From The Reedsy Blog:
Author Elizabeth Bowen once said “characters are not created by writers. They pre-exist and have to be found”. That’s solid advice, but there’s one small catch — what do you do if you want to write, but a fully-formed character is yet to fall into your lap?
Don’t be disheartened: there are things you can do to speed up the process of finding them, and a character questionnaire is a great place to start!
A character questionnaire is one way for authors to get under the skin of their characters. By asking and answering a few probing questions, a writer gets to know their creations better, building a detailed picture of their personality and history which they can use to add depth to their stories.
Rather than focusing on external characteristics like physical appearance and education (as you might do when creating a character profile), a questionnaire gives you the opportunity to dig deeper, and explore what really makes your character tick.
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Test your character’s boundaries with these hypothetical scenarios.
- You’re at a bar when the one person you don’t want to see walks in. Who are they? How do you react?
- How would you react if you were catcalled?
- How would you react if you saw a friend who owes you money spending frivolously?
- Your friends are speaking unfairly about a mutual friend. Do you speak up?
- How would you react if you witnessed a victimless crime?
- What would you do if someone brought up your biggest insecurity in front of a crowd of strangers?
- How would you respond to an apology from somebody you still can’t forgive?
- How would you break up with someone?
Link to the rest at The Reedsy Blog