9 Essential Character Questionnaires Every Writer Needs

These 9 Essential Character Questionnaires will help writers create memorable characters, develop backstory, track relationships, and avoid plot holes.

Writers want to create characters readers will remember. We want our readers to empathise with them and think of them as real people — even if the story is set in another dimension.

A good character questionnaire helps us get to know our characters. It means we don’t have to search through 200 pages because we can’t remember the colour of our love interest’s eyes. It also helps us keep track of relationships, remember important details, and avoid plot holes.

Best of all, questionnaires can give us story ideas. As we build our characters’ backstory, we discover things we never expected. If we get stuck in the middle of a novel, this information can help us flesh out a scene, deepen a character, or move the plot forward.

One of the best ways to make sure we know who we’re writing about is to complete a character questionnaire for our main characters. We’ve shared several ways to create character biographies over the years, so we’ve gathered them together in one place.

9 Essential Character Questionnaires Every Writer Needs

If you are looking for in-depth character questionnaires, please have a look at these:

1. The Only Character Questionnaire You Need to Complete
2. 127 Prompts To Finish Before You Write About Yourself (Or Any Character)
3. Character Questionnaire – How Well Do You Know Your Hero?

If you’re looking for questionnaires with a twist, use these:

1. 15 Questions Authors Should Ask Characters
2. 7 Useful Lists To Help You Create A Character
3. Proust’s Questionnaire – 35 Questions Every Character Should Answer
4. 5 Truly Unusual Ways To Round Out Your Characters

If you’re looking for basic questionnaires, try these:

1. Character Interview – A Worksheet For Beginners
2. Character Development Checklist – 13 Points To Consider

The Last Word

Great characters do not appear by accident. By using character questionnaires, you can uncover your characters’ motivations, histories, fears, and desires, creating people your readers will remember. They help you track important details, relationships, and backstory while avoiding plot holes. Use these questionnaires to get to know your characters and find new ideas for your story.

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

1. 7 Reasons Why Introverts Make Good Writers
2. How To Use Trigger Words When You Write
3. The Relationship Between Writers & Their Cats

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