Below I have compiled a list of interview questions to ask your character. Enjoy!

The Basics

What is your name? 

Of all the questions to ask your character, their name is perhaps the most important. Characters I create often act very differently depending on the names I give them because of the preconceptions I often attach to those names as an author. As I often associate the name Cole with bad boys, if I were to give a character this name, it’s like they would follow the same pattern. On the other hand, if I named him Michael he may be a nice, understanding and sympathetic character because this is the kind of behaviour I have come to expect from most people with the name Michael. Of course, this becomes harder to predict with made up names.

What is your gender?

Many people wonder about the differences between writing a female character vs writing a male character. They often forget that both genders are just people at the end of the day. Don’t generalise all female characters as over emotional individuals who will fall over and cry at the first opportunity. Don’t generalise all male characters as strong, silent types who will rather endure pain in silence rather than admit a weakness. In order to choose an appropriate gender consider how your world’s society works. If you need a character who is going to be accepted as a warrior or adventurer then making them a female in a medieval patriarchal society probably isn’t the way to go unless you intend to make that character struggle for that acceptance.

How old are you?

There’s no arguing that a 15-year-old is going to act differently to a 50-year-old. Although age does not always equal maturity, the general rule would be that the 50-year-old character would behave in a more mature manner than the 15-year-old. This is of course a generalisation, and you have to take into consideration the character’s other characteristics. Another thing to consider is that the opportunities available to these different ages will be vastly different. If your novel is set against the backdrop of a war, set in the military, perhaps your 15-year-old has just been drafted, but your 50-year-old may even be a General already. The likelihood of a 15-year-old General is highly unlikely, if not impossible.