Character Interviews as a Revision Tool
The real Chester in April 2020.
I’ve been working on character interviews for my middle grade dog novel to help clarify my characters’ wants and needs and what’s at stake for them.
I wanted to ease into the interviews like I would for a real human being, not just baldly ask them what they want and why.
My agent mentioned a New York Times “Modern Love” column that listed questions for falling in love. I didn’t need my main dog character to fall in love, but I was intrigued enough to find the column by Daniel Jones, “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.”
The questions were part of a study conducted by psychologist Arthur Aron to “explore whether intimacy between two strangers can be accelerated by having them ask each other a specific series of personal questions,” Jones explained.
Since getting to know my characters more deeply is the whole point, I eagerly read through the questions. Then I chose the ones that seemed most useful for my main dog character, Chester, a four-year-old English setter. I left the questions in their original order. They get more personal as you go.
What’s a perfect day for you?
Name three things you and Jonnie have in common.
What do you feel most grateful for?
If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
What do you value most in a friendship?
What is your most treasured memory?
What is your most terrible memory?
What does friendship mean to you?
Share an embarrassing moment in your life.
Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?
Here’s how Chester answered the first two questions:
What’s a perfect day for you?
Running in the woods with Jonnie [his human girl/best friend] on her mountain bike so we can both go fast, especially if it’s cool in the morning and the smells are strong. Then having breakfast and taking a nap near Jonnie, whatever she’s doing. It has to be a summer day because then she’s home with me all day. Then lunch and she gives me little bites, like a pinch from her sandwich and one of her little carrots. Maybe a chip. Then playing outside, in and around the creek, hanging out on the porch where there’s a bed just for me while Jonnie reads on the swing. Supper after Mom gets home from work. Chasing the stinky cat and not getting swatted or scratched by her. Giving Daisy [Jonnie’s older sister] a cold nose on her bare legs because it makes her scream and that makes Jonnie laugh. Then sleeping in Jonnie’s bed on the bottom bunk with her and smelling her breath and her telling me every night before we go to sleep, “I’ll love you forever.”
Name three things you and Jonnie have in common.
We both love being outside in all seasons, and almost all kinds of weather except hard rain. I don’t like hard rain. It feels like worms slithering all over my skin.
We both think cats are weird and so is Daisy.
We both think Mom is awesome.
We both like Mason.
Is that three things?
The question about a treasured memory was the most challenging. Chester had a really wonderful life, albeit short, so he couldn’t choose one that was “most” treasured. Instead, he chose a moment that he shared with Jonnie that showed them relying on each other. It yielded a short scene that might show up as a flashback in the novel.
After Chester answered the psychologist’s questions, I threw in a few of my own that are related to his specific challenges in the story. Part of the plot revolves around Chester helping a young dog named Bandit, so I asked him what was challenging about working with her.
Asking one character about another can be revealing. Same with asking a character about where they live or work.
I have several more interviews to conduct with my characters. It’s a fun way to learn more about them.
I’ll likely circle back to Chester after I learn more from my other characters.