Here’s a questionnaire to fill out for each of the central characters in your memoir. Remember, if you write about a real person, the moment you begin to put that person onto the page, he or she becomes a “character” that you must treat in the same that you’d treat a character in a short story or novel.
The more you know about your character, the more he or she will come alive on the page. If your memoir features yourself, then fill this out for your own “character” as well.
What’s your relationship to the character? Why is this character important to your memoir?
What is your character’s name? What’s the story behind your character’s name? If your character has a nickname, how did he or she get it? What’s the story behind it?
The more you know about your character, the more he or she will come alive on the page. If your memoir features yourself, then fill this out for your own “character” as well.
What’s your relationship to the character? Why is this character important to your memoir?
What is your character’s name? What’s the story behind your character’s name? If your character has a nickname, how did he or she get it? What’s the story behind it?
What is your character’s hair color, eye color, skin color? Be descriptive.
What is the shape of your character’s face? Does your character have any remarkable facial features? Does your character look like any celebrities?
Does your character have a birthmark or scars? How were the scars acquired?
Where was your character born? Has he/she lived there since birth? Where else has your character lived and why?
What are your character’s religious and political affiliations?
What makes your character happy? Angry? Resentful? Fearful? Phobic?
What are your character’s biggest pet peeves?
Does your character have any pets? Why or why not? What are they?
What are some of your character’s prized possessions?
Does your character have a secret? Who else knows about it? What would happen if the secret were revealed?
What kind of sense of humor does your character have?
Is your character married, single, widowed, divorced? What are the circumstances behind your character’s partnership choices?
Does your character have children? Who are they? What’s the character’s relationship with them like?
What are some of your character’s bad habits?
What does your character do, if anything, to keep healthy?
What are your character’s medical conditions? How do these conditions affect him/her?
What’s your character’s favorite food? Snack? Drink?
Is your character neat or messy? What does his/her home look like in terms of cleanliness?
How many shoes does your character have? Does he/she wear the same shoes all the time? Are they new or worn out?
What makes your character uncomfortable? What makes him/her most comfortable?
Is your character “with the times?” How so? Tech savvy or not? Does he/she follow celebrity gossip or news? Why or why not?
What are some of your character’s quirks? Actions or beliefs that make him/her unique?
What is the shape of your character’s face? Does your character have any remarkable facial features? Does your character look like any celebrities?
Does your character have a birthmark or scars? How were the scars acquired?
Where was your character born? Has he/she lived there since birth? Where else has your character lived and why?
What are your character’s religious and political affiliations?
What makes your character happy? Angry? Resentful? Fearful? Phobic?
What are your character’s biggest pet peeves?
Does your character have any pets? Why or why not? What are they?
What are some of your character’s prized possessions?
Does your character have a secret? Who else knows about it? What would happen if the secret were revealed?
What kind of sense of humor does your character have?
Is your character married, single, widowed, divorced? What are the circumstances behind your character’s partnership choices?
Does your character have children? Who are they? What’s the character’s relationship with them like?
What are some of your character’s bad habits?
What does your character do, if anything, to keep healthy?
What are your character’s medical conditions? How do these conditions affect him/her?
What’s your character’s favorite food? Snack? Drink?
Is your character neat or messy? What does his/her home look like in terms of cleanliness?
How many shoes does your character have? Does he/she wear the same shoes all the time? Are they new or worn out?
What makes your character uncomfortable? What makes him/her most comfortable?
Is your character “with the times?” How so? Tech savvy or not? Does he/she follow celebrity gossip or news? Why or why not?
What are some of your character’s quirks? Actions or beliefs that make him/her unique?
The French writer Marcel Proust came up with this character questionnaire. You can use it both on yourself and the other characters in your memoir. If your characters are still alive and you still have contact with them, you can ask them the following questions.
- What is your idea of perfect happiness?
- What is your greatest fear?
- What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
- What is the trait you most deplore in others?
- Which living person do you most admire?
- What is your greatest extravagance?
- What is your current state of mind?
- What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
- On what occasion do you lie?
- What do you most dislike about your appearance?
- Which living person do you most despise?
- What is the quality you most like in a man?
- What is the quality you most like in a woman?
- Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
- What or who is the greatest love of your life?
- When and where were you happiest?
- Which talent would you most like to have?
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
- What do you consider your greatest achievement?
- If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
- Where would you most like to live?
- What is your most treasured possession?
- What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
- What is your favorite occupation?
- What is your most marked characteristic?
- What do you most value in your friends?
- Who are your favorite writers?
- Who is your hero of fiction?
- Which historical figure do you most identify with?
- Who are your heroes in real life?
- What are your favorite names?
- What is it that you most dislike?
- What is your greatest regret?
- How would you like to die?
- What is your motto?
Here are some links to other character questionnaires:
- Epiguide http://www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html
- Creative Writing Now http://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-character-profiles.html
- Creative Writing Now (Fantasy Characters) http://www.creative-writing-now.com/fantasy-characters.html
- Helping Writers Become Authors http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/interviewing-your-characters/
- Writers Write http://writerswrite.co.za/character-questionnaire-how-well-do-you-know-your-hero