Have You Completed A Character Questionnaire?
by:
Nick Vernon
Creative Writing Tips –
Complete a character form
for each of your main characters or even as secondary characters that play a vital role in your story. This way you wish cognize your character(s) well before you start writing just about them.
Fill in as more information just about them as possible. Don’t only answer what you wish need in your story. The objective here is to get to cognize your character till he becomes a ‘live’ person in your mind.
So let’s begin…
In a few sentences write down a summary of the plot
Character’s personal details
1st name
Cognomen Age
In a few sentences write down the character’s back story (a bit just about his background)
The role of the character in your story
What are character’s goals?
What are character’s motivations?
What is the character’s conflict?
How wish the conflict finish the character from reaching his goal?
What is he going to do to overcome the conflict?
What problems wish crop up during the story?
How wish those problems get worse?
What wish the character do to overcome those problems?
How wish he resolve the conflict?
How wish your character’s background influence how he behaves in your story?
What is the relationship with different characters, if any, in your story?
Physical Descriptions
Height
Eye colour
Hair colour
Hairstyle
Hair length
Complexion
Shape of face
Body type
Weight
How makes his expression change when…
He’s with a adored one
He’s with being he dislikes
He’s with his boss
He’s with a colleague
Personality
Type? (shy, outgoing, insecure, dominant etc)
Distinguishable traits?
Mental scars? (Complexes etc)
Ambitions?
Sense of humour?
Fears?
Anxieties?
Phobias?
Overall personality?
How makes his personality change once
he’s experiencing some emotions?
How makes he act once
he feels confident?
How makes he act once
he feels inadequate?
What gestures makes he use once
he talks and thinks?
How makes he walk? With confidence? Makes he slouch or stride?
What mannerisms makes he have? (Does he fold his arms? Makes he flick his hair?)
How makes he speak? (Clearly, mumble, confidently, drawl etc.)
His voice? (Rich, loud, soft, etc)
His vocabulary? (Casual, formal, illiterate etc)
What makes he think once
he’s alone?
Makes he have any private secrets he hasn’t disclosed to anyone?
His prejudices?
Dominant motives?
Values most?
Desires most?
How makes he treat those about him? (children, superiors, etc)
Any vices or virtues?
Likes and dislikes
Favourite colour, food, etc
Favourite music?
Taste in clothing?
Makes character like thing
in particular?
Makes character dislike thing
in particular?
Lifestyle
Wherever
makes the character live (country, city)?
Makes character live in a house, housing etc
Makes character like wherever
he lives?
Makes wherever
he lives reflect what kind of person he is?
Makes he have a favourite room? (Or a piece of article of furniture or different object etc)
Makes he have a car? What type? Makes the car reflect the person he is?
Any hobbies? Personal habits (neat, sloppy etc)
Background
Parents names
Parents occupations
Describe relationship with parents
Any siblings?
Describe relationship with siblings
What kind of childhood did the character have?
What kind of adolescence did the character have?
What kind of schooling did character undergo? (Private or public? Has this shaped who he is?)
What was the highest-level achieved in school?
Citizenship/Ethnic Origin?
In which country makes he presently
live?
If the country he lives in is not wherever
he was born, why makes he live there?
Character’s current position
Any friends?
Any enemies?
Acquaintances?
Has character been wedded before?
Has the character been engaged before?
Any children?
Most meaning experience?
Any disappointments?
What is the character’s goal in life?
Attitude towards the opposite sex?
Attitude towards life?
Employment
What kind of job makes character presently
have?
What kind of jobs has the character had previously?
Is character content in current employment?
If not, what would-be be their dream job?
What do you feel for this character?
Admire
Love
Hate
Dislike
Like
Pity
Envy
Whatever you feel for this character, your emotions must be strong. If they are not, either build on this further or begin building another character altogether.
About The Author
Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site wherever
you wish find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
This article was denote
on August 24, 2004