Interviewing a Fictional Character

Do your characters hide when you come knocking at the door? Try asking these questions instead to get to know them better.

We’ve all been through the get-to-know-you stage in meeting new people. Whether it is at work, or at school, or just moving to a new place, getting to know new people is difficult. It is made more difficult by the walls erected to keep our own personality and quirks obscured. Each person has their own walls around their persona, and they only let trusted people get to know the “real person” inside.

How do you get to truly know a person? You ask the deeper, thoughtful questions beyond name, job, school, sports teams, movies, etc. One suggested question for getting inside a person’s head might be: What is your most treasured possession? Or, How would you like to die?

However, you must be careful with such emotionally-charged queries, and use these questions with discretion, as they may be greeted with suspicion (or restraining orders) by one unfamiliar with your get-to-know-you questions.

In the late 19th century, an author named Marcel Proust penned a list of 35 questions to get to know a person better.

Learning about fictional characters

These 35 questions can also be used for getting to know fictional characters. Authors can dive right in and swipe these questions to ask of their characters. Truthful answers will guide character development and reveal things previously unknown.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
2. What is your greatest fear?
3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
5. Which living person do you most admire?
6. What is your greatest extravagance?
7. What is your current state of mind?
8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
9. On what occasion do you lie?
10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
11. Which living person do you most despise?
12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
16. When and where were you happiest?
17. Which talent would you most like to have?
18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
21. Where would you most like to live?
22. What is your most treasured possession?
23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
24. What is your favorite occupation?
25. What is your most marked characteristic?
26. What do you most value in your friends?
27. Who are your favorite writers?
28. Who is your hero of fiction?
29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
30. Who are your heroes in real life?
31. What are your favorite names?
32. What is it that you most dislike?
33. What is your greatest regret?
34. How would you like to die?
35. What is your motto?

What can you expect from The Hidden History of Oz?

To get to know the characters in the Hidden History of Oz better, I will be reaching out through a magic mirror to a number of the characters in Oz to interview them. You can count on a handful or more of these questions asked of each person I contact. This opportunity provides a rare, one-on-one glimpse into the private thoughts of characters you thought you knew. Stay tuned for more information.

While you’re waiting for the next interview, stroll on over to Amazon and pick up a copy of one of the Hidden History of Oz novels. Get an idea who these people are before you dive into their deepest unwritten thoughts.