As I mentioned last week, I am teaching a class in short-story writing this semester entitled Once & Again: A Workshop in Creative Revision. This week’s class was relatively uneventful, from an outside perspective. If you had shown up in the middle of it, you would have seen five students (and one dashingly handsome teacher) sitting at computers, typing away. Pretty boring to look at.

But if you were inside those five heads, you would have been in the middle of some tremendous excitement. You would have stormed into a group of Iraqis, or been rushed pregnant to the hospital, or undressed in front of a stranger, or received a distressing call from your sister, or become a YouTube sensation for embarrassing the hell out of yourself. If you were inside those heads, you would have seen a world.

For next week’s class, I’ve asked each of the students to compile a list of 50 items about their main character. They already have their worlds. Now it’s time to populate them.

To help them out, I created a list of 100 starter topics/questions. While I was compiling this list, I got some good help from various writers around the web who had uploaded their own character-creation charts and processes. Because one good turn deserves another, I’m uploading my version to the web. If you’re trying to create a fictional character, I can only hope this helps. Enjoy!

Character Creation Worksheet

1. From the point of view of your story’s world, how did your character get his or her name? For example, does your character share a name with his or her grandparent? Is your character named after a song lyric, a Greek god(dess), a luxury car?
2. When is your character’s birthday? You may want to consider your character’s astrological sign before answering this question.
3. Does your character have any siblings? If so, what is the birth order? How did/does your character get along with them? Is there a sibling anecdote that might have some significance in the life of your character?
4. What does/did your character’s parent(s) do for a living? What effect, if any, has that had on your character?
5. Has your character ever visited a therapist? Why or why not?
6. What did your character want to be when he/she was younger?
7. Does your character have a hobby? If so, how did he/she first get into it?
8. Write the last nightmare your character had.
9. Describe, in precise detail, your character’s bathing/showering ritual.
10. Write a short poem as if it was written by your character.
11. When is the last time your character yelled at somebody, and what was it for?
12. Did your character go to college? If so, what was his/her major and why? If not, why not?
13. Describe, in precise detail, your character’s first kiss.
14. What kind of weather does your character prefer, and why?
15. What is your character’s favorite Yankee Candle scent? Remember, smell is the gateway to memory.
16. What is (would be) your character’s instant messenger name?
17. Is your character usually early, on-time, or late for his/her appointments?
18. Does your character believe in God? Explain his or her thinking (or lack of) on the subject.
19. Write a short dialogue that your character had while breaking up with a previous lover.
20. What charities does your character donate to, and why?
21. What is your character’s favorite alcoholic drink?
22. Does your character belong to a political party? Why or why not?
23. What is your character’s thoughts on tipping wait-staff?
24. Has your character ever cheated on his/her significant other? If so, describe the moment when your character “crossed the line” into cheating, and how your character felt about it.
25. Describe what happened the last time your character took a risk.
26. Does your character have a phobia? Visit The Indexed Phobia List for a complete list.
27. Does your character have a best friend? If so, how did they meet?
28. How would your character define “love”?
29. What is the last thing your character had to apologize for?
30. Does your character play a musical instrument? If so, which one and how well?
31. What object from your character’s childhood might make him/her upset if he/she found it in the trash?
32. Give your character a Rorschach ink blot test, and have him/her describe one of the blots on this web page.
33. If your character is married, describe the wedding he/she had.
34. What single thing causes the most anxiety in your character’s life, and why?
35. According to a recent survey, 80% of Americans think they have a book in them. Assuming your character is one of them, what would his or her book be about? What would its title be? If you’re feeling daring, write the blurb that would be on the back of the book.
36. When was the last time your character cried? What happened?
37. What is your character’s home address?
38. Is your character an organ donor? Why or why not?
39. Describe the last journey that your character took. If you’re feeling daring, put together the journey’s itinerary and write a short paragraph for each item as if your character is summarizing what happened there.
40. Has your character ever been involved in a crime? If so, what happened?
41. What is your character’s favorite article of clothing, and why?
42. Where does your character see him-/herself in five years?
43. What’s the last song that your character sung along with?
44. When your character is home, where does he/she spend the most time, and why?
45. Write a clinical description of your character’s predominant physical features. Now write a poetic description.
46. What trait does your character consciously try to suppress, and why?
47. Does your character smoke cigarettes? If so, how did he or she first start?
48. What is your character’s financial situation?
49. Does your character have children? Are they all from the same partner? How does your character relate to his/her children?
50. What does your character see as his/her greatest personality strength? What does he/she think is her greatest weakness? Are these realistic assessments; if not, why?
51. What is your character’s darkest secret? Does anyone else know?
52. Your character’s credit card is denied. Write a description of your character’s response from the point of view of the person standing behind him/her in line.
53. What street did your character grow up on?
54. Write a short dialogue between two of your character’s co-workers where they talk about your character. Your character is not present.
55. Does your character like his/her current living situation, and why?
56. Has your character ever had a serious illness or injury? If so, how did it effect his/her outlook on life?
57. Does your character have any pets? If so, what are they, what are their names, and how does your character interact with them?
58. What was your character’s childhood nickname, and why?
59. What is your character’s ethnicity? Is this important to his/her life? Why or why not?
60. Catalogue the items in your character’s closet and/or dresser drawers.
61. What is your character’s favorite food?
62. Who does your character trust the most, and why?
63. How did your character lose his/her virginity?
64. How does your character feel about his/her height?
65. Does your character surround him-/heself with people less, equally, or more intelligent than he/she is, and why?
66. Your character is pulled over for speeding. What does he/she say to the police officer?
67. How does your character feel about speaking in public?
68. Has your character ever served in the military? If yes, which branch? What rank did he/she achieve?
69. Describe the last party that your character hosted.
70. A friend passes your character on the street and doesn’t say hello. How does your character react?
71. Write a short stream-of-conscious paragraph that follows one of your character’s daydreams.
72. What is your character doing this weekend?
73. How does your character feel about the policy issues of the day: healthcare, education, the war in Iraq, the economy, abortion, gay marriage, etc.?
74. What would your character’s name be if he/she was a professional wrestler, and why?
75. What was the last item your character bought?
76. Would your character describe him-/herself as kinky? Would others agree?
77. How does your character feel about insects?
78. What was the last thing that happened that made your character embarrassed?
79. Write a short dialogue where your character asks a stranger to dance.
80. Write a short monologue that your character gave one time when he/she was drunk.
81. Your character has lost a broom. Explain how.
82. How does your character treat old people?
83. How does your character define “fear”?
84. What is the last thing your character usually thinks about before falling asleep? What is the first thing your character thinks about when he/she wakes up?
85. What self-help book would your character’s friends give him/her as a present?
86. Your character tries to return an item to the store. The clerk won’t accept it. Describe your character’s reaction.
87. How does your character feel about pacifists?
88. Is your character a racist? If yes, toward which race(s)? Does your character know it? Is your character proud or shamed by this fact?
89. Does your character have romantic fantasies? If so, about what and/or whom?
90. When was the last time your character took the scenic route, and why?
91. How old would a stranger say your character looks?
92. What is your character’s favorite expletive?
93. Your character dies and goes to heaven. What does he/she say to God?
94. How does your character define “art”?
95. Does your character believe in a soul mate?
96. Your character inherits one million dollars. What is the first thing he/she does with it?
97. What is the most cherished gift your character has ever received, and why?
98. What is your character’s favorite ice cream flavor?
99. What position does your character sleep in?
100. What can’t your character go a day without?