Character interviews are valuable for focusing the writer’s attention on certain details or quirks about the stars of our stories. But what do the questions asked reveal about the writer?
At this particular moment, I’m likely to ask my characters if they’ve had back trouble and if so, what they did to solve it. Working with the replies from my contemporary characters is likely to reveal something different (maybe even useful) than working with my characters from the future.
Then again, maybe one of my futuristic characters will give me a great idea for an invention…
You guessed it! I’m having back trouble. I was ready to be done with it about an hour after the injury. Obviously, I’m not the patient type. As a writer I shouldn’t be surprised if this back pain colors certain aspects of the storytelling.
Case in point: my shoulder was acting up while I wrote my second book – but it wasn’t until the editing process that I consciously realized that I’d put the injury on my hero too.
Why does this happen? Because writing is often both an escape from the writer’s reality and an illustration of it.
Similarly, the questions you ask your characters in an interview can reveal where your head is, your writing style, and your preferred type of conflict.
Do you tend to ask questions about appearance, movies, or music? Or do you trend toward thought-provoking philosophical questions looking to draw out the inner motives of your characters? Do you ask about fighting styles, weapons, myths, or even signs of the apocalypse?
It’s possible that taking a hard look at the questions (and answers) of a character interview will even reveal your ‘author platform’ (issues you’re passionate about) and that’s imperative to promoting your books and connecting with your target audience.
Whatever your style of character interview, dig in and see what the questions (and answers) say about you as the writer – then use that information to your best advantage in the story – and in the marketing.
Live the adventure!
