Writing Quizzes
Characters are vital to writing a good story, so I've pulled together a few questions for you to ask your characters - these often help me when I find a character isn't working or feels a bit flat, so hopefully they can be helpful to others too!
Character Quiz
Answer these questions about your character:
What do they really want in life?
What do they want right now? (Scene specific or more general)
What is their favourite snack?
Who is their best friend?
Who do they trust the most?
What is their biggest flaw?
What would other people say is their biggest flaw?
If they could describe themselves in three words, these would be:
If they lived your life, how would they cope with it? (i.e. how would they deal with your kids/pets/family/friends, your job, your living situation, your stresses)
If they were a flower, they would be a:
They are hopeless at:
They are awesome at:
They'd love to be better at:
Their biggest regret is:
Their biggest embarrassment is/was:
Now take a minute to get your mind right into your character's - how they think, feel, see the world around them. Once you're ready, answer the same questions from your character's point of view:
Are both sets of answers the same? Similar? You may have found a few things out about your character that you weren't previously aware of!
Even if your answers are the same for both rounds, this is a great way to get more into your character's sense of self.
We all feel really strongly about our character's, but most of the time we're still outside their existence and telling their story.
The closer you can get to how your character sees and interacts with the world, the more that will flow out through your writing.
It's kind of like method-acting, or method-writing if you will!
Villain Quiz
Answer these questions about your villain:
Would they stop to help someone in trouble?
As a child, their family life was happy/sad/angry/dangerous/scary (embellish as needed)
Their favourite snack is:
What do they really want in life? (i.e. their core motive that drives them)
What do they want right now?
Who do they trust the most?
What is their biggest flaw?
If they could describe themselves in three words, these would be:
Their biggest regret is:
What do they hate about the protagonist?
What do they wish they could change about themselves? (nothing IS an acceptable
answer!)
What's the worst thing they've ever done?
What's the best thing they've ever done?
How do they cope in stressful situations?
What's their favourite animal?
You might even be able to think of more traits and questions, but this is an exercise in delving into your villain as a person.
They could be a simple baddie, born evil with no drive other than their innate 'rottenness', or they could be the most intricately planned character ever known. Whatever you decide, the deeper you go into their personality the more intrigued the reader becomes into how they interact and impede the protagonist.
Like every single character in your story, the villain has a job to do!