I gleaned these suggestions and tips on Character development from several sources, including the NaNoWriMo website.

When using these ideas, it is not necessary to answer each question or topic. It is also important to keep a record of each character to keep from changing the appearance, attitude, or ability of the character. Be careful of generalizations such as a high school graduate isn’t as intelligent as a college graduate–intelligence and education are not the same.

The 51-Question NaNo Character Questionnaire 2.0, filled with questions you’ve probably never considered asking about your characters.

1. What does your character do when they think no one’s looking?

2. What’s the one thing your character would save in a fire?

3. Who’s on speed dial?

4. Your character gets turned down for their dream job. What’s their second choice?

5. What would they tell their ten-year-old self?

6. Where would they want to go on a first date?

7. What’s the best advice they’ve ever received?

8. What’s the worst advice they’ve ever received?

9. What’s one physical detail they’d change about themselves?

10. When was the last time they were held? By who?

11. What’s their favorite thing about their favorite season?

12. Their wallet gets stolen. What do they do?

13. Prioritize: Love, money, power, knowledge?

14. What’s something nobody knows about them?

15. What’s in their fridge?

16. What (creature, object, substance) are they most disgusted by?

17. What’s their second worst habit?

18. What are the victory conditions for their life?

19. In the end, your character fails to save the day. Assuming they survive, what do they do?

20. Your character is charged with a crime they didn’t commit. What do they do?

21. Your character is charged with a crime they did commit. What was the crime?

22. What’s the 140-character version of your character’s life?

23. What important statistic would they want displayed above them?

24. What’s the first thing they would buy if they won the lottery?

25. What profession do they most respect?

26. What childhood injustice did they never get over?

27. How would they handle having a panic attack?

28. Your character has an inconvenient superpower. What is it?

29. If they died and could come back as any person, animal, or object, what would they be?

30. What’s the best meal they’ve ever had?

31. Where would they stand at a dinner party?

32. Who would they invite to the dinner party?

33. What makes a perfect day for your character?

34. If given the opportunity, would they want to know how, when and where they died?

35. What’s the one thing they’ve always wanted to do? Why haven’t they done it yet?

36. What do they tend to joke about?

37. What’s off limits?

38. Whose wedding would they cross the world to attend? Whose funeral?

39. What impossible choice did they make that turned out to be the right one? The wrong one?

40. Your character now has a hype man (or woman). What would they say to get everyone excited about your character?

41. What recurring dream does your character have?

42. What is the meaning of life to your character?

43. If your character wrote a NaNo novel, would they be a planner, pantser, or plantser?

44. What book does your character pretend to have read?

45. Someone takes undeserved credit for your character’s work. What do they do?

46. What controversial belief or view does your character hold? Why? Do they hide it?

47. Your character is at a theme park. Where do they go first?

48. What’s your character’s favorite name?

49. What’s the biggest compliment they’d give themselves?

50. How does your character feel about bugs?

51. If your character could hit a reset button on their life, would they?

Complete this section for all your important characters, starting with the protagonist. You may want to copy and paste the questions for as many characters as you answer them for, or just add the character’s name next to their answers.

1. Name:

2. Age

3. Height:

4. Eye color:

5. Physical appearance:

6. Strange or unique physical attributes:

7. Favorite clothing style/outfit?

8. Where do they live? What is it like there?

9. Defining gestures/movements (i.e., curling their lip when they speak, always keeping their eyes on the ground, etc.):

10. Things about their appearance they would most like to change:

11. Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone, etc.):

12. Pet peeves:

13. Fondest memory:

14. Hobbies/interests:

15. Special skills/abilities:

16. Insecurities:

17. Quirks/eccentricities:

18. Temperament (easy-going, easily angered, etc.):

19. Negative traits:

20. Things that upset them:

21. Things that embarrass them:

22. This character is highly opinionated about:

23. Any phobias?

24. Things that make them happy:

25. Family (describe):

26. Deepest, darkest secret:

27. Reason they kept this secret for so long:

28. Other people’s opinions of this character (What do people like about this character? What do they dislike about this character?):

29. Favorite bands/songs/type of music:

30. Favorite movies:

31. Favorite TV shows:

32. Favorite books:

33. Favorite foods:

34. Favorite sports/sports teams:

35. Political views:

36. Religion/philosophy of life:

37. Physical health:

38. Dream vacation:

39. Description of their home:

40. Description of where they sleep:

41. Any pets?

42. Best thing that has ever happened to this character:

43. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character:

44. Superstitions:

45. Three words to describe this character:

46. If a song played every time this character walked into the room, what song would it be?

Section Two: 

Complete this just for your supporting characters. 

1. How do they know the protagonist?

2. What do they love about the protagonist?

3. Do they disagree with the protagonist about anything?

4. Similarities to protagonist:

5. Differences from protagonist:

Section Three: 

Complete this just for your antagonist. If you don’t have a physical antagonist, make up four other questions to answer about the challenge your hero is facing.

1. Why are they getting in the way of your protagonist?

2. How do they feel about the protagonist? Why?

3. Do they have any likeable qualities, or are they just plain evil?

4. Do they have any secret weaknesses?

5. What strengths do they possess?

Section Four: 

Abstract antagonists. 

1. What is your abstract antagonist? Is it a disease like cancer, a social ill like poverty, or something larger than life, like grief?

2. How is this antagonist affecting the protagonist?

3. Do other characters notice? How does this antagonist affect the other people in your novel?

4. Don’t forget roadblock characters such as bureaucrats hindering progress, liars who mislead others, those who refuse to cooperate with other characters, etc.

And don’t forget: The Three Big Character Questions

1. What does your main character want more than anything in the world?

2. What do they need to grow as a person (not necessarily the same thing as what they want)?

3. What major flaws (internal problems) and obstacles (external problems) will stand in their way?