Why hello, lovely creatures!
It’s good to see you again! … Today, I want to ramble about character development! Specifically, a process which I’ve found useful when building characters.
What exactly is Character Development?
There are so many aspects of storytelling which are important. Yet, if you watch a lot of movies, TV shows, read a lot of books,… you notice a theme. Most stories are “character-driven”, which is, driven by the acts, emotions, reactions, and plot arch that the character engages in directly, given a setting and a conflict in that setting.
And why not? We’re all characters in a story. You are a character. I’m a character.
The big question is; what makes a characters story worth reading? Why should the reader or the audience care about this character?
One answer to this is, as characters, we are naturally inclined to empathize with other characters, specifically the ones we read about or watch. They are our portals into the world and the plot. They are our eyes and ears. Sometimes even our thoughts.
Those characters must have something about them that interests us. Something about their personality, their background, how they handle themselves in a situation, what inspires them, what haunts them, what drives them…
In many ways, those elements reflect upon what we know, think, or see in people we are familiar with. In others, we’re getting a unique view into something we haven’t had the chance to witness ourselves. We can immerse ourselves into that characters experience, ss long as how the character acts is believable, and as long as something about the character is at stake in the story!
So, as a writer or story builder, having a solid grounding for those characters, who they are, what their background is, how they think is an extremely important part of telling a story
(specifically… their story).
Conducting the "Interview"
If you’re trying to develop a character for a screenplay, novel, story work, roleplaying game, or otherwise, I’d recommend having your character go through an interview of sorts.
Imagine that another individual calls them into a room and begins asking them questions. A job interview. A personality interview. A psychological evaluation. A case study. An interrogation. Perhaps a date! … Stylize it in a couple different ways.
Then, choose 10 – 15 questions to ask them. Imagine that they are speaking directly with you in a room, one vs one!
(You may need to actually retreat to a quiet, or dark room alone for this part if you really want to immerse in the experience.)
A Listing of Sample Questions
Here is a listing of example questions you can ask:
“Hello Mrs / Mr ****. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance this evening. You must be asking yourself why you are here. No need to worry; all will be answered in time. I have a series of questions to ask you to fulfill your evaluation. Take your time, and answer carefully.”
- How do you think you arrived in this room? Please answer in your own words.
- How would you describe yourself, using only five words?
- How do you feel right now? Why do you feel that way?
- What do you have in your pocket?
- What do you want out of life? What makes life worth living?
- What is your most frightening memory from childhood?
- What sort of values do you believe in?
- If you could name just two people, who do you trust the most?
- Who do you fear of losing most?
- Tell me about the last time you made a mistake.
- Where do your talents lie? What are you skilled at?
- Has someone wronged you recently? How do you feel about this person?
- Are you able to forgive those who have wronged you? Why or why not?
- What sort of things do you see in your dreams?
- What does a normal day look like for you?
- What is your drink of choice? Describe it.
- Do you have any odd behaviors? Any ticks?
- How do you view those who are different from you? Please describe them.
- How do you see your future? What do you think it holds for you?
- Why do you think you are here, right now?
Have them go through each of the questions, and answer them in any way which speaks to their character. Write down your mental interactions with them, even if it is not a direct answer. Perhaps these questions spark dialogue!
If you enjoyed these questions and want more random prompts to write to, check out my 25 Fantasy Writing Story Prompts and Ideas.
STOCK IMAGE CREDITS:
Burak K – Turned on Pendant Lamp
Myicahel Tamburini – Turndeon Lamp
Steve Halama – Conversation table photo
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