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150+ Character Questions: The Ultimate Character Questionnaire

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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 handicaps?
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 handicaps?
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 spirit animal?
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?

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May 11, 2023

70+ Character Development Questions You Need the Answers To

We all know how important it is to create believable characters in the stories we tell, but creating characters isn't always easy. To make sure that your characters are as three-dimensional and interesting as possible, you need to have answers to a lot of questions about them. At least seventy, if not more.

You might be feeling overwhelmed right now, but take a deep breath and don’t worry – this doesn’t have to be a stressful process. We’re aiming to make this activity fun, lighthearted and inspirational! After all, the more questions you have answered before you start writing, the better your characters will be.

The questions I'll be covering in this blog post were ones I used as an actor for creating characters for the stage, and they're designed to explore your main characters in more depth, helping you to create characters with their own unique personality traits and backstories. Once you’ve got all of your answers, you’ll be in a much better position to start writing about them.

When answering the questions, don’t be afraid to be creative, and you don’t need to answer them in a specific order. This process is all about developing your own unique story and the people who inhabit it, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

Let’s take a look at the questions about your main characters that you need to answer.

“Vital Statistics”

What is their gender and age?

What is their weight, height, build, colour of hair, eyes, and skin?

Are they right or left-handed?

Do they have any facial expressions, a squint, or any disabilities like a limp or missing finger?

Do they wear spectacles or contact lenses?

How do they walk or move? Do they have any mannerisms or habits?

Do they smoke?

What are their attitudes towards each of these?

Personality

How do they speak? What do they sound like? What pitch and speed is their voice? Do they have any favourite sayings or words? Do they use slang? Or swear?

What is their sexuality and their attitude towards it? How important is it? Do they have any hangups? What are their attitudes towards someone else's sexuality?

Are they a cool or are they a geek? Are their relationships fiery and passionate or calm and carefully controlled? Do they have a nasty temper? Are they charming? Do they control their emotional life, or does it control them? How do they express tension, or do they internalise stress? How do they express pleasure?

What do they most like and dislike about themselves? What aspects of themselves do they praise, deny, or want to change?

Do they run their own life? Or are they usually obeying other people, or doing things to please or take care of others?

What is their favourite colour? What is their star sign and birthstone? Do they even believe in astrology? Are they religious or spiritual? If so, what are their beliefs and practices? What are their moral beliefs and code of ethics? Do they have a phobia… or phobias?

What do they want from life? What are their goals in the short, medium and long term? What do they really want from life? And when they die, how do they want to be buried: 6-feet under or cremated? Do they want their ashes scattered anywhere specific? Do they want any particular music played at their funeral? Have they thought about death at all? Does death bother them?

Living Arrangements

What is their nationality? Do they live in their country of origin? If not, why not? How do they feel about this?

Where do they live? Do they own their own home? How much does it cost? How is it furnished? Are they domesticated, tidy or messy?

Do they live alone or with other people?

Relationship With Self

When they are at home for an evening alone, are they happy with their own company? Do they read books, magazines, newspapers, the back of cornflakes packets?

What music do they play to themselves?

What do they eat?

Can they relax? Do they knit, sew, write letters, watch television, revise their notes from an evening class? What are their hobbies, if any? Are they quirky? Are they a collector? What do their hobbies, music and books tell us about them?

Relationships With Others

Do they have a partner, or one or several lovers? Are they celibate? married? Do they have dependent relatives, flatmates, or pets?

Do they have children? What is their relationship to them? What kind of children are they?

Are there parents living? Do they like them?

Do people like them? Do others do what they want? Do others admire or respect them?

If they're working, what are the power relationships in their work with co-workers, boss, or employees?

Are they successful in material terms? Do they have a good job with enough money? Are they worried about their finances? Are they financially independent? Do they like their job (if they have one)? If not, what would they rather do?

Were their family rich, poor, struggling to keep up appearances? What if they inherited from them, both physically and psychologically?

What kind of education did they have? Was it a military background? What were they expected to do with their life?

What is their relationship to the other main characters in the story? Who or what is trying to prevent them from achieving their goal or goals?

Do you like them? Do you respect them? How do you want the audience to feel about them?

Within the story, what is their goal or dramatic need? What are they trying to achieve, gain or change during the story?

At the end of the story, what is their development? How have they changed? What have they learned, about things or other people, themselves?

Now take your character through a typical day in their life. What time do they wake up in the morning? How do they wake up? With vigour, or do they lie there waiting to muster the energy? Maybe with a cigarette? How do they smoke it? What will they do next?

Finally, describe your character’s day up until their first appearance in the story.

Final Thoughts

Remember, when creating your characters, be sure to use the answers to these questions to give them depth and make them believable and memorable. There’s no right or wrong answer, and, like I said, feel free to get creative. After all, you're a writer.

Now that you’ve got all of the questions you need answered about your main characters, all that’s left to do is create a create a story with a point and a purpose that has momentum and meaning. If you need help with that, check out my Story Development service or check out the rest of the blog for more character creation posts.

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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?

17 Character Development Exercises for Writers

Character development exercises are short forms of deliberate practice to improve your writing skills and round out your characters.

They are typically not used in the final novel, but are little extras that help you understand the personalities that you are writing.

Because for some of us, nailing down that perfect character can be hard. And to help with that, we’ve assembled 17 different exercises to improve your characters.

Why character exercises are important
A list of 17 different exercises that you can implement today
Examples and advice to improve your characters

Why Are Character Development Exercises Important?
Exercise #1: Write a FULL Description
Exercise #2: Play Dress Up
Exercise #3: Write a Description Scene Through the Character’s Eyes
Exercise #4: Practice Showing Emotion
Exercise #5: Write a “Slice of Life” Episode
Exercise #6: Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character
Exercise #7: Write a Progression Short Story
Exercise #8: Draw the Character
Exercise #9: Create a Character Profile
Exercise #10: Conduct a Character Interview
Exercise #11: Play the “Why” Game
Exercise #12: Create a Character Based on Someone You Know
Exercise #13: Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel
Exercise #14: Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)
Exercise #15: Create a Timeline
Exercise #16: Do a Little Fan-fiction
Exercise #17: Use Character Writing Prompts

So why use a character development exercise in the first place?

This may be a valid question, especially for authors like myself, who just want to dive into the writing and let the characters unfold as I write.

But honestly, a little work up front can save you a load of headache afterward.

Running through a handful of these exercises will help you to:

Understand your character’s emotions
Give you practice writing in their voice and from their point of view
Find out what sets them apart from other characters
Flesh them out to create round and dynamic characters
Establish the relationship between your characters and the setting, or other characters
Deliberate practice of the process to create complex and well-written characters

In short, it’s a great way to deliberately practice writing and reduces the need to go back and do extensive revisions on your characters.

That said, this might not be the best thing to do if you’re a pantser and just want to dive in and discover your characters along the way. But it can be a great tool in your author tool belt.

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So without further ado, here are 17 of our best picks for character development exercises.

Exercise #1 : Write a FULL Description

When it comes to writing characters, most of us focus on the facial features, things like hair color, eye color, etc.

A great way to begin getting to know your character is to do a full description of them. In a book, we might not do this to the extent you might in a creative writing exercise, which is why it’s good to practice here.

Here are some things to consider:

Skin/hair/eye color
Do they have any warts or moles?
What is their hair style?
What is their build?
Do they have any scars, tattoos, etc.
What is their general complexion. Is their skin smooth and silky, rough and calloused, or even bruised and battered?
What default facial expression do they have?
What does he/she smell like?

Exercise #2 : Play Dress Up

What we choose to wear says a lot about a person. Someone wearing an extravagant French-style outfit from the 18th century will give you a completely different impression than a cut business suit from the 21st century.

The problem is that most authors, when they’re writing about their characters, often forget to add a lot of detail about the clothes they are wearing. It’s easy to see these things in your mind and forget that your readers don’t see what you see. They see what you write.

One way to help overcome this oversight is to continue the exercise above, but focus on clothing.

And don’t just focus on any one type, because your protagonist will most likely use several types of clothing throughout the course of your novel. Here are just some examples:

Travel clothing
Clothes for a night on the town
Clothes for wilderness survival
Combat wear

Exercise #3 : Write a Description Scene Through the Character’s Eyes

Ideally, every character should experience the same thing differently, depending on their background, their wants and desires, and their tastes.

Additionally, great prose is often written from the perspective of the character making the observation.

For example, let’s say you have two people, one who has grown up in a desert their whole life, where water is scarce, and the other who grew up in a place where water was plentiful.

Imagine these two people on a hot day, observing a third person splashing water on their face. If you’re writing from the first character’s perspective, you could describe this as “and the man took a handful of water and wasted it on his face.” The second person might describe it this way, “I watched as the man poured the cool liquid and splashed it all over his face. I wish I were him right now.”

Do you see the difference there? In one, the character sees using water in one way as a waste, and for the other, it’s something to be sought after.

Exercise #4 : Practice Showing Emotion

We’ve all heard the adage to “show, don’t tell,” but what does this really look like for most characters?

This is something that really only comes with practice. Once you’ve done it enough times, you’ll recognize instances where you’re saying things like “he felt hungry,” and can replace them with something like “He winced and put a hand to his stomach as it growled, and he swallowed hard.”

Character emotion is one of these areas where showing rather than telling can really enhance your novel.

Exercise #5 : Write a “Slice of Life” Episode

There are a lot of scenes in a book, and most of them have a purpose. That said, there are many scenes that probably occur in that character’s life, but that we don’t talk about because they’re not important for the story.

However, you as the author should have an idea of what happens in these less important moments.

Some examples of a “slice of life” episode might include:

Having dinner with family
Going to the bathroom
The morning routine
A conversation with a co-worker
Late-night conversations with a spouse
Cooking a meal
Going on vacation
Playing with their kids
Coming home a little too drunk
Visiting a museum

Exercise #6 : Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character

Very often, we learn more from others about ourselves that we might not have known on our own. Others can provide unique perspectives, and in some cases expose huge biases (on both sides).

For example, a proud character might not realize that he/she is proud, but it’s easy for an outside observer to spot this.

Exercise #7 : Write a Progression Short Story

In real life, people change a lot, and characters should change in stories too (most of the time).

A great way to show this is to write a short story that examines the character at different parts of her/his life. You can focus on key moments in their life, but you could also just follow exercise #5 and focus on a few more everyday events.

The purpose of this exercise is to show how that person may have changed. Do they view the world differently as a working adult, vs as a teenager? A child? An elderly person?

What about before or after experiencing some kind of trauma?

Exercise #8 : Draw the Character

I’ll be honest, I’m not an artist. But I am a visual person, and getting some solid visuals of the character can be a huge boost in helping me understand them.

If you’re like me and really have no design skills , then finding a few photos is fine.

I’d recommend several photos though, since one might not be enough. You could have some for their face and general appearance, one for their clothes and how they look, etc.

If you know a program like Photoshop, you could even crop these together to get an even better sense of what you character looks like.

This is a great exercise for understanding the feel of a character, which is often harder to put into words.

Exercise #9 : Create a Character Profile

Imagine you work for the FBI, and you have to draft up a dossier about your character. What might that look like?

Fortunately, we’ve done a whole article about this topic, so you should definitely check that out, and also don’t forget to pick up our character profile template, which can easily help you through this process.

If you want a thorough process to identify the character’s appearance, personality, background, and more, this is the way to go.

The best aspects to focus on are the flaws, motivations, and fears of your character. What prompts them to action? Understanding these things will help you get at the core of your character’s personality traits.

Exercise #10 : Conduct a Character Interview

Imagine you sat in a darkened room, across the table from you is your character. You can ask them anything, they won’t be offended, and they will understand the question.

What do you ask them about?

Writing a character interview is almost like writing yourself into a short story where you get to personally meet your character and ask them questions.

This is huge for helping you understand the character’s voice, but also a good strategy for building solid character backstory and character traits.

To help, we’ve already assembled over 200 character development questions that can aid you in this process.

Exercise #11 : Play the “Why” Game

This goes along with the idea of an interview, but sometimes in order to dig really deep into the motivations of your character, you’ve got to ask why.

Is your character aggressive? Ask them why.

From there you might find out that his mother shouted at him as a kid, and he saw his parents fight a lot. Ask why.

You might learn that his father had a drinking problem and it meant that his mother took it out on him. Ask why.

From there, it might come out that his father had lost a lot of money in a business deal, leading him to turn to drink.

I hope you get the idea. The more you ask why, the more you’ll dig deeper into your character’s past, and the better you will understand them.

Exercise #12 : Create a Character Based on Someone You Know

This can be a little dangerous, because to be honest, most of the people we know are not that interesting. And we also want to avoid lawsuits for defamation if the comparison is too obvious.

That said, the people we know can be a huge inspiration to pick and choose ideas to incorporate into your characters.

For example, my own father and uncle have a really fun way of talking to each other. They’re always ribbing on each other and calling eachother weird, made-up names. You can tell that they love each other, but it’s an uncommon way of showing it.

This might make a good relationship between two people in a book.

Exercise #13 : Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel

The writer is mostly concerned with what happens during the plot of her novel. But if written well, a character will feel like they exist long before and long after the pages of the book.

So it’s a good idea to try dreaming up what happens to these characters in that time.

It can be dramatic, or it can be mundane. Impactful, or ordinary. It doesn’t matter much. All that matters is that you have a past and future in mind for that character (unless you plan to kill them off of course).

And who knows, you might even come up with some good ideas for other books involving those characters.

Exercise #14 : Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)

I’ve heard it said that you should basically put your characters through hell in a story, and never let up.

While this is good advice, it’s not always practical. That said, putting your characters through the meat-grinder is a great way to learn how they react to conflict.

These scenarios don’t have to be trials you will actually use in your novel. These are just different ways to put your character in pain and see how they react (I know I sound like a very unethical scientist, don't @ me).

Here are some possibilities:

The loss of a loved one
A diagnosis of cancer
The loss of a limb
Getting tortured
Breaking up with the love of their life
Losing everything they own
Being betrayed by a friend

Exercise #15 : Create a Timeline

Sometimes it’s hard to keep every part of a character’s life straight. That’s where a timeline can be helpful.

A timeline is a simple list of events in the character’s life, though they can get more complex and interesting, and you can even put some design skills to work if you want.

But timelines only have to be a simple list of events. They can include events from before their birth to their death, or they can be focused on a specific period of their life.

It will depend on the character and the story you will want to tell.

Exercise #16 : Do a Little Fan-fiction

When we’re writing a story, we might not have a full grasp on it yet, and that’s where writing fan fiction can help.

Imagine your character interacting with characters from a story you already know? Imagine the ultimate crossover between your story and your favorite franchise.

For example, what Hogwarts house would your character belong in? What might it look like when he/she is sorted and interacts with other characters in that house or other characters from the Harry Potter books.

It’s a great way to lean on characters you already know, to help unveil more about the characters you’re trying to discover.

Exercise #17 : Use Character Writing Prompts

There are a bunch of character-related creative writing prompts out there, and many of them can be quite helpful in getting your brain to think outside of the box.

In theory, we could have a list much longer than 17 if we wanted to include more of these prompts, but that would end up being too much.

Instead, I recommend this post , or checking out our list of character questions to give you ideas.

Final Thoughts on Character Development Exercises

If you’ve made it far, first of all, well done.

Second of all, you might be a little overwhelmed, but don’t worry. This list is not meant to be a checklist for everything you should do to expand on your characters.

Instead, this is a handful of ideas that you can take (or leave) and use them to better understand your characters.

As you apply these exercises, I can pretty much guarantee that you will grow as a writer, become more familiar with your characters, and increase your chances of having a great dynamic character in your books.

Let us know how it goes!

Jason Hamilton

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.

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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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50 Character Development Writing Prompts

Last updated on January 5th, 2023

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your next creative writing project, why not try using some character development writing prompts? By coming up with creative and unique ways to develop your characters, you can ensure that your story will be more interesting and engaging for your readers.

From developing a character’s back story to exploring their motivations, these prompts should help you and your readers get to know your characters better and create characters that are more three-dimensional. By giving your characters prompts that help you understand them on a deeper level, you’ll be able to write them more authentically.

Plus, they can help you to break out of any writing ruts you may find yourself in and find inspiration. So if you’re ready to get started, here are some prompts to help you get inside your character’s heads. And if you are lucky, they might even surprise you!

What are writing prompts?

A writing prompt is a topic or question that is used to generate ideas for writing. As a writing exercise, character prompts specifically are used to generate ideas for writing about characters, and can be used for any type of writing, including fiction, non-fiction, and even poetry.

How do you use writing prompts?

There are many different ways to use character prompts. One way is to choose a prompt that focuses on a specific aspect of a character, such as their appearance, personality, or history. This can help to narrow down the ideas that are generated and can make the writing process easier.

Another way is to choose one that is open-ended and allows for a variety of ideas to be generated. This can be a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and can often lead to some very interesting and unique characters.

Whatever method you choose to use, they can be a great way to jump-start your writing and can help to create some truly fascinating and original characters.

Also, they may or may not lead to writing an actual scene that will be included in your story but will still give you more history of your character from which to draw.

Types of Character Writing Prompts

Things and objects.

When you are developing a character, you want to make sure that they are well-rounded and believable. One way to do this is to have them interact with their environment. What kind of things are in their environment? How do they react to them? Do they have any kind of connection to them? What does the object’s sentimental value say about the character who holds it dear? What kind of memories and associations does it bring up for them? All of these things can help to develop your character and make them more believable to your readers.

A character is cleaning out their attic and finds a dusty old box. Inside are things that belonged to a person they used to be close to, but haven’t thought about in years. What objects are in the box, and what do they mean to the character?
A character is going through a difficult time and finds solace in a particular object. What is the object, and why does it bring them comfort?
A character inherits a piece of jewelry from a relative they never knew. What does the jewelry look like, and what does it mean to the character?
A character finds a lost wallet on the street. What is the wallet’s owner like, based on the things inside it?
A character is going through a tough break-up and decides to get rid of all of the things that remind them of their ex. What are some of the things they get rid of (or keep!), and why?
A character is moving to a new city and has to downsize their belongings. What are some of the things they keep, and what do they mean to the character?
A character is going through a difficult time and starts collecting random things as a way to cope and regain a sense of control. What kinds of things do they collect, and why?
A character is going through their family’s things after a loved one dies and finds an old photograph. Who is in the photograph, and what does it mean to the character?
A character is cleaning out their closet and finds a box of things they used to love as a child. What are some of the things in the box, and what memories do they bring back for the character?
How does a character’s relationship to a thing or object change throughout the story? How does that reflect the character’s evolution and growth?

Personality

When developing a character, it can be helpful to explore their personality to get a better sense of who they are and how they might react in different situations. This can be done by considering their values, beliefs, and motivations, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Your character is faced with a difficult choice and the consequences of that choice. How do they address it, or not? What did they learn?
What’s your character’s biggest secret? What would happen if it was revealed?
Your character tries out a new hobby and discovers they have a hidden talent for it. What is it? How does the hobby or that knowledge impact them?
Your character encounters someone who challenges their beliefs or worldview. What is it, and does either character change?
Write a scene in which your character tries out a new personality trait and it backfires hilariously.
Write a scene in which your character’s personality is the perfect match for a situation, and they make the most of it.
Write a scene in which your character has to restrain their personality for the sake of a professional setting.
Write a scene in which your character’s personality gets them into trouble but they manage to talk their way out of it.
Write a scene where your character has to fake a personality different from their own.
Your character has a revelation about themselves that leads to a radical change in their personality.

Character Interactions

One way to develop a character in your writing is to explore interactions with other characters or creatures in the story. This can help you to understand how your character thinks and feels, and can also give your reader insight into how other characters may react to your character. Additionally, exploring interactions between characters can help to create conflict and tension in your story, which can make it more interesting to read.

Have your character find a lost pet. What does this reveal about your character’s compassion for creatures?
Have your character overhear a conversation between two other characters. What does this reveal about your character’s relationships with others?
Have your character wake up in a room full of people they don’t know. What does this reveal about your character’s social anxiety or lack thereof?
What does your character do when they first meet someone new? Are they outgoing or shy? Do they make a good first impression?
How does your character act when they’re around someone they’re attracted to? Do they get tongue-tied or do they flirt shamelessly?
In what ways does your character open up to others, and in what ways do they hold back? What do they reveal about themselves, and what do they keep hidden?
What would happen if the character had to spend an entire day with someone they absolutely despised?
Your character is at a party and gets into a heated argument with another person. What caused the argument, and how does your character react?
Your character is at a museum and strikes up a conversation with the person next to them. What do they talk about?
Your character is stuck in an elevator with someone they don’t know. How do they pass the time? What do they learn about the other person?

Places and Locations

Developing a character in your writing can be informed by exploring places and locations in the story in several ways. First, they can provide physical details about the character such as how they dress, and what kind of environment they are comfortable in. Second, they can also provide information about the character’s past, such as where they grew up or what kind of experiences they have had. Finally, places and locations can help develop the character’s goals and motivations, as well as create obstacles and challenges for them to overcome. By exploring all of these aspects of a character, you can create a well-rounded and believable character that will resonate with your readers.

Develop a character who has a deep love for a certain place, whether it be a city, nature, or even an imaginary world. What is it about this place that draws them in?
Your character is haunted by a specific location. This can be a place from their past that they can’t forget, or a place they’ve never been to but feel a deep connection to.
Your character discovers a hidden room in their home that they never knew existed. What’s inside?
Your character gets lost in a place they have never been before. How do they manage the situation and find their way back?
Your character has to move to a new location and doesn’t want to leave their old home. How do they adjust to the new place?
How did your character come to live where they do? Why do they stay?
Your character visits a place that was significant to them in their past. What memories did it bring up? How did they feel?
Your character stumbles upon a place that is the complete opposite of what they expected. What was it like? How did they react?
Your character realizes they are homesick. For where? What do they do?
What was the last place your character visited that left them feeling inspired? How long has that been?

Another way to develop a character is to explore their senses, or the senses of those around them to add another layer of depth to the story. For example, if a character is trying to figure out what another person is feeling, they might pay close attention to that person’s body language and facial expressions. Or, if a character is trying to remember a past event, they might focus on the smells and sounds associated with that event.

Write a scene where your character is trying a new food for the first time and describe their reaction using all five senses.
Describe the first time your character ever saw snow. How old were they? Was it in-person, in photos, or on TV?
Your character’s child is learning an instrument. What does it sound like, and how do they feel?
What is your character’s sense memory of a parent’s perfume or cologne? What feelings or memories does it trigger in them?
Your character wakes up to the sound of someone else in the room. What is their first reaction and what does this say about the character’s paranoia or trust issues?
The character bites their tongue and tastes blood in their mouth. Where in their past does this take them emotionally?
The character smells something burning. What is their response, and what does it trigger in them?
What does your character’s handwriting look like?
How does your character respond to hearing their voice?
Your character receives an electrical shock. What is the first word or sound they make?

I hope these help your characters take you somewhere unexpected, and you can learn about them along the way. What motivates them? What do they fear? What are their deepest desires? By exploring different aspects of your character’s personality, history and motivations, you can create well-rounded, believable, and compelling characters that your readers will love (or love to hate).

Still need even more inspiration? AI writing assistants have the ability to brainstorm with you, potentially providing endless prompts! Check out our Directory of AI Writing Tools and find one that fits your needs and budget… some even have free plans!

Contributing Writer

Molly Rittenhouse

Molly has a passion for writing and helping others improve their writing skills. She is a strong advocate for clear and concise writing, and she enjoys helping others find their voice and improve their writing. When she’s not busy writing, Molly enjoys spending time with her family and friends, exploring new places, and reading good books.

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Character Prompts for Your Next Story (by Genre and Role)

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on September 6, 2022

Categories Writing , Creativity , Inspiration , Storytelling

Do you ever get stuck when trying to develop a story idea? If so, character prompts may be just what you need! These creative writing prompts will help you come up with interesting characters and plotlines for your next story. Remember that these are just suggestions – feel free to mix and match them or create your prompts. Use these prompts to jumpstart your creativity and get the ideas flowing! This post starts with a series of general character prompts and then has a series of genre-specific character ideas – so if writing a particular genre, skip straight to the relevant section.

Starter Character Prompts

To kick off, here are some character prompts to inspire your character development. For fun, and originality, try mixing up some of these prompts so that your unique character profiles are a combination of two or more.

A skeptic is always the last to believe but the first to offer help.
A woman who can’t help but love bad boys, no matter how many times they break her heart.
A tax accountant who lives for April because it’s the only time of year when he feels truly alive.
A child prodigy who skipped several grades but has never been able to find true friends.
A dog walker knows all the neighborhood gossip because she spends her days eavesdropping on people’s conversations.
A stay-at-home dad is secretly relieved when his wife returns to work after her maternity leave is up.
A young woman who has to care for her ailing father and doesn’t know how much longer she can do it.
An artist who uses his art to deal with his depression.
A woman who was born into a wealthy family but has always felt like an outsider.
A man who is haunted by his time as a soldier in Vietnam.
A robot who becomes sentient and starts to question why humans are so cruel to each other.
A well-educated woman is forced to drop out of college to support her family.
A small-town boy who dreams of moving to the city.
A woman in her late twenties who is struggling to find herself.

Character Writing Prompts by Role and Archetype

Sometimes it helps to think about your characters in terms of their role, or archetype, as a way to narrow down your options. For example, if you need a love interest for your protagonist, you might want to consider an archetype such as the “bad boy” or the “damsel in distress.”

For example, the loner who’s never been good at socializing but suddenly finds himself being drawn to someone. Or the joker who everyone loves but is hiding a broken heart.

Here are some more examples to get you started:

Protagonist: A high school student who has just been diagnosed with cancer and is trying to come to terms with her prognosis.

Antagonist: A vampire who is struggling with his addiction to human blood.

Love Interest: A soldier who has returned home from war and is dealing with PTSD.

Best Friend: A woman trying to break into the competitive fashion modeling world.

Mentor: A middle-aged man facing retirement and unsure of what he will do with the rest of his life.

Sidekick : A teenage boy coping with his parent’s recent death in a car accident.

Rival: A chef who is trying to save her failing restaurant.

Rebel: A man struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality.

Outcast: A woman diagnosed with a terminal illness is trying to make the most of her remaining time.

Villain: An assassin who has been hired to kill the president of a small country.

Hero: A single mother fighting for custody of her daughter against her ex-husband.

Princess: A woman who has been forced into an arranged marriage by her father.

Witch: A woman trying to find a cure for the curse placed on her by an evil queen.

Orphan: A girl abandoned by her parents and raised by wolves in the forest outside of town.

Wizard: An old man trying to find a successor before he dies so that he can pass down his knowledge and powers.

Fantasy Character Prompts

A creature that has been imprisoned for centuries and is desperate to be free.
A woman whose tail has transformed into legs must now learn how to walk on land.
A man who a rival king has hired to steal a magic scepter from the royal palace.
A gentle giant is misunderstood by everyone in town and constantly ridiculed.
An elf has been sent on a quest by the king to find a magical flower that can cure any ailment.
A princess whose kingdom is under attack by an evil sorcerer.
A young girl dreams of becoming a dragon slayer like her hero, Sir Lancelot.
A wizard whose apprentice has run away, and he must now go on a journey to find him.
A warrior who is haunted by visions of their dead comrades during battle.
A skilled thief who only targets those who have stolen themselves.
A dragon who has taken on the form of a human and is pretending to be a king.
A young woman discovers she can control the elements.
An orphaned street urchin who must save the kingdom from an evil sorcerer.
A cursed prince who turns into a beast every full moon.
A skilled archer who is revealed to be a part elf.
A daring rebel leader fighting against an unjust monarchy.
A faithful knight is forced to choose between their duty and their heart.
An assassin whose next target is revealed to be their long-lost sibling..
A bard whose songs have the power to heal the wounded and sick.
A ranger tracking a group of bandits through dangerous territory.
A wizard studying at a prestigious academy.
A goblin trying to make it in the human world.
A paladin is sworn to protect a small village from monsters.
A halfling con artist making their way through the world.
A necromancer raising an army of undead to take over the kingdom.
A child taken captive by orcs and raised as one of their own.

Mystery Character Prompts

Write a character whose profession is a mystery to everyone, including themselves.
Write a character who is haunted by a mysterious past.
Write a character who always carries a memento from a loved one they’ve lost.
Write a character with an intense fear of the dark.
Write a character who is looking for their long-lost twin brother or sister.
Write a character who can’t remember anything before the age of 10.
Write a character whose parents disappeared when they were very young.
Write a character who was born on Friday the 13th.
Write a character who has never had (and doesn’t want) a best friend.
Write a character who refuses to speak and only communicates through written notes.
Write an amnesia character trying to piece together their previous life through dreams and visions.
Write a rogue CIA agent on the run from their former employers.
Write an international jewel thief trying to retire but getting pulled back for one last score.
Write an assassin who falls in love with one of their targets and can’t bring themself to kill them.
Write about someone with multiple personality disorder – each persona knowing nothing about the others.
Write about an individual suffering from prosopagnosia – facial blindness/inability to recall faces even of those known well.
The victim’s spouse seems genuinely distraught but may be hiding something.
The victim’s jealous business partner stands to inherit everything they built together.
The nosy neighbor who saw something suspicious the night of the murder won’t say what it is until they’re paid off.
The prison inmate with information about the murder that they will only share in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
The paranoid conspiracy theorist is convinced that the government was behind the murder.

Thriller Character Prompts

A power-hungry politician who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
An idealistic young woman who gets caught up in the politician’s web of lies and manipulation.
An investigative journalist who is determined to uncover the truth about the politician.
A former jewel thief who is being blackmailed into stealing one last diamond.
A professional assassin has been hired to kill the protagonist.
The daughter of a wealthy politician is being held hostage by the antagonist.
A street-wise teenager who is caught up in the world of gangs and drugs.
A retired police detective helps the protagonist solve the case.
A quirky neighbor who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A ruthless criminal mastermind who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
A ruthless killer who does the bidding of the villain.
A single mother who becomes caught up in the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist.
A hard-nosed police detective who is investigating a string of murders.
An ambitious reporter is trying to get the scoop on the story of a lifetime.
A deranged individual who kidnaps children for ransom.
A psychopathic killer who enjoys torturing and killing his victims.

Romance Character Prompts

A librarian who can’t seem to find love.
A pilot who’s afraid of flying.
A CEO who’s struggling to connect with people.
A baker who’s trying to forget her past.
A barista who’s secretly an undercover agent.
A nurse who is passionate about her job.
A teacher who is burnt out and doesn’t know what she wants anymore.
A stay-at-home mom who feels like she’s missing out on her life.
A woman who’s trying to move on from a bad breakup.
A woman who’s afraid of commitment.
A man who’s been hurt before and doesn’t believe in love anymore.
A man who’s afraid of intimacy.
A couple who are total opposites and can’t seem to make things work.
A couple who have been married for years are trying to spice things up.
Friends who realize they have feelings for each other.
Best friends who decide to start a relationship on a whim.
Two people meet online and fall in love without meeting in person.
Two people are set up on a blind date, and it’s love at first sight.
Two people who have been childhood friends suddenly realize they have feelings for each other.
Two co-workers who can’t stand each other but can’t deny the attraction they feel.
Strangers who meet on a plane end up sitting next to each other by the time they land.

Science Fiction Character Prompts

A woman who is chosen to be the first colonist on Mars.
A man who discovers he is an AI created by the government.
A woman who can travel through time but only forwards, never backward.
A man can turn invisible whenever he wants, but the downside is that he can’t turn it off again once he’s started.
A story about an alien who crashlands on Earth and has to find a way back home.
A story about two people who are the only survivors of a nuclear holocaust.
Someone who can read people’s thoughts but only when they’re thinking about him/her specifically.
Someone can choose when and how they die but not when they’re reborn into another life.
Aliens have invaded Earth, and the protagonist has to find a way to warn the other humans before it’s too late.
The protagonist discovers they are the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.
Someone develops the ability to fly, but every time they use their power, it takes them one day closer to death.
A girl with anti-gravity powers gets kidnapped by a group of people who want to use her for nefarious purposes.
An engineer is the only one who can save the day when a critical component on the space station fails.
A young woman is chosen to be the first human to make contact with an alien race.
An ex-military man is hired as a bodyguard for a wealthy businessman but discovers that his client is a criminal mastermind.
An alien race is invading the sheriff of a small town on a planet.
A pilot who crash-lands on a hostile planet must find a way back home.
A detective in a future city where crime is rampant and technology allows people to commit perfect murders.
A soldier is sent on a mission to a planet that enemy forces have taken over.
A bounty hunter is tracking a fugitive across the galaxy.
A doctor is trying to find a cure for a deadly disease sweeping through the population of a space colony.
A scientist who has developed a way to travel through time must prevent a disaster from occurring in the future.
A group of survivors is stranded on an uninhabited planet after their ship is damaged in an attack by pirates.
A group of people is trapped in a spaceship orbiting around a black hole and slowly being pulled in.
The captain of a ship that aliens attack must find a way to warn Earth before it’s too late.

25 Character Questions To Help You Develop Deeper Characters

There are a few simple questions you can ask yourself about your characters that will help you develop them more fully. Here are 25 questions to get you started.

What motivates your character?
What does your character want?
What does your character fear?
What is your character’s greatest strength?
What is your character’s greatest weakness? What is your character’s biggest flaw?
Does your character have any secrets? If so, what are they?
How does your character view the world?
How does your character view other people?
What are your character’s core beliefs?
How did your character develop those beliefs?
What events in your character’s life have shaped who they are today?
How does your character react under pressure?
What makes your character happy? Sad? Angry?
What are some of your character’s favorite things?
Does your character have skills or talents that set them apart from others?
How does your character dress? How do they carry themselves?
What kind of impression does your character make on others when they first meet them?
Do people tend to like or dislike your character upon first meeting them? Why do you think that is?
Does your character have any close friends or family members? Who are they, and what is their relationship to your character like?
Is there anyone in your character’s life with whom they don’t get along? Why is that the case?
What would people say about your character if asked to describe them to someone else?
How does your character treat strangers as opposed to friends and family?
When was the last time your character experienced a strong emotion?
What kind of failure has your character suffered in their life? How did they handle that failure?
What kind of person is your character at the end of the day?

How Do You Make a Fictional Character Not Flat?

Give your character a unique voice.

One of the quickest ways to spot a flat character is if they all sound the same. When different characters in your story have the same voice, it’s hard for readers to tell them apart. Especially in dialogue. To avoid this, ensure that each character has a distinct way of speaking. This could be something as simple as using different slang words or constructions or something more subtle, like varying sentence structure or word choice. Pay attention to how the people around you speak, and try to mimic that in your writing.

Make Them Relatable

No one wants to read about a perfect person. We all have our quirks and baggage, and your characters should be no different. By making your characters relatable, you make them more real and relatable for your readers. Relatable characters also make it easier for readers to understand their motivations and actions. To make your characters relatable, give them flaws and weaknesses that will make them sympathetic and believable to your reader. Sometimes, this can express through body language.

Give Them Depth

What makes a person interesting? Their hobbies? Their passions? Their secrets? All of the above? The same goes for your characters. You need to give them depth beyond their basic description to make them compelling. What do they like to do in their free time? What are their hopes and dreams? What are their fears? Build in character twists.

Write Them as People, Not as Plot Devices

One of the easiest ways to spot a flat character is if they only exist to further the plot without having any agency. For your characters to feel real, they need to be driving the plot forward, not just passively reacting to events as they unfold around them.

Character Archetypes Every Writer Needs to Know

The hero is the main character of the story. The hero often tries to save or make the world a better place. Examples of heroes include Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and Luke Skywalker.

The mentor is a wise and experienced figure who helps the hero on his or her journey. The mentor often provides guidance, wisdom, and support when the hero needs it most. Examples of mentors include Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings , Professor Dumbledore from Harry Potter , and Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars .

The Threshold Guardian

A figure who stands in the way of the hero and their goal. The threshold guardian can be either positive or negative; they may be trying to help the hero by testing them or trying to stop them outright. Threshold guardians include Hagrid from Harry Potter , Mufasa from The Lion King , and Darth Vader from Star Wars.

The dark side of the hero’s personality. The shadow is often repressed because it threatens the hero’s ego or is socially unacceptable. However, the shadow always comes out eventually. Examples of shadows include Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter , Gaston from Beauty and the Beast , and Kylo Ren from Star Wars .

The Trickster

A light-hearted character who uses their wit and cunning to help (or hinder) the hero on their journey. The trickster is often chaotic and unpredictable, keeping things interesting for the hero and the reader. Examples of tricksters include the Weasley twins from Harry Potter , Merry and Pippin from The Lord of the Rings , and Han Solo from Star Wars .

The Damsel in Distress

A woman who needs rescuing by the Hero. The damsel in distress often motivates the Hero to take action and pursue their goals. Examples of damsels in distress include Princess Leia from Star Wars , Belle from Beauty and the Beast , and Anna from Frozen .

The Love Interest

A character who develops romantic feelings for the Hero throughout the story. Love interests are often used to develop the Hero’s character arc further or provide motivation for them to pursue their goals. Examples of love interests include Hermione Granger from Harry Potter , Arwen from The Lord of the Rings , and Rey from Star Wars .

37 Questions to Ask Your Character

by Pamela Hodges | 114 comments

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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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BEST CHARACTER WRITING PROMPTS

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The great unknown, center your story around a character’s personal exploration, whether it's trying a new hobby, visiting an unfamiliar place, or learning something completely new., write about a character who treats everything like a game and struggles to be serious when they most need to, or vice versa., write a story about someone who takes a joke way too far., write about a character who suddenly cannot run anymore., write a story about someone who wishes they could turn back time..

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Write a story about a character participating in dry january., write a story about someone who has been tasked to keep a flame burning, surrounded by total darkness., write about someone trying something completely new., write about a character who has reinvented themselves, but realizes it's not always easy to outrun your past., subscribe to our prompts newsletter.

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The best character writing prompts

Characters are the heart and soul of every story, no matter how short. They're who your readers will fall in love with — and they're the ones who will move the plot of the book itself forward depending on their goals, desires, flaws, and fears.

When you’re struggling to find out the truth about one of your characters, try out some character writing prompts for size. These creative writing prompts focus on character writing — forcing you to think closely about your character in different situations that will hopefully help you with the character development for your novel. Whether you’re working on perfecting a character’s voice, backstory, or personality, these prompts will swoop in to save the day.

If you're looking to cut to the chase, here’s a list of top ten favorite character writing prompts:

In the form of diary/ journal entries, write a story that glimpses into a person's life at different ages.
Write a story about a character who always repeats themselves.
Write a story about a character who starts out as a pessimist and ends as an optimist. (Or vice versa.)
Write a story about someone who’s famous for something they never actually did.
Write a story about two friends who have a knack for understanding each other better than anyone else.
Write a story from the point of view of three different characters.
Write about a character doing something they’ve done hundreds of times — only this time, it’s taken on a new meaning.
Write about a character learning to trust their intuition.
Write about a character who goes by many different names throughout their life.
Write about a character with a ‘hot and cold’ personality — or is affected by someone like this.

If you'd like to learn more about how to improve your character development, check out our free resources on the topic:

Character Development 101 (blog post ) — Your characters are the emotional heartbeat of your story, especially if you're writing fiction. They'll make or break your success, which is why getting your character development right is important. Learn everything that you need to know about the process in this blog post, which will show you how to take your protagonist from zero to hero.
Character Profile Template (free resource ) — As an author, you are also the psychologist of your characters. This free character profile template will help you diagnose everything about your cast of characters, from their backstory to their motivations and the goals that drive them.

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Thespian Nation

99 Questions to Ask Your Character

WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES, it’s hard to resist the impulse to sit down and start pounding out your new play. Who wants to ignore that brilliant idea and think of questions to ask your character? Why fight your muse when you’re on to an idea that excites you so much you’ll set everything else aside to write it?

Well, there are good reasons to resist the temptation, energizing as it might be. One is to avoid pain on the back end when it comes time to revise your script. And if you are serious about writing plays that work, you will always have to revise. If you write purely from that spark of inspiration without any thought to your character’s history, their essential actions, the arc of their story, or even to your overarching theme — the reason you’re writing in the first place — then the revision will be painful. Invariably, such a process leads to a first draft that meanders from idea to idea and from scene to scene without a coherent structure or clear central action.

What are the most important questions to ask your character?

Over the years, I’ve figured out that writing an outline isn’t impossible. It’s just that, for me, it can’t be the very first step. Rather, I need to know a lot more about the characters who populate my story before I can think about the structure of the story. And if I’m willing to invest a little labor into getting to know those characters intimately, very often the story begins to present itself. Any good story, after all, will spring from the primary character’s most compelling need. So the more you know about your character and their struggles before you start to write your play, the easier it will be to work it out.

Here, then, is a tool I often use to dive into the hearts and minds of my characters. What follows is the first installment in a two-part exercise I’ve offered in a number of workshops. Ninety-Nine Questions to Ask Your Character is an improvisation on paper, aimed at helping you tap your subconscious knowledge about the character you’re creating. The key to the exercise is to answer the questions as if you are the character. Respond as quickly as you can, without agonizing over the answers. Your first impulse is the best impulse, so go with it. You can always make adjustments later. If you get stuck or you think something doesn’t apply, go on to the next question.

The loss of her child is a defining moment for Alice in Bright Star, performed by West Orange (Fla.) High School at the 2018 International Thespian Festival.

CHARACTER DEMOGRAPHICS AND FAMILY

1. What is your name? 2. How old are you? 3. Where were you born? 4. What did your father and mother do for a living? 5. Were you well off? Middle class? Impoverished? 6. Do you have siblings? If so, what are their names and ages? 7. Where do you fall in the birth order? The oldest, youngest? 8. Which one of you is your mother’s favorite? 9. Why? 10. How did you feel about that?

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION

11. When you were a child, what was one thing you could always be sure of? 12. What was something you were never sure of? 13. Where did you grow up? Is this a place you’d go back to now? Or avoid? 14. Do you still have friends there? Or family? 15. How did you do in school? 16. What was your favorite subject? 17. What was your greatest talent? 18. What did you do badly? 19. If you did not do well in school, why not? Were you not interested, or did something interfere with your ability to work hard? 20. How far did you advance in your education? 21. If you went to college, where did you go? If you didn’t go, what were you doing in those years? 22. If you went to college, what kind of school was it? 23. How did you pay for it? 24. What was your course of study? 25. Is that what you wanted to do, or did someone influence you to follow that course? 26. How do you feel about those years now? Do you look back with pride or regret?

Very different childhoods shape the young contestants of Denver School of the Arts' 2018 ITF performance of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

CURRENT HOUSEHOLD AND RELATIONSHIPS

27. What is your life like at the moment? 28. Are you married, single, or in a relationship? 29. What is that person’s name and occupation? 30. How are things going with him or her? 31. Where do you live now? 32. What are your physical surroundings like? Are they comfortable, safe, or dangerous? 33. How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place? 34. Who lives with you? 35. How do you get along with them? If you don’t get along, what is the source of conflict? 36. Do you have children? 37. If so, do you have a good relationship with them? 38. If not, what caused the rift? 39. How do they feel about you? 40. When is the last time you saw them? 41. What about the rest of your family? Are you close to them now or distant? 42. If you are distant, why? What has gotten in the way?

43. What do you do for a living? Are you self-employed, or do you work for someone else? 44. How long have you done this job? 45. Is this what you always planned to do, or did you fall into it? 46. How do you feel about it? 47. Would you rather be doing something else? If so, what would it be? 48. If you’d rather be doing something else, what stops you? Is it money? Is it pressure from your family? Is it your own lack of self-confidence? Or does some other thing prevent you from doing what you want to do? 49. What would you have to change in your life in order to do that thing you’d rather do? 50. Does this change depend on someone else, or does it depend on you?

Their pioneering contributions to early 1900s astronomy distinguish the women of Mt. Carmel Academy's 2018 ITF performance of Silent Sky.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

51. What is your religious belief currently? 52. Do you still practice the religion of your youth, or have you left it behind? 53. If you left it behind, what caused you to do so? 54. Do you think you have the answers, or are you still searching? 55. If you are searching, where or how are you looking?

OTHER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

56. How do you deal with stress? 57. If you use drugs or alcohol, how do you feel about it? Do you brag about it? Try to hide it? Try to give it up and fail? Have no problem with it? 58. What do you do to entertain yourself? 59. What is your idea of a really fun time? 60. What do you consider to be your most admirable personal quality? 61. What is your greatest personal failing, in your view? 62. Do you think others see it that way, or would they say something different about your strengths and weaknesses? 63. How do you handle conflict with someone else? Do you avoid fights, or are you aggressive? Or are you passive aggressive and only give the appearance of cooperation? 64. What are your politics? Are you conservative, liberal, or something else? Do you have no interest in politics?

65. What is your sexual orientation? Are you comfortable with it? 66. If you are not comfortable with it, why not? 67. What do you do about those negative feelings? 68. Do you have love in your life right now? 69. Is there someone you once loved but no longer do? 70. If so, what happened to make that love go away? 71. What kind of problems do you face because of it?

PARENTAL BONDS

72. Are your parents still living? 73. If so, where are they now? Nearby or far away? 74. How often do you see them? 75. Do you want to see more of them or less? 76. If you want to see more of them, or less, why don’t you? 77. If your parents are critical of you, what choices have you made that displeased them? Was it your job, education, marriage, life partner, or political views? 78. Did their displeasure influence your decision? Did you decide to go ahead in order to show them up? Or did you change your mind because they disliked your choice? 79. If you changed your mind in order to please your parents, how do you feel about that now? 80. How did they raise you as a child? Were they strict or lenient? Did they pay attention to you, or were they more interested in other things? 81. How did this affect your relationship with them then? 82. How does it affect your relationship now? 83. Does it affect your relationship with your own children? 84. If one or more of your parents are deceased, when did they die? 85. How did their death affect you? Did it change your life fortune? Were you forced to leave school? To give up a job? To abandon a plan? Or did you come into an inheritance?

FEARS, CHALLENGES, AND OBSTACLES

86. Where are you in your life right now? What are you most pleased with right now? 87. What keeps you awake at night? 88. What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment? 89. Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you? 90. Why don’t you have it? What is in the way? 91. What do you have to do in order to get the thing you need? 92. What is stopping you from taking this step? 93. Is there something else that must happen first in order for you to take this step? 94. Is there someone else who needs or wants the same thing? 95. Can they help you get it? 96. Are they one of the things in the way? 97. What happens if you don’t get it? What do you stand to lose? 98. How will your life change if you do get this thing or solve this problem? 99. Will someone else suffer if you succeed?

THE CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY

Having answered these questions, you can see that they are guiding you to a detailed character biography that you can use as a foundation for your play. You can work through this exercise for every character, or just for your main character and their chief adversary. It doesn’t matter if you’ve answered every question. As you continue to sketch the play, you can go back and answer questions that stumped you the first time.

What you should find is that you suddenly have a more vivid picture of your character’s world and their most driving need. With all this fresh in your mind, the next step is to find your character’s voice. That’s the subject of our next installment. ♦

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100 Character-Driven Writing Prompts

March 19, 2024 by Richard 1 Comment

100 Character-Driven Writing Prompts: Character-driven stories are the heart and soul of great literature, captivating readers by delving deep into the minds, emotions, and motivations of the protagonists. These stories focus on the inner lives of characters, exploring their struggles, growth, and relationships as they navigate the challenges and triumphs of their journeys. By placing characters at the forefront, writers can create narratives that resonate with readers on a profound level, fostering empathy, understanding, and self-reflection.

Crafting compelling character-driven stories requires a keen understanding of human nature and the ability to create multi-dimensional, relatable characters. Writing prompts that focus on character development can be invaluable tools for writers seeking to hone their skills and explore new creative avenues. These prompts encourage writers to delve into the psyches of their characters, unearthing their fears, desires, and secrets, and bringing them to life on the page.

The following list of 100 character-driven writing prompts is designed to inspire writers of all levels, from novice to experienced. These prompts span a wide range of genres, from science fiction and fantasy to contemporary fiction and mystery, ensuring that there is something to spark the imagination of every writer. Each prompt presents a unique scenario or character archetype, inviting writers to explore the depths of human experience and craft stories that will resonate with readers long after the final page is turned.

By embracing the power of character-driven storytelling, writers can create works that not only entertain but also enlighten, challenge, and transform readers. These 100 writing prompts serve as a springboard for creativity, encouraging writers to push the boundaries of their imagination and craft stories that celebrate the complexities and beauty of the human experience. So, whether you’re a seasoned author or a budding writer, dive into these prompts and let your characters guide you on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery and storytelling magic.

A retired spy is pulled back into the world of espionage for one last mission.
A time traveler falls in love with someone from the past.
A child discovers they have magical powers and must keep them hidden.
A therapist begins to suspect their patient is a dangerous criminal.
A robot learns to feel human emotions and questions its purpose.
A ghost watches over their living family members, unable to communicate with them.
A world-renowned surgeon loses the ability to operate and must find a new purpose.
A politician leads a double life as a vigilante by night.
A woman wakes up with no memory of her past and must piece together her identity.
A chef inherits a mysterious cookbook with recipes that have strange effects on people.
A homeless man discovers he has the ability to see the future.
A successful businesswoman is forced to confront her humble beginnings.
A soldier returns home from war and struggles to readjust to civilian life.
An alien disguised as a human falls in love with an earthling.
A parent’s worst fear comes true when their child goes missing.
A writer’s characters come to life and demand a different ending to their story.
A hitman falls in love with his target and must choose between love and duty.
A scientist accidentally clones themselves and must deal with the consequences.
A time traveler tries to change a historical event but makes things worse.
A doctor discovers a cure for a deadly disease but realizes it has terrible side effects.
A politician’s scandalous past catches up with them as they run for office.
A famous actor is haunted by a ghost who claims to be their biggest fan.
A detective falls in love with the main suspect in a murder investigation.
A therapist becomes too emotionally invested in a patient’s problems.
A con artist falls for their mark and must choose between love and money.
A journalist uncovers a government conspiracy and becomes a target.
A child befriends an AI and must keep it a secret from their parents.
A time traveler meets their future self and learns a shocking truth.
A spy falls in love with a fellow agent from a rival country.
A doctor discovers they have a terminal illness and must come to terms with their mortality.
A famous musician loses their hearing and must find a new way to create music.
A chef opens a restaurant that only serves food from their childhood.
A ghost helps a living person solve their own murder.
A therapist is stalked by a former patient seeking revenge.
A politician is blackmailed by a hacker who threatens to expose their secrets.
A scientist creates a device that allows them to communicate with animals.
A soldier is captured by the enemy and must rely on their training to survive.
An alien falls in love with a human and must choose between their home planet and Earth.
A parent’s child is switched at birth, and they must decide whether to keep the child they raised.
A writer’s fictional world becomes real, and they must navigate it to find their way back.
A hitman is hired to assassinate a public figure but begins to question the morality of their profession.
A detective is framed for a crime they didn’t commit and must clear their name.
A therapist is haunted by a patient who died by suicide.
A con artist falls for a mark who is also a con artist, and they must outsmart each other.
A journalist is embedded with a group of rebels fighting against a corrupt government.
A child discovers a portal to another world in their backyard.
A time traveler accidentally changes the course of history and must fix their mistake.
A spy is betrayed by their own agency and must go on the run to survive.
A doctor discovers a way to bring people back from the dead, but at a terrible cost.
A famous actor is forced to confront their own mortality when diagnosed with a terminal illness.
A musician’s songs start coming true, and they must find a way to stop it.
A chef is kidnapped and forced to cook for a dangerous criminal organization.
A ghost falls in love with a living person and must find a way to communicate with them.
A therapist discovers their patient is a serial killer and must decide whether to turn them in.
A politician is elected president and discovers a secret that could destroy the world.
A scientist creates a machine that can read people’s thoughts and struggles with the ethical implications.
A soldier is sent on a secret mission behind enemy lines and must rely on their wits to survive.
An alien comes to Earth to study humans and falls in love with one of their subjects.
A parent discovers their child has superpowers and must keep them safe from those who would exploit them.
A writer’s characters come to life and take over their life, forcing them to live out their own story.
A hitman is hired to kill a child and struggles with the moral implications of their job.
A detective investigating a murder begins to suspect that the victim is still alive.
A therapist becomes obsessed with a patient and begins to lose grip on reality.
A con artist is conned by their own mentor and must find a way to get revenge.
A journalist uncovers a secret society that controls the world from the shadows.
A child befriends a monster living in their closet and must keep it a secret from their family.
A time traveler falls in love with someone from the future and must choose between staying or going back.
A spy must go undercover as their own twin to infiltrate a criminal organization.
A doctor discovers a way to make people immortal but realizes the consequences too late.
A famous actor is stalked by an obsessive fan who will stop at nothing to get close to them.
A musician is cursed by a witch and must find a way to break the spell before it’s too late.
A chef opens a restaurant that serves magical dishes, but the magic comes with a price.
A ghost is tasked with helping a living person fulfill their destiny before they can move on to the afterlife.
A therapist begins to suspect that their patient is possessed by a demon.
A politician makes a deal with a powerful entity to win the election, but the entity has its own agenda.
A scientist accidentally creates a black hole and must find a way to stop it from destroying the world.
A soldier is sent to a war-torn country to rescue a group of civilians, but things don’t go as planned.
An alien crash-lands on Earth and must blend in with humans to survive.
A parent’s deepest fear comes true when their child is kidnapped by a supernatural entity.
A writer’s fictional world begins to bleed into reality, and they must find a way to stop it.
A hitman is hired to kill a wealthy businessman but discovers that the businessman is their long-lost father.
A detective is brought in to investigate a series of bizarre murders that seem to defy explanation.
A therapist’s patient claims to be from the future and warns of an impending apocalypse.
A con artist falls for their mark and must choose between their love and their freedom.
A journalist stumbles upon a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of the government.
A child discovers a magical amulet that grants wishes, but the wishes come with unintended consequences.
A time traveler is tasked with preventing a major historical event from happening.
A spy must go undercover as a member of the royal family to prevent an assassination attempt.
A doctor discovers a way to communicate with the dead, but the dead have their own agenda.
A famous actor is forced to confront their own ego when they are cast in a role that requires them to play a less attractive version of themselves.
A musician is given a powerful instrument that can control people’s emotions, but it comes with a terrible price.
A chef is tasked with creating a dish that can bring peace to warring nations, but the ingredients are nearly impossible to find.
A ghost is given a second chance at life but must live in someone else’s body.
A therapist begins to suspect that their patient is a werewolf and must find a way to help them control their transformations.
A politician discovers that they are the chosen one destined to save the world from a great evil.
A scientist creates a machine that can bring fictional characters to life, but the characters have minds of their own.
A soldier is sent on a mission to infiltrate a group of rebels, but begins to sympathize with their cause.
An alien falls in love with a human and must choose between their loyalty to their own species or their love for the human.
A parent discovers that their child has been replaced by a changeling and must find a way to get their real child back.
A writer is transported into the world of their own book and must find a way to change the ending to save the characters they love.

In conclusion, character-driven stories have the power to illuminate the human condition, fostering a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. By placing characters at the heart of the narrative, writers can create stories that resonate on a profound level, touching readers’ lives and leaving a lasting impact. These 100 writing prompts serve as a catalyst for creativity, encouraging writers to explore the limitless possibilities of character-driven storytelling.

Crafting compelling characters is both an art and a skill, requiring writers to delve into the complexities of human nature and bring their creations to life on the page. Through the use of vivid description, authentic dialogue, and psychological depth, writers can create characters that feel as real as the people we encounter in our daily lives. By investing time and effort into character development, writers can elevate their stories from mere entertainment to works of art that inspire, challenge, and transform.

As you embark on your writing journey, remember that character-driven stories have the power to bridge the gap between writer and reader, creating a shared experience that transcends the boundaries of the page. By crafting characters that readers can relate to, empathize with, and root for, you have the opportunity to create stories that will be cherished for generations to come.

So, whether you’re a seasoned author or a novice writer, embrace the power of character-driven storytelling and let these writing prompts be your guide. Dive deep into the hearts and minds of your characters, and let their stories unfold with authenticity, vulnerability, and truth. Through your words, you have the ability to shape the world, one character at a time.

In the end, remember that writing is a journey of self-discovery and growth. As you explore the depths of your characters, you may just find yourself reflected in their struggles, triumphs, and transformations. Embrace the power of character-driven storytelling, and let your creativity flow freely. The world is waiting for the stories only you can tell.

If you enjoyed these writing prompts, we have many more on our site .

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About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry. Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

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150+ Character Questions: The Ultimate Character Questionnaire

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

What is a Character Questionnaire?

Why use a character questionnaire?

How to use these character development questions?

How to Conduct a “Character Interview”

150+ Character Questions

Physical / Appearance

Personality

Friends and Family

Past and Future

Work, Education and Hobbies

Possessions

Spirituality

Miscellaneous

70+ Character Development Questions You Need the Answers To

“Vital Statistics”

Personality

Living Arrangements

Relationship With Self

Relationships With Others

Final Thoughts

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165 Must-Use Character Development Questions For Writers

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165 Character Development Questions

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17 Character Development Exercises for Writers

Table of contents

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Exercise #1 : Write a FULL Description

Exercise #2 : Play Dress Up

Exercise #3 : Write a Description Scene Through the Character’s Eyes

Exercise #4 : Practice Showing Emotion

Exercise #5 : Write a “Slice of Life” Episode

Exercise #6 : Write Other People Gossiping About Your Character

Exercise #7 : Write a Progression Short Story

Exercise #8 : Draw the Character

Exercise #9 : Create a Character Profile

Exercise #10 : Conduct a Character Interview

Exercise #11 : Play the “Why” Game

Exercise #12 : Create a Character Based on Someone You Know

Exercise #13 : Imagine What Happens Before and After the Novel

Exercise #14 : Put Them in Horrible Situations (Muahahahahah)

Exercise #15 : Create a Timeline

Exercise #16 : Do a Little Fan-fiction

Exercise #17 : Use Character Writing Prompts

Final Thoughts on Character Development Exercises

Jason Hamilton

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160+ Character Development Questions & Free Printable Worksheet

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

Here are The Character Development Questions You Should Be Asking

Section 1: The Basic Facts

Character Age/Birthday/Zodiac Sign:

Character’s Physical Traits:

Character’s Home:

Career/Job/Profession/Education:

Characters Family:

Character’s Friends:

Character’s Relationships:

Character’s Pets:

Even Fictional Characters Have to Eat:

TV, Movies, Music, & Books

Section 2: Character Personality & Behavioral Traits

Strengths & Weaknesses

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

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

What are the spiritual beliefs of your character?

What would your character most like to change about the world?

Memories From the Past

Values & Morals

Wants & Needs

Download Your Free Character Development Questions Printable Here

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