When searching for resources on how to create a character you are likely to find lists of questions meant to flesh them out as a person. Many of these seem to focus on what they are rather than who they are; such as their name or physical appearance. Details that may or may not be important when determining a character’s actual personality, and that you may want to decide on after figuring out how the character is meant to act.

 

Still others are far too specific, such as asking what they ate for breakfast and if they made it themself. This may be useful in describing their daily life or setting a scene, but -- unless the entirety of the story takes place at their house -- circumstance will play a larger role in what a character eats at any given moment. Not to say that diet can’t be used to show something about a character: Kingpin in Netflix’s Daredevil is repeatedly shown preparing a particular omelette, which is starkly contrasted when he is first sent to prison. The omelette though doesn’t define his character, but is merely a tool to display part of it.

 

This list attempts to focus more on the broad strokes of a character’s motivations, especially those that lend themselves to causing or resolving conflicts. Conflict is the most important aspect of a story and a character’s personality should have some relation to that conflict. A proper character arc should have two of these traits in opposition to each other, with either one winning out in the end or a compromise being made. The traits in opposition can be in two characters, whether friend or foe, or an internal struggle within a single person.

 

Something they Need

Something they Want

Something they are Good At

Something they are Bad At

Something that makes them Stronger

Something that makes them Weaker

Something they Like

Something they Hate

Something they Know

Something they are Ignorant about

Something they Always Get

Something they Can’t Have

A Secret they want Learn about Themself

A Secret they Don’t want Revealed

 

Something they are Indifferent to

Something they find Funny

Something they take Seriously

 

A Relation to Another character

 

Flavour:

A Catchphrase

Something others Comment on / Know about them