Minor Character Questionnaire

By David Griffin Brown

Secondary Characters Need Depth Too

Minor characters may not take center stage, but they play crucial roles in driving the story forward—by creating plot obstacles, imbuing the story with authentic complexity, and in general enriching the protagonist’s journey. Whether they’re allies, enemies, mentors, or catalysts for change, minor characters serve to support or challenge the main character, highlight specific themes, or provide depth to the story world.

In this questionnaire, the goal is to flesh out minor characters just enough to make them distinct, believable, and impactful without overcomplicating their role.

Minor Character Development Questions

1. What role does this character play in the story?
• Are they an ally, a mentor, an antagonist, a love interest, or something else?
• How does this role support or challenge the protagonist’s journey?
2. What is this character’s connection to the protagonist or main plot?
• How did they meet the protagonist, and what is their relationship like?
• Do they create obstacles, offer help, provide information, or serve as a catalyst for change?
• What does this character want from the protagonist, if anything?
• Are they at odds with or supportive of the protagonist’s narrative goal?
• Do they inspire, frustrate, comfort, or challenge the main character?
• How does this emotional impact affect the protagonist’s actions or growth?
3. What is this character’s attitude toward the main events of the story?
• Are they actively involved, passively observing, or trying to avoid involvement?
• How do they feel about the protagonist’s goals or the central conflict?
4. What makes this character distinct or memorable?
• Do they have a unique habit, quirk, or appearance?
• What specific detail makes them stand out to readers?
• What are some of their hobbies, interests, and skills?
• What are their weaknesses and aversions?
5. What is this character’s motivation?
• What do they want in life, and how does it influence their actions in the story?
• What past experiences influence their current actions?
• How do their values shape their decisions and behavior in the story?
• What is this character willing to do (or not do) to achieve their goals?
• Are they willing to help (or thwart) the protagonist, even at a personal cost?
• What lines are they unwilling to cross, and why?
6. How does this character interact with other minor characters?
• Do they have allies or adversaries among the supporting cast?
• How do these interactions help to enrich the story’s world?
• How do they fit into their community? What do people in their community think of them?
• What do they reveal about the culture, setting, and social dynamics of the world?
7. How does this character’s role contribute to the story’s theme?
• What thematic elements does their role reinforce?
• How does their journey reflect or contrast with the protagonist’s arc?
8. What is the character’s final state by the story’s resolution?
• Do they achieve their own goals, or do they change in some way?
• How does their journey, however small, conclude within the larger narrative?

Bringing It All Together

Minor characters may not be the stars of your story, but they are essential to creating a rich and dynamic narrative. They provide the protagonist with support, conflict, perspective, and depth. By getting to know their motivations, personality, and thematic role in the story, you can make them distinct and impactful.

Here are some more character questionnaires that may help you develop other facets of your characters:

• Character Backstory Questionnaire
• Character Psychology and Motivations Questionnaire
• Character Relationships Questionnaire
• Character Strengths and Flaws Questionnaire
• Character Voice and Expression Questionnaire

David Griffin Brown is an award-winning short fiction writer and co-author of Immersion and Emotion: The Two Pillars of Storytelling. He holds a BA in anthropology from UVic and an MFA in creative writing from UBC, and his writing has been published in literary magazines such as the Malahat Review and Grain. In 2022, he was the recipient of a New Artist grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. David founded Darling Axe Editing in 2018, and as part of his Book Broker interview series, he has compiled querying advice from over 100 literary agents. He lives in Victoria, Canada, on the traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.