Hello again!

So I've had more than one request to do a character-based part so here we are!

Now obviously your characters are kinda important (just a lil bit, ya know?). So I've compiled a handy-dandy list of questions for you to ask yourself about your character. It was made by the same amazing people who made the huge questionnaire in the Middle Earth chapter. Now keep in mind that a questionnaire like this isn't exactly ideal for creating a character. Instead, use it to flesh out those you've already made.

Another warning: There's about 150 questions, so don't fell like you have to answer them all. Find the ones best fit for who you want your character to be or pick the questions in the section you're having trouble with. Also, don't try to do all of these questions in one sitting and all for one character. Don't do that to yourself.

Basic Character Questions

First name?
Surname?
Middle names?
Nicknames?
Date of birth?
Age?

Physical / Appearance

Height?
Weight?
Build?
Hair colour?
Hair style?
Eye colour?
Eye Shape?
Glasses or contact lenses?
Distinguishing facial features?
Which facial feature is most prominent?
Which bodily feature is most prominent?
Other distinguishing features?
Skin
Hands?
Make up?
Scars?
Birthmarks?
Tattoos?
Physical handicaps?
Type of clothes?
How do they wear their clothes?
What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc)
Race / Ethnicity?
Mannerisms?
Are they in good health?
Do they have any disabilities?

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse?
Do they have a catchphrase?
Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?
Are they introverted or extroverted?
Do they ever put on airs?
What bad habits do they have?
What makes them laugh out loud?
How do they display affection?
Mental handicaps?
How do they want to be seen by others?
How do they see themselves?
How are they seen by others?
Strongest character trait?
Weakest character trait?
How competitive are they?
Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?
How do they react to praise?
How do they react to criticism?
What is their greatest fear?
What are their biggest secrets?
What is their philosophy of life?
When was the last time they cried?
What haunts them?
What are their political views?
What will they stand up for?
Who do they quote?
Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?
What is their sinful little habit?
What sense do they most rely on?
How do they treat people better than them?
How do they treat people worse than them?
What quality do they most value in a friend?
What do they consider an overrated virtue?
If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?
What is their obsession?
What are their pet peeves?
What are their idiosyncrasies?

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of?
What is their perception of family?
Do they have siblings? Older or younger?
Describe their best friend.
Ideal best friend?
Describe their other friends.
Describe their acquaintances.
Do they have any pets?
Who are their natural allies?
Who are their surprising allies?

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child?
Did they grow up rich or poor?
Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?
What is the most offensive thing they ever said?
What is their greatest achievement?
What was their first kiss like?
What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?
What are their ambitions?
What advice would they give their younger self?
What smells remind them of their childhood?
What was their childhood ambition?
What is their best childhood memory?
What is their worst childhood memory?
Did they have an imaginary childhood friend?
When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment?
What past act are they most ashamed of?
What past act are they most proud of?
Has anyone ever saved their life?
Strongest childhood memory?

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight?
Are they in a relationship?
How do they behave in a relationship?
When did you character last have sex?
What sort of sex do they have?
Has your character ever been in love?
Have they ever had their heart broken?

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat?
Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?
What is your character's kryptonite?
If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?
How do they perceive strangers?
What do they love to hate?
What are their phobias?
What is their choice of weapon?
What living person do they most despise?
Have they ever been bullied or teased?
Where do they go when they're angry?
Who are their enemies and why?
Work, Education and Hobbies
What is their current job?
What do they think about their current job?
What are some of their past jobs?
What are their hobbies?
Educational background?
Intelligence level?
Do they have any specialist training?
Do they have a natural talent for something?
Do they play a sport? Are they any good?
What is their socioeconomic status?

Favourites

What is their favourite animal?
Which animal to they dislike the most?
What place would they most like to visit?
What is the most beautiful thing they've ever seen?
What is their favourite song?
Music, art, reading preferred?
What is their favourite colour?
What is their password?
Favourite food:
What is their favourite work of art?
Who is their favourite artist?
What is their favourite day of the week?

Possessions

What is in their fridge:
What is on their bedside table?
What is in their car?
What is in their bin?
What is in their purse or wallet?
What is in their pockets?
What is their most treasured possession?

Spirituality

Who or what is your character's guardian angel?
Do they believe in the afterlife?
What are their religious views?
What do they think heaven is?
What do they think hell is?
Are they superstitious?
What would they like to be reincarnated as?
How would they like to die?
What is your character's spirit animal?
What is their zodiac sign?

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?
What is their view of 'freedom'?
When did they last lie?
What's their view of lying?
When did they last make a promise?
Did they keep or break their last promise?

Daily life

What are their eating habits?
Do they have any allergies?
Describe their home.
Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?
What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?
What do they do on a Sunday afternoon?
What do they do on a Friday night?
What is the soft drink of choice?
What is their alcoholic drink of choice?

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype?
Who is their hero?
What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?
Are they comfortable with technology?
If they could save one person, who would it be?
If they could call one person for help, who would it be?
What is their favourite proverb?
What is their greatest extravagance?
What is their greatest regret?
What is their perception of redemption?
What would they do if they won the lottery?
What is their favourite fairytale?
What fairytale do they hate?
Do they believe in happy endings?
What is their idea of perfect happiness?
What would they ask a fortune teller?
If your character could travel through time, where would they go?
What sport do they excel at?
What sport do they suck at?
If they could have a superpower, what would they choose?

Again, please do this with caution and fill out the really important ones to you and your story.

Now on to the next section of this part: "How do I make my characters unique from one another?"

Well in the physical sense, include characters of different minorities, gender identities, religions, body types, and sexual orientations. Don't make all of your characters look like Barbie & Ken. Also, give them little ticks that they do in a given situation. Do their eyebrows furrow when they become deep in thought? What do they do when they're lying? If they're nervous to they play with their fingernails? What about when they're stressed or overwhelmed? Not every character needs one, but throw a few in to make your characters feel more real.

One of my favorite way to distinguish my characters is the way they talk. I'll give each character their own way of speaking. This could be how they phrase things, a certain catchphrase, or something that reflects their accent. For example, in my book Fairytale Fate, there is a character who has a "British" accent, so when she says things like "mom," we spell it like "mum" to reflect how that character would actually say it.

Another good option is to make certain characters have clashing personalities with others in their group. A common pairing is a jokester with someone who has no sense of humor or an observant friend with someone who is completely clueless about their surroundings. It'll be fun for you to write the scenes where they butt heads (bickering is one of my personal favorites) because it will make them seem more real and give your readers a laugh.

As a writer myself, I know how hard it is to tell if your characters sound the same or not because for us as writers, when we read over our characters' dialogue, we actually hear their voice so it sounds unique to us. That's why it is so important to actively try and distinguish them and their dialogue.

Sometimes I joke with myself by saying "If your book is ever used in English classes, do you want to make it hard or easy for high school students to guess which character said what on their dialogue quizzes?"
(The answer is always that you want to make it easy. If you know the pain of matching lines of dialogue to the character for English quizzes, you know)

I hope this helps! I might come back and edit this later on if I come up with anything else.

Thanks so much for reading, & thank you jakie_robinson for requesting that I visit this topic!

<3 Melody