NaNoWriMo's YWP Character Questionnaires

It’s a great idea for you, the author, to try and get to know your characters before you begin writing, and the easiest way to do that is to fill out a Character Questionnaire for all your characters. (It’s traditional to start with your protagonist, but you don’t have to start there.)

Consistency is a sign of a thoroughly thought-out character, and Character Questionnaires help you stay consistent! For example, if you announce in Chapter 1 that a character hates the color blue and later on in Chapter 10 she exclaims that her favorite thing is her blue wedding dress, you’ll need to either fix the inconsistency or explain it.

Whoever this character is, there are lots of things your readers are going to want to know about them. Such as their name, age, physical appearance (height, skin tone, eye color, hair color, hair length and style, nose size, scars, body shape, species), what their voice sounds likes, clothing style, where they live (a house or a cave, a city or a town or spaceship, Earth or Mars, etc.), hobbies, interests, special spills, quirks, eccentricities, temperament (easygoing, intense, easily agitated, etc.), deepest darkest secret, phobias, pleasures, family, friends, enemies, etc. Character Questionnaires help you bring your characters to life by adding details that add depth.

Below are several versions of the Character Questionnaire found in the National Novel Writing Month’s Young Novelists Workbooks:

  • PDF — this is in a nearly universal format, but it lacks finesse.
  • Microsoft Word form — this is my favorite version, but it’s in a proprietary format, which means it requires you that you own Microsoft Word.
  • Microsoft Word doc — the doc version is not as cool as the form version, but it’s for those of you who own Microsoft Word and want to customize the Questionnaire.
  • Pages — also not as cool as the Microsoft Word form but for those of you who own Pages.
  • Google Docs — note that this is a "View Only" document. To use it, click on the "File" in the Google Docs menu bar and then choose "Make a copy...".
  • Text — also down below for a quick copy-and-paste. For those of you that prefer a stripped-down version or want to use it to create your own form.

If you want to dig deeper into your character than NaNoWriMo’s 46 questions allow, there are other more detailed Character Questionnaires available:

There are also shorter Questionnaires that try to focus on what matters most:

And, of course, you can always develop your own unique list that fits your needs best.

CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

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 this character live (for example, New York City, Antarctica, International Space Station)? What is it like there?

9. Defining gestures/movements (for example, curling lip when speaking, always keeping eyes on the ground, etc.):

10. Things about this character appearance that this character would most like to change:

11. Speaking style (for example, fast, talkative, monotone, etc.):

12. Pet peeves:

13. Fondest memory:

14. Hobbies/interests:

15. Special skills/abilities:

16. Insecurities:

17. Quirks/eccentricities:

18. Temperament (for example, easygoing, easily angered, etc.):

19. Negative traits:

20. Things that upset this character:

21. Things that embarrass this character:

22. This character is highly opinionated about:

23. Any phobias?

24. Things that make this character happy:

25. Family (describe):

26. Deepest, darkest secret:

27. Reason this character has 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 this character's house:

40. Description of this character's 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/MINION QUESTIONS

1. Relationship to the protagonist/antagonist:

2. Favorite thing about the protagonist/antagonist:

3. Similarities to protagonist/antagonist:

4. Differences from protagonist/antagonist:

SECTION THREE: ANTAGONIST QUESTIONS

1. Why is this character facing off against the protagonist?

2. Any likeable traits?

3. Weaknesses:

SECTION FOUR: ABSTRACT ANTAGONIST

1. What is your abstract antagonist? (for example, a disease like cancer, a social ill like poverty, an overwhelming emotion like grief, an oppressive system of autocratic rule)

2. How is this antagonist affecting the protagonist?

3. Do other characters notice? How does this antagonist affect the other people in your novel?

SECTION FIVE: BIO

1. Write a short "bio" for your character using the information above: