our full list of questions to ask your character.

Once again, you don’t have to use all of them, and you don’t have to go in order. Simply choose what works for you, and run with that.

What is your Full name?
How do you feel about your name?
Does your name have any particular meaning/history?
Do you have any nickname?
When were you born?
What is your age?
Sexual orientation?
What is your height?
What is your weight?
How are you built? (Skinny, fat, stocky, well muscled, etc.)
What is your face shape?
What is your hair color?
How do you style your hair?
What is your eye color?
What is your eye shape?
Do you wear glasses or contact lenses? If glasses, what style?
Do you have any distinguishing facial features?
What is your most prominent facial feature?
What is your most prominent bodily feature?
What is your skin tone?
What is your race/ethnicity?
Do you wear makeup?
Do you have any scars, birthmarks, or tattoos?
Do you have any physical handicaps or disabilities?
What type of clothes do you typically wear? (at home, at work, out on the town, in bed)
Do you wear any kind of jewelry or accessories?
What type of shoes do you wear?
Do you have any mannerisms?
Would you say you are in good health?
Are there any words or phrases that you overuse?
What about a catchphrase?
Are you a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty type of person?
Are you more introverted or extroverted?
What makes you laugh?
What is your love language? How do you show affection?
Do you have any mental disabilities?
What do you want others to think about you?
How do you see yourself?
What is your strongest aspect?
What is your weakest aspect?
How competitive are you?
Do you act on impulse or carefully think through decisions?
What happens if someone praises your work?
What happens if someone criticizes your work?
What is your greatest fear?
What is your biggest secret that you’ve never told anyone?
What is the purpose of life?
When did you last cry?
What haunts you?
What are your political views?
What will you stand for?
Who do you quote most often?
Do you prefer the indoors or the outdoors?
What is your guilty pleasure?
What personal trait do you rely on the most?
What do you value most in a friend?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
What are you obsessed with?
What are your pet peeves?
What is your greatest regret?

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Do you have a large family? Who are they?
What do you think of your family?
What is your current relationship with your parents?
Do you have siblings? Where do you come in?
Describe your best friend.
Who is your ideal best friend?
Who are your other friends?
Do you make friends easily?
Do you have any pets?
Who do you naturally get along with?
Who do you surprisingly get along with?
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Are you in a relationship?
How do you act in a relationship?
How many relationships have you had?
When was the last time you engaged in intimacy?
What kind of sex do you like to have?
How would you feel after a one-night stand?
How do you break up with someone?
Have you ever been in love?
Has anyone ever broken your heart?
Who do you trust?
Do you live with anyone? How do you get along with them?
Do you get along with your neighbors? Why?
How would your family describe you?
How would your lover describe you?
How would your boss describe you?
How would your enemy describe you?
What were you like as a baby/child?
Did you grow up rich or poor?
Were you nurtured or neglected in childhood?
What is the most offensive thing a person has ever said to you?
What has been your greatest achievement?
How was your first kiss?
What is the worst thing you did to someone you love?
What is your greatest ambition?
What advice would you give your younger self?
What smells remind you of home/your childhood?
What did you want to be when you grow up? Did it work out?
What is your favorite childhood memory?
What is your worst childhood memory?
Did you have any imaginary friends as a child?
What are you most ashamed of?
What are you most proud of?
Has anyone saved your life?
Were you ever bullied as a child?
What is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you?
What are your values?
What is the worst thing that can be done to a person?
What is freedom?
When did you last lie?
What is your view of lying?
Do you keep your promises?
Who is your hero?
If you could save one person, who would it be?
If you could ask for help from one person, who would it be?
What is your favorite proverb?
Do you believe in happy endings?
What is happiness?
What is your dream job?
What do you like to spend money on?
What is something you would never do?
What is something you would do that might surprise people?
Are you a leader, follower, or lone wolf?
Would you trade ten years of your life for money/beauty/intelligence?
How do you respond to a threat?
Do you prefer fighting with your fists or using diplomacy?
What is your kryptonite?
Your house is burning down, and you can only save one thing. What is it?
How do you view strangers?
What do you love to hate?
What are your phobias?
What is your ideal weapon?
Who do you most despise in the world?
What do you do when you get angry?
Who are your enemies? Why?
You witness a victimless crime, what do you do?
You’re at a bar, and someone spills your drink, what do you do?
Are you a forgiving person?
Is there anything in your past that you can’t forgive?
What are your bad habits?
What is your job?
What do you think about your job?
What other jobs have you had?
What are your hobbies?
What is your educational background?
Would you describe yourself as intelligent?
Do you have any specialist training?
Are you ‘naturally talented’ at anything?
Do/have you played a sport?
What is your socioeconomic position?
What is in your fridge?
What is in your car?
What kind of car do you drive?
What is in your pocket?
What is your most treasured possession?
Do you keep anything under your pillow? Next to your bed?
What are your eating habits?
Do you have any allergies?
What does your home look like?
Minimalist or hoarder?
Are you organized or disorganized?
Are you forgetful or easily distracted?
Right brain or left brain?
What do you do first on the weekend?
What do you do first on a weekday?
What do you do on a Sunday afternoon?
What do you do on a Friday night?
Are you comfortable with technology?
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
What do you think about when you can’t sleep?
What keeps you up at night?
What is your morning routine?
If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be?
What is your favorite color?
What is your favorite animal?
What place would you like to visit the most?
What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?
What is your favorite song?
What type of art do you prefer? (fine art, music, reading, film, etc.)
What is your password?
What is your favorite food?
What is your favorite movie?
What TV show can you just binge all day long?
Who is your favorite musician?
What is your favorite alcoholic drink?
What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Who could be your guardian angel?
Do you believe in the afterlife?
What religion do you follow?
Do you believe in heaven or hell?
What do you think it’s like in heaven or hell?
Are you superstitious?
If you could be reincarnated, what would you like to be reincarnated as?
What is your spirit animal?
How would you like to die?
What is your zodiac sign?
What is your Chinese Horoscope?
What is your motto or mantra for life?
What would you dress up for on Halloween?
What would you do if you won the lottery?
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
Do you have any food allergies or sensitivities?

The Most Important Questions

That list can be a bit overwhelming. So I thought I’d spend some time discussing the most important questions that you should know before you start writing your book.

And I’ve boiled it down to four essential questions:

Every character should start by wanting something more than anything. It can be living a peaceful life, it can be wanting to explore the wide world out there, it can be protecting someone, it can be finding revenge.

Whatever it is, they have to want it badly.

Desires are what motivate our characters, and they provide us with action and logic behind that action.

They can be especially enticing when pursuing those desires create conflict, the driving fuel behind any good story.

A character’s motivation can change and evolve over the course of the novel. This may be in relation to our character flaw that we talk about below. Perhaps that person will realize that the thing they thought they wanted, wasn’t actually what they truly desired.

You’ll see this a lot in Hollywood. Pixar, for example, has got it down to a science.

Character wants something > they try to get it > they encounter challenges to their desires > those challenges help them understand the truth.

Combining that desire and change is a great way to create a satisfying character arc.

If your character wants something, there must be something else that stands in the way. In a satisfying character development arc, this is done by creating something that your character fears.

Fears create tension in the story, and they provide a superbly personal form of conflict for the character.

They also deepen a character’s backstory, giving us a more well-rounded look at what makes them tick.

If you create a situation where your character must confront their greatest fear to get what they want, you have just created one of the most memorable moments in the character’s development.

Let’s face it, no one is perfect. We all have some vice, a quirk, or a history we are not proud of.

Characters have these too, or at least, the good ones do.

When you give your character’s personality a flaw, you create internal conflict.

A flaw is a great place to start on your hero’s journey toward change. This is part of what makes a good story, watching the character overcome their flaws, and gain something in return, because that’s essentially what all of us go through.

The flaw in your character’s life will (and should) create problems (conflict). And by combining all three of these essential traits (desire, fear, flaw), you can create real depth to your character, and help chart their motivations when they encounter the situations you put them through.

Each character has a character type that they usually fit into. This can be the role of protagonist, antagonist, mentor, love interest, etc.

The nature of this role will determine what questions you ask in your questionnaire, and help you get an idea of what kind of character they should be.

Why is your antagonist antagonizing? What causes your protagonist to take action? Why would the love interest be appealing to your protagonist?

In short, knowing your character type can help you determine what kind of person they are. It’s a great place to start.

Final Thoughts

Let’s face it, if you went through this process for every character in your novel, you’d be writing a novel’s worth of pre-writing just about your characters.

So you shouldn’t follow this process for every character. But you should take them into consideration for the most important roles in your story, and you should at least ask some of the more important questions to every character that has a big role to play in your book.

Personally, I love the process of getting to know my characters. By interviewing them, I’m able to get to know them ahead of time, rather than during the process of writing my story, saving me some valuable editing time in the end.

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

Author vs writer: what’s the difference, how to write an adventure story, parts of a book [from cover to cover], sell more books on amazon, amazon kindle rankings e-book.

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The Author's Guide to Interviewing Your Characters

Your story is only as strong as its characters.

Even with a great story idea, if you have weak, undeveloped, and/or trite characters, your story will fall flat. Readers won’t care about what happens. If you can’t get the reader to root for or against your characters, they’ll stop reading.

Developing your characters develops your story. Remember that the story doesn’t happen to your characters. Instead, your characters make the story happen. Sure, every story begins with an inciting incident that starts the protagonist’s journey. But, the story “happens” because of the characters’ decisions. It’s an orchestra of characters’ actions and reactions.

Long story short: You need to know your characters inside and out. And interviewing your characters will help you learn more about them.

Let’s discuss how to effectively interview your characters.

The Benefits of Interviewing Your Characters

We’ve already discussed how character development is crucial to writing a good story. Now, let’s discuss why you should use interviews as part of your overall character development strategy.

Learn More About Your Characters

When you ask your characters a series of questions, you discover more about them. You learn things that you probably would never have thought of otherwise.

Humanize Your Characters

As your character opens up about who they are, they become more human. Even if you don’t share everything you know with your readers, it’s important that you know the details. Your knowledge of the character will inform how you depict them in your story.

Find Your Characters’ Voices

When your characters answer questions, you have the opportunity to refine their voices. You can make note of how they respond. (Are they blunt? Are they reserved?) And you can set the cadence of their speech. (Do they pause or hesitate? Do they prattle on until interrupted?) Listening to your characters “talk” will also improve your future dialogue.

Create Well-Rounded Characters

Interviewing your characters will help to create more three-dimensional and relatable humans. If you know your characters’ flaws, failures, strengths, and motivations, your story will be more realistic.

Create New Characters

Many writers tend to write the same characters over and over again. But when you take the extra step to interview characters you’ve never written before, you can create fresh and different characters that don’t resemble what you’ve already written.

Know Your Characters’ Triggers

By asking introspective questions, you can understand how your characters think and also how they approach conflict. You can also create better internal conflict because you know what makes your characters tick and what can hurt them.

Here are our tips on how to create conflict within your novel .

Write Quicker and With Increased Confidence

When you know your characters inside and out, you’ll become a more productive writer. You won’t have to think too deeply about the appropriate response for each character because you’ll know the right move intuitively through your deep research ahead of time.

Important Note

The questions you ask your characters are different from the questions that you initially ask yourself when building your characters. Before you get to the point of interviewing your characters, you should already have a basic outline of your character. Use these questions to provide the finer details.

Here are 10 more questions that you should ask your story characters. Subscribe to receive this extra resource.

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How to Interview Your Characters

There are two ways to go about interviewing your characters:

Option 1: Magically transform into your character’s therapist, or a journalist, and then ask questions.

Option 2: Set up a scene where two (or more) characters ask each other questions.

I recommend the second option because it tends to produce better results. It’s a tad awkward for you, as the author, to “interact” with your characters. But it’s a lot easier to create throwaway scenes where your characters talk about themselves in a more natural setting.

10 Questions to Ask Your Characters (And Why)

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

Assuming you know the basics, such as your characters’ names, here are 10 essential questions to ask your characters. These questions are designed to dive deep into your characters and learn how they navigate through their world. Of course, there are hundreds of potential questions. Use this as the starting point, and add more questions as you see fit.

1. What are you most proud of?

This question helps you understand what your character values.

2. What's your biggest regret?

You can use this answer to create internal tension.

3. How is your relationship with your parents?

Parents, whether present or absent, have a huge impact on children. It’s important to know how your character feels about and relates to their parents because this can affect their relationships with others.

4. Who's the most important person in your life, and why?

Whether a spouse, a friend, a teacher, or a family member, find out who impacts your character. Your character should, in some way, emulate this person because humans tend to mimic who they respect.

5. What do you love most about your parents? Your best friend?

This is another question to help you understand your character’s value system.

6. Who in your family do you wish you could be closer to, and why?

You can use this question to dig into the reasons why your character isn’t close to their family member. This can reveal a possible trauma in their past.

7. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?

It’s always good to find out what brings your character pain. This helps you identify their sensitive areas because not everyone is embarrassed by the same things.

8. Who were your role models growing up?

This helps you determine important figures in your protagonist’s life and the impact they had.

9. What’s the most defining moment in your childhood/life?

Prod your character to identify an event that shaped them.

10. What's your worst habit?

This is a flaw that you can use throughout your story to humanize your character.

Asking the above questions will help you create more nuanced characters. The fine details create a more realistic character portrait.

How to Use Character Interviews to Improve Your Story

After you’ve asked the above questions, what can you do with the answers? Here’s how to use what you’ve learned to improve your story.

Use the information as your reference

While the answers may never be shared with readers, the character’s answers will create a stronger character. In the process of writing, you can refer back to these questions for clues on how the character may respond to an event or person.

introduce your characters

You can use what you’ve learned in your character interview to write an engaging introduction. This is especially useful if your story is written in the first person. However, be careful to only share what’s necessary to move the story forward. As tempting as it may be, don’t dump a huge expository text to explain your character’s background. The reader won’t care that much about a character that they’ve just met, so an expository introduction can be overkill unless administered in small doses.

Check out these tips on how to write character introductions .

Reveal details through dialogue

If you decide to have your characters interview each other, then you may be able to re-use that dialogue for an actual scene in your book.

Final Thoughts

Here’s a word of caution: Don't take too long to interview your characters. It’s easy to get bogged down in the research and outlining phase of writing. And, if you’re not careful, you’ll overload yourself with so much information that you won’t be able to write with ease.

Remember that the ultimate goal of outlining is to learn more about your characters. Your interview shouldn’t be a starting point. It should happen after you’ve covered the basics and are now ready to add the details.

Check out this related post: Tips for Balancing Characterization With Plot .

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Last updated on Mar 08, 2024

Character Questionnaires: 100+ Revealing Character Questions

To help you write nuanced and engaging characters, we’ve created several questionnaires that’ll let you dive into the various aspects of your characters’ personalities.

These questions will guide you to explore your characters' inner worlds, imbuing them with realistic fears, desires, and motivations. In building these psychological profiles, you’ll soon find it easier to make character-driven story decisions (and avoid simply filling your narrative with mindless plot pawns).

For a condensed version of our questionnaire that you can fill out and keep, download our interactive Character Questionnaire PDF:

FREE RESOURCE

Reedsy’s Character Questionnaire

40 questions to help you develop memorable characters.

The Nostalgia Check ⏳

Character questions: an author thinks of questions to ask her character

What is your earliest memory?
What is a memory that makes you swell with pride?
What is your worst memory?
Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like there?
Did you have a childhood nickname?
What was your relationship with your parents like when you were younger?
Who were you closest to as a child?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Did you ever get in trouble as a child?
Who were your childhood best friends?
Who were your childhood enemies?
Did you celebrate your birthday throughout your childhood?
What was your favorite day or holiday when you were a child?
What was your biggest fear when you were a child?
What is something you were insecure about when you were a child?
What is your most embarrassing moment?
What is something you quit that you now regret giving up on?
What is something you wish you never learned the truth about?
If you could relive one day of your life without changing anything that happened, which day would you choose?
If you could relive one day of your life and change its course of events, which day would you choose?

The “What If” Questionnaire 🤔

Character Questionnaire: A writer thinks of ideas

If you had a time machine, what would be the first thing you would do with it?
Your friends are speaking unfairly about a mutual friend. Do you say something or stay silent?
What would you do if someone brought up your biggest insecurity in front of a crowd of strangers?
What would you do if you witnessed a victimless crime?
What would you do if someone tried to threaten you?
How would you respond to an apology from somebody you still cannot forgive?
How would you react if someone insulted you to your face?
How would you react if you saw a friend who owes you money spending frivolously?
How would you break up with someone?
If you could have a one-hour conversation with any living person, who would it be?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
If your house were on fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be?
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If you could only hear one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you go?
If you could learn the truth behind any mystery or secret, what would it be?
If you won the lottery, how would it change your life?
Would you halve your income to be twice as attractive?
Would you trade ten years of your life to become richer?
How about to become more attractive?

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

The Relationships Quiz 💗

Illustration of various romance subgenres

Relationships do more than keep loneliness at bay — they can also spur conflict, encourage growth, and reveal the parts of ourselves that we usually hide from the world. Think about these relationship-related questions to shed light on your character’s views on love, loss, and more.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
Do you believe in marriage?
Do you believe in soulmates?
How many romantic relationships have you had?
Why did your last relationship end?
How short was your shortest romantic relationship? How did it start and end?
How long was your longest romantic relationship? How did it start and end?
What was your first kiss like?
What was the best date you have ever been on?
What was the worst date you have ever been on?
How well would you handle a long-distance relationship?
What lessons have you learned from your past relationships?
Would you rather approach a person of interest or wait for them to approach you first?
How would you feel after a one-night stand?
Have you ever kept someone in your life who you did not get along with (for example, a friend you disliked or argued with often)? Why did you avoid saying goodbye?
How would your best friend describe you?
How would your ex describe you?
How would your worst enemy describe you?
Who is someone you wish you never met?
Is there a “one that got away” in your life?
Who is the most important person in your life?

The “How Bad Are You” Test 💀

Character questions: scrooge being visited by ghosts

What is the worst thing you have ever wished on somebody? Who was this person?
Is there somebody you have not been able to forgive? What did they do? And do you want to forgive them?
Can you lie easily?
When was the last time you lied? What made you do it?
Do you handle rejection well?
How do you react when you receive bad news?
Have you ever done something illegal?
Are you more likely to ask for permission or forgiveness?
What terrible thing have you done that you never thought you would do?
What criticism would your worst enemy make of you that you would secretly agree with?
What is your biggest pet peeve?
What is the cruelest thing you have ever said to anyone?
When was the last time you got extremely angry? What angered you?
When was the last time you cried? Why did you cry?
Have you ever made someone else cry with your actions or words?
What never fails to upset you every time you hear about or see it?
If you could erase one thing from existence, what would it be?
What is your most controversial opinion?
What is something about you that you would never want anyone else to know?

The Potluck Round ✨

Illustration of a writer opening a box full of presents

What would your perfect day look like?
What is your favorite mantra or quote?
What is the strangest job you would be willing to do?
What is a job you would never consider, no matter how good the pay?
What was the last book you read? Did you like it? Why or why not?
How do you feel in large groups versus small ones?
Would you rather surprise someone or be surprised?
What is the most memorable compliment you have ever received?
What is something you have always wanted to learn or master?
What is one memory you never want to forget?
When did you feel most alone?
What is a question you have always wanted to ask but cannot bring yourself to?
What does success look like to you?
Do you think it is ever okay to lie?
What are you afraid of the most?
If you could change your name, would you? Why or why not?
What is something most people do not know about you?
What do you think is the biggest misconception other people have about you?
What is something about yourself that you would never change?
What do you think happens after death?
What is something you want to be remembered for?

For more tips on how to write unforgettable characters, check out our free course on developing characters readers will love, or our guide to coming up with interesting character quirks.

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From the desk of Samantha R. Uhrig

50 Deep Questions for Getting to Know Your Characters

Stories thrive on character.

It all starts with your protagonist. Then it branches out to their parents, their neighbors, their partners, their enemies, etc.

And those characters are so important to your story. You can have the plot of a NY Times bestseller and prose of an 18th century poet, but without good characters, none of that matters.

Which is why I’ve made this list!

Below are 50 questions for deepening your character. Ideally, you’ll want to choose a character you’ve already created to some extent. But this works for making brand-new characters, as well.

You can skim through and choose the questions you like best, or just copy and paste the list into a document for simplicity’s sake. (Use match formatting to remove my website format.)

And if you have any suggestions for questions to add, or you want to share some of your answers, please don’t hesitate to comment below! Feedback absolutely makes my day!

1. What is your character’s biggest fear?

2. What are some of your character’s other fears?

3. What is your character reluctant to tell people?

4. How does your character feel about their appearance?

5. Would your character change anything about their appearance?

6. Would they change anything about their personality?

7. What does your character believe is the point of life?

8. What did your character’s parents believe?

9. How do their parents’ beliefs affect your character’s?

10. How does your character feel about babies, children, and teenagers?

11. What are some compatible traits your character could find in a partner? (Regardless of whether or not they want a partner.)

12. What were your character’s childhood obsessions?

13. How does your character pass the time?

14. If your character reads books/watches movies, what genres do they prefer?

15. From what did your character’s core personality traits come? (e.g. lack of friends growing up can equal clingy traits, or overcoming hardships early on can create traits of strength.)

16. How did your character feel about friendships growing up?

17. How do they feel about friendships now?

18. What are some family traditions in which your character participated as a child?

19. What are their traditions now? (Anything from religious traditions to eating apple pie every Tuesday for breakfast.)

20. How did/do these traditions shape the character?

21. Did your character once admire their parents? Do they still admire them?

22. Which parent did they admire most and for what reasons?

23. Who else did they admire growing up?

24. And who do they admire today?

25. What clothing materials feel most comfortable to your character?

26. In what specific temperatures does your character feel most at home? What are considered uncomfortable temperatures?

27. What was the worst event of their childhood?

28. What was the best?

29. What are some insignificant memories that stick with your character to this day?

30. Does your character have next-door neighbors? Who are they?

31. What is the one thing your character wants most in the world?

32. When they were a child, what did your character want to be “when they grow up?”

33. Did they accomplish that dream?

34. How did that dream change over the years?

35. What are the biggest obstacles in your character’s life?

36. Are there any health or mental problems that run in your character’s family? (e.g. heart disease, depression, etc.)

37. Did your character inherit any of those problems?

38. Who in your character’s family do they most resemble?

39. Is the character’s dialect adopted from their relatives, or from the locals where they grew up?

40. How does their accent affect their word choice?

41. What is the kindest thing your character has ever done?

42. What’s the worst thing your character has ever done?

43. How do they feel about either of the above events, if they remember them?

44. What is your character burningly passionate about?

45. What is your character’s favorite place they have ever visited?

46. What is one place your character wants to visit?

47. Sum up your character in 3 adjectives.

48. Sum up your character in 3 nouns.

49. Sum up your character in 3 verbs.

50. What Hogwarts house feels closest to your character?

2 responses to “50 Deep Questions for Getting to Know Your Characters”

Thanks for the article. What is your characters’ Star Sign? To me, this gives a whole plethora of information. It will only work if you already have previous knowledge of Star Signs or personality types.

And things like enneagram, MBTI, etc. can also be helpful!

Click here to jump straight to the questions

The Ultimate Character Questionnaire and Worksheet (over 150 character questions)

The Character Questionnaire is a list of questions, put into groups, to help prompt writers to add detail and depth to their characters.

The best way to use the Character Questionnaire is in the Novel Factory writing software (which you can try completely free), but if you don't fancy that, then you can scroll down to view all of the questions below. And if you join our mailing list (form at the bottom of the page), we'll email it to you as a PDF.

What is a Character Questionnaire?

A character questionnaire is a list of character development questions that can be used by writers to add depth and detail to the characters in their novels.

The questions are usually organised into categories, such as personal details, physical appearance, personality, friends and family and backstory.

More detailed character questionnaires may also include topics such as love, conflict, work, education, hobbies, favourites, possessions, spirituality, values, daily life, and more.

Why use a character questionnaire?

A character questionnaire is a great way to get our brains working in new directions.

It's not intended like an exam, that you must complete for each character in order to get full marks. In fact, you should only consider doing it at all for the major characters. And even then it's most useful as an inspirational tool, not a plodding box ticking exercise.

The questions can help us think about aspects of our characters we might not have considered otherwise. They can prompt us to develop new, unique elements of their personality.

We can use questions to give us ideas about how we can contrast our characters and create conflict between them.

Or they can help us discover details about their home or work life which will enrich our descriptions and make them feel more three dimensional to our readers.

Note - a questionnaire is not a good way to start building a character. The questions are too piecemeal, and your character needs to have a more coherent core before you get to this stage.

(The Novel Factory includes other character development worksheets to help building characters with strong central drives).

How to use these character development questions?

All tools are only really useful if you use them right. Here are a few dos and don'ts to help you get the most out of this character questionnaire:

Start by browsing quickly over all of the questions to get a sense of the sections
Vary how you use the questionnaire depending on the character / the day / your mood
Pick out the questions that you find work best for you, and use them to create your own personal streamlined questionnaire
Completely ignore any sections you don't feel are relevant to your character
Mix it up - one day you might decide to pick 10 questions completely at random. Another day you might decide to complete all the questions in a single section.
Approach it as a brainstorming exercise
Allow your mind to go down a rabbit hole, if one question inspires you to write an entire scene from that character's history , than fantastic!
Understand that your in-depth knowledge of the character will bleed into your writing, even if the vast majority of this information is never written in your manuscript
Try to answer all of the questions for any given character
Feel you have to go through the questions in order
Try to follow a rigid pattern over and over
Use it to start building a character - you should already have the broad brushstrokes of your character, including what drives them and their biggest flaw
Use all of the information in your novel - most of the answers should be internalised, not spelled out

Don't forget, the Novel Factory software includes other character sheet templates for you to fill in, such as basic info character voice, game show introductions, characterisation and background.

If you like this, then you might want to check out our Roadmap - how to write a book and get published, in fifteen steps.

Would you like this questionnaire in PDF format? Then sign up for our newsletter below.

How to Conduct a “Character Interview”

Rather than simply sitting down and filling out the character development questions as the author, a fun way to use the questionnaire is to use it as a basis for 'interviewing' your character.

To do this, you can imagine you're sitting in a room with your character, and they are answering the questions directly for themselves, in the first person.

So if you had the question:

What is in their fridge?

A straightforward answer might be: seven types of cheese, lots of vegetables and a microwave lasagne.

But if you were conducting the questionnaire as an interview, you would ask the character:

What's in your fridge?

And the answer might be something like this:

"What's in my fridge? Now let me think. I've got that delicious Camembert, which goes perfectly with Merlot, and a few other delicacies for the board, but thinking about it I'm a bit low on cheeses, I should pop down to the market this week. I've got the bog standard veg in the crisper, you know, just the usual: courgettes, kale, celery, aubergine, beef tomatoes, spring onions, broccolli and cauliflower. What else? Oh yes, there's that God awful microwave lasagne that my son bought - I wouldn't go near the disgusting thing with a brage pole, but what can you do?"

As you can see, if you really try to get into the character's head while answering the questions, then you end up learning a lot more about their life and preferences, as well as developing their all important unique voice.

When doing character interviews, it can be very useful to get a clear visual in your head - not only of the character, but of their surroundings.

Where is the interview taking place - can it be somewhere that suits your story world or the character themselves?

Is it happening in a police interrogation room? In their living room? Even on a TV interview show? Having clear visuals like this can really help you get into the zone.

If you're doing this, you might also want to think about which questions you're going to ask in the interview. You may want to delve into their past and passions, particularly if it's a TV interview setting.

If it's a police interview, you might focus on questions relating to conflict, or work, education and hobbies.

Either way, as advised above in the general advice on how to use character questions, you are very unlikely to want to ask all of the questions in one sitting. Better to select a shortlist first and get more detailed answers, then try to rush through too many and get fatigued.

150+ Character Questions

Basic character questions.

First name?
Middle names?
Date of birth?

Physical / Appearance

Hair colour?
Hair style?
Eye colour?
Glasses or contact lenses?
Distinguishing facial features?
Which facial feature is most prominent?
Which bodily feature is most prominent?
Other distinguishing features?
Birthmarks?
Physical disabilities?
Type of clothes?
How do they wear their clothes?
What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc)
Race / Ethnicity?
Mannerisms?
Are they in good health?
Do they have any disabilities?

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse?
Do they have a catchphrase?
Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?
Are they introverted or extroverted?
Do they ever put on airs?
What bad habits do they have?
What makes them laugh out loud?
How do they display affection?
Mental disabilities?
How do they want to be seen by others?
How do they see themselves?
How are they seen by others?
Strongest character trait?
Weakest character trait?
How competitive are they?
Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?
How do they react to praise?
How do they react to criticism?
What is their greatest fear?
What are their biggest secrets?
What is their philosophy of life?
When was the last time they cried?
What haunts them?
What are their political views?
What will they stand up for?
Who do they quote?
Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?
What is their sinful little habit?
What sense do they most rely on?
How do they treat people better than them?
How do they treat people worse than them?
What quality do they most value in a friend?
What do they consider an overrated virtue?
If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
What is their obsession?
What are their pet peeves?
What are their idiosyncrasies?

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child?
Did they grow up rich or poor?
Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?
What is the most offensive thing they ever said?
What is their greatest achievement?
What was their first kiss like?
What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?
What are their ambitions?
What advice would they give their younger self?
What smells remind them of their childhood?
What was their childhood ambition?
What is their best childhood memory?
What is their worst childhood memory?
Did they have an imaginary childhood friend?
When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment?
What past act are they most ashamed of?
What past act are they most proud of?
Has anyone ever saved their life?
Strongest childhood memory?
Do they believe in love at first sight?
Are they in a relationship?
How do they behave in a relationship?
When did you character last have sex?
What sort of sex do they have?
Has your character ever been in love?
Have they ever had their heart broken?
How do they respond to a threat?
Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?
What is your character’s kryptonite?
If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?
How do they perceive strangers?
What do they love to hate?
What are their phobias?
What is their choice of weapon?
What living person do they most despise?
Have they ever been bullied or teased?
Where do they go when they’re angry?
Who are their enemies and why?

Work, Education and Hobbies

What is their current job?
What do they think about their current job?
What are some of their past jobs?
What are their hobbies?
Educational background?
Intelligence level?
Do they have any specialist training?
Do they have a natural talent for something?
Do they play a sport? Are they any good?
What is their socioeconomic status?
What is their favourite animal?
Which animal to they dislike the most?
What place would they most like to visit?
What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen?
What is their favourite song?
Music, art, reading preferred?
What is their favourite colour?
What is their password?
Favourite food:
What is their favourite work of art?
Who is their favourite artist?
What is their favourite day of the week?

Possessions

What is in their fridge:
What is on their bedside table?
What is in their car?
What is in their bin?
What is in their purse or wallet?
What is in their pockets?
What is their most treasured possession?

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel?
Do they believe in the afterlife?
What are their religious views?
What do they think heaven is?
What do they think hell is?
Are they superstitious?
What would they like to be reincarnated as?
How would they like to die?
What is your character’s patronus?
What is their zodiac sign?
What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?
What is their view of ‘freedom’?
When did they last lie?
What’s their view of lying?
When did they last make a promise?
Did they keep or break their last promise?
What are their eating habits?
Do they have any allergies?
Describe their home.
Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?
What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?
What do they do on a Sunday afternoon?
What do they do on a Friday night?
What is the soft drink of choice?
What is their alcoholic drink of choice?

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype ?
Who is their hero?
What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?
Are they comfortable with technology?
If they could save one person, who would it be?
If they could call one person for help, who would it be?
What is their favourite proverb?
What is their greatest extravagance?
What is their greatest regret?
What is their perception of redemption?
What would they do if they won the lottery?
What is their favourite fairytale?
What fairytale do they hate?
Do they believe in happy endings?
What is their idea of perfect happiness?
What would they ask a fortune teller?
If your character could travel through time, where would they go?
What sport do they excel at?
What sport do they suck at?
If they could have a superpower, what would they choose?

If you liked this you'll love the Novel Factory! Try it free today.

165 Must-Use Character Development Questions For Writers

If you’ve hit a wall with your latest story, sometimes all you need is to get better acquainted with your characters .

The more you know them, the more they talk to you.

The more you understand what your characters want and why, the more your writing will help the reader understand.

And the harder it will be for them to put your book down.

This is why we’ve created this list of character development questions for writers. Answering them will bring your characters to life.

And when you hear their voices in your head, they can lead you down paths you hadn’t thought of before.

Why do writers need a character questionnaire?

Questions on character’s appearance, questions on character’s home, questions on character’s chosen career, questions on character’s family, questions on character’s friends and intimate relationships, questions on character’s personality and behavioral traits, questions on character’s goals, values, or motivations.

A character questionnaire forces you to get well-enough acquainted with your characters to know how they’d react to everything you plan on throwing at them in the story.

How will they respond to whatever stands in the way of what they want?
What, if anything, do they want more than the thing they’re searching for or fighting for?

Answering the questions in the list below will help you see your characters as three-dimensional people who could be good friends, indifferent acquaintances, or bitter enemies. And none of them have to stay that way.

What will your answers reveal to you about your main characters?

165 Character Development Questions

Welcome to Authority Pub’s comprehensive list of questions for character development.

Get yourself a mug or glass of something good, and answer these for each of the characters your story depends on.

1. What are your character’s physical traits? (skin color, hair color, eye color….)

2. What is their ethnic origin or ancestry?

3. What does your character typically wear? What is their personal style?

4. Do they care about fashion? Or do they just wear what they like?

5. Do they dress provocatively (according to some)?

6. How do they wear their hair?

7. Do they groom their eyebrows?

8. Do they struggle with acne?

9. Do they wear make-up?

10. Do they use hair styling products? What kind?

11. Do they wear glasses or contacts?

12. Would they wear a swimsuit in public? If yes, what kind?

13. What do they wear when they go to sleep (pajamas? regular clothes? nothing?)

14. What is noticeable about your character’s presence? (Confidence? Nervousness?)

15. Do they sit up or stand up straight? Or do they slouch?

16. How does your character walk? Run? Dance?

17. What body language is typical of your character?

18. Does your character have scars or birthmarks?

19. Does your character have any physical disabilities?

20. What actor would you want playing your character in a movie?

21. Does your character wear any jewelry? Favorite pieces?

22. Does your character have any tattoos? Do they want any?

23. What do they wear on their feet?

24. Do they like/wear hats?

25. Do they color their hair?

26. Do they have any piercings?

27. Do they carry a purse or messenger bag / backpack / briefcase?

28. Are they coordinated? How well do they catch things?

29. Are they graceful or clumsy? Do they have natural poise?

30. Would anyone describe them as beautiful? Cute? Hot? Classically handsome?

1. House, apartment, duplex, etc.

2. Do they live in a city , a suburb, a rural area?

3. Describe your character’s neighborhood.

4. Do they have any favorite neighborhood haunts?

5. With whom does your character live?

6. How often does your character eat out or order in?

7. What’s in the fridge?

8. Do they have a favorite room?

9. Do they feel at home in the kitchen?

10. What’s the view from their window/s?

11. How does your character feel about their living situation?

12. Neighbors? Do they get along with them?

13. What items does the character keep close to their bed?

14. What do they sleep on?

15. Does your character have their own room?

16. What is their most prized possession, and where do they keep it?

17. Does your character like having people over?

18. How clean or tidy is your character’s home or private room?

19. Does your character have a pet? Or are there pets in the home?

20. Does your character want to live somewhere else?

21. What would your character’s dream home look like and where would it be?

1. What job does your character have?

2. How did your character get the job they now have?

3. How do they feel about the job?

4. How do they get along with their boss and coworkers?

5. Does your character have authority over any of their coworkers?

6. Do they ever spend time with coworkers outside work hours?

7. Has your character ever been harassed by coworkers or by their boss?

8. Do they plan on staying there long-term, or are they looking for something else?

9. If they could go (back) to college, what would they study?

10. If they could earn a good living with any job, which would they choose?

11. What is your character’s highest level of education?

12. Does your character want to learn a new trade?

13. Does your character have a side gig that generates some income?

14. What are some skills or talents your character has?

1. Does the character have a relationship with both parents?

2. To which parent does your character feel closest?

3. Does your character have relationships with any grandparents?

4. Do your character’s political or religious beliefs match those of their parents?

5. Do their parents support them financially in any way?

6. Do their parents accept them as they are?

7.How involved are their parents in their life?

8. Do they have siblings? If so, how many brothers and how many sisters?

9. If they have siblings, to which of them do they feel closest?

10. Is there someone in the family who is their #1 confidante?

11. Have they ever felt betrayed or abandoned by a family member?

12. How have their family relationships affected their ability to trust?

13. How have their parents disciplined them growing up (if they did)?

14. Can they count on family members to have their back?

15. What was their financial situation growing up?

16. What jobs do their parents have?

17. What is their family culture and what do they love most about it?

18. Have your character clashed with any of their parents’ beliefs?

19. What languages are spoken at home?

20. What is your character’s favorite comfort food — and who makes it best?

21. Is your character married or in a committed relationship?

22. Does your character have children of their own? By birth or adoption?

23. What other relatives does your character have? Any of them close?

24. How does your character feel about family functions or gatherings?

25. Has your character ever been embarrased of a family member — or vice-versa?

1. Is your character straight? Gay? Bisexual? Pansexual? Transgender? Asexual? …

2. Has your character come out to anyone?

3. Does your character have a best friend? Who is it?

4. How does your character feel about dating?

5. How easily does your character make friends?

6. What do your character and their friends do together?

7. Has your character ever lost a friend to political or religious differences?

8. How does your character respond to political or religious differences?

9. Does your character see the best or the worst in others?

10. Does your character want to trust others and repair relationships?

11. Or is your character more likely to hold a grudge and see forgiveness as weakness?

12. How easy is it to make your character angry? What would it take?

13. Has a friend ever betrayed your character’s trust? Or vice-versa?

14. Has your character ever fallen for someone who was wrong for them?

15. What does your character expect from their closest relationship?

16. Have they found someone they’d want to commit to for life?

17. Is your character’s significant other (S.O.) someone their friends like, too?

18. Has your character ever had their heart broken?

19. Is your character someone their friends can count on to be there for them?

20. Do any of your character’s friends go to them for advice? Or vice-versa?

Character Questionnaire: Ultimate List of 239+ Character Questions

Imagine being a detective in the realm of fiction, where every character you write is a mystery waiting to be solved. That’s where a Character Questionnaire comes into play – it’s your magnifying glass, helping you zoom in on the intricate details that make your characters truly alive. In this guide, we’re not just listing questions; we’re embarking on an adventure to uncover the essence of your characters. From their morning routines to their life’s ambitions, get ready to explore every corner of their existence. Let’s turn the page and start this exciting quest together!

What is a Character Questionnaire?

Character Questionnaire Definition: “A tool used by writers to develop detailed profiles of their characters by answering a series of questions about their backgrounds, personalities, and motivations.”

Ever felt like your characters are just names on a page, lacking the spark that makes them leap into the hearts of your readers? Enter the Character Questionnaire, a writer’s secret weapon to breathe life into those names. Think of it as a deep, revealing interview with your characters, where no stone is left unturned.

A Character Questionnaire is more than just a list of questions; it’s a structured approach to understanding the intricate details that make up a character’s persona. It’s like being a detective in your own story, piecing together clues to reveal who your characters truly are. From their favorite color to their darkest fear, every answer adds a layer to their personality, making them more real, relatable, and memorable.

But why is this so crucial? Characters are the heart and soul of your story. They are the ones your readers will laugh with, cry for, and root for. By using a Character Questionnaire, you’re not just creating a character; you’re creating a living, breathing entity with hopes, dreams, fears, and flaws. This tool helps you explore aspects of your characters you might not have considered, leading to richer, more complex beings who can drive your story in unexpected and thrilling ways.

Imagine knowing your characters so well that their actions and reactions flow naturally in your narrative. That’s the power of a well-crafted Character Questionnaire. It’s not just about filling in blanks; it’s about discovering the essence of your characters, their motivations, and how they fit into the larger tapestry of your story.

Character Development Quiz (Easy)

Your answer:

Correct answer:

Your Answers

How to Conduct a Character Interview?

Superhero being interviewed by a journalist with a microphone

Diving into the minds of your fictional characters can be as thrilling as it is enlightening. Conducting a character interview is a key to unlocking their deepest layers. Let’s explore the steps to bring this engaging process to life.

1. Set the Scene

Firstly, create a comfortable environment for your character. Imagine a place where they would feel most at ease to open up – maybe it’s a quaint café, a bustling city street, or the quiet of their own home. Visualize yourself in this setting, sitting across from your character, ready to delve into their world. This mental setup helps you transition into their mindset, making the conversation more authentic and revealing.

2. Craft the Right Questions

Next, it’s time to prepare your questions, but these aren’t just any questions. You need to think deeply about what you want to uncover about your character. Go beyond the surface details like their favorite color or food. Ask about their fears, their dreams, their regrets. What makes them tick? What keeps them up at night? These questions should aim to probe into the corners of their personality and history that even they might not be fully aware of.

3. Master the Art of Listening

As you begin the interview, remember that listening is as important as asking. Your character might reveal things that surprise you, taking your story in directions you hadn’t planned. Be open to these revelations. Sometimes, the most profound character development comes from these unexpected moments. Listen not just to their words, but also to their tone, their hesitations, and what they might be implicitly saying.

4. Keep the Dialogue Real

Ensure that the conversation flows naturally. This isn’t a rigid interrogation but a fluid, dynamic dialogue. If your character strays into an unplanned topic, follow them there. These tangents can be incredibly revealing, offering insights into aspects of their personality or past that you hadn’t considered. Encourage them to express themselves freely, and be ready to explore the paths that open up.

5. Embrace the Awkward Silences

Silences can speak volumes. If your character pauses, seems hesitant, or tries to change the subject, don’t rush to fill the silence. Instead, explore these moments. Why are they reluctant to speak about certain topics? What emotions or memories are they struggling with? These pauses can be gateways to deeper understanding and more complex character development.

6. Conclude Positively

Finally, wrap up your interview on a hopeful or reflective note. Ask about their aspirations, dreams, or what they’ve learned from their experiences. This not only provides a sense of closure to the interview but also leaves you with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of who your character is and what drives them.

Conducting a character interview is a journey into the heart of your story’s cast. It’s an opportunity to explore their complexities, uncover their hidden depths, and bring them to life in your writing. So, set the stage, dive in with curiosity, and be prepared to be surprised by what you discover about your characters.

239+ Character Questions

Welcome to the blueprint for building memorable characters – our list of over 239+ character questions. Here, each question is a building block, adding substance and clarity to the foundation of your characters. As you navigate through this list, you’re constructing characters that are not just memorable but also resonate deeply with your audience.

Basic Characteristics

Scientist analyzes the blueprint of a superhero suit

First name?
Nicknames or aliases?
Date of birth?
Place of birth?
Current residence (city, country)?
Nationality?
Gender identity?
Sexual orientation?

Physical Appearance

A scientist with organogenic glasses measuring a superhero suit with a tape measure

Body build (muscular, slender, stocky, etc)?
Hair color?
Hair length?
Skin condition?
Teeth condition (straight, crooked, missing, etc.)?
Distinguishing facial features?
Typical facial expression?
Presence of glasses or contact lenses?
Presence of tattoos?
Presence of piercings?
Any scars or birthmarks?
Type of body modifications?
Walking style?
Dominant hand (right-handed, left-handed, ambidextrous)?
Physical disabilities?
Clothing style preference?
Favorite type of accessories?
Hand condition?
Habitual movements or gestures?
Voice quality?
Scent preference (perfume, cologne)?

Personality

A superhero with a mask petting a little cat

Are they an introvert or extrovert?
Are they more logical or emotional?
Are they optimistic or pessimistic?
Strongest character trait?
Weakest character trait?
Are they more of a leader or a follower?
How do they handle stress or pressure?
How do they deal with conflict?
What makes them angry?
How do they express anger?
How do they handle disappointment or failure?
How do they deal with criticism?
How do they handle change?
What motivates them?
Are they patient?
What are their fears?
How do they cope with loss or grief?
What are their aspirations?
What brings them the most joy?
How do they relax?
How do they express love?
What is their sense of humor like?
How do they behave in social settings?
How easily do they trust others?
Are they spontaneous or a planner?
Are they tidy or messy?
What are their most valued principles?
How do they view themselves?

Friends & Family

Several superheroes stand proudly in a row

How important is family to them?
What role do they play in their family?
Who is in their immediate family?
Do they have any godparents or close family friends?
What is their relationship like with each family member?
How does their family background influence them?
Do they have any family responsibilities or obligations?
How do they feel about starting their own family?
Are there any family traditions they hold dear?
What is their happiest memory with their family?
What is their most painful memory with their family?
Are there any family secrets or scandals?
Who is their role model in their family?
How do they communicate with their family?
How important are friends to them?
Who are their closest friends?
How did they meet their friends?
What common interests do they share with their friends?
How do they spend time with their friends?
How do they handle conflicts with their friends?
How often do they make new friends?

Love & Relationships

A superhero with a bouquet of flowers and a silhouette of a beautiful woman in the background

What is their current relationship status?
Have they ever been in love?
What is their idea of a perfect date?
Do they believe in soulmates or love at first sight?
What is their attitude towards love and relationships?
What qualities do they find most attractive in a partner?
How important is physical intimacy to them?
What are their views on romance?
What are their biggest fears in a relationship?
Have they ever had their heart broken?
How do they show affection in a relationship?
What are their long-term relationship goals?
What are their views on marriage and commitment?
How do their relationships impact their other life aspects?
What has been their most significant relationship so far?
How do they handle jealousy?
How do they handle conflict in a relationship?
What are their biggest relationship deal-breakers?
How do they deal with breakups?
What lessons have they learned from their past relationships?

Habits & Routines

Superhero sits in lotus pose and meditates

What are their mannerisms and quirks?
What is their morning routine?
Do they have any nightly rituals before bed?
Are they an early riser or a night owl?
How do they organize their personal space?
What are their work or study habits?
Do they have any rituals or habits for relaxation?
How do they handle boredom?
How do they unwind after a long day?
How do they typically spend their evenings?
What is their favorite time of day?
What are their weekend routines?
What are their shopping habits?
Do they have any rituals for good luck?
What are their cleaning habits (neat, messy, obsessive, etc.)?
What are their internet or social media habits?
Do they have any rituals for inspiration or creativity?
How do they prefer to communicate (text, call, face-to-face)?

Health & Lifestyle

Close-up of a superhero with mask eating a carrot

What is their overall physical health like?
How do they manage their mental health?
Do they have any chronic illnesses or conditions?
Do they have any vision or hearing issues?
How do they deal with pain or discomfort?
What is their attitude towards fitness and exercise?
Do they follow any specific diet or eating habits?
Do they have any allergies or dietary restrictions?
What is their alcohol or substance use like?
Do they have a regular sleep pattern?
How do they maintain a work-life balance?
How do they handle fatigue or burnout?
How do they approach self-care and wellness?
What is their approach to personal hygiene?

Hobbies & Interests

What are their favorite hobbies?
Do they have any unusual or unique hobbies?
How much time do they dedicate to their hobbies?
Do they prefer hobbies that are social or solitary?
Do they have any hobbies they keep secret or private?
Do they prefer indoor or outdoor hobbies?
Have they ever turned a hobby into a profession?
How do they discover new interests or hobbies?
What are their favorite books, movies, or TV shows?
What is their favorite form of entertainment?
Do they have any collections or collectibles?
How do their hobbies reflect their personality?
How do they share their interests with others?
Have they ever had to give up a hobby?
Do they enjoy traveling or exploring?
Do they like reading or learning?
Do they have any pets?

Work & Education

A superhero with a cape and tie works on a laptop

What is their current job?
What do they think about their current job?
What are some of their past jobs?
What is their dream job or career?
How did they choose their current profession?
What are their career goals or aspirations?
Have they had any significant mentors in their career?
Have they ever been unemployed or faced career setbacks?
Have they ever changed career paths?
How do they approach learning new things?
Do they have any side hustles?
Do they have any entrepreneurial aspirations?
What are their thoughts on retirement?
What is their educational background?
How did they perform academically?
Did they enjoy their school years?
What were their favorite and least favorite subjects in school?
What languages can they speak?

Beliefs & Values

Superhero with cape gives a speech at a podium

What are their religious views?
Do they follow any spiritual practices or rituals?
Do they believe in an afterlife or spiritual realm?
What are their beliefs about life and death?
Do they believe in fate or destiny?
Do they believe in luck or chance?
Do they have any spiritual mentors or guides?
How do their beliefs influence their daily life?
What are their core moral principles?
Have their beliefs and values changed over time?
Do they have any strong political beliefs?
What are their views on environmental issues?
Do you participate in any activism or volunteering?
What are their views on social justice and equality?
How important is honesty and integrity to them?
What are their beliefs about human nature?

Past & Future

An old superhero with a walking stick in his hand

What is their most significant childhood memory?
Have they experienced any major life-changing events?
What were their teenage years like?
Did they grow up rich or poor?
Have they lived in different places or countries?
How have their past relationships shaped them?
What lessons have they learned from their past?
What are their future aspirations or goals?
How do they plan to achieve their future goals?
What are their fears or concerns about the future?
What changes do they hope to see in their life?
How do they envision their life in 5, 10, or 20 years?
What are their long-term plans for retirement or old age?

Goals & Challenges

Superhero with red cape stands in front of a silhouette of a villain

What is their main goal in life?
What are their personal goals?
What are their financial goals?
Have their goals changed over time?
What drives or motivates them?
What would they sacrifice for success?
How do they prioritize their goals?
Do they have any professional aspirations?
How do they handle setbacks or failures?
How do they measure success?
What legacy do they want to leave behind?
What major conflicts have they faced in life?
What internal struggles do they deal with?
Do they have any phobias or irrational fears?
How do they deal with being alone?
How do they handle confrontation?
How do they recover from setbacks?

Possessions

What is their most valued possession?
Any significant items they always carry?
Do they have any cherished keepsakes?
Any inherited or family items?
Do they own any luxury items?
How do they treat their belongings?
What would they save in a fire?
Items they’ve lost that they miss?
What’s on their desk or workspace?
What’s in their pockets?
What’s in their fridge?
What’s in their bin?
What’s in their closet?
What’s in their garage or storage space?
Items that reflect their personality?
Any items with a story behind them?
Do they lend items to others easily?
How do they view material wealth?

Each of these questions opens a door to a new aspect of your character’s life, offering a glimpse into their world. Remember, the more you know about your characters, the more vividly they’ll come to life on the page.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Superhero with cape standing soaked in the pouring rain

Creating characters is an art, and like any art, it comes with its own set of challenges. Let’s shine a light on some common pitfalls in character creation and, more importantly, how you can sidestep them to craft truly compelling characters.

1. One-Dimensional Characters

Challenge: It’s easy to fall into the trap of creating characters who lack depth, existing solely to serve the plot without their own distinct voices or backgrounds.
Solution: Give your characters layers. Just like real people, they should have strengths, weaknesses, fears, and dreams. Use the character questionnaire to explore different facets of their personality. Remember, even villains have a soft side, and heroes have flaws.

2. Relying on Stereotypes & Clichés

Challenge: Relying on clichés and stereotypes can make your characters predictable and uninteresting.
Solution: Challenge stereotypes by adding unique traits and unexpected qualities to your characters. Think about how their environment, upbringing, and experiences have shaped them into complex individuals.

3. Inconsistent Character Behavior

Challenge: Characters acting out of character for the sake of plot convenience can confuse readers and break the story’s believability.
Solution: Stay true to your character’s established traits and motivations. If they must act out of character, ensure there’s a compelling, well-explained reason that aligns with their development.

4. Overloading Characters with Information

Challenge: Bombarding your character with too many quirks, backstory elements, or traits can overwhelm the reader and dilute the character’s essence.
Solution: Balance is key. Not every detail you discover in your questionnaire needs to make it into the story. Focus on what’s relevant to their role and growth in the narrative.

5. Neglecting the Supporting Cast

Challenge: Focusing all your attention on the protagonist can lead to flat, uninteresting supporting characters.
Solution: Give your supporting characters their own goals, fears, and arcs. They should be integral to the story, influencing and being influenced by the main plot.

6. Forgetting Character Evolution

Challenge: Characters who don’t grow or change throughout the story can make your narrative feel static and unengaging.
Solution: Plan for character development. How do the events of the story impact them? What lessons do they learn? Show how they evolve (or resist evolution) in response to the story’s events.

7. Ignoring Reader Expectations

Challenge: Overlooking the genre and audience expectations can lead to characters that feel out of place or unsatisfying.
Solution: Understand your genre and audience. While it’s great to be innovative, ensure your characters resonate with and fulfill the expectations of your readers.

By being mindful of these pitfalls and applying thoughtful fixes, you can elevate your characters from mere words on a page to living, breathing entities that captivate your readers’ imaginations and hearts. Remember, the best characters are those that feel real – flawed, complex, and beautifully human.

Frequently Asked Questions

Navigating the world of character creation can raise many questions. Let’s tackle some of the most frequently asked ones, shedding light on the nuances of crafting believable and engaging characters.

What Is A Character Interview?

A character interview is a creative technique where you, the writer, ask your character a series of questions as if they were a real person. It’s like conducting an interview with a fictional being to understand their thoughts, feelings, and motivations. This process helps you delve deeper into your character’s psyche, uncovering details that make them more rounded and believable. It’s not just about what they would do in your story, but why they would do it, giving you a clearer picture of who they are.

What Are Character Analysis Questions?

Character analysis questions are inquiries designed to dissect and understand a character’s nature. These questions explore various aspects of a character’s life and personality, including their background, beliefs, relationships, and motivations. They are tools to analyze why a character behaves a certain way, what drives their actions, and how they interact with the world around them. By answering these questions, you gain insights into your character’s role in the story and how they contribute to the narrative’s progression.

How Do You Write A Character Asking A Question?

Writing a character asking a question involves understanding their voice and perspective. First, consider the character’s background, education, and personality. How would they phrase a question? Is it direct or more reflective? Then, think about the context of the question. What are they seeking to understand or achieve by asking it? Ensure the question aligns with their character development and the story’s plot. It’s not just about the words they use, but the intention behind them, which should be consistent with their character arc.

How Does A Character Questionnaire Enhance Storytelling?

A character questionnaire enhances storytelling by adding depth and authenticity to your characters. It forces you to think about aspects of their personality and background you might not have considered otherwise. This detailed understanding of your characters allows for more nuanced and consistent character development throughout your story. Characters become more than just plot devices; they become real entities with their own desires, fears, and motivations. This depth makes for more engaging and relatable storytelling, as readers are more likely to connect with well-rounded characters.

Character Development Quiz (Hard)

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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Asking the Right Questions with Character Interviews

October 13, 2020 by ALLI SINCLAIR

Thank you so much to the team at Writers Helping Writers for asking me to be part of the Resident Writing Coaches program. I’m honoured and delighted to be working with such a wonderful community of writers and look forward to helping you with your craft.

Developing characters is one of the joys of writing and it’s a dream when we understand them and what they’re about. Inevitably, though, there comes a time when our characters do and say things that don’t make sense to us, we feel they’re one-dimensional, or we just don’t know how they should react to situations. This can stall our story.

Character interviews are a fabulous way to address these problems. Not only does interviewing your character help you learn more about them, you’ll be able to note the hesitations or uncertainties so you can drill deeper into those areas. It can also give you a better feel for their voice, which can sometimes be hard to nail down.

But there are so may interviews and questionnaires available on the internet, and we can lose a lot of time answering questions that may not be relevant to understanding our character. So how do we know which questions are the right questions? Which ones will help us dig deeper into our characters and, ultimately, strengthen our story?

Breaking questions into categories can be extremely useful; that way you can focus on what you need to know. For example, take a character who uses humor in intense family situations. Is it just a nervous reaction or is something deeper going in, perhaps a protective measure because of a traumatic family event in the past? In this case, asking pertinent, probing questions about relationships with each family member is a way to delve deeper into your character and understand them better.

Whether you cherry-pick from existing questionnaires or create your own, the questions need to be in-depth. And don’t let your character shy away from answering. If you uncover a huge secret they’re hiding from the world or a lie they’ve been telling themselves for years, even better!

To get you started, I’ve suggested some categories with questions that might be relevant for your character. Feel free to add to it to create your own database of questions.

Relationships

Who is the most important person to you in the family? Why?
If there are rifts in your family, who are they with and why?
Who is your best friend? What is your relationship like?
Have you ever had a falling out with your best friend? What happened? How did it change the relationship?
Are you friends with any of your exes? Why or why not?
Do you date a certain “type”? Do you see in your relationships?
If your exes were asked for their views on you, what would they say?
How do you deal with confrontation? Have you always been like this?
If someone met you for the first time, how would they describe you? Do you agree? If not, why not?
Do care what people think of you? Why or why not?
If you had one wish, what would it be?
When you meet someone, what is the first thing you notice about them? Second?
When you meet someone, are first impressions everything or are you open to changing your mind? Why or why not?
What are the secrets about yourself that nobody knows?
What do you do at home by yourself?}
What makes you emotional?
Do you hide your emotions or allow the world to see them? Why?
What is your biggest regret in life?
What are you most afraid of?
If you found $50 in a supermarket carpark and no one saw you, what would you do?
Are you obsessed with anything? What is it and why?
What’s your definition of a perfect vacation?
Is your house messy or clean? Do you care?
If you could have your dream job and/or life what would it be and why?
If you aren’t doing your dream job or leading the life you want, why not?
Where do you see yourself in one year? Five years? Twenty years?
What kind of learner are you?
If you could change something in your past, what is it and why?
Do you believe examining past experiences is a great way to grow as an individual? Why or why not?
How do you feel looking back on your first romantic relationship? What about your last one?
Do you look forward or back? Why or why not?
What habits or traits have you always possessed? Do you want to change it? Why or why not?

By asking the right questions, you’ll be able to dig deep into your character’s mind and heart you’ll have an array of wonderful, memorable characters your readers will love (or love to hate, depending on what genre you’re writing!).

What questions do you ask your characters when you need to delve deep?

Alli is an Australian multi-award winning and bestselling author whose fact-based fiction explores little-known historical events. Alli’s books have been voted into the Top 100 Australian novels of all time and when she’s not writing novels, Alli is working on international film and TV projects as a screenwriter and producer.

Alli hosts the Writers at Sea cruise retreat for writers, presents writing workshops internationally, and volunteers as a role model for Books in Homes. Alli is an experienced manuscript assessor and loves to work with writers to help their manuscripts shine. Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Reader Interactions

October 15, 2020 at 12:41 am

Loved this, thank you! There’s always something I haven’t flushed out.

October 15, 2020 at 7:03 pm

I’m glad it was helpful, Lois! Yes, there’s always some angle with one or more of our characters that takes time to figure out but we get there in the end!

October 14, 2020 at 10:28 am

Perfect timing! It’s usually easy for me to develop characters using all the usual lists and adding the concept of turning points. I do a stream of consciousness first person exercise and normally it works. But I’m working on a new protag now who has me stumped. This will help get those juices going. Thank you!

October 14, 2020 at 8:31 pm

Hi Peg! I’m so pleased to hear this helps! Isn’t it interesting how some characters are much easier to figure out than others. Good luck with your new character and story!

October 13, 2020 at 11:50 am

This is great! Thanks for sharing. Saving and sharing!

I’m so glad it was helpful, Vashti! Happy writing!

October 13, 2020 at 11:00 am

This is a good starting point for getting to know a character – thanks, Alli. I’m thinking too it would be good to think about the character’s role in the story and their relationship with the protagonist to steer some of these questions, too. Depending on the role, a person would want to dig a bit deeper into certain areas.

October 14, 2020 at 8:33 pm

Thank you, Angela. Ah, yes, the relationship with the protagonist is a great way to figure out which questions to ask. Family relationships can always be tricky!

[…] Continue reading HERE […]

[…] them care, Jim Dempsey says to ground your characters with all five senses, Alli Sinclair advises asking the right questions with character interviews, Katharine Grubb shares 4 more defense mechanisms for your character, and Janice Hardy reveals an […]

Interview a Book Character

Students create an interview with a book character to engage more deeply with a text and demonstrate comprehension..

Getting to know a character and their point of view is essential to interpreting events and voice in the books we read. To show how well you know a character in a book you are reading, you will craft a set of interview questions for a book character along with their answers to demonstrate that you understand the character’s traits and motivations and how they experience events in the story.

Let your students know they will be conducting an interview with a character from a book they are reading. Be sure they understand they will need to come up with the questions to ask as well as the way in which the character will respond. While they will write the questions and answers, they will share the interview through a slideshow they have created.

If an expert came to your class and students asked them questions, discuss this shared experience as a whole class. Be sure to note or highlight questions and answers that were the most memorable. If you haven’t shared an interview experience as a class, talk about ones they have seen in the media and watch an interview online, such as the one below with author Carl Hiaasen.

Depending on your goals for student work, assign students a book character to interview or let them choose a character from a story they love.

Let students know that before they jump into creating the questions and answers, they need to identify what they know, find additional ideas and evidence in the text, and begin organizing their ideas. The more they understand the personality, motivations, and actions of their character, the easier it will be to craft a fictitious interview that showcases this information.

sample character traits page with evidence from text

You can use graphic organizers, such as a character traits cluster or a 5 W's organizer , to scaffold student research and ideation. A cluster diagram, that includes evidence from text to support their thinking is especially useful when crafting the character’s answers to interview questions. You might also ask students to reread the story and complete a double-entry journal to take notes on the selected character and events that take place.

Try creating graphic organizers with your students in Wixie.

Be sure the student can articulate the theme the author is exploring so that they can craft questions that explore this theme. The actions of their character are also a great place to look for the theme of the story. For example, if a character stands up for a friend, we can infer from their actions that friendship and courage are themes explored in the text.

After students have identified traits for their character and themes in the text, they need to begin crafting the questions they will ask their character during the interview that reflect this information.

While you can provide students with questions, you can give them more agency as learners by asking them to craft their own questions. If students have chosen different titles on their own, the questions need to be unique to reflect the unique characters and events in the books they have chosen.

Our education system is based on the getting the answer right, not asking questions, so your students may need some help formulating questions. You may have used the 5W’s as part of student’s research and evidence gathering. Start this process by asking your students to write full questions that begin with who, what, when, where, and why.

If they need additional support, share example question starters like:

"What did you think about... ?"
"How did you feel when... ?"
"Why did you decide to... ?"

If you haven’t already watched a sample interview with your students, now is the perfect time to explore how an interviewer gets an interviewee to share information that is relevant and engaging.

Ask students to write 6-10 questions for their character and then share and compare them with a critical friend. Ask each pair to share an idea from their discussion that they think will be beneficial to the other students.

Students should edit their list of questions to a final set that you can review before they begin working. This is a lot of work on your part, but ensures that students ask questions that challenge their thinking and require effort at an appropriate level for each learner.

Have students write answers for each of the questions as if they were the book character. Encourage them to use quotes and evidence from the text to demonstrate close reading and comprehension.

While a text document serves the purpose for assessment, it isn’t very fun to craft as a student. Use a tool like Wixie to create scenes for each question and actually record student voice asking questions and responding in character.

Have students present their interviews to the entire class, or if several students chose the same book, have them share their interviews with this smaller group of students. Celebrate the work of each student, but don’t just ask the students who created the project to do all of the work. Use the opportunity to get all students to share their thinking about effective ways information was communicated by comparing the styles and content of each of the interviews.

Invite your school librarian or media specialist to the presentations. They may also be interested in sharing student work from a station in the media center as a way to get other students interested in reading books that include these characters.

Listening to students discuss their ideas and opinions about the texts is essential to supporting their comprehension and work. The graphic organizers and other supports students use during the process also provide tangible opportunities for formative assessment you can do without students being present to identify where learners are having difficulty with comprehension and to determine if you need to provide additional individual or whole group instruction.

Use the character interview performance task as a summative assessment that evaluates a student’s comprehension of the story and their skills in communicating information and ideas from it. Create a rubric or checklist to help guide student work as they build the final interview.

Kress, Nancy. Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints. ISBN-10: 1582973164

Four methods for interviewing characters

Eight things to learn before writing a character analysis

Common Core Anchor Standards for English Language Arts - Grade 4-12

Reading Standards

Key Ideas and Details

1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Craft and Structure

6. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

ISTE NETS for Students 2016:

3. Knowledge Constructor Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others. Students:

a. plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.

b. evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.

c. curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.

6. Creative Communicator Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. Students:

a. choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

b. create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

d. publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

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Character Development Questions That Aren’t About Eye Color

Character development questions can help you transform a made-up person into a character that feels real. Like “on the verge of becoming sentient” real.

The only trick is that you have to ask the right questions.

When writers say that character interviews don’t actually help, it’s usually because they’re using a questionnaire designed to nail down surface-layer details.

What color are their eyes? Where were they born? What were they for Halloween last year?

Think of the last book you recommended to a friend. When gushing about how magnetic the protagonist was, did you happen to mention the fact that they played the tuba in seventh grade?

Of course you didn’t.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with creating a comprehensive image of your character in your own mind. There is value in knowing your protagonist so well you can name what they had for breakfast and how long it took them to digest it.

But when it comes to character development, it’s way easier to start with the deeper, more defining traits. Fears, dreams, relationships, flaws… when you clarify what’s going on inside your character, the external details emerge naturally. That’s why thought-provoking character development questions can make all the difference in the writing process. I’ll show you how. We’ll talk about what a character interview is, when to use it, and how to use it.

Then I’ll give you what you came for: sixty-five fresh-out-of-the-oven character development questions you can use today.

An interview between two people sitting with microphones in front of a white brick wall.

What is a Character Interview?

A character interview is a list of questions you “ask” your character in an effort to get to know them better. And I do mean “ask.”

This isn’t about building a character profile that lists facts about a fictional person. In a character interview, you treat this shapeless wisp of inspiration as if they are an actual fleshy person sitting across from you.

It’s a great exercise for planners who want to know their character’s whole deal before they start writing . But a character interview is also a great tool for pantsers because it’s essentially a form of discovery writing.

‍ You’re letting the character take shape as you write them. Instead of obsessing over whether your creature is “interesting” or “trending right now,” you get to step back and let them tell you who they are.

Even better, you can conduct a character interview at any phase of the writing process . If you want to launch into your draft all reckless and blind, go for it! When you get stuck on page ten (no judgment!), you can have an impromptu sit-down with your character.

The people who live in our heads tend to be available at a moment’s notice. It’s one of the benefits of living in imaginary worlds.

An example of how to use character development questions in Dabble's Character Notes feature.

How to Use a Character Development Questions

So, how exactly does one interview a half-formed thought? Let me walk you through the details.

How Does a Character Interview Work?

Copy and paste the character development questions you like into your favorite writing software. If you’re a Dabble user, your Character Notes are a great place to store your interviews.

You can also use notecards or a notebook if you’re old-school and romantic like that.

Answer each question in writing, responding in your character’s voice. This is super important. Writing in your character’s voice sparks creativity and helps you forget about that article that said sassy witches are really hot right now.

Writing in the character’s voice also makes the character begin to feel more real to you. You know that feeling when you hear the voice of someone you love in the other room? There’s an instant familiarity—not just in the sound of their voice, but in the rhythm of their speech and the words they use.

Work on finding that familiarity with your character while going through character development questions. When you find it, you’ll be able to create that same familiarity for your readers.

Which Characters Should I Interview?

Whomever! Which character is eluding you? Talk to that one.

Character development questions can help you shape any character, from your hero to your villain to the cranky newsstand guy who appears on exactly three pages.

A person sitting at a typewriter and thinking. Wadded up paper surround the typewriter.

When Do I Use Character Development Questions?

When you need to know more about your character.

This could be when you’re still outlining your story and trying to get a better sense of the people who populate it. A character interview also comes in handy when you’re blocked on a scene. If it’s not clear what a character would do, pop into your character notes and ask them the questions that will help clarify their feelings and motivations.

You can even use character development questions during the editing process. Unless you’re some kind of literary magician, there will be moments in your early drafts where your characters fall flat. Maybe their choices don’t make sense or they feel a little generic.

Whatever it is, a nice imaginary chat can work wonders to get the wheels turning again.

Wherever you are in the process, be sure to ask your character questions based on where they are in their arc . If you’re just starting to develop your character, have them answer from their perspective at the beginning of the story. If you’re trying to make a breakthrough on a specific scene, let your character’s answers come from where they are in this moment.

Which Questions Should I Ask My Characters?

Only you can answer that and you’ll know when you know.

How’s that for a cop-out?

It’s true, though. Not every question on a character questionnaire is going to help you find out what you need to know. Check in with yourself as you approach each query. Do you feel any resistance? Do you get the feeling you’re digging into a topic that ultimately doesn’t matter for your character? Are you bored by the question? If so, skip it!

‍ Or do you feel the good kind of resistance—that sense that you’ve struck a nerve within yourself and you’re a little nervous about exploring it? Does this question create an emotional response for you? Does it feel relevant to your story? Do you find that you’re eager to know the answer?

And add questions as you go. As with any good interview, your character’s answers will probably spark new areas of curiosity. Ask everything you want to ask.

For now, here are some character development questions to get you started.

A window with a blue neon side that reads, "What is your story?"

Questions to Ask Your Characters

When you start building a character, you can start with the mingling questions. You know: the semi-nonsense you ask at a work friend’s party. What do you do? Where do you live? Are you married? How do you know Sue?

‍ But as soon as you get the basics down, you gotta be the introvert at the party. Bring up religion. Ask about politics. Ask them which of their children they’d rescue from a burning building if they could only choose one. Look them dead in the eye while you wait for the response.

What follows is a list of sixty-five character development questions. I’ve separated them out by phase:

Character Conception: This is when you first start dreaming up your character and you need some concrete, foundational information. Getting started is the hardest part, so if you need something to spark the imagination, check out our character archetype masterclass or our list of character ideas.
Character Development: This is when you start finding the breathing human being inside the mental stick figure you drew in the previous phase.
Character Clarification: This is when you realize you need to know more about your character. It may be that you’re not sure what your character would do next or that you’ve read over your first draft and realize your character needs more texture.

By all means, mix and match as it suits you. You may find that a question in the first phase is exactly what you need to make a breakthrough in the third phase.

The only real rule here is that you ask what you need to know.

Phase One: Character Conception Questions

Tell me about your community.
Who are the most important people in your life?
What’s your favorite song and why?
How do you spend your days?
What activity brings you joy?
What responsibility do you hate?
Where do you live?
What would you say is your best physical feature?
What would you say is your worst physical feature?
Are you responsible for anyone other than yourself?
Is anyone else responsible for you?
Have you ever been in love? Are you in love now?
What are your pet peeves?
What is your greatest fear?
Tell me about your deepest longing.

Phase Two: Character Development Questions

Describe your perfect day.
What is the worst thing that ever happened to you in your life before this story?
What is the best thing that ever happened to you?
If the world were going to explode and you could only bring one person with you on the escape pod, who would it be and why?
Tell me about a time when you truly felt safe.
What would it mean to live as your true, authentic self?
From your perspective, what is your biggest flaw ?
What do other people say is your biggest flaw? How do you feel about that characterization?
How do you want others to perceive you?
Do you believe everyone has a purpose? Do you believe you have a purpose? If so, what is it?
A hurricane is coming and you have time to grab exactly one object from your home before you evacuate. What object do you choose and why is it so important to you?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
What do you do better than anyone else?
What does everyone else seem to do better than you?
Tell me about a time when you surprised yourself.
What has been your proudest moment? How did you see yourself at the time?
What values or beliefs were you taught when you were young? Do you still carry those same values and beliefs today?
From your perspective, what’s really standing between you and your goal? Do other people see it that way?
Who loves you with all their heart and soul? How does their love make you feel?
Do you feel you have the life you deserve? If not, what do you deserve?
Tell me about an enraging experience you had that everyone else thought was no big deal. Why was it so infuriating for you?
What’s one habit you can’t seem to kick?
What does it mean to belong?
What role did/do you play in your family? In your friend group? In your larger community?

Phase Three: Character Clarification Questions

What is the absolute worst thing that could happen to you at this point in the story?
What is the best thing that could happen at this point in the story?
Everybody’s hiding something—a fear, a weakness, a strength, an unpopular opinion. What are you hiding right now?
How is this moment challenging your beliefs about yourself, the world, or the other people in the scene? If your beliefs are not being challenged, what would make you question everything?
What’s one thing you would change about the person you love most in the world?
What’s one thing you admire about your worst enemy?
Of the many actions you could take at this moment, which would be the most difficult? The most effective? The most terrifying? The least forgivable?
What do you know now that you didn’t know at the beginning of your arc?
Who is your ally right now? How do you feel about having this person on your side?
Who is your enemy right now? How do you feel about being up against this person?
What is the outcome you’re hoping for? How much would you sacrifice to make it happen?
What are you still resisting? Is there a specific belief or past experience makes that sense of resistance so strong?
What is the best memory you share with the person in this scene?
What is the worst memory you share with the person in this scene?
In what ways do you see yourself in the person in this scene?
Do you believe victory is possible at this point? Why or why not?
Gut check: do you expect people to act in their own self-interest or in the interest of others?
If someone really wanted to hurt you right now, what should they do?
Who knows you better than anyone? Do you trust them with that knowledge?
Who do you wish was here with you now? How would they make things better?
What power do you hold in this situation?
What did you dream about last night?
Tell me the story of this scene like you were recounting it over a beer with your best friend.
Who has it easier than you in this situation? Are you open to considering the possibility that they actually have it worse ?
Has this journey already changed you? Do you like the change, or do you miss the person you used to be?

Close-up of a mural with a bunch of abstract faces in different colors.

Great Character, Great Story

The first time all the Dabble writers got together, we discussed which content to prioritize. This sparked a delightfully heated debate about what matters more in crafting a strong story: character or plot.

I did not chime in, because nothing I would have said would have been as entertaining as the debate that was already raging. My answer to nearly every argument is, “It’s complicated,” and people hate that. I frequently get called “diplomatic,” which—as it turns out—is not a compliment.

But just between you and me, Internet, my answer to this great debate is that it’s an impossible question. Sure, as a reader forced to choose, I’d rather read about a fascinating character who does nothing than a half-baked caricature who has grand adventures.

But as a writer?

As a writer I know that no amount of crazy twists and turns will make my readers care what happens to a protagonist who reads like a talking stack of character traits. I also know that compelling characters make decisions. Loads of them. Hard decisions that result in bigger problems and an engaging plot.

This is what I love about good character development questions. They help us drill down to what actually motivates our characters. Character interviews reveal secrets and feelings and old memories that spark fear and longing and questionable decisions.

Character development questions point us to the cross-section of character and plot, and that’s where the good stuff is.

So open your Dabble Character Notes and get crackin’.

(Don’t have Dabble? No problem! You can try it for free for fourteen days by following this link . You don’t have to enter a credit card, and you get access to all the premium features, from co-authoring to the famous plot grid and more.)

Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. When she’s not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that.

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160+ Character Development Questions & Free Printable Worksheet

How well do you know the characters of your story? These character development questions will help you gain a deeper understanding of your character.

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Need help developing the personalities of your characters in your book? These free 160 character development questions and free printable worksheet can help you quickly understand your character’s strengths, weakness, lovable quirks – and maybe even why they may not order pizza for dinner.

Your Characters Are Not Real People, But Don’t Let Your Readers Know That

When you open up a book and start reading – you know right away after you are introduced to the main characters whether or not it is a book you will want to continue reading.

If the characters are flat, have zero personality, or even do conflicting types of behaviors throughout the story – your readers will lose interest.

The way to really draw in your readers is to make every best effort to ensure your characters are fully developed and are relatable. The more we can relate to your character, whether they are main characters or supporting characters , the more likely we will believe the story.

In order to make your characters fully believable, they need to become real.

As a writer, it is important for you to imagine your character as someone you meet in real life.

Character Interview Questions can help you develop the basics of who your character might be like. It is very important for you to also spend some time with your characters, and really get to know them intimately, so that when it is time to write about them you will have no problems “staying in character”.

While there are a number of lists out there of the basic types of questions we can ask to develop our character’s personalities and describe their basic likes, interests and appearances – if you want to be a better writer, you really need to go a LOT deeper beyond what color their physical appearance and their hobbies.

Your character MUST HAVE FEELINGS !

It is emotion, not logic , which causes us to be interested and captivated by any type of fictional story. Your reader already logically knows your characters are pretend imaginary make-believe people.

It’s how those pretend people make your reader feel that matters.

The way to get this emotional connection?

By intimately understanding your characters of course!

Now that we understand why it is so very important to know and understand our characters and every thing about them – let’s get onto the character development questions that can help you understand far more than the basic details of their name, age, and appearance.

With over 160 questions about your character’s likes, dislikes, interests, emotions, and motivations, you are sure to have a good understanding of the person you are writing about in your novel!

Here are The Character Development Questions You Should Be Asking

To help you get started in creating your characters, we’ve created this list of character development questions. There are a total of 5 sections:

Section 1: The Basic Facts : This section includes questions to help you identify things like name, age, appearance, etc. These questions aren’t designed to get to the “heart and soul” of your character, they do play a role in the total picture of who the person is in your story, so of course we do include them in this list of interview questions.

Section 2: Personality & Behavioral Traits : What type of personality does your character have? What does your character do? These questions in this section will help you understand the inner workings of your character’s thoughts and their behaviors. Exploring these different traits can help your character become more realistic.

Going Deeper : This section explores more of the emotional side of your character, with questions to really get down to the “why” and “how” of who they are.

If you would like the printable and downloadable version of these questions, you will be able to find the free character development questions worksheet near the end of the article.

Section 1: The Basic Facts

What is your character’s name.

How does the character feel about his or her name?
How did he or she get this name? Was it passed on from a family member, or did the parents read it on the side of a cereal box the day the child was born?
What is the meaning of the name? What culture did the name originate from? What regions of the world did the name come from?
What connotations or stereotypes does the name have?

Need tips for naming your characters? You Might Also Like: How to Name Your Characters

Character Age/Birthday/Zodiac Sign:

How old is your character?
What year was he or she born?
What events were happening locally, nationally and globally the year your character was born?
What is the zodiac sign? Does his or her zodiac sign have any bearing on their personality traits?
What Chinese Horoscope year were they born in? How does this influence their personality traits?
How does your character like to celebrate his or her birthday?

Character’s Physical Traits:

What does your character look like?
Is your character Athletic or Overweight?
Tall or Short?
Hair color and length?
Any scars or birth marks?
Does your character have a physical disability?
What actress or actor would you have play the role of your character if it was a movie?
What style of clothes does your character wear?
What clothes would he or she wear every day on a casual basis?
For a night out on the town?
Does he or she wear any special jewelry or accessories?
What type of shoes does your character wear?

Character’s Home:

Where does your character live? Is it an Apartment? House? In the backseat of his car?
How does your character feel about the current living arrangements?
Does your character live with anyone else? Who are those people?
How does your character get along with his or her neighbors?
What is the view outside of your character’s window?
What items do they keep next to their bed?
What is your character’s most valuable possession?

Career/Job/Profession/Education:

What does the character do for a living?
Do they find this work enjoyable?
What is your character’s dream job?
What is your character’s financial situation?
What does your character spend most of his/her money on?
What would your character do if he or she won the lottery?
What is your character’s highest level of education?
What things do they wish were different about their current profession?

Characters Family:

Who are his or her parents?
Does he or she have any siblings?
A spouse or other romantic partner or love interest?
How about children?
Other family? Aunts? Uncles? Second Cousins Twice Removed?
How does your character feel about family functions and events?

Character’s Friends:

Who are your character’s closest friends?
How did your character meet his or her best friend?
What do they value most in friendship?
Does your character make friends easily?

Character’s Relationships:

What was your character’s first romantic encounter like?
How does your character display affection?
What is your character’s idea of a perfect romantic date?
Has your character ever had his or her heart broken?
What qualities does your character look for in a romantic partner?

Character’s Pets:

Does your character have any pets? What type?
What are your characters favorite animals?
How many times has your character visited the zoo?

Even Fictional Characters Have to Eat:

What are his or her favorite foods to eat?
Does he or she enjoy to cook?
Any food allergies or sensitivities?
What foods can he or she not stand to be around or eat?

hobbies and interests for characters development

Where would your character like to travel?
How does he or she want to get there?
Does your character have preferences on types of lodging?
How does your character spend a lazy Sunday afternoon?
What are their favorite places to go when alone? With friends?

TV, Movies, Music, & Books

What are your characters favorite movies and TV shows?
What are their favorite actors and actresses?
How often do they watch movies and/or television? What television shows or movies do you think they would enjoy most?
What are your character’s favorite music and songs?
What genre of music would you find your character most likely listening to? When do they listen to music? In the car? While working?
What artists and bands does your character enjoy listening to?
Would your character go to a concert and enjoy it?
Does your character play any musical instruments?
What are his or her favorite books?
What books are on his or her bookshelf at home?
What titles does he or she borrow from the library?
What genre of books does your character enjoy reading? Romance Fiction? Non-fiction? Thriller Crime Novels? Historical Fiction? Self-help? Poetry?
What is your character’s favorite quote and why?

Section 2: Character Personality & Behavioral Traits

Character personality questions:.

Describe your character’s personality with three words. For each of these words, why would you choose these words a way to describe your character?
How does your character act socially?
Is your character an introvert or extrovert?
What does your character do when meeting someone for the first time?
How does he or she interact with guests at a party?
How does your character feel about small talk?
How does your character feel about being the center of attention?
Is your character organized or disorganized?
Are his or her belongings arranged neat and tidy or scattered all over the place?
Does your character tend to be forgetful or easily distracted?
Is he or she logical and analytical or more of a dreamer?
What are your character’s pet peeves?
What does your character do that might annoy others?
How does your character deal with feelings of anger? Punch walls? Go on a shopping spree? Walk it off?
How does your character handle everyday little frustrations?
What would your character do if stuck in a long line or traffic jam?

Strengths & Weaknesses

What are your character’s greatest strengths?
How did he or she develop these strengths and skills?
What are his or her greatest weaknesses?
What is something your character wishes they could do better?
Does your character have any obsessions or addictions?
Does your character neglect any important responsibilities in life?
What makes your character happy?
What is your character most thankful for in life?
If your character had an imaginary peaceful happy place, what would it be like?
Does your character find happiness from within or look for it from external sources?

Section 3: Going Deeper – Emotional Questions to Ask Your Character

What are your character’s greatest fears in life.

What past events may have influenced your character to have these fears?
How does your character deal with fear?
Was there ever a time your character did not feel like live was worth living?
What does your character do to make themselves feel better when in emotional or physical pain?
What would your character miss the most if it were to be taken away from them?

What are your character’s hopes, dreams, and goals?

What profession did he or she dream of having when growing up?
What is a day in the life of their dream life like?
How is their “dream life” different from their current life now? What things are the same?
What goals do they wish to accomplish in their life?
What are the challenges in reaching these goals?

spiritual character development questions

What are the spiritual beliefs of your character?

Do these beliefs differ from the religion of his or her parents or other family?
Does your character believe in the afterlife?
Is your character superstitious?
If your character had a spirit animal, what would it be?
What is your character’s motto or mantra for life?
If your character’s beliefs could be summed up in three words, what would they be?

What would your character most like to change about the world?

What causes is your character passionate about?
Why does your character care about these things?
What are your character’s political beliefs?
What political issues matter the most to your character and why?
What is the most influential thing that impacted your character into being who he or she is today?
Who does your character consider to be role models, and why does he or she look up to these people?

Memories From the Past

What is your character’s greatest regret in life?
What are the most painful memories they have from childhood?
What deep dark secrets do they not tell anyone?
Does your character have a favorite place they would visit as a child?
What events from your character’s life have left an impact?
What are some of his or her most proudest moments?
What about most embarrassing moments?
What was his or her childhood like?
What types of toys did your character play with as a child?
Who was an influential person in your character’s childhood life?
Are there any people from the past your character misses? What does he or she miss the most about that person?

Values & Morals

How does your character feel about honesty? Do they believe in always telling the truth? Or do they believe that little lies won’t hurt anyone?
Does your character keep his or her promises?
Does your character prefer to do things easily or do them “right”?
When is a time your character has felt betrayed? Why did they feel this way?
What is something your character would never do?
What is something people would be surprised your character WOULD do?
What makes your character proud? What was one of his or her proudest moments in life?
How does your character feel about rules and guidelines? Necessary or restrictive?
Is your character a leader, follower, or lone wolf?

Wants & Needs

What motivates your character?
What does your character need in order to be happy?
What needs does your character have that might left unfulfilled?

Download Your Free Character Development Questions Printable Here

We’ve created two versions of the character development questions worksheet. One version is a printable PDF – easy to print out and use in your notebook to answer questions about who your characters are in your novels and stories.

Prefer typing and a digital format? No worries – we have you covered there as well with an editable doc.x file! Simply open the file in Microsoft office or Apple Pages, save as a copy and start typing in the answers to the questions!

Download “Character Development Questions .PDF Version”

Download “Character Development Questions Doc.x Version”

We hope you enjoy this list of character development questions. You don’t have to incorporate all the answers of these questions into your story of course, but having a strong knowledge of your character can help make the writing process much easier!

When you fully develop your characters and have a working knowledge of these details – even if they don’t necessarily make their way into your book – it can help you choose the right style and tone to convey to your readers that your characters are believable. Using these questions will help you build strong, relatable characters which will pique your readers’ interests.

Are there any questions you ask your characters that are not on this list? Any other tips for creating strong personas for your novels? We’d love to hear what type of character development questions you find most useful and any thoughts or experiences you have in the comments section below!

Chelle Stein wrote her first embarrassingly bad novel at the age of 14 and hasn't stopped writing since. As the founder of ThinkWritten, she enjoys encouraging writers and creatives of all types.

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100 Questions to Ask your Character when Developing a Character Worksheet

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The bedrock of all great novels are great characters, but great characters are not born, their crafted.

In this article, we will look at 100 questions you absolutely need to ask your character when you are developing your character worksheet.

Article Topics

Why is it important to interview your characters?

Before we get into the 100 questions you want to ask while interviewing your characters lets discuss why doing so is so important. I know a lot of writers are pantsers, and while I would definitely recommend outlining to improve your overall writing efficiency and limit moments of writer’s block.

But even if you are a committed and unrepentant Pantser, you would surely admit that having well-developed characters are crucial to any novel. Interviewing your characters prior to writing is a sure fire way to make sure they are well thought out and fully developed before you put pen to paper.

What is a Character Worksheet?

A character worksheet is a tool that an author uses as a template to help them develop their characters.

Think of the Character Worksheet as an exercise that forces you, the author, to ask all the questions that about your character that help to bring them to life as fully developed and well-rounded characters.

Later in this article, we will give you a 100 must ask interview questions to answer on your character worksheet.

What kind of Interview questions should you ask?

The short answer is that the more you know about your characters the better off you will be. You will have a clear path of how the characters will act and react throughout the novel. With that being said, I’m assuming most of you want to the deepest understanding of your character possible in the shortest possible time.

There are the fundamental topics we want to know about each character when you are developing a character worksheet:

Basic Information
Physical Description
Family History
Socio-Economic information
Relation to other characters in the novel
Mental outlook
Motivations
Interests and Favorites

Here are the 100 Questions to Ask Your Character when Developing Your Character Worksheet.

12 basic information interview questions.

What is the character’s first name?
What is the character’s last name?
What year was the character born and how old are they?
Where does the character live: The country, State, City, Street?
What is the character’s relationship status?
What was the highest level of school that the character completed? Name of school?
What was the character’s area of study?
What languages does the character speak?
Is the character currently employed? What do they do?
What is the character’s income level?
Sexual Orientation?
What is the character’s nationality?

17 Physical Description Interview Questions

How tall is the character?
How much does the character weigh?
What is your character’s Eye Color?
What is your character’s Hair Color?
What is your character’s Skin Color?
What kind of physical build does your character have?
Does your character have any tattoos or piercings?
Does your character have any scars?
How would you describe your character’s gait?
Does your character have any physical disabilities?
Is your character left handed or right handed?
What kind of clothes does your character wear?
What does your character’s voice sound like?
What would you notice first when your character walks into the room?
What is the size and shape of their nose?
What does your character’s mouth look like?
What is your character’s posture like?

11 Family History Interview Questions

What are your character’s parents names?
Are your character’s parents still alive?
Does the character have siblings? What are their names? How old are they?
Where does your character’s family live?
Is there any other extended family that your character is close with?
Has your character lost any family members?
How close is your character’s family?
Are there any health or disabilities in the family?
What is the family’s financial status?
Has anyone in the family had any problems with the law?
Any deep-seeded family secrets?

7 Socio-Economic Interview Questions

What is your character’s household income?
How would the character describe their soci0-economic status?
Does the character have any financial trouble?
What is the character’s political leaning?
Is the character’s happy with their current economic status?
Is the character’s situation better or worse than the one he was born into?
What are the character’s income goals?

14 Questions about Relation to Other Characters

Who is your character’s best friend?
Who is your character’s biggest enemy?
Who does your character most admire?
Who is your character’s biggest competition?
Does your character cross path’s with any other characters at crucial moments in the story?
How is your character viewed by others?
What are your characters biggest memories of other characters in the story?
Has your character had a falling out with anyone in the novel?
Who does your character care most about?
Who does your character hate?
Who is most similar to your character?
Who is the opposite of your character?
Who does your character wish they had a relationship with?
Is anyone working against your character?

13 Mental Outlook Questions for Your Character Interview

How is the character’s current mental health?
How would the character describe himself to others?
Does the character have any mental health issues?
How does the character view the world?
Is the character a half full or half empty person?
What is the character most proud of?
What is your character biggest insecurities?
What are your characters 3 biggest personality traits?
Is your character an introvert or an extrovert?
When is your character most happy?
What makes your character sad?
How well do they deal with stress?
What if anything, would your character change about themselves?

11 Character Motivation Questions

What motivates your character to get up in the morning?
What does your character’s 5-year plan look like?
What is your characters biggest desire?
How does your character’s motivation drive the plot forward?
Who is at biggest odds with what your character want’s most?
Does your character fully understand their long-term potential?
Are any of your character’s motivation based on false information?
How does your character need to grow throughout the story?
Does your character have any special skills?
Does your character have any vices?
Does your character have any addictions?

15 Interests & Favorites Interview Questions

What is your character’s favorite game?
What are your character’s favorite hobbies?
What is your character’s favorite sports team?
What is your character’s favorite book?
What is your character’s favorite movie?
What is your character’s favorite tv show?
What is your character’s favorite food?
What is your character’s favorite drink?
What is your character’s favorite snack?
What is your character’s favorite car?
Who is your character’s favorite artist?
Where does your character like to travel to?
What is your character’s favorite color?
What is your character’s favorite music?
What is your character’s favorite celebrity?

Concluding your Character interview

I hope these questions help you create your character worksheet more easily. The thing to remember is that your character development interview is over when you feel like you have a full understanding of your character’s needs and desires.

I’ve provided the 100 questions to ask your character above, but if you feel like there is additional information that you need to know about your character, then add it to your character development worksheet.

Remember the work you put in now will help you write with greater consistency. If you answer the questions now, you can refer back to it and quickly know how your character will react in different situations by simply referring back to their development worksheet.

This will help you keep your story consistent as you write. Remember as the number of characters grows in your story, you may have a hard time remembering if someone’s eyes were green or blue, but you can simply look back and make sure it’s consistent.

This is really helpful if you are writing a series with multiple books, as you may have to return to characters that were originally introduced a long time ago, and you need to remember what their distinguishing features were to keep it consistent across the series.

I would suggest making a character development template in either word, scrivener, or whatever word processor you use so you can easily fill it out. This will help you finish your outlining and novel plotting much faster.

Thanks for Writing and Reading!

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40 Surprisingly Defining Questions to Ask Your Characters

by Rae Elliott | Apr 25, 2018 | Blog | 1 comment

Bilbo Baggins.

Citra Terranova.

Princess Leia.

Edmond Dantes.

Why did I list off these character names? Because these characters that matter to me . These are just a few characters from various works of fiction that have resonated with me and remained beloved friends.

Yes. Friends.

So how do you create characters that matter to your readers as much as these guys? You stop viewing your character as a character and start viewing them as a friend.

And how do you make a friend? You get to know someone on a deeper level. You spend enough time with them that you build trust and share more than just your favorite songs and ice cream flavors with one another. You truly open up and bond over the deep stuff. The stuff that no one knows helped shape who you are today.

I’ve listed below 40 profound, deeply important questions to ask your characters. These questions are meant to help you realize any gaps you’ve missed in character creation and fill those in. They’ll matter to your readers, even if they never know this fact about your character. They’ll help you view your character as a person and no longer a spark of an idea haunting your thoughts. These questions will help you formulate a strong, well-defined, believable character readers will invest in.

Feel free to write down your character’s answers to these questions . I’ve written them in such a way that it’s as if your character is sitting right in front of you as you ask these questions. So pull up a photo or even a drawing of what they look like and- at the risk of looking like a crazy person- ask them these questions!

Then, save those thoughts and use them as a template as you write your character’s next step.

So let’s hop to it, bromigo.

1. What is your darkest childhood memory?

(Why this question?)

The childhood stuff matters. Bright, beautiful memories matter as much as the dark ones. Sure, we don’t value the dark ones the way we value the bright, but whether we’re aware of it or not, the dark ones influence our life choices as well.

The same must be true for your character. So think about your character’s past and sculpt it honestly. Don’t hide the nasty bits. Acknowledge them and understand how they’ve shaped your character’s personality and worldview.

2. What bad habit are you struggling to overcome?

3. why does your journey matter to you personally.

We’re not talking about your character’s wish to save the world or bring world peace. Everyone wants that. But that’s general and no one risks their life just to bring world peace. There must be something personal involved- an accepted belief or emotion tied to your character’s journey that drives him. What is on the line? What is at stake? Who is at risk of death if your character DOESN’T act? How does this involve him personally? See, this question opens up a quizlet questionnaire all on its own, begging you to look deeper! 😀

4. What does a perfect world look like to you?

Not everyone views the world in the same light. Some folks think the world is fine the way it is- others see tragedy and looming disaster on the horizon. What does your character think about their world? Why? Your perfect world may not be their idea of a perfect world, so pry into their brain and discover the lens they choose to view the world through.

5. What smell or scent reminds you of your childhood home?

According to Psychology Today, “A number of behavioral studies have demonstrated that smells trigger more vivid emotional memories and are better at inducing that feeling of “being brought back in time” than images.”

What does the smell of warm apple pie remind you of? Perhaps it brings back cozy, happy images of time spent at your grandma’s house on a snowy winter’s eve. What about the smell of day old cat food? Perhaps it reminds you of your mischevious childhood cat Mr. Scruffles. And on the other end of the spectrum- what does the smell of truck fumes remind you of? Does it trigger tension or anxiety because it reminds you of being stuck in traffic?

What smells trigger certain memories for your characters? What special memories or haunting memories do these smells resurrect for them? What emotion is struck when they smell this certain scent?

6. What is your biggest regret?

7. who was your childhood sweetheart, 8. what do you fear losing the most.

Loss comes in many forms. It could be the loss of a loved one in death, loss of a romantic relationship, loss of a bet, loss of a best friend, loss of a job or professional position, even loss of one’s pride. What kind of loss would absolutely cripple this character?

9. Is there a secret spot you like to retreat to? If there is, why that spot?

10. do you have a family member that's ever let you down if so, how has that affected you, 11. are you afraid to be alone, 12. are you proud of who you are, 13. what keeps you up at night, 14. what was your favorite stuffed animal or toy as a kid.

Memories are protected within childhood toys. It may have been a while since we’ve seen our own favorite childhood stuffed animal. Or if you’re like me, yours is still happily sitting on your shelf, looking down on you as you write.

The point is, some piece of yourself is left behind in that tangible memory. Your heart is warmed when you think about when you got it, who gave it to you, why you kept that particular toy for so long, why you patched it up when it got worn out. It got you through hard times, it soaked up many tears and it helped keep the monsters under your bed at bay. Like a sponge, your old friend has soaked up countless memories that actually matter to you as a person, even now.

So what is your character’s reason for loving this particular toy so much? What memories has it soaked up from his childhood?

15. What was your worst injury ever?

16. what song makes you think of your crush, 17. what was your bravest moment, 18. who can make you smile no matter how bad you feel, 19. what is one thing you always carry with you.

What we have by our side at all times reveals much about us. For instance, my brother is a hunter. He carries a swiss army knife with him at all times. It doesn’t mean he thinks he’ll find a buck while doing a quick run to the Mall, but it does define his character.

My husband is a character designer. He takes his iPad Pro and Apple Pencil with him everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Why? “Because you just never know when inspiration will strike,” he says. I agree, hon 😉

The point is, these subtle, seemingly unimportant facts about us actually represent a great deal of what we believe in or aspire to be. They also accurately represent our mindset.

20. Who is one person you would never ever want to see again? Why?

21. what, to you, is the worst way to die, 22. you can bring one person back to life. who would you choose and why, 23. is it easy to admit when you've made a mistake, 24. is it easy for you to forgive others (truly), 25. you're on your death bed. who do you want by your side, 26. your childhood bully has grown up to be a philanthropist. do you praise him and give to his cause or do you turn a shoulder to him and scoff, 27. who would you want to raise your child if you die unexpectedly, 28. do you suffer from a reoccurring nightmare if so, what happens in it, 29. what do you notice first about a person.

What we notice first about a person doesn’t necessarily say something about ourselves. It simply reveals what we’ve been subconsciously trained to determine about others. A quick scan of another person does many things for us as humans: it tells us if we might have something in common with this stranger, it tells us if the scenario we’ve entered is a safe one or not, it also tells us if we find the person attractive or not.

For me, the first thing I look at when I see a stranger is their hair and then my eyes immediately fall to their shoes. It’s hilarious but I do this absolutely every single time. Now, I am by no means a shoe fanatic or a hair fiend. But a person’s hairstyle and shoe choice actually tells me a great deal about who they are.

So your character must do the same. Where does your character’s eye line go? What do they notice when a meet a new person or watch passersby? Why do they notice this? Why do particular things stand out to them more than others? What does it mean to them as a person? Believe it or not but all these little questions actually help craft a very specific character!

30. Do you find it difficult to praise others?

31. which color do you feel looks best on you, 32. what's your drink of choice.

(Why this question?)

The subtle nuances of personality are the strongest building block of a unique identity. A drink of choice tells others how we choose to relax or have fun.

Think about Bond… James Bond. He takes his martinis shaken not stirred. What’s Lorelai Gilmore’s drink of choice? (at even the latest of hours) And remember the scene where Legolas has a drinking contest with Gimli? Who wins and why? 😉

So, believe it or not, even this little detail can help craft your character, even your world!

So is your character’s drink of choice an alcoholic beverage? Do they drink too much or at an inappropriate time? Do they drink coffee at a late hour? Or mayhaps you’ve got a tea connoisseur for a character. Would they take their tea with sugar or milk? And what would be their go-to flavor?

We all have a favorite drink. So should your character. It seems like nothing, but it’s the little details that craft a distinctly unique character.

33. Which parent do you take after more?

(If they know their parents)

34. What quality about your parent do you admire? Abhor?

The qualities we admire about our parents may sometimes reveal where we think we may lack. It isn’t necessarily true either, as we often see ourselves in a poor light.

However, what we don’t like about our parents usually decides how we want to be as adults. The choices we make in our lives will be influenced by this view about our parents. We will either strongly avoid that specific trait, or unbeknownst to us, adopt the same trait ourselves.

Therefore, our characters should have the same predicament if this applies to their situation. Characters are greatly affected by marvelous or poor parenting styles either way, just as we are. But if they’re an orphan or they don’t know who their parents are, then this doesn’t apply, obvi.

35. Do you wish to be a loner? Or have a family one day?

(Or if they already have a family, do they enjoy family life or regret it?)

36. What odd habits or ticks do you have?

37. have you traveled to other lands or planets, even, 38. do you feel a need to fix or repair problems that don't directly involve you.

Two of your closest friends have been fighting with one another. The argument doesn’t involve you at all, but do you feel the need to intervene? To make things right? Is your involvement going to be appreciated or resented?

Sometimes peeps put everyone’s problems on themselves- like it’s up to them to fix every issue they face (peeps including a plus 1 over here). And sometimes they feel like it’s their fault if they don’t repair the situation properly.

Is your character this same type of person? Would others view the way your character involves himself as selfless and caring? Or as intrusive and meddling? How will this character’s habit affect your plot or storyline?

39. How do you view other races or cultures?

40. do you worry about what the future will bring.

These 40 questions have surely helped you consider many new aspects of character crafting, at the very least. Some of these questions may hardly seem relevant to your story. But if you want to create a deeply compelling character that readers call friends then consider the power of these questions and how they’ll shape your character.

Creating unforgettable, unique characters takes effort. It also takes learning how to write unique dialogue, how to give your character a specific goal, how to give your character truly challenging conflict and much more.

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Interview Questions

50 Interview Questions About Character (With Answers)

Having a good character is a valuable trait people look for in their hires. Practice these interview questions about character.

March 22, 2024

Your character makes up who you are. Having a good character is looked positively upon by hiring managers and recruiters. Working on your character to make yourself even better is the best thing you can do in life. Sometimes, hiring managers ask interview questions about character to get an assessment of the type of person you really are. This post will mention why character is important in the workplace, tips for answering questions about your character in an interview, and includes 50 interview questions about character with answers.

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What is character?

Character is the amalgamation of qualities and traits that collectively define a person's moral and ethical values, shaping how they interact with the world around them. It encompasses virtues such as integrity, courage, honesty, and compassion, serving as the foundation upon which individuals build trust and foster meaningful relationships. Unlike skills that can be learned or talents that may be innate, character is developed over time through experiences, choices, and reflections, acting as the guiding principle for one's actions and decisions. In essence, character is the essence of who a person truly is, beyond their talents or achievements, reflecting their commitment to living by their principles and values.

Why is character important in the workplace

1. fosters trust and reliability.

A strong character in the workplace is crucial because it lays the foundation of trust among team members and management. Employees with integrity, honesty, and a strong moral compass are seen as reliable and trustworthy. This trustworthiness not only strengthens team bonds but also ensures that tasks and projects are completed with a high degree of responsibility and ethical consideration.

2. Enhances Leadership and Influence

Character is a key attribute of effective leadership. Leaders with strong character inspire confidence and respect from their team members, leading to improved morale and productivity. They set a positive example through their actions and decisions, influencing the workplace culture in a way that encourages others to emulate these admirable qualities. This creates a ripple effect, enhancing the overall leadership and influence within the organization.

3. Improves Conflict Resolution

In any workplace, conflicts are inevitable. However, individuals with strong character are better equipped to handle disputes in a constructive manner. They approach conflicts with empathy, fairness, and a willingness to understand different perspectives. This skill in conflict resolution not only helps in smoothing over immediate disagreements but also contributes to a more cohesive and collaborative work environment in the long term.

5 Tips for Answering Character-Based Interview Questions

1. reflect on your core values.

Before the interview, spend some time reflecting on your core values and how they have guided your decisions and actions in both personal and professional settings. Interviewers asking about character are interested in understanding your moral compass and integrity. Prepare examples that showcase how your values have influenced positive outcomes in challenging situations.

2. Be Authentic

Authenticity is key when discussing character. Avoid giving answers you think the interviewer wants to hear. Instead, focus on genuine instances that highlight your character. Authentic responses will not only make you more memorable but also help the interviewer gauge if you're a good cultural fit for the organization.

3. Incorporate Feedback

Mention times when you've received feedback about your character traits and how you've used it for personal or professional growth. This shows self-awareness and a willingness to improve—a critical aspect of strong character. It also demonstrates your ability to handle criticism constructively.

4. Use the STAR Method

To structure your responses effectively, employ the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. This technique is particularly useful for detailing specific instances where your character positively impacted the outcome of a situation. By laying out the context, your role, the actions you took based on your character traits, and the resulting benefits, you provide a clear and compelling narrative.

5. Highlight Adaptability and Resilience

Character is often most visible in how someone handles adversity. Share examples that demonstrate your adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges. Discussing how you've maintained integrity and a positive attitude during difficult times can powerfully convey the strength of your character to the interviewer.

Remember, character-based questions are an opportunity for you to differentiate yourself by showcasing the unique traits that make you an ideal candidate. Approach these questions as a chance to share your story and the values that drive you.

1. How do you define character in your own words?

Character, to me, encompasses a person's moral and ethical qualities, shaping their behavior, decisions, and interactions with others. It reflects one's integrity, honesty, accountability, resilience, empathy, and consistency in upholding values and principles even in challenging situations.

2. Can you share an example of a time when your character was tested?

During a project deadline crunch, I discovered an error that could have gone unnoticed but would have compromised the project's quality. Despite the pressure to meet the deadline, I chose to address the error transparently, take responsibility, and work with the team to rectify it, prioritizing quality and integrity over expedience.

3. How important is character in your profession?

Character is paramount in my profession as it influences trust, credibility, and reputation. Clients, colleagues, and stakeholders rely on individuals with strong character to uphold ethical standards, deliver on promises, and navigate challenges with integrity, ultimately contributing to long-term success and positive relationships.

4. In what ways do you believe character influences success?

Character influences success by fostering trust, building meaningful connections, and inspiring confidence in one's abilities and ethics. It enables individuals to navigate adversity, make ethical decisions, collaborate effectively, and lead with integrity, all of which are essential for achieving personal and professional goals.

5. What are the key components of a strong character?

Key components of a strong character include honesty, integrity, accountability, empathy, resilience, humility, fairness, and a commitment to ethical behavior. These qualities guide actions, build trust, and contribute to positive relationships and outcomes.

6. How do you develop or improve your character?

Developing and improving character involves self-reflection, continuous learning, and intentional practice of virtues such as integrity, empathy, and resilience. Seeking feedback, learning from experiences, embracing challenges, and aligning actions with values contribute to character growth.

7. Can character be changed, or is it inherent?

While certain aspects of character may be inherent, character can be developed, strengthened, and changed over time through conscious effort, self-awareness, and personal growth initiatives. Continuous learning, feedback, and self-reflection play key roles in shaping and refining character.

8. How does character impact leadership?

Character significantly impacts leadership by influencing trust, credibility, and followership. Leaders with strong character inspire trust, demonstrate integrity, make ethical decisions, and cultivate a positive organizational culture. Character-driven leadership fosters employee engagement, loyalty, and long-term success.

9. What role does character play in teamwork?

Character plays a crucial role in teamwork as it influences trust, collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution within the team. Individuals with strong character traits such as integrity, accountability, empathy, and respect contribute positively to team dynamics, foster a supportive environment, and enhance overall team effectiveness.

10. How do you assess someone's character?

Assessing someone's character involves observing their actions, consistency in behavior, decision-making process, ethical standards, integrity in relationships, and how they handle challenges and conflicts. It also includes gathering feedback from peers, colleagues, and supervisors to gain insights into their character traits and values.

11. What character traits do you admire most in others?

I admire honesty, integrity, empathy, resilience, humility, reliability, and a strong sense of accountability in others. These traits reflect a person's ethical standards, interpersonal skills, and ability to navigate challenges with integrity and empathy, contributing to positive relationships and effective collaboration.

12. How do you handle situations that challenge your moral or ethical beliefs?

When faced with situations challenging my moral or ethical beliefs, I rely on principles, values, and ethical frameworks to guide my decision-making. I seek to understand different perspectives, evaluate the consequences of actions, consult with trusted colleagues or mentors, and strive to find solutions that align with my values and uphold ethical standards.

13. Can you share a story where someone's character profoundly impacted you?

I once worked with a colleague who consistently demonstrated empathy, fairness, and integrity in all interactions. Their character profoundly impacted me as I witnessed how their positive demeanor, ethical approach, and commitment to teamwork fostered a collaborative and supportive work environment, inspiring me to emulate similar traits in my own professional journey.

14. How does character differ from personality?

Character refers to a person's moral and ethical qualities, values, and behavior, shaping their actions, decisions, and interactions with others. Personality, on the other hand, encompasses a broader range of traits, including behavioral patterns, communication styles, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses, which contribute to individual uniqueness and identity.

15. In what ways can a person's character affect their personal and professional relationships?

A person's character significantly affects their personal and professional relationships by influencing trust, respect, communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution. Strong character traits such as honesty, integrity, empathy, and reliability foster positive relationships, build credibility, and contribute to mutual understanding, respect, and effective teamwork. Conversely, negative character traits can strain relationships, erode trust, and hinder collaboration.

16. How do you balance ambition with maintaining a strong character?

Balancing ambition with maintaining a strong character involves aligning personal goals and aspirations with ethical principles, values, and integrity. It requires setting realistic and ethical boundaries, making decisions that uphold moral standards, considering the impact of actions on others, and striving for success while staying true to one's values and principles.

17. What is the relationship between character and reputation?

The relationship between character and reputation is interconnected but distinct. Character refers to a person's moral and ethical qualities, values, and behavior, while reputation is how others perceive and evaluate that person based on their actions, behavior, and interactions. A strong character often leads to a positive reputation built on trust, integrity, reliability, and ethical conduct.

18. How does social media influence our perception of someone's character?

Social media can influence our perception of someone's character by providing a platform for individuals to showcase aspects of their personality, values, and behavior publicly. However, it's essential to recognize that social media may not always provide a comprehensive or accurate portrayal of a person's true character, as it can be curated or manipulated to present a particular image.

19. What character traits are essential for effective communication?

Essential character traits for effective communication include empathy, active listening, honesty, clarity, respect, patience, and open-mindedness. These traits facilitate understanding, promote trust and rapport, encourage constructive dialogue, and contribute to meaningful and impactful communication exchanges.

20. How do cultural differences influence perceptions of character?

Cultural differences can influence perceptions of character as they shape values, norms, beliefs, and behavioral expectations within different cultural contexts. What may be considered as a positive character trait in one culture may be perceived differently in another culture. Understanding and respecting cultural diversity is crucial in avoiding misinterpretations and fostering inclusive interactions.

21. How can organizations foster a culture that values strong character?

Organizations can foster a culture that values strong character by promoting ethical leadership, establishing clear ethical standards and policies, providing ethics training and education, encouraging transparency and accountability, recognizing and rewarding ethical behavior, and fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment that upholds integrity and fairness.

22. In what ways does character contribute to societal change?

Character contributes to societal change by inspiring and influencing individuals to act ethically, responsibly, and compassionately. Leaders and individuals with strong character traits such as integrity, empathy, courage, and social responsibility can drive positive change, advocate for justice and equality, challenge societal norms, and contribute to building a more ethical and sustainable society.

23. How do you cope with people whose character traits clash with yours?

Coping with people whose character traits clash with mine involves maintaining open communication, seeking common ground, focusing on areas of agreement and collaboration, respecting differences, practicing empathy and understanding, setting boundaries when necessary, and prioritizing professionalism and mutual respect in interactions.

24. What is the biggest challenge in maintaining your character?

The biggest challenge in maintaining my character is consistently adhering to my values and principles in various situations, especially when faced with ethical dilemmas or external pressures that may test my integrity or moral compass.

25. How does character influence decision-making?

Character strongly influences decision-making as it guides individuals to make choices that align with their values, ethics, and moral beliefs. A person's character shapes their priorities, perspectives, and behaviors, influencing the decisions they make and the consequences that follow.

26. Can a person’s character be accurately depicted through art or literature?

Art and literature can provide insightful glimpses into a person's character by portraying their thoughts, actions, emotions, and interactions. While they may offer interpretations and reflections of character traits, accurately depicting the entirety of a person's character requires a deeper understanding and engagement beyond artistic or literary representations.

27. How do you think technology affects our character development?

Technology can impact character development in both positive and negative ways. On one hand, it provides access to information, facilitates communication, and offers platforms for self-expression and learning. On the other hand, it can also lead to distractions, superficial interactions, ethical dilemmas related to privacy and authenticity, and potential shifts in social behaviors.

28. What role does education play in shaping one’s character?

Education plays a significant role in shaping one's character by imparting knowledge, values, critical thinking skills, and ethical principles. It provides opportunities for personal growth, self-reflection, exposure to diverse perspectives, and the development of empathy, resilience, and moral reasoning, all of which contribute to character formation.

29. How do you teach character values to the younger generation?

Teaching character values to the younger generation involves leading by example, fostering open and honest communication, providing moral guidance and mentorship, encouraging empathy and kindness, promoting critical thinking and ethical decision-making, and creating supportive environments that nurture character development.

30. What is more important in your view: talent or character?

While both talent and character have their merits, character holds greater importance in my view. Talent may provide abilities and skills, but character determines how those abilities are used, the impact they have on others, and the ethical considerations that guide actions and decisions. A strong character is foundational to integrity, resilience, ethical leadership, and meaningful contributions to society.

31. How does character play into the concept of heroism?

Character is fundamental to the concept of heroism as heroes are often defined by their courage, integrity, selflessness, and moral convictions. Their actions, driven by strong character traits, inspire and uplift others, making them exemplary figures who embody noble values and principles.

32. Can a flawed character be redeemed?

Yes, a flawed character can be redeemed through self-awareness, introspection, accountability, and efforts to improve and grow. Acknowledging one's flaws, learning from mistakes, seeking guidance and support, and making genuine changes in behavior and mindset are key steps towards redemption and personal transformation.

33. How does adversity impact character development?

Adversity can significantly impact character development by testing resilience, courage, perseverance, and adaptability. It provides opportunities for learning, growth, and self-discovery, shaping individuals' values, beliefs, priorities, and strengths as they navigate challenges and overcome obstacles.

34. What is the difference between character strength and weakness?

Character strength refers to positive attributes such as honesty, empathy, integrity, resilience, humility, and compassion, which contribute to ethical behavior, personal growth, and meaningful relationships. In contrast, character weakness involves negative traits such as dishonesty, selfishness, impulsivity, arrogance, and lack of empathy, which can lead to ethical lapses, conflicts, and harm to oneself and others.

35. How can someone rebuild their character after making a mistake?

Rebuilding one's character after making a mistake requires self-reflection, accountability, sincere apologies, making amends, learning from the experience, seeking forgiveness, and demonstrating consistent positive changes in behavior. It also involves practicing integrity, honesty, humility, and empathy in all aspects of life.

36. How does character influence one's legacy?

Character profoundly influences one's legacy as it shapes how individuals are remembered and the impact they leave on others and the world. A legacy built on strong character leaves a lasting positive imprint, inspiring future generations and contributing to a better society.

37. In what ways is character tested in the workplace?

Character is tested in the workplace through ethical dilemmas, conflicts of interest, pressures to compromise values, interactions with colleagues and clients, decisions related to integrity and honesty, handling confidential information, managing responsibilities, and demonstrating professionalism and accountability.

38. How can leaders model good character?

Leaders can model good character by exemplifying honesty, integrity, transparency, humility, fairness, empathy, accountability, and ethical decision-making. They can foster a culture of trust, respect, and integrity, prioritize ethical conduct, communicate openly and honestly, and lead by example in upholding values and principles. Leadership actions and behaviors profoundly influence organizational culture and employee morale, setting the tone for ethical behavior and character development.

39. What measures can be taken to improve character in society?

Improving character in society involves promoting values such as honesty, empathy, integrity, kindness, respect, and responsibility through education, positive role modeling, mentorship, community programs, ethical leadership, fostering a culture of accountability, promoting empathy and understanding, and encouraging ethical decision-making.

40. How do personal values align with character development?

Personal values serve as guiding principles that influence behavior, choices, and actions, contributing significantly to character development. Aligning personal values with virtues such as honesty, integrity, empathy, and resilience fosters ethical conduct, strengthens character, and promotes positive interactions and relationships.

41. How does self-awareness contribute to character growth?

Self-awareness is essential for character growth as it involves understanding one's values, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, beliefs, and emotions. By cultivating self-awareness, individuals can identify areas for improvement, make conscious choices aligned with their values, learn from experiences, and strive for personal and ethical development.

42. What role does forgiveness play in character development?

Forgiveness plays a crucial role in character development by promoting empathy, compassion, humility, and resilience. It allows individuals to let go of resentment, heal emotional wounds, foster understanding, promote reconciliation, cultivate empathy towards others, and contribute to personal growth and moral maturity.

43. How can peer influence shape one’s character?

Peer influence can significantly shape one's character by impacting attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, values, and decision-making. Positive peer influence can encourage ethical conduct, empathy, cooperation, and mutual respect, while negative peer influence may lead to unethical behavior, peer pressure, conformity, and moral dilemmas.

44. What is the impact of stress on a person’s character?

Stress can impact a person's character by affecting emotions, decision-making, resilience, coping mechanisms, and interpersonal relationships. Excessive stress may lead to impulsive behavior, decreased empathy, irritability, ethical lapses, burnout, and challenges in maintaining integrity and ethical conduct.

45. How does one maintain integrity under pressure?

Maintaining integrity under pressure involves staying true to one's values, principles, and ethical standards even in challenging situations. It requires clear communication, ethical decision-making, seeking guidance or support, managing stress effectively, prioritizing long-term consequences over short-term gains, and demonstrating resilience, courage, and moral courage.

46. In what way does empathy contribute to character?

Empathy contributes to character by fostering compassion, understanding, kindness, and moral responsibility towards others. It promotes ethical behavior, perspective-taking, cooperation, conflict resolution, and positive relationships, shaping individuals' character traits such as compassion, integrity, humility, and empathy.

47. How can overcoming biases improve one's character?

Overcoming biases can improve one's character by promoting open-mindedness, empathy, fairness, and inclusivity. It encourages critical thinking, self-reflection, challenging stereotypes, embracing diversity, and treating others with respect and dignity, contributing to a more ethical, empathetic, and morally sound character.

48. What is the role of resilience in character building?

Resilience plays a vital role in character building by enhancing adaptability, perseverance, problem-solving skills, emotional regulation, and coping mechanisms. It enables individuals to bounce back from adversity, learn from challenges, develop grit and determination, foster optimism, and cultivate a strong sense of self-efficacy and resilience in the face of difficulties.

49. How does one balance humility with confidence in their character?

Balancing humility with confidence involves acknowledging strengths and accomplishments while remaining humble, receptive to feedback, and respectful of others. It requires self-awareness, empathy, continuous learning, recognizing the contributions of others, demonstrating humility in success, and embracing a growth mindset that values humility as a strength.

50. How can daily habits influence the development of one’s character?

Daily habits profoundly influence character development by shaping behaviors, attitudes, values, and beliefs over time. Positive habits such as honesty, kindness, gratitude, self-discipline, empathy, and accountability contribute to ethical conduct, integrity, resilience, and personal growth. Consistently practicing these habits fosters a strong, principled, and virtuous character.

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Jiminy glick takes over ‘real time’ to ask bill maher the tough questions.

Martin Short reprised his iconic character to chat with the host about his new book, 'What This Comedian Said Will Shock You.'

By Carly Thomas

Carly Thomas

Associate Editor

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Martin Short as Jiminy Glick and Bill Maher

The roles were reversed on the latest episode of Real Time , with Martin Short ‘s legendary character Jiminy Glick coming out of retirement to ask Bill Maher the tough questions.

Typically, the host will interview his guests one-on-one at the beginning of the show, but on Friday, Maher decided to become the interviewee to talk about his new book, What This Comedian Said Will Shock You .

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5 questions to ask an interviewer about themselves

It’s important to come to an interview with specific questions to help you understand the company and connect with the person interviewing you.

[Photo: SDI Productions/Getty Images]

BY Judith Humphrey 3 minute read

Smart job candidates know how to field common questions about themselves . But the best applicants should also prepare questions about the interviewer. Reaching out and getting to know the interviewer will greatly improve your chances of landing that role, as well as deepening your understanding about the job and company. And, if the interviewer is your future boss, they’ll provide you with a better feeling of what that future relationship will be like.

In researching my book, The Job Seeker’s Script , I discovered many successful job candidates who were very deliberate in creating this dialogue with their interviewer. Here are five good questions to ask the person interviewing you:

1. What inspired you to join this company?

This is a great job interview question because it shows that you really want to get to know your interviewer.

One job seeker I spoke with was applying to Amazon. He said to the interviewer: “Tell me about your journey from Yahoo to Amazon. Why did you feel inspired to join Amazon?” The interviewer opened up about her motivation and was impressed that the job candidate had researched her on LinkedIn. Such questions will also lead to insight about the company.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUDITH HUMPHREY IS FOUNDER OF THE HUMPHREY GROUP , A PREMIER LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS FIRM HEADQUARTERED IN TORONTO. SHE IS A REGULAR COLUMNIST FOR FAST COMPANY AND IS THE AUTHOR OF FOUR BOOKS: THE JOB SEEKER’S SCRIPT: TELL YOUR STORY AND LAND YOUR DREAM POSITION (2023) ; IMPROMPTU: LEADING IN THE MOMENT (2018), SPEAKING AS A LEADER: HOW TO LEAD EVERY TIME YOU SPEAK (2012), AND TAKING THE STAGE: HOW WOMEN CAN SPEAK UP, STAND OUT, AND SUCCEED (2014) More

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How to Interview Your Characters

10 Questions to Ask Your Characters (And Why)

1. What are you most proud of?

2. What's your biggest regret?

3. How is your relationship with your parents?

4. Who's the most important person in your life, and why?

5. What do you love most about your parents? Your best friend?

6. Who in your family do you wish you could be closer to, and why?

7. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?

8. Who were your role models growing up?

9. What’s the most defining moment in your childhood/life?

10. What's your worst habit?

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