Questions to ask your Characters
WHO is your character?
Name Age Where does s/he live? What is it like where they live? Who does s/he live with? Hobbies? Pets? Favourite food / drinks? Job? |
HOW is your character at the start of the story?
What does s/he like/dislike most about his/her life? How do they feel about work? Aims for the future? What is their most valuable material possession? What is the problem they are not sharing? What has happened in their lives recently to trigger this story? Most/least likeable trait? |
What is your character's background?
Married, single or divorced? Happily so? Children? Former partners? Other family members? Born and raised? Education background? Best Friend? One single event in the past which has changed their lives One thing they regret doing / not doing Phobias Where did their parents work? Siblings |
18 more questions to interrogate your character
What two secrets has your character never told anyone? What is your character’s greatest fear? What one thing or person would the character would do anything to protect? What do they need to have the best start to their day? What happens when their morning routine goes wrong? What does your character consider a luxury? What obstacles keep your character from enjoying this luxury? What makes your character impatient or angry? How does he or she deal with anger? What makes your character laugh? And cry? What makes your character stop and enjoy the moment? What has your character wasted in the past? What would your character want as a epitaph? Does your character prefer to be alone or with a lot of people? What food do they hate? How does this fit in with the story? Does your character have a special skill that could add an extra dimension to your story? What would they be most upset to lose if their bag was stolen.? What is your character’s favorite place? What does s/he lie about? What is his/her defining strength? Does your character have a plan for tomorrow? Next week? Next year? |