Interview your character

A fiction writer has to understand what goes on in each character’s mind and one of the ways to do that is to interview your characters.

What types of questions would help you to understand your creations?

You would want to know about the character’s childhood:
What was your relationship with your parents?
Did you have siblings? Did you get along?
Tell me about your best childhood friend.
What was your favorite subject in school?
Did you have any pets?
What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you as a child?

Ask about his pre-teen and teen years:
Who was your first kiss? Who caused your first broken heart?
Did you like yourself? Did you have a lot of friends?
What were your future dreams?
Did you play any sports? How did you do?
Did you get along with your parents as a teenager?
Who was your go-to confidant as a teen?

Go ahead to her young adult years:
Did you attend college? Why or why not? What did you study?
Describe the first place you lived on your own.
What was your first “adult” job? Did it pay enough to support yourself?
Tell me about how and when you lost your virginity.
Did you fall in love? What happened to that love?

Finally be sure to ask your character to tell you about her present self:
How old are you? How is your health?
Are you married or in a committed relationship? Have you ever cheated or been cheated on?
What is your relationship with your spouse/partner, children, and family?
What is your profession? Is that what you wanted to be?
What is your favorite childhood memory? …favorite relative?
If you could write a letter to your younger self, what advice would you give?

*these questions are suggestions, vary them as necessary based on the character’s age and role in your story.

Writing Exercise: Interview yourself. The first time ask questions about your whole life. The second time ask questions pertinent only to your life as a writer. Your answers to BOTH sets of questions, write a brief bio (paragraph form) that your readers would want to know about you.

Writing Prompt: Make a list of the people, events, and books that influenced your decision to become a writer. Put one or two words after each name/event/book describing WHAT the influence was.

Challenge Assignment: Interview yourself as a character in your story. Describe the role YOU would play in the story. Rewrite one scene from your current WIP with you in the story.