How to write a character. Interesting character in the book

When I started writing my first work, the question of how to create a character for the book did not arise for me. I did not look for tips and advice on the Internet, did not read books on the craft of writing, but naively relied only on my own strength.

In this article, I will share with you what not worth it to do to save yourself time and nerves, as well as tips that have worked for me personally.

How many characters should be in a book?

The answer is obvious: exactly as much as you are able to reveal.

If you are sure that each of the heroes will play important role in the general plot, does not get lost in the crowd of characters, then there can be at least a hundred of them. However, do not rush to take the reader with the number of heroes.

3 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Introduce Many Characters

When you start writing a book - especially in the fantasy or science fiction genre - there is burning desire populate your story with many charismatic and unique characters. Moreover, there is a positive example: there are whole series of books where the author managed to cope with a large number of heroes. But here are 3 reasons why I don't recommend it:

1. Huge waste of energy

   You are spraying. Instead of creating 3-4 interesting and well-developed characters in the same amount of time, you come up with 20 and rush between them.

   Here you need to ask yourself a question:

   Are you ready to spend a huge amount of energy on revealing n-number of characters, instead of writing another book or working out the plot in more detail?

2. Huge waste of time

   Character creation is hard work. And the time that you devoted to revealing the heroes could be spent on solving other equally important tasks.

   Are you ready for the fact that in the end you may be dissatisfied with the result, and the time spent cannot be returned?

3. The reader did not remember / got confused / forgot

   From my own experience, I can say that about 80% of readers who unsubscribed under the first chapters of my book said that it was difficult for them to remember a large number of heroes.

   Are you ready for the fact that some of the readers do not want to understand a lot of heroes and drop out at the very beginning?

If you answered “no” to at least one of the three questions, you should leave this idea at least until you get your hands on it.

How many characters do you need?

It is believed that three main characters are enough. The reader will definitely not forget who is who and will not get bored. Such a number of characters is in the hands of the author himself - more opportunities, time and effort to develop the fate of the characters on the pages of the book.

Primary, secondary, episodic: what's the difference? Why are non-key characters needed?

Once you've figured out how many characters you're planning, it's time to split them into three groups:

The role of secondary characters

If everything is more or less clear with the main character, I propose to consider the tasks of the supporting characters in a little more detail.

Task number 1 - Revealing the main character

Relationships between people and real life they help to learn a lot about a person, let alone books where the author specifically places emphasis in such a way as to present the main character as lively and versatile as possible. The role of secondary characters is usually assigned to friends and colleagues, a little less often to parents and acquaintances.

Task number 2 - Disclosure of the past and present

By using minor hero you can lift the veil of the past. Talk about something you didn't even know main character.

Example #1(distant past): Marge from A Nightmare on Elm Street. It is with the help of Marge and the reader, and main character learns that many years ago Krueger was pushed into the boiler room and set on fire.

Example #2(recent past): In the same book, Rod witnessed the murder that Krueger committed. This crime was blamed on Rod, who later told the main character that someone else was in the room at the time of the murder. Someone invisible who killed their mutual friend. And then the main character begins her investigation.

Also, a minor character can tell both the reader and the main character about what is happening in the present - at this particular moment.

Example: Film "Hostage" 2007. In the story, the daughter of the protagonist is kidnapped. While they are being attacked with a friend, the daughter (a minor character) is talking to her father on the phone. So both the viewer and the main character, not being nearby and not seeing what is happening with their own eyes, learn about the kidnapping of young girls, which takes place in real time.

Task number 3 - Influence on the plot

This item is somewhat similar to the previous one. But here the role of the secondary character is not to clarify the situation, but to some extent a fateful influence on the plot.

Example: Stephen King "The Shining" Hallorann, like Danny (the protagonist), has a gift called radiance in the book. It is Hallorann who warns Danny about the hotel and tells him to call him with all his might with his gift in case of emergency. This conversation eventually played a huge role at the end of the book. Danny, after his father tried to kill them, calls for help from Hallorann, who saves them and their mother.

Challenge #4 - Just being human

sometimes a role minor character is to just be human. Sometimes funny - for a comic outlet, sometimes stereotyped to ridicule deeply ingrained beliefs. You can often find stereotypical Russians or Americans in books and films, who are not key characters, but make the story more voluminous and entertaining.

What are episodic characters for?

The tasks of secondary and episodic characters may overlap with each other. An episodic hero can also help with:

• revealing the hero
  

  Example: if the key character is driving in a taxi and the driver's chatter is too annoying, the reader will at least infer the protagonist's temperament. As a maximum - if you place the accents correctly - it will give an understanding that the hero is a sadist: he imagined during the whole trip how in literally sews up the chatty driver's mouth.

• creating background and atmosphere

  If the hero enters a bar, he must be surrounded by people. At least a bartender, as a maximum - a crowd of people who are satisfied and not very happy with their lives. episodic heroes help in describing the scene. The bar can be noisy, stuffy from crowds. Such a technique with episodic (background) characters will help to make the scene more voluminous.

• plot advancement

  Often, episodic characters push the protagonist to what he will have to deal with throughout the story.

  Example: Koji Suzuki Call. The protagonist Asakawa rides in a taxi and learns from the driver about strange death on the road. The author himself notes: “If Asakawa had decided to take the subway home that day, it would not have occurred to him to look for a connection between two different incidents. However, no matter how you look at it, the beginning of novels is always a coincidence.”

How to create a main character for a book?

We discussed secondary and episodic characters, now I propose to deal with key characters. So how do you create a character for a book?

Appearance: Do I need to describe it?

Answering the question above, I will say: it is up to the author to describe the appearance of the hero or not. I do not presume to say that there is no way without this, but in most books the authors really describe the appearance of the characters. At least in general terms.

I don’t really like to describe my characters in terms of appearance: if you manage to harmoniously fit the features of the character into the story, that’s great. On purpose, because “you need to tell what the hero looks like,” I don’t do this.

I will share some secrets that I personally use when describing the appearance of the hero:

• Comparing characters to each other.

  For example: the main character sits in front of the TV and watches some program. On the screen, he notices the presenter, who is more or less like him. GG begins to compare himself with the character on the screen. It is even possible to imagine yourself not in his place and think that if they have a haircut and a slightly upturned nose, then the figure of the protagonist is better - the suit would sit on it properly, and the hair would shine under the spotlights much brighter and without any or styling aids.

• Interaction with nature and the environment. Task: weave together action and appearance description.

  For example: Kais turned around and, brushing away the strands that had fallen on his face, looked at Greg, waiting for an answer. He, seeing the movement of the young man, grinned and involuntarily ran his hand through his short hair, which the wind could not touch.

  For example: Gaby slams her fist on the table, tears running down her round, freckled face to the lines around her mouth.

• through other heroes. It can be both dialogues and thoughts. Often it turns out that in the eyes of others we look different than we think. Usually, other people immediately identify for themselves the main, most striking features of our appearance - this can be taken as the basis for describing the character.

With the following methods of describing appearance, I advise you to be careful. They have a place to be, but I advise you to avoid them altogether:

• hackneyed comparisons. For example: Ocean-colored eyes, chocolate-colored hair, and the like. There is nothing wrong with describing appearance with comparisons, but try not to use too hackneyed expressions.
• Description of appearance in reflection. This technique has a place to be, it is used in the book "50 Shades of Grey", but is already considered a stamp. And while the average reader may not care how the appearance is described, the reader-author or the very picky reader may draw negative premature conclusions about the story as a whole.
• Unrealistic, high-flown, exaggerated description of appearance. For example: Her skin was like velvet, I inhaled the amazing smell of her gorgeous fiery hair, which shimmered in the sun like silk, like a real sun. Her teeth are like pearls, and her eyes are the color of emerald. Her walk, figure, everything was perfect: from long legs I couldn't take my eyes off.

Character character

It's no secret that the reader remembers a character by character, not appearance. Failure is when all your characters differ from each other is the color of their hair and eyes.

Character (Greek χαρακτηρ - sign, distinctive feature, sign) - a combination of stable mental characteristics of a person that determines his behavior in life circumstances and, first of all, when interacting with people around him. Character is closely related to other aspects of a person's personality, in particular, with temperament, which defines the outer form of the character expression.

For the reliability of the description of the character, you can:

Method number 1- To ask questions:

• Is the hero annoying?
• What can piss him off?
• How will he react to the betrayal?
• Is he principled?
• For a hero, duty comes first?
• Is the hero conscientious?
• Will the hero get into the fight first?
• How does it feel about violence?
• How does he resolve conflicts: with a cry or with words?
• How loudly does he speak?
• Is the hero talkative?
• Is it easy to trust people?
• Is the glass half full or empty for the hero?

Other questions can be thought up by analogy.

Method number 2- Put heroes in ambiguous situations

Also, it will not be superfluous to put all your heroes in the same delicate situation and think about how they will behave in it.

For example: The hero has those he needs to take care of, but he is broke. A profitable but illegal business is coming up: to distribute drugs, kidnap people, etc. Will your hero go for it? And if on the condition that he will DEFINITELY never be caught?

Or other situations, like this one:

Method number 3- Associations

Associations are connections between mental phenomena, in which the appearance of one of them in the mind of a person entails the almost simultaneous appearance of others.

When you search for "association" you will find a lot of interesting things on the Internet. Asking people simple words you can learn a lot about them. Play associations with the characters. Find on the Internet or come up with a list of words yourself and answer them for your characters.

For example:

family - love
house - fortress
mother - native
father - betrayal
betrayal is pain
money is fame
power is violence
man - cruelty
woman is a victim
children are not needed

Now think, what can be said about the character who made such associations?

5 ways to reveal your character

• Through action/inaction

  In the same situations, the characters behind whom are own experience, past and motivation, will act differently. Their reactions to the circumstances are also dictated by temperament.
  

  Example: "Ten Little Indians" by Agatha Christie. Ten people are locked on the island. After the first murder, real chaos begins in the villa: everyone is scared, but behave differently. Someone is furious and wants to get out, someone is crying and predicts a quick death for everyone.

• Through descriptions

  You can reveal the hero through description environment . His house, office, life: does the hero keep order? Is his refrigerator empty because he is constantly working and simply does not have time to go to the grocery store? Are there photo frames around the house with family photos? etc.

  See also description weather or the joys of the current season can help to tell more about the character: does the hero like heavy rain, because then there is almost no one on the street? Does he like snow? Does falling leaves evoke any childhood memories? Happy or not?

• Through thoughts

  This can be the thoughts of both the hero himself, who needs to be revealed, and the reasoning about him of another character.

• Through dialogues

  Dialogue is a very important part of any story. When they come out alive, reliable and interesting - this is already a great achievement. It would seem: what is difficult in describing the dialogues? You just talk through the lips of heroes about the current situation. It is, but HOW you do it matters.

  It is clear that artificially extended conversations will make the reader bored. So long exchanges of pleasantries (if this does not carry some hidden meaning) should be omitted. The phrases of the heroes for the most part should be informative:

  • show the character's attitude to the situation,
  • to the person he is talking to
  • his mood
  • willingness to compromise, etc.

  Writing good dialogue is absolutely possible, the main thing is to practice and learn from those authors who you think are good at it.
  

  When you start writing dialogue, ask yourself the question:

  Dialogue from which book or movie can I remember? What feelings did he make me feel? What exactly attracted and liked it so much? What side of the character's personality did the author reveal through the memorable conversation?

  Analyze the answers. As a practice: try to remake the same dialogue only through the mouths of your heroes (in draft). Did it work out well? Think about the techniques used by the author.

  The manner of speech will also give individuality to your characters. It could be:

  • Accent;
  • crown phrases, set expressions. Example: the hero adds after almost every phrase: “I think so” or “maybe not”;
  • The habit of giving people nicknames;
  • speech defects;
  • The pace of speech.
• Through interactions with other people

  It could be a relationship with episodic characters, as well as with the main ones. How does the hero behave in society? Is it polite to service personnel, does it interfere with passers-by, what kind of relationship with neighbors? How does he treat people in general? Do they annoy him? How does he behave with colleagues? With parents?

How to come up with names for the characters in the book?

The easiest way is to open lists of male and female names on the Internet, select the country in which the actions will take place, and pick up the ones that you like. Names to Avoid: long x and unpronounceable.

If you decide to come up with names yourself, I recommend making them as harmonious and memorable as possible.

Bad example: Mahtrangstenbach
Good: vilessa

If there are many heroes, try to do without surnames - this will greatly facilitate the life of the reader and help avoid confusion.

If you decide to come up with names yourself, consider making a few similar names for people of the same race or those who are territorially related. For example: all the names of one of the races end in "u".

In The Shine of the Rim, all the names of the nomadic tribe end in "tan": I-tan, Miu-tan, Ark-tan, etc. The names of all tsiturins - on "o": Ako, Nino, Jogo, Runo, etc.

How to come up with a name for the main character of the book?

The tips that I described above can also help in choosing a name for a key character. The main recommendation: let the name be as memorable as possible. You can find the name:

• in your head. What name do you think is appropriate? Maybe you came up with some name for playing in the yard as a child and you still like it? And most importantly: does it fit perfectly into the plot and the place of action?
• in the list of names on the Internet.
• in another word by rearranging or replacing letters. For example: silence - Channi Mol, marks - Teki (Teki), etc.

I want to remind you that there are no rules and standards that would dictate what a name should be. Only recommendations, advice, observations. Want a main character with the most common name? Let. With the unusual? Also normal. Just remember that your story will be read by other people who may or may not remember Karnodisavr Makhmarkhatov. Keep this in mind.

I hope the article was useful for you and you learned something new for yourself. Thank you for your attention!

Heroes and characters play a key role in the story - we look at the world through their eyes, we live with their feelings, we empathize with them throughout the story. However, in order for the image to turn out whole and “alive”, you will have to work hard on it, inventing and prescribing all its elements.

So, what is the image of any character? Two main parts - appearance and inner world. And each of these parts, in turn, consists of several interconnected elements.

Creating the appearance of the hero

1. Visual appearance.

Common elements of the visual image are the color of the eyes, hair and skin, height-weight, complexion, facial features, the presence or absence of any limbs, gait - stooped or with a straight back. Additional items - unusual shape ears or lips, hairstyle, scars, lameness, glasses, moles, mustaches, beards, freckles, etc.
Appearance is a sign. And our consciousness is filled with stereotypes that respond to signs. As with the symbolic word "apple" we imagine the image of the fruit and its taste, so when describing the hero we associate his appearance with his character.

For example, many will immediately consider a plump and undersized person to be a good-natured person, a red-haired and green-eyed woman - a passionate and freedom-loving nature, a limping black-eyed man with a scar - definitely a bandit, a blue-eyed blonde - a close-minded angel. And so on.

Choosing the color of eyes and hair for a character, we not only focus on our own ideal, but also subconsciously attribute to him the features of a stereotype. And you can play on this, making the plump "good man" the main villain, and the blond angel - a demon, surprising readers with the unexpectedness of perception.

2. Clothing and footwear.

We ourselves dress based on character traits (in everyday life), out of necessity (season or work), out of fashion, out of national characteristics or features of the subculture (emo or goths). We dress and shoe the characters according to the same principles. And we also choose the color and cut of clothes and shoes, accessories like neckerchiefs or hats.

For knowledgeable people, clothing and its color will tell a lot about us - about character, preferences and fears. When working on the image of the hero of knowledge psychological characteristics- at least colors- can be very useful. It is also useful to study local subcultures - they are symbolic, and you can create something of your own based on them.

3. Auditory and kinesthetic (tactile) perception.

To auditory perception primarily refers to the timbre of the voice. And you can play on the correspondence-inconsistency of voice and appearance, diversifying the image and surprising the reader.

The auditory perception of the image also includes all the sounds made by a person: coughing, grunting, sniffling, exclamation, chuckles. And a tirelessly sniffing or blowing one's nose causes a certain emotional reaction which completes the image. As well as the vocal characteristics of the national characteristics of speech - the well-known dialect "okanye" or "yakany", "swallowing" the last syllable, etc.

The whole gamut of human emotions is reflected in the voice - in a surprised exclamation, in an increase in tone with anger, in a stutter with embarrassment, in a scream with discontent, etc. The Russian language is rich in descriptions of emotions, you just need to choose the right ones for your character.

kinesthetic perception are feelings from a person. Smells, intuitive perception, aura sensation. There are famous common expressions- "an aura of danger emanated from him", "he has a heavy energy, and he suppressed himself." And it’s not worth talking much about smells, and so it’s clear. And you should not neglect these feelings, they are an integral part of the character and

Literary course "Creating a hero"

Suitable for those who start writing a book, and for those who want to refine and "revive" an already finished character.

In 14 days you will receive all the necessary theory and step-by-step practical tasks. At the end of the course, you will have full story hero. You will learn his motives and come up with bright plot twists that will show the development of the character of the hero in the best possible way.

4. Emotional and behavioral reactions.

Facial expressions, gestures, changes in movements or complexion - all this complements the appearance of the character. Without them, it seems cardboard, painted, fake, inanimate.

Emotional reactions - this is, in fact, an emotional response to one's own or other people's words, behavior, unexpected meeting, on the feelings that one character has for another, on the attitude to what is happening.

So, the characters turn pale with anger, blush with rage, turn pink with embarrassment, turn green with longing. They smile gleefully or wickedly, wince in displeasure, squint in suspicion, and make faces in teasing.

Behavioral responses- this is visible behavior: in gestures or in movements, habitual or changing in different situations.

habitual reactions- these are mechanical movements, those that the person himself no longer notices, but does constantly.

Someone likes to wind a strand of hair around their finger, someone likes to pinch their earlobe, someone likes to scratch their nose or heel, someone during a conversation reinforces words with gestures and waves his hands. This also includes gait and landing - on the couch or at the table (often found: "habitually lounging on the couch" or "habitually climbing into a chair with your feet").

Changing reactions- these are changes in habitual actions or in actions that depend on situations.

So, a person stoops in a cold wind, shudders and looks around at a sharp shout, shakes his finger or shows his fist, stretches or rubs his tailbone after a long sitting, quickens his step, being late, etc.

Of course, in the initial description of the character, all these elements are not taken into account, but they can be gradually developed, weaving them into the plot on occasion. But first they need to be invented and assembled into a single image. This can help - for yourself, for others, for random passers-by.

Any person is already, consider, a ready-made character of the work, from which you can write off the appearance. Just like borrowing the inner world that will be discussed.

We invite you!

Daria Gushchina
writer, fantasy writer
(page VKontakte

Whether you're writing for fun or about to publish your book, characters are an essential part of any story and any short story. To write interesting story or a novel, you need to think through the personalities of the characters, and more importantly, you need to really get to know the personalities of those characters.

Steps

Consider what genre you are going to write in. It is fantastic? Historical novel? The genre of the work largely determines the personality of the characters. Even if your character travels through time, crossing the universe you invented, most likely he will have certain habits, and he will be unusual due to the difference in cultures and times.

Determine the main qualities of your character. What's his name? What does he look like? How old is he? What is his education? What is his family like? How much does he weigh? What are its distinctive features? You need to clearly imagine the image of this character.

• Of course, when coming up with the main characteristics of a character, you need to decide whether this character will be a person with a disability or belong to a certain social group. However, when touching on these topics, you need to be very careful and careful, especially if you yourself have not had such experience. Before you create and describe a character with a disability (or a character who belongs to a particular social group), you need to find enough information so that you do not write anything that may seem offensive or ignorant.
• Make sure that your character's appearance is appropriate for his world and his hobbies. For example, a professional fighter is unlikely to have loose long hair, because then it can be easily grabbed by this hair, dooming to failure. In real life, a character cannot have red or purple eyes without certain genetic mutations (such as albinism) or contact lenses. It's genetically impossible. And if your story takes place in real world don't explain purple eyes your character's genetics.

1. Determine the main personal qualities your character. This is positive and funny character Or is he always gloomy and gloomy? Is he closed? Enthusiastic? Diligent? Or soulless? Think about the main personality traits of your character so that you have a clear idea of ​​how this character will develop in your story.

   • You can also come up with the main interests and hobbies for your character. He is a programmer? Violinist? Dancer? Writer? Chemist or mathematician?

2. Try to better describe the character's personality. Ask yourself a few situational questions that will help you decide on the character of the hero. For example: “What would this character do if his mother died? What would he do if he accidentally met a long-lost relative? What would he do if he ran into a bank robber? What would he do if someone put a gun to his head?” These are examples of questions you can ask yourself. Write down the answers to these questions. After that, you should have some idea of ​​your character's personality.

   Add personality to your character negative sides. If you make it too perfect, people will get bored reading your story. Therefore, you should not create a tall, slender, beautiful, strong, honest and smart character if you want your story to be interesting and at least a little bit real. Add him weak sides such as drug addiction or excessive pride. Complicate his character!

   • But be careful not to invent negative aspects for your character that will not affect the main conflict of your story. For example, if your character is shy and clumsy, these flaws will not stand in his way if his goal is to get into the arms of a loved one. A true and interesting flaw would be something like this: “Clara is so shy that she can't bring herself to say what she really thinks. Because of this, she gets into trouble, because when her friends do something bad, she can’t even say anything.” Or like this: “Fernando is so clumsy that he constantly gets himself into trouble. When he was resting, he accidentally set fire to a curtain in the hotel where he worked with a candle, which caused a fire and caused serious harm to the health of those around him.
   • Don't attribute too many flaws to your character! If you describe your character as follows: “His parents died when he was just a child, and this caused irreparable trauma to his psyche. His adoptive parents locked him in a closet for the slightest offense, he is completely ugly and not socially adapted, he hates everyone and everyone and is terrible in everything he does, ”readers will not be able to accept your character and will simply find him annoying, whiny and uninteresting.
   • Also be careful if you are going to reward your character with disadvantages such as drug and alcohol addiction, mental illness, or disability. Quite often there are problems with describing a character with such features, for example, mentally ill people are often perceived as cruel and uncontrollable, people with disabilities - as completely independent, relying on other people for everything, although in most cases this is not true (for example, if we talking about a person wheelchair who has no problems with communication, who easily communicates with other people). These things require careful study, otherwise you may offend readers.
     • Search online for more information on how to describe a person with mental illness, autism, and so on.

3. Think about how you would talk to this character if you were next to him. Think about what he hopes for, what he dreams about, what he fears, about his memories. You can even try to imagine yourself in his place to understand how does it feel- to be in his shoes. it The best way see the world through your character's eyes!

4. Describe the scene with your character. If you're struggling with an idea of ​​what to write about, find an idea generator and choose the one that sounds best. Don't forget to show how your character reacts to different situations rather than just describing them. This will help you think better about the personality of the character, and if necessary, edit the description of this personality a little. If your characters react in a certain way to the situations that have developed in the course of the story, you are doing everything right.

   • The difference between “show” and “tell” is that by telling the reader about the character, you do not reinforce his personal qualities in any way (for example, “Dasha cares about people”). “Showing” a character to the reader means putting this character in a certain situation in which he will manifest himself in one way or another (for example, “Dasha reached out to hug a shaking crying child, took him in her arms and gently muttered:“ Everything is in order. Everything will be fine " "). To make the story really interesting and impressive, you need to try to “show” more than “tell”.
   • Enjoy! It's useless to develop a character if it's a tedious job for you, because if you don't like this character, will readers like it? It is unlikely that in this case you will get a good story.
   • Don't try to make your character perfect in everything. For example, you should not make him the best swordsman who knows how to shoot a bow, as well as an excellent rock climber, singer, universal idol, makeup artist, and so on. Don't attribute thousands of talents to him at the same time. There are no heroes who are good at "everything". Choose a few talents for your hero, think about which ones he will develop the most, and just keep quiet about the rest. Sure, you want to make your character awesome and interesting, but that doesn't mean they have to be the best at everything, because there really isn't a person who is the best everywhere.
   • On the Internet, you can find characteristics that will help create an interesting character. You can put the following query in search engine: "list of qualities of an interesting character" or "description of an interesting character" (without quotes). These lists will help you create a hero that you might not have thought of before.
   • If you're having trouble picking a look for your character, but have already thought about their personality (or vice versa), you can always think of a character's appearance based on his personality (and vice versa). For example, if your hero plays basketball, you can make him tall, if you have a twisted plot, you can make the hero short and not suitable for the basketball team.
   • When you write your story or story, b about Most of the story should be shown by your characters, not by you. If you are driving plot twist, and you can imagine how the characters will react, each of which has certain habits and personality traits that you have created for them, you will have a great story.

FULL NAME. or nickname
Why was it named like that? Is there a story associated with the character's name?
Birthday. Astrological sign - if it's relevant.
Race, nationality, religion
social class
Financial situation
Where and in what family was he born? short biography parents.

External data and health

Figure, face, teeth, hands, hair
Dressing style
Gesticulation, voice volume
How is the health situation?
Hygiene issues: how often does he wash - once a day? once a week? when it's raining?
Does he smoke, drink, sniff, inject? If not, what about those who do it?

Character and social skills

Temperament: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic?
What had the biggest influence on shaping his character?
His attitude towards others: are all people brothers? Or cousins? Or does he feel like an orphan?
What does he value in people?
What does he like? What does not love?
What do friends think of him?
Who is it best friend?
Does he have enemies? If yes, who exactly?

Education and profession

Where and how did he study?
Who and where does he work?
He likes his job?
If he doesn't work, what does he fill his days with?
Is he an entrepreneur by nature or an employee?

Personal life

Attitude towards sex
Love for him is...
His ideal woman (man)?
Relations with relatives. Does he have them? Who exactly?
Is he married, divorced, widowed? If he has an ex, what does he think of them?
Does he have children? If so, how is their relationship?

Place of residence

Country, city, district, house, apartment
Why does he live here - did he choose his place of residence or was he brought here by fate?
What does his home look like?
Who else lives with him? Wife, kids, neighbors?

Property

What does he live on?
What is he moving on?
Does he have property? A bank account, a house in Malibu, a house in Prostokvashino, land on the moon?
His relationship to property

Habits and hobbies

What are his daily habits?
Is he neat or sloppy? How important is order to him?
Is he an owl or a lark?
Food: what, how much and when does he eat? Is he a foodie or an "omnivore"?
Does he have a hobby?
Does he have pets?
Does he read books? Watching TV? Does he go to the cinema? Listening to music? Attending exhibitions?
How does he rest?

Beliefs, goals and dreams

Does he have a purpose in life?
What is he dreaming about? Is he trying to fulfill his dreams?
Where does he get his information from?
Who is his authority? Whom does he trust?
What motivates him?
Does he think that children are flowers of life, evil monsters, unidentified walking objects?
His relationship to religion.
His attitude to politics.
What does he think about his race and nationality?
“Homeland is important” or “My home is planet Earth?”
What ideals is he willing to die for?
How does he feel about violence?

Actions in the course of the novel

What does he aspire to throughout the novel?
What is his problem at the beginning of the novel?
How does he change throughout the novel?
How should readers react to the appearance of this character?
Why should they be interested?