Kylie Day - How to Get to Know Your Characters With Character Interviews

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Copyright Page

2015 Kylie Day

Cover Design 2015 Kylie Day

All rights reserved, except where otherwise noted. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including informational storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, except for brief quotations in a review.

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Find Kylie online at TheWritingKylie.com

I really appreciate your comments, corrections, and suggestions. You can send me a note at . Thank you!

Dedication

To all aspiring authors around the world.

Why I've Written This Book for You

Ive dreamt about becoming an author since I was a child. Creating stories, worlds, and characters are one of the best things I know in life. Reading does not come far behind. I believe you feel the same way, since you have picked up this ebook.

However, I have often gotten stuck in the process of creating my projects in one way or another. Why? Because of a few reasons. Do you recognize any of the following statements?

• Have you ever bought several books on writing, thinking they will make you write better and/or faster, but instead you read and read and push away the time your should spend writing?
• Have you ever felt overwhelmed of how much information and how many full-length books there are about writing, so many that you dont know where to start reading (or where/when to start writing, for that matter)?
• Have you ever felt frustrated over how many extensive books about writing there are, but none that could give you the solution to a problem youve had at a moment of struggle or writers block?

I have felt it all, and I believe there are more people like me who have this problem. The fact that you have picked up this ebook makes me believe you are one of us. The overwhelmed, frustrated, and struggling writer was the reason I created The Busy Authors Guide -series in the first place.

Are you a struggling writer? If you are, then The Busy Authors Guide -series might be the solution for you.

I dont want you to waste your time wading through yet another full-length book when you should be writing the thing you want and/or need to do most. I want to provide you with bite-sized help, inspiration, tips, and creative exercises because I believe small steps are easier to tackle than giant leaps.

As an incurable reader with a BA in literature I have studied a lot of books (both fiction and non-fiction). I understand what it takes to create a written work (whether fiction or non-fiction). With that knowledge as a base, I have created easy exercises and questions for you to do and answer to work on your writing-project.

I also wrote this book (or more likely the whole The Busy Authors Guide Kindle series) because I want to help others who have that same dream of becoming and author as I do. I want you to write the book (or books) you cant stop thinking about.

If you are someone who wants quick and useful tips on how to develop your written work so that you can spend more time writing and less time with writers block, this book is for you. If any of the descriptions above apply to you, I urge you to read on.

What You Will Learn in This Book

The Busy Authors Guide -seriesis a series of short ebooks meant for all kinds of writers who wants to take their writing seriously. I am aware that not all authors want to outline or plan their work. Yet, you can use these books as sources of inspiration as well as practical tips on how to create your work. If you are stuck in your creative process or starving for inspiration, you can read one of these ebooks in less than an hour and then get back to writing with newfound energy and inspiration.

In this book, How to Get to Know Your Characters with Character Interviews , you will obtain questions you can use to get to know your characters better while planning, or writing, your story. In this book there are questions on every aspect of a character and his/her life: questions on his/her past, his/her relationships with others, his/her likes and dislikes, his/her reaction styles, etc. All of these questions are meant for you to get to know your characters so deeply that you will be able to portray them as organically as possible.

I hope you will find this book useful. Now, you snatched up this ebook to get some help, inspiration, and/or great tips, so here we go!

Exercises

One of the most important components of a story is the character. Readers feel for characters one way or another, and as a writer its your job to create well-rounded characters that your readers can connect with and either love or hate. If you want to engage your readers, and have them buy more of your books, having well-rounded characters is a step in the right direction.

To be able to write memorable characters you need to know them as much as you can. However, this can be quite tricky if you dont know where to start. Thats why Ive compiled the list of questions that follow below. In order to get the most out of these questions, put yourself in the mind of your character and answer the questions as if you were that particular character.

There is no time to waste, here are the questions

Basic information

Question 1: What is your full name? Do you have a nickname, if so, who calls you by that nickname?

Question 2: Where and when were you born?

Question 3: Who are/were your parents? Give some general information about, for instance, their names, birthplaces, occupations, personalities, etc.

Question 4: Do you have any siblings? If you do, what are their names and what are they like?

Question 5: Do you have a spouse or significant other? If so, describe this person in some rough strokes.

Question 6: Have you started your own family? If so, describe them in rough strokes.

Question 7: Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place (home and location) and the person/people you live with.

Question 8: What is your occupation?

Question 9: To which social class do you belong?

Question 10: Are you right- or left handed?

Question 11: What does your voice sound like?

Question 12: On what occasions do you lie?

Question 13: Do you have a motto? If so, what is it?

Question 14: Do you have any annoying habits, quirks, strange mannerisms, or other defining characteristics?

Question 15: What is your hair color and eye color?

Question 16: What kind of distinguishing facial features do you have?

Question 17: Which one of your parents do you resemble most?

Question 18: Do you have any physical traits that stand out (such as scars, birthmarks, tattoos, etc.)? If you have scars: how did you get them? If you have tattoos: why did you get them and what meaning do they have to you?

Question 19: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Past

Question 20: How would you describe your childhood?

Question 21: How much schooling have you had (high school, college, etc.)?

Question 22: Did you enjoy school? If not, why did you struggle?

Question 23: Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

Question 24: Did you have any role models? If so, describe them and why they were your role models.

Question 25: How did you get along with the other members of your family while growing up?