Character Interview Questions

Hi, EVA writers (and everyone else)!

Here are some questions I often ask about my characters before I begin my actual writing:


*What do you do for a living?  Why?
*What’s your family like and how does your upbringing affect you now?
*What is your worst fear?  (This one figures into the plot because I try to make sure their worst fears are realized.)
*What kind of clothing do you wear?  Why?
*What is your “foil”’s hair/eyes, etc. like?  (Here, I work up descriptions from the hero or heroine’s POV—How would the hero describe the heroine’s red hair, for instance?  What does this description say about him or his experiences?  Is the color somehow reflective of the heroine’s personality as he perceives it or is it reflective something the hero has experienced in his own life?)
*How would you describe your own appearance?  How do you feel about your body?
*What is your favorite saying/motto?  (This is usually the character in a nutshell. Maybe it’s a cliché, like “What comes around goes around.”  Or maybe it’s something different, like “Screw me once, yea for me.  Screw me over, you’re gonna pay.”)
*What kind of hobbies do you have?  (Anything quirky?  How do these round you out as a person?  Any evidence of them in your apartment or workplace?)
*What would people have written about you in your high school yearbook?  (What’s written beneath your picture?  Any awards or dreams that have since died?  How did other people view you?)
*What is your love history?
*What would you find in your purse or wallet?
*What tangible object would symbolize you? (This could tie in with the theme of the story.)
*What kind of education do you have?
*Where do you live?  Why?
For those who attended the workshop on Saturday the 5th, thank you!  I hope these questions help you.  I hope they help all you other writers out there, too.
Happy writing!