These 100 Character Development questions, written by my friend Rich Taylor, have come in handy so m...

1. 100 Character Development Questions for Writers
These 100 Character Development questions, written by my friend Rich Taylor, have come in handy
so many times for me as a writer! I put Michael through these questions as I was working on his
character development, way back when he was brand new to me and we knew nothing about each
other. I learned a ton of stuff about who he was, and also I learned a lot about how I wanted to
approach telling his story.
My advice is to do the questions a bit a time so you don't burn out on them. Just when you have some
quiet time, sit down with your character (perhaps over a cup of tea) and let them answer the
questions naturally. Skip any that do not apply to your character or world setting.
I think this is really how Michael 'came to life', through this character interview. If you are not in
the habit of talking to your characters and find this whole process quite silly, suspend your disbelief.
Even if you are not writing the story in first person, you will still learn so many things about your
character and how to write them. It's well worth the time invested.
When I wrote my novel, I was pressed for time so I didn't complete all of the questions. You can
choose a few at random, even. You'll be surprised what you learn!
If anyone is curious, I can post Michael's character interview as a separate post to show you what it
turned out like.
THE 100+ QUESTIONS
Welcome to over one hundred of the dumbest questions about your character. These are things that,
if someone were to ask you in real life, you could answer without giving it any thought whatsoever.
Most characters, however, can't answer this because authors never think about it - it's unimportant.
Well, these things are going to help you define you character more.
Some tips: Answer these in character, but only in a situation where your character would be 100%
honest with themselves and with the person asking the question. Otherwise, answer as an author,
and still be 100% honest.
Mandatory Questions
1. What about you is heroic?
2. What about you is social? What do you like about people?
3. Of what benefit could you be to the current group?
4. Why would you choose to join the current group?
5. Invent an adventure/plot that your character would actively undertake (as opposed to just tagging
along)?

2. Personal Questions
1. What is your real, birth name? What name do you use?
2. Do you have a nickname? What is it, and where did you get it?
3. What do you look like? (Include height, weight, hair, eyes, skin, apparent age, and distinguishing
features)
4. How do you dress most of the time?
5. How do you "dress up?"
6. How do you "dress down?"
7. What do you wear when you go to sleep?
8. Do you wear any jewelry?
9. In your opinion, what is your best feature?
10. What's your real birth date?
11. Where do you live? Describe it: Is it messy, neat, avant-garde, sparse, etc.?
12. Do you own a car? Describe it.
13. What is your most prized mundane possession? Why do you value it so much?
14. What one word best describes you?
Familial Questions
1. What was your family like?
2. Who was your father, and what was he like?
3. Who was your mother, and what was she like?
4. What was your parents marriage like? Were they married? Did they remain married?
5. What were your siblings names? What were they like?
6. What's the worst thing one of your siblings ever did to you? What's the worst thing you've done to
one of your siblings?
7. When's the last time you saw any member of your family? Where are they now?
8. Did you ever meet any other family members? Who were they? What did you think of them?
Childhood Questions

3. 1. What is your first memory?
2. What was your favorite toy?
3. What was your favorite game?
4. Any non-family member adults stick out in your mind? Who were they, and how did you know
them? Why do they stick out?
5. Who was your best friend when you were growing up?
6. What is your fondest, childhood memory?
7. What is your worst childhood memory?
Adolescent Questions
1. How old were you when you went on your first date?
2. It is common for one's view of authority to develop in their adolescent years. What is your view of
authority, and what event most affected it?
3. What were you like in high school? What "clique" did you best fit in with?
4. What were your high school goals?
5. Who was your idol when you were growing up? Who did you first fantasize about in your life?
6. What is your favorite memory from adolescence?
7. What is your worst memory from adolescence?
Occupational Questions
1. Do you have a job? What is it? Do you like it? If no job, where does your money come from?
2. What is your boss or employer like? (Or publisher, or agent, or whatever.)
3. What are your co-workers like? Do you get along with them? Any in particular? Which ones don't
you get along with?
4. What is something you had to learn that you hated?
5. Do you tend to save or spend your money? Why?
Likes & Dislikes Questions
1. What hobbies do you have?
2. Who is your closest mundane friend? Describe them and how you relate to them.

4. 3. Who is your worst mundane enemy? Describe them and why you don't get along.
4. What bands do you like? Do you even pay attention?
5. What tape or CD hasn't left your player since your purchased it? Why?
6. What song is "your song?" Why?
7. What's been your favorite movie of all time?
8. Read any good books? What were they?
9. What do you watch on the Television?
10. When it comes to mundane politics, do you care? If so, which way do you tend to vote? If not,
why don't you care?
11. What type of places do you hang out in with your mundane friends?
12. What type of places do you hang out in with your normal friends?
13. What annoys you more than anything else?
14. What would be the perfect gift for you?
15. What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?
16. What time of day is your favorite?
17. What kind of weather is your favorite?
18. What is your favorite food? What is your least favorite food?
19. What is your favorite drink? (Coffee, Coke, Juice, Beer, Wine, etc.)
20. Website Style is surely an amazing area being associated with and this website's extremely
interesting.What's your favorite animal? Why?
21. Do you have any pets? Do you want any pets? What kind?
22. What do you find most relaxing? (Not as in stress relief, but as something that actually calms you
down.)
23. What habit that others have annoys you most?
24. What kind of things embarrass you? Why?
25. What don't you like about yourself?
26. How would you like to look?

5. Sex & Intimacy Questions
1. Would you consider yourself straight, gay, bi, or something else? Why?
2. Who was the first person you had sex with? When did it happen? What was it like? How well did it
go?
3. Have you ever had a same-sex experience? Who with, what was it like, and how did it go?
4. What is your deepest, most well-hidden sexual fantasy? Would you ever try it?
5. What was the wildest thing you've ever done, sexually? Who was it with and when did it happen?
6. Is there any sexual activity that you enjoy and/or practice regularly that can be considered non-
standard? (Bondage, Fantasy Play, etc.) Why do you like it?
7. Is there any sexual activity that you will not, under any circumstances, do?
8. Do you currently have a lover? What is their name, and what is your relationship like? What are
they like? Why are you attracted to them?
9. What is the perfect romantic date?
10. Describe the perfect romantic partner for you.
11. Do you ever want to get married and have children? When do you see this happening?
12. What is more important - sex or intimacy? Why?
13. What was your most recent relationship like? Who was it with? (Does not need to be sexual,
merely romantic.)
14. What's the worst thing you've done to someone you loved?
Drug & Alcohol Questions
1. How old were you when you first got drunk? What was the experience like?
Did anything good come out of it? Did anything bad come out of it?
2. Do you drink on any kind of regular basis?
3. What kind of alcohol do you prefer?
4. Have you ever tried any other kind of "mood altering" substance? Which one(s)? What did you
think of each?
5. What do you think of drugs and alcohol? Are there any people should not do? Why or why not?
Morality Questions

6. 1. What one act in your past are you most ashamed of? What one act in your past are you most proud
of?
2. Have you ever been in an argument before? Over what, with who, and who won?
3. Have you ever been in a physical fight before? Over what, with who, and who won?
4. What do you feel most strongly about?
5. What do you pretend to feel strongly about, just to impress people?
6. What trait do you find most admirable, and how often do you find it?
7. Is there anything you think should not be incorporated into the media or art (sex, violence, greed,
etc.,)? If so, what and why, and if not, why not?
8. Do you have any feelings in general that you are disturbed by? What are they? Why do they
disturb you?
9. What is your religious view of things? What religion, if any, do you call your own?
10. Do you think the future is hopeful? Why?
11. Is an ounce of prevention really worth a pound of cure? Which is more valuable? Why do you feel
this way?
12. What's the worst thing that can be done to another person? Why?
13. What's the worst thing you could actually do to someone you hated?
14. Are you a better leader or follower? Why do you think that? If you think the whole leader-
follower archetype is a crock of shit, say so, and explain why?
15. What is your responsibility to the world, if any? Why do you think that?
16. Do you think redemption is possible? If so, can anyone be redeemed, or are there only certain
circumstances that can be? If not, why do you think nothing can redeem itself?
17. Is it okay for you to cry? When was the last time you cried?
18. What do you think is wrong with MOST people, overall?
Post-Supernatural Awareness Questions
1. When did you go through whatever made you supernatural? What was it like (in your opinion)?
2. What do you think now of being supernatural? Is it cool, or have you been screwed?
3. Do you have a mentor? Who are they? How did you become their student?
4. Do you have any magical items? Where did you get them?

7. 5. What do you think of the other denizens of the World of Darkness? Why for each? (If you haven't
met something, do you think it exists, and if it does, is that bad or good?)
6. Think of a major event that happened during your training/initiation. What was it?
7. What is something you had to learn during your training that you hated? Why did you hate it?
Miscellaneous Questions
1. What is the thing that has frightened you most? Do you think there is anything out there that's
scarier than that? What do you think that would be?
2. Has anyone or anything you've ever cared about died? How did you feel about it? What happened?
3. What was the worst injury you've ever received? How did it happen?
4. How ticklish are you? Where are you ticklish?
5. What is your current long term goal?
6. What is your current short term goal?
7. Do you have any bad habits? If so, what are they, and do you plan to get rid of them?
8. If you were a mundane person, what would you do with your life? What occupation would you
want, and how would you spend all your time?
9. What time period do you wish you had lived in? Why? (Looking at this as an attempt to change
history doesn't count.) What appeals to you about this era?
10. How private of a person are you? Why?
11. If you were to gain an obscenely large sum of money (via an inhertiance, a lawsuit, a lottery, or
anything else) what would you do with it?
12. What would you wish for if you found a genie?
13. What do you do when you are bored?
14. What is the most frightening potential handicap or disfigurement you can conceive of? What
makes it so frightening?
This 100 Character Devolpment Questions essay test was developed by my friend Rich Taylor. He
originally made the questions for his roleplaying games in. The exciting factor regarding web site
designs is the really fact that it requires a few flare associated with artistic flare and this is finished .
that makes it therefore fun.the World of Darkness, but the questions can be used for character
development of all kinds. He just joined Gather- you can find him over at unkyrich if you want to
friend him and tell him how sweet these questions really are.