The character tab in The Novel Factory software

Good characters are the holy grail of compelling novel writing. Some action packed novels may be able to get away with cut out characters, but having smart, funny characters that the reader can empathise with and identify with, will lift the novel to the next level.

Our novel writing software takes you through a step by step process of developing a many layered character, and we'll run through the basics here.

Character Development Step One - the basic introduction

We start with what you could call the gameshow introduction. A simple, single sentence which can be used to describe the character, usually not using there name. For example:

A perfectionist accountant from London, with a love of roller blading.

Then we break down each section of the introductory sentence, to delve into each part in more depth and found out: in what way this perfectionism manifests, what sort of accountant they are, whether they like their job, and how high up they are, whereabouts in London they live, have they always lived there, do they like living there, how much to they love rollerblading, do they do it every day, where do they do it, how long have the been doing it. This will give you a nice starting point.

Basic character interface in the Novel Factory

Character Development Step Two - the statistics

If you're going to visualise your character, you need to know exactly what they look like - and having all of this noted down somewhere is a good idea to avoid rookie mistakes like changing the protagonists eye colour halfway through a paragraph. Note down age, hair type, eye colour, distinguishing features, height, weight etc. You should also think about and make a note of, their motivation and a summary of their role in the story. Now is a great time to try to hunt for some pictures to represent your character as well. Photos can provide a lot of inspiration.

Questionnaire supplied in the Novel Factory

Character Development Step Three - the questionnaire

Not all authors like the questionnaire, but I think that's because it's sometimes been presented as the be all and end all ofworking out a character. I certainly don't think that, which is why it's step three, but I do think it's useful, and using a questionnaire can help prompt inspiration about things you might not logically get to. Our writing software includes a detailed questionnaire that covers everything from what's in their fridge to how they treat people better than them

Character Development Step Four - History

You probably won't want to do full histories for every single character in your story, but I find it extremely useful to write the histories of all my main characters, all the way from being a baby. It means you have to think about their upbringing and parents and it helps you really get a rounded view of a person.

To take advantage of our novel writing software to guide you through this process and keep all your notes safe and organised, download a free trial of the Novel Factory.

The Novel Formula - A Novel Writing Method: Step Seven

Full Character Profiles - Character Questionnaire

By now, you should already have a basic character profile for each of your main characters - comprising name, age, motivation, a single sentence summary of their role in the story, and a single paragraph summary of their role in the story. Also, you'll have completed an initial investigation into what makes each character tick.

If you don't have these things -click here.

Next, we're going to complete a detailed questionnaire about each major character. This is useful because it makes you look at  them from all kinds of angles you might not have thought of - such as: what do they have in their pockets? Or, how do they treat people worse off than them? And these little insights and details may help add interesting twists and layers to your plot.

If things occur to you while you're completing the questionnaires, it's a good idea to note the changes on your synopses - it should be a working document, constantly being updated and fine tuned as new strokes of genius occur to you.

Even the answers you discover that have no direct impact on your plot are invaluable. The information will help round out the character in your mind, and when you write from their perspective - this will come out, whether you notice it or not.

It's best not to try to complete the questionnaires for all characters at the same time - do each character at least one day apart, otherwise you'll rush it and burn out.

Another reason it's good to spread these out over a little time, is to give you a chance to people-watch in between. With the questions fresh in your mind, observe all the people around you - family, friends, colleagues, strangers - watch them all, and see what inspiration you get to supply interesting answers to the questions.

Completing these questionnaires should also highlight if any of your characters are too similar. If you're finding yourself writing too many of the same or similar answers then your characters may not be unique enough, and it may be worth doing more to make them stand apart.

If you have two characters that both have wild hair, sharp blue eyes and a cocky, outgoing personality, you've got to ask yourself, do you really need both of them? Could their actions be merged, streamlined into one? (Compare the Trainspotting film and book for interesting examples of how this can be done). More importantly, if your characters are too similar, your readers might get confused between them, and that's a sure-fire way to ruin your carefully thought out plot.

The questions in the character questionnaire are deliberately vague, they are meant to be open to a bit of interpretation.

One final note - don't get too dogmatic about it - if you want to skip a question, skip it. It's not an exam.

So, here's the character questionnaire:
Update - Click here for the new updated Ultimate Character Questionnaire

1.            First name:

2.            Surname:

3.            Middle name:

4.            Nicknames:

5.            Date of birth:

6.            Age:      

7.            Height:  

8.            Weight:  

9.            Hair:

10.          Eyes: 

15.          Skin:

20.          Hands:

21.          Scars, handicaps: 

24.          Family:

29.          Best friend:

34.          Other friends:

39.          Acquaintances:

44.          What makes them laugh:

45.          Ambitions:

46.          Philosophy of life:

47.          Hobbies:

48.          Music, art, reading preferred:

49.          Style of dressing:

50.          Favourite colour:

51.          What is in her purse or his wallet: 

56.          What is in their pockets:

57.          Favourite food:

58.          Allergies:

63.          What is in their fridge:

68.          Possessions:

69.          Most treasured possession:

70.          Educational background:

71.          Work experience/occupation: 

72.          Enemies and why:

73.          Description of home:

74.          Description of bedroom:

75.          Strongest character trait:

76.          Weakest character trait:

77.          Sees self as:

78.          Seen by others as:

79.          How do they treat people better than them:

84.          How do they treat people worse than them:

85.          Strongest childhood memory:

88.          How do they react to praise:

91.          How do they react to adversity:

Ready for the next step - Structuring a novel plot? Click here.