Character Questionnaire

 

Fill out these questionnaires about your characters. We have four different sets of them.

 

 

Section One:

Complete this section for all your characters!

 

1. Name:
2. Age:
3. Height:
4. Eye color:
5. Physical appearance:
6. Strange or unique physical attributes:
7. Favorite clothing style/outfit:
8. Where does he or she live? What is it like there?
9. Defining gestures/movements (i.e., curling his or her lip when he or she speaks, always keeping his or her eyes on the ground, etc.):

10. Things about his or her appearance he or she would most like to change:
11. Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone, etc.):
12. Pet peeves:
13. Fondest memory:
14. Hobbies/interests:
15. Special skills/abilities:
16. Insecurities:
17. Quirks/eccentricities:
18. Temperament (easygoing, easily angered, etc.):
19. Negative traits:
20. Things that upset him or her:
21. Things that embarrass him or her:
22. This character is highly opinionated about:
23. Any phobias?
24. Things that make him or her happy:
25. Family (describe):
26. Deepest, darkest secret:
27. Reason he or she kept this secret for so long:
28. Other people's opinions of this character (What do people like about this character? What do they dislike about this character?):
29. Favorite bands/songs/type of music:
30. Favorite movies:
31. Favorite TV shows:
32. Favorite books:
33. Favorite foods:
34. Favorite sports/sports teams:
35. Political views:
36. Religion/philosophy of life:
37. Physical health:
38. Dream vacation:
39. Description of his or her house:
40. Description of his or her bedroom:
41. Any pets?
42. Best thing that has ever happened to this character:
43. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character:
44. Superstitions:
45. Three words to describe this character:
46. If a song played every time this character walked into the room, what song would it be?

 

 

Section Two:

Supporting Character Questions

 

1. Relationship to the protagonist:
2. Favorite thing about the protagonist:
3. Similarities to protagonist:
4. Differences from protagonist:

 

 

Section Three:

Physical Antagonist Questions

 

1. Why is he or she facing off against the protagonist?
2. Any likeable traits?
3. Weaknesses:

 

Section Four:

Abstract Antagonist Questions

 

1. What is your abstract antagonist? Is it a disease like cancer, a social ill like poverty, or something larger than life, like grief?
2. How is this antagonist affecting the protagonist?
3. Do other characters notice? How does this antagonist affect the other people in your novel?

 

Take out and review your character questionnaires, then fill in the blanks below.

 

Your Protagonist

  1. More than anything in the world, my protagonist wants: _______________________________.

  2. But he/she is afraid of: ____________________________________.

  3. And his/her greatest weakness is (is it something like "falling in love too easily" or "shopping"?): _____________________________.

 

Physical Antagonist

Complete this section if you have a physical antagonist.

 

  1. More than anything in the world, my antagonist wants (this can be as simple as humiliating

the protagonist or something a little more ambitious like world domination): _______________________.

  2. My antagonist’s “beef” with the protagonist is: ___________________.

  3. My antagonist is afraid of (long-haired bunnies?): _______________________.

  4. His/her greatest weakness is: __________________________.

 

Abstract Antagonist

Complete this section if you have an abstract antagonist.

 

  1. The antagonist in my novel is not a living, breathing being. It is __________________________.

  2. If my protagonist does not battle against this antagonist, it will eventually (ruin his or her life or cause death?) _________________.

  3. My protagonist is battling against this antagonist by: __________________.