A character has popped into your head, and now you want to write them! How do you develop this character to feel realistic and make readers care about them? Imagine yourself sitting down in a tavern to get to know your character. What kind of questions would you ask them?
To help you get started, I’ve listed beginner questions that go over the basics like appearance, skills, and backstory. Then, some intermediate questions that further examine who your character is and why they behave as they do. Finally, if you’ve been writing for a long time, feel stuck, or are looking for some questions you might not find on other character development sheets, we have some advanced questions that dig further into the psychology of your character.
Use this as a brainstorming resource, but don’t force yourself to answer everything! I encourage you to write down your answers as mini scenes – just listing traits gets boring pretty fast. You can download an editable Word document with all the questions here. Or I like to start a Pinterest/mood board to “collect” my character’s outfits, weapons, and castles! The first rule is have fun!
- Stage 1 – Beginner character development questions
- Stage 2 – Intermediate character development questions
- Stage 3 – Advanced character development questions
Stage 1 – Beginner Character Development Questions
These are the bare bones that you need to know as a writer in order to craft a compelling story.
Defining Features
What is their name and what does it mean? (Are their parents actually the type of people who’d give them a profound/unique name?) How do they feel about their name?
What are their physical features? What do they like and dislike about their own body?
How do they dress and groom (makeup, tattoos) and is this important to them?
What are some of your character’s favorite things (foods, clothes, activities, romantic types)?
What are some of their dislikes (phobias, allergies, irritating childhood acquaintances, pet peeves)? What are their dealbreakers?
Status Quo
What does their everyday life look like (job, school, social life)?
What is their socioeconomic status and how does this affect them? How large of a role does money play in their mindset?
What do they like about their current life?
What do they wish they could change?
“Stats”
What’s something your character is good at? Do they like this about themself?
What’s something they’re bad at? Do they dislike this about themself?
What’s their highest level of education or training (in a skill or craft)? How quickly do they learn new things?
Social Circle
Who are their closest friends and family and how healthy are these relationships?
Who are your character’s enemies (or rivals, or people they dislike)? Why?
What are some defining features (traditions, mannerisms, habits) of their culture of origin?
Do they like or dislike their culture (hate big family gatherings, like greeting people with a kiss, chafe under strict hierarchies etc.)?
How do other characters perceive your mc on average (e.x. the town clown, the teacher’s pet, the eccentric recluse)?
Inner Life
What is your character’s driving goal, desire, or need?
What makes your character laugh?
What makes them cry?
What makes them angry?
How do they demonstrate intense emotions (lash out, suppress it, talk it out)?
Stage 2 – Intermediate Character Development Questions
Here, we start to get into greater detail, fleshing out what you already know. The reader doesn’t need to know all of these facts, but they will affect how you write the character. In fact, many of these details will enhance a story most if they are not explicitly stated, but shown over time as a pattern of behavior. Don’t tell the reader your mc will start a fight with someone who makes them feel stupid, but remains calm when hangry – show us and let us draw our own conclusions.
Environment
What is their dwelling place like and what makes them feel most at home (luxurious, homey, full of people, quiet, near nature, etc.)?
How important are possessions and ownership to them (are material items important, do they keep heirlooms and collections, are they a minimalist)?
How in tune are they with their surroundings? Do they notice shifting details?
Personality (Behavioral Patterns)
What is their personality type (use any common personality test or get started with the questions below)?
How comfortable are they around strangers and do social interactions drain or enliven them?
Do they make decisions based primarily on emotion or logical reasoning?
Are they rule abiding or free spirits?
Do they perform better in structured settings or with flexibility?
Are they better at street smarts or book smarts?
Are they a motivated worker and curious learner?
^TIP: Be aware of how your own personality affects how you write characters. I’ve read characters who were supposed to be outgoing, but spent most of their time (even in group situations) internally thinking about what was going on around them – that’s an introverted behavior which the author likely defaulted to out of familiarity.
What’s your character’s love language?
How do they behave when pushed to the brink (exhausted, grieving, in pain, hungry, trapped)? Do they have differing responses to varying threats?
– E.x. some people respond well to an intellectual challenge, but cave under physical pressure, and vice versa.
Relationships
How do they form relationships with others?
– Do they have a lot of friends, or a few deep ones?
– Do they take a while to open up to people, or strike up a conversation with everyone they meet?
What are the requirements for joining their inner circle?
How much weight do they put on how other people view them? How much are they motivated by external social pressure?
Are they aware of their reputation? Is their self-image in line with their external one?
Past
What’s a part of their upbringing that they have rejected?
What’s something your character is truly proud of?
What’s something your character deeply regrets?
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to them?
What’s something/someone they miss?
Quirks
What’s a unique physical quirk of theirs (birthmark, can or cannot roll their tongue, weirdly flexible in a certain part of their body, fingernails grow super fast)?
What are their physical advantages (5 senses, looks, stamina, great at power-naps)?
What are their physical disadvantages (weak knees, prone to headaches, jittery, natural sprinters – just terrible at long-distance running)?
What are their mental advantages and disadvantages (mental health disorders, intelligence, memory, focus, creativity, problem-solving capacity, executive function ability)?
Habits
Night owl or early bird?
Heavy or light eater?
Do they partake in intoxicating substances? What kind of a drunk are they (flirty, weepy, loud)?
What are their opinions and preferences about sex?
What’s a habit or mistake your character just can’t seem to shake (being late, forgetting things, picking toxic partners)?
Beliefs
What are their deepest beliefs and convictions?
– This could refer to religion, ideology, and political alignment, but also to internal codes like “family first,” or “no good deed goes unpunished,” or “every man paves their own way.”
What is their mindset toward death? How was this shaped (personal experience, upbringing)?
What’s something they could not live without? Do they know this about themself?
– Many people think they can’t live without their career or a certain part of their identity, only to discover what “truly matters” the hard way.
Has your character ever committed a crime? What is their attitude toward the law?
Stage 3 – Advanced Character Development Questions
Many stories do not take their characters further than stage two. People are more than a list of personality traits, features, and needs, and are certainly more than what we can see in a plot. We learn, but then regress, change, and then change again. People are complex and demonstrate inconsistencies in both thought and behavior. This round of questions seeks to go past “what” and “who” your character is and ask “why?” Digging deeper into your character’s psyche can push your story to become more meaningful, enhancing themes and character arcs.
But sometimes a story is richer for the things the author knows, which take place off the page, but which aren’t necessarily resolved in the book. These are the type of things you might wish to keep as secrets from your readers. Or never fully show – there’s nothing quite so tantalizing as a half-revealed backstory. A great story will spark additional levels of imagination in your readers, because they can sense that your imagination went to greater depths. They’ll chase after you if you give them the seeds for thought.
What is the nature of their character (ethos), and more importantly why?
– In the past, people might have asked if a man or woman was of “good character,” referring to the level of integrity, honor, or virtue a person displayed. Today, we might instead ask after a person’s “true colors,” in an attempt to see if someone acts morally or immorally.
– Is your character honest or do they lie easily? Do they keep their word or are they flaky? Do they treat others respectfully or degradingly? Do they have a strong work ethic or are they lazy? Are they magnanimous or self-centered? Are they fair and consistent in their dealings with others?
What are some internal inconsistencies in your character’s behaviors, thought-processes, or belief systems?
What does your character get wrong about themself?
– People think they understand themselves, and often they don’t. Some people will switch jobs, partners, or homes, only to realize they preferred their old one, but didn’t understand why.
Is your character deliberate about their relational boundaries? How did they learn them? If they have not, are they a pushover, emotionally codependent, callously indifferent to others?
Do your character’s hobbies actually affect how they think and interact with the world on a daily basis?
– For instance, if your character is a musician, they’ll likely hum a lot, notice sounds and voices more than others, and make metaphors based around music. An artist will see color and shape in unique ways and go out of their way to see pretty things. An engineer or handyman might collect odds and ends and tinker with things as they sit and talk with friends. It’s not enough to state that your character likes something – it has to actually visibly impact their life and behavior.
How in tune is your character with other peoples’ inner lives?
– Are they a good judge of character, sensitive to emotions, and know the right thing to say at the right time, or do they miss the mark, guess at peoples’ motivations, or act on instinct rather than insight?
How well does your character understand themself?
– Are they aware of their own capacity for self-insight, or deluded by their vision of themself?
– Do they want to understand themself better and actively reflect upon themself?
How do they reconcile with others?
– For instance, do they need time to cool off after an argument, or do they want to clear the air right away? Do they want a detailed breakdown showing the other person understood why they were angry, or do they want the other person to make a gesture to make up for it?
– How do they make amends when they were in the wrong?
What’s their style of conversation?
– Authors can fall into the trap of making all their characters converse in a similar style (to them). But different people converse in a variety of ways. Do they love or hate small talk? Love deep discussions or not want to touch anything personal with a 10 foot pole. People have conversational quirks like: telling the same story over and over again even though people are sick of hearing it, info dumping a lot at once about a topic they find interesting, saying very little for a while and then stunning everyone with something powerful and profound, asking a lot of questions in response to what others say, asking no questions about others but instead replying with a similar anecdote of something that happened to them.
– Some people are good listeners, while others won’t shut up about themselves. Some people pause a lot between words, while others talk a mile a minute. Lean into these unique idiosyncrasies! The way people talk (or don’t) to each other can be a huge barrier in relationships and an interesting point of conflict in a story.
How do their unique traits bring out different qualities in their companions?
– People respond to others in different ways. Not everyone will love, hate, or laugh around your character. Sometimes a main character comes across as boring not (just) because they’re a reader insert, but because everyone in the story responds to them in the exact same way. In a single group, your main character might bring out courage in one individual, belligerence in another, and attraction in a third.
– The best stories are ones that don’t have only strongly developed characters, but also strongly developed character dynamics. Do these individuals bring out the best or worst in each other? Stories are formed when people clash and bond in unique ways that evolve over time.
Download the Word Doc to Start Writing!
Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!
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