Character Development Tools: Questionnaire and Biography

Links to 20+ online resources to help you delve into any character’s personal history and personality.

Scott Myers

16 Oct 2021 • 3 min read

Links to 20+ online resources to help you delve into any character’s personal history and personality.

When I work with my university students or writer clients, we always begin with the story’s characters. After all, it’s their story. They know it better than anyone else. It just makes sense to immerse oneself in their lives because key plot elements organically emerge from that process.

The fundamental key to character development: Curiosity. Ask questions about each character and to each character. The latter is what I call Direct Engagement Exercises, whereby the writer interacts with a character one-on-one in an I-You relationship. The former is what I call Indirect Engagement Exercises in which the writer approaches the character from a distance, reflecting about them from an I-Them perspective.

There are two effective forms of Indirect Engagement Exercises: Questionnaire and Biography.

Here is an example of a questionnaire:

What is their name?
How old are they?
Describe their physical appearance.
How do they feel about the way they look?

Who are their parents?
Describe their relationship with their mother.
Describe their relationship with their father.

Who is the most important person in their life? Why?
Are they in love?
If so, describe their lover and their relationship with them.
If not, why not?
Describe what their soul-mate would be like?

Do they believe in God?
If so, describe their relationship with God.
If not, why not?
When did they stop believing in God?

Do they consider themselves to be an optimist or a pessimist? Why?

What do they do for a living?
If they like your job, explain why.
If not, explain why not.

In ten years, where will they be and what will they be doing?

Their biggest strengths are…
Their biggest weaknesses are…
They are most proud of…
They are most ashamed of…
They are most angry about…
They are most afraid of…
What?

Here are some subject areas to use when working on a biography:

Character Name / Nicknames / Aliases:
Birth Date:
Place of Birth:
Residence:
Height:
Weight:
Measurements:
Clothing Sizes / Styles:
Hair Color:
Hair Length:
Eye Color:
Handedness :
Jewelry:
Tattoos:
General Appearance:
Relationship with Friends:
Key Friends:
Key Enemies:
Educational History:
Work History:
Skills:
Phobias / Fears:
Bad Habits / Vices:
Quirks:
Best Qualities:
Worst Qualities:
Key Childhood Experiences:
Key Teenage Experiences:
Key Adult Experiences:
Sexual Background:
Favorites (food, clothing, art, music, TV show, movie, book, etc.)
Personal Goals:
Professional Goals:
Morality / Ethics:
Style of Speech:
Commonly Used Words / Slang / Jargon:
Lies / Misinformation:
Other Important Details:

Here’s one I came up with:

· Who are they? Origins, ancestry, life goals.

· Why are they? Upbringing, education, seminal moments.

· Where are they? Neighborhood, travel, subcultural influences.

· How are they? Temperament, personality, character flaws.

You can use these prompts to get curious about a character, each question or subject a tool to dig into an individual’s psyche and backstory.

Let me make this point again with a writing mantra I coined some years ago:
Begin with character. End with character. Find the story in between.

Character drives plot. Character drives story. Character drives everything.

Immerse yourself in the lives of your characters. Your stories and writing will be the better for it.

Here are links to other character questionnaires and biography exercises:

If you have links to others, please post in a response.

Find out more about character-driven screenwriting and storytelling in my upcoming book: The Protagonist’s Journey. You may pre-order it now.

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