Character Interview for SimLit Authors

It's time to sit your character down and get to know them better.

Maybe this is a brand new character for your SimLit you've come up with, or maybe it's an existing character who'd you like to revamp or look at in more detail. Maybe you're looking to build on a premade in your own story. Either way, character interviews are perfect for just that- and for me, who loves to get into fictional people's heads, it's great fun to do as well.

I guess this isn't really a character interview since it's not the kind with questions, but it sounded better than 'character outline.' : P it's up to you how much detail you fill this in with. you might want to answer these from the first-person perspective of the character. Some questions will be more or less relevant to your character than others.

• You have my permission to copy and paste the questions on this Character Interview, filled-in with information about your character, on your SimLit Wordpress or Blogspot blog, Tumblr, or equivalent.
  
  
• Of course, credit for the questions themselves is completely optional! -  just don't claim the blank questionnaire as a whole as your own work since I spent a long time putting this together in a way that'd (hopefully) be helpful for writers.
  
  
• Since this is supposed to be a helpful and fun character exercise, don't feel like you have to answer every question and don't stress yourself out. Only bother with the questions that are relevant for your character, story, world, and the level of depth you wish to go into.
  

- CONTENT WARNING: Maybe this isn't necessary for something you fill out yourself, but some of these questions might prompt responses around subjects that might not be something you want to deal with, like prejudices and a whole variety of other life issues. Of course, feel free to not answer any question where this might possibly be an issue.

BASICS

• Name
• Age
• Gender
• Pronouns
  
• Sexual attraction
• Romantic attraction
  
• Place of Birth
• Place of Current Residence
• Height
• Weight
• Eye Colour
• Hair Colour
• Skin Colour
• any illnesses or conditions
• Any neurodivergence
  
• Race/Ethnicity
• Occult (if applicable)
  
• Up to 3 defining visual features
• In-game traits (if relevant)
• In-game aspiration (if relevant)

FAVOURITES / LEAST FAVOURITES
(this might cross over with some later topics)

• Colour
• Pattern
  
• Person 
• Animal
• Type of music
• Famous Person
  
• Food
• Place
• Scent
• TV show
• Book
• Film
• Word
• Video game
  
• Things to do
• Personality trait
• School subjects
• Topics in general
  

IDENTITY

• Birth name
• Current name 
• How they feel about their name
• Any nicknames and their possible origins
• Occult type (if applicable)
  
• How they feel about their identity (proud? ashamed? etc)
• Anything they are currently still trying to figure out about their identity
  
• How others treat them because of their identity
• How their identity has changed or shaped their worldview (generally)
  

AESTHETIC

• How you'd describe their overall 'vibe' or style 
• Favourite outfits / items of clothing
• Anything they wear that has sentimental value or other significance
• Do they like how they look? What would they change if they could, if anything? 
• Do they wear what they wear just because they like how it looks, or is there more depth to it? 
• How others perceive them upon first impression just by looking at them 
• How they'd like others to perceive them when they look at them 
• Do they dress for comfort or to look good or both? 
• Rough physical description
• Anything about their appearance that particularly stands out
  

FAMILY

• Parents
• Any siblings
• Partners
• Children
• Extended family of any kind
  
• What their relationship is like with their...
  - parents
  - children
  - partner/s
  - sibling/s
  - extended family
  
• pets
• who they've kept in touch with
• if they don't have kids, do they want them? 
• The family member they're closest to
• Anything they're hiding from their family

CHARACTER'S CHILDREN (if applicable)

• Biological or adopted
  - if biological, and if character gave birth to the child, how character coped with the pregnancy
• How they feel about parenthood
• How they feel about their children
• What they struggle with as a parent the most
• Their favourite thing about being a parent
  
• Do they want more children?
• If their children are grown up, what would they have done differently as a parent now with what they've learned raising those children?
• How confident they are in their parenting skills
• Lax or strict parenting style 
• How their children see them  
• Best memories of spending time with their children
• Favourite things to do with their children
  

PERSONALITY

• Three personality traits that sum them up
• How they would describe their personality
• How others would describe their personality
  
• How their personality changed as they were growing up
  
• What personality traits would they like to work on? (getting rid of a personality trait, or trying to nurture / develop a desired trait)
  
• How do you currently envision your character developing within your story?
• Flaws
  - how do these flaws affect their life / plot / interactions with others?
  - do they admit to these flaws, or deny them?
  
• Generally, do other people like or dislike them? 
• Their favourite traits in others
• Their least favourite traits in others
  
• Their favourite trait of theirs
• Their least favourite trait of theirs 
• Emotion first, or reason first?
• How well they deal with criticism
• How well they deal with change
• How well they deal with bad news
  

GENERAL BACKGROUND

• Where they were born
• Where they lived growing up
• Where they live now
• How they feel about all 3 of these
  - how have the places they lived influenced them in the present?
  
•  People of importance they grew up with
  - why are these people still significant to them? 
• any significant memories
  - why are they significant?
  - how has it affected who they are now?  
• How culture where they're from is different from where they live now
  

EDUCATION

• What primary school / elementary school was like (if applicable)
  
• What middle school was like (if applicable)
  
• What high school was like was like (if applicable)
  
• What Sixth Form / College was like (if applicable)
• What University was like (if applicable)
  
• If the above aren't applicable, how were they educated?
  
• Any favourite teachers?
• Subjects they excelled in
• Subjects they struggled with
• Any significant memories from schooling?
  
• Any awards they earned during their schooling
• Best friends from school years
• How well-behaved they were
• How often they got into trouble with teachers / headmaster
  
• Grades earned or other qualifications
• Do they miss their school years?
• How did others in general treat them? Were they popular?
• What important lessons did school teach them? (if anything? : P )
  

OCCUPATION 

• What they do for work
  - do they enjoy this job?
  - do they hope to stay in it long-term, or are they looking for something else?
• Do they get on with colleagues?
• How their boss feels about them
• How they feel about their boss 
• How happy they are with their pay
  
• Previous occupations
  - why did they leave? 
• Dream occupation

SPEECH AND SOCIAL LIFE

• Accent
• Any mottos / favourite words /recurring phrases
• Manner of speech
  - are they blunt, or are they vague? Friendly, or seemingly cold? 
• How much they like talking with others
• What do they get self-conscious about regarding their speech if anything?
  
• How much social interaction do they need to not feel lonely?
• How they talk to:
  - friends
  - family
  - work colleagues
  - authority figures
• Any words or phrases they hate
• If they go out, where they like to go 

FRIENDS (human or otherwise!)

• Significant friends in the past
  - do they still keep in touch? 
• Current friends
• How they feel about their friends
• How their friends feel about them
• Favourite thing about friend/s
• Least favourite thing about friend/s
• Anything they are hiding from their friend/s 
• Important must-have qualities in a friend from them
• What would cause them to break off a friendship 
• Do they want more friends / less friends? 
  

ROMANCE (if applicable)

• How they show people that they love them
• How quickly they fall in love with someone
• What are they attracted to in others?
• Long term love or short term?
• How serious a 'relationship' do they want? 
• How long does it take them to build trust with a potential partner?
• Do they date a lot? How do these dates often go? 
• What would cause them to break up with a lover
• If they've ever cheated / been cheated on
  
• How did they meet their partner (if they have one)
• How long they've been with their partner/s
  
• Any break-ups they've had
  - how did they deal with them? does it still hurt them to think about?
• How they like others to show them that they are loved 
• if they show public displays of affection

HOBBIES 

• Favourite hobby
• Where they began with their favourite hobby, how they got into it
• Any hobbies they want to learn, if they could
• Any hobbies they stopped doing- and why if applicable 
• How talented they see themselves at the hobby
• How talented others see them at the hobby
• For fun or for profit? 
• Are they happy with their experience level, or do they want to get better?

BELIEFS (GENERAL, SOCIOPOLITICAL)

• What they consider to be moral
• What they consider to be immoral
• The worst thing they think someone could do 
• The best thing they think someone could do 
• Any other thing they strongly stand for or against
  
• What is more important to them- progress and change, or tradition and the 'old ways'
• What changes they think need to be made socio-politically (or what they think needs to stay the same) to improve their town, country, planet etc.
  
• Do they trust authority figures (police, government, royalty etc) 
• Any prejudices against others
  - what is their attempted 'reasoning' for these prejudices if any?
  
• How others see them for their beliefs
  - have they caused any friction between them and their friends / family?
• Do they avoid the news / media? Do they trust it?
  

BELIEFS (SPIRITUAL, METAPHYSICAL , SUPERSTITIOUS)

• Any religions or spiritual paths they follow
  - any rules they must adhere to as a result of their path
  - any significant celebratory days
  - any sacred objects, people, or places
  
• Any metaphysical situations, rituals practiced, or creatures they believe in etc.
  - any encounters they've had with them? 
• Are they happy with their beliefs?
  - If not, do they want to leave their path or change to another one?
  - anything they used to believe in that they no longer believe in?
  

GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH / COPING METHODS

• What they do to reduce stress
  - Do they enjoy it, or is it doing harm to them?
  - Do they wish to seek help for it?
• How well they cope with stress generally 
• If they go to therapy, how they are finding it
  - is it helping them?
• What would be the most relaxing place / situation for them to be in 
• common stressors in their life right now
  
• How they act when they are too stressed out
• General mental health
  - how well do they look after their mental health?
  - how accepting are they of help? 
• what would need to change for them to be in a better place 
• How they are feeling at the start of the story, in general 

NEURODIVERGENCE (if applicable)

• How it affects them in general (behavioural, psychological etc)
• Is it something that they try to 'mask' from other people?
  
• Do others perceive them differently because of it? Do people judge them for it? 
• What their family and friends are like about it (supportive or not, etc)
  

MEDICAL (PHYSICAL AND MENTAL)

• Any illnesses or medical conditions
• How they affeect their daily life
  
• What they take or do to help ease the symptoms of these illnesses
• Do they get sick often? 
• Do they worry about their health a lot? 
• What their family and friends are like about any medical conditions (supportive or not, etc)
  

TRAVEL 

• The places they've been to that are significant
  - any memories from there that stand out?
• Where they'd like to go
• If they like travelling
  - do they travel local or global?  

POWERS , ABILITIES 

• Any special powers or abilities they have
  
• How much of a strain do these powers have on the body and mind?
• What limits are there to the power/ability?
• How do people react when they find out they have these powers?
  
• What happens if they overuse these powers/abilities?
• Any powers/abilities they'd like to have  (For both characters with and without supernatural abilities)
• Can they pass these powers down through generations?
• Do they like having these powers/abilities or not? 

PAST

• Any recurring memories / flashbacks
• Their biggest regrets from the past, and how they'd change it if they could
• People / places / things they miss the most from their past
• Anything else particularly nostalgic
  

FUTURE 

• Where they want to be...
  - in their working life
  - in their social life
  - in their romantic life
• Where they want to live 
• What they hope to achieve