Character Questionnaire: Psychology and Motivation

By David Griffin Brown

What Drives Your Protagonist

To create characters that readers truly care about, it’s essential to understand what drives them. At a general level, we have many different (and sometimes competing motivations). These are all the things we want for ourselves and how we strive to serve others—both in the short term and long term. Our motivations define us.

But to really connect readers to your protagonist, you need to get specific. At the inciting incident, one of your character’s motivations will crystallize into a clear narrative goal. This is what your protagonist is going to struggle and strive toward over the course of the story, and their success or failure will be determined in the climax. Your narrative goal is crucial, because this is what will make a reader care (or not) about the story’s outcome. If it’s too general, or if the stakes aren’t particularly compelling, you aren’t likely to generate that all-important emotional draw.

Beyond the narrative goal and motivations, it’s also important to understand your protagonist’s psychological makeup—how they think, how they react, and why they behave the way they do. All of these elements will help you create an authentic and memorable main character.

Character Psychology and Motivation

1. What does your character want more than anything else in life?
• How do they plan on achieving it, and what sacrifices are they willing to make?
• What sacrifices are they not willing to make?
• What other short-term and long-term goals do they have, unrelated to the main narrative?
2. What is your character’s narrative goal in the story?
• What underlying motivation provides the foundation for your protagonist's narrative goal?
• How does the inciting incident bring this goal into focus?
• Do they initially "resist the call" or reject their narrative goal? If so, why?
• What is at stake externally if they succeed or fail?
• What is at stake personally/emotionally if they succeed or fail?
• How might their narrative goal shift or evolve over the course of the story?
3. What does your character fear the most?
• How does this fear influence their decisions and behavior?
• Are they actively trying to avoid this fear, or do they face it head-on?
4. What motivates your character on a daily basis?
• Are they driven by a desire for stability, adventure, recognition, or something else?
• How do these everyday motivations align or conflict with their bigger goals?
5. What emotional wounds from their past still affect your character?
• How do these wounds shape their current motivations?
• Do they try to hide or confront these wounds?
6. How does your character handle failure?
• Do they blame themselves or others?
• How do their past experiences with failure shape their present behavior?
7. What are your character’s coping mechanisms?
• How do they deal with stress or difficult emotions?
• Are these coping mechanisms healthy or maladaptive?
8. What kind of attachment style does your character have?
• Are they secure, anxious, avoidant, or a mix?
• How does this attachment style influence their relationships?
• What was their longest romantic relationship? How did it end (if it did)?
• How likely are they to cut someone out of their life who has wronged them?
9. How would you describe your character's personality?
• Are they more reserved or outgoing, and how does this impact their interactions with others?
• How do they respond to stress—do they thrive under pressure, crumble, or disengage?
• Are they naturally optimistic or pessimistic, and how does this outlook shape their choices?
• Do they rely more on logic or emotions when making decisions?
• Do they prefer stability or spontaneity?
10. What motivates your character to help others (or not)?
• Are they motivated by empathy, guilt, obligation, or something else?
• How do they decide who is worthy of their help?
11. How does your character’s upbringing influence their current motivations?
• Were they taught to value certain things, like hard work, family, or independence?
• Are they still guided by these values, or have they rejected them?
• How much education have they received? And how has that education shaped them?
12. How does your character handle uncertainty?
• Are they comfortable with ambiguity, or do they seek control?
• How does their tolerance for uncertainty influence their actions and decisions?
13. What role does personal growth play in your character’s journey?
• Are they motivated to improve themselves, or do they resist change?
• What events in the story push them toward growth or regression?
14. How does your character deal with success?
• Do they celebrate, feel guilty, or fear the pressure of future expectations?
• How does their reaction to success shape their behavior and relationships?
• In what situation is your character most likely to feel imposter syndrome?
15. What are your character’s triggers?
• Are there specific situations, words, or people that cause an emotional reaction?
• How do they manage or fail to manage these triggers?
16. What would your character consider a “good life”?
• How do they define happiness or fulfillment?
• How do their current goals align with this vision of a good life?
17. What moral lines is your character willing to cross to achieve their goals?
• Are there certain values they refuse to compromise on?
• How do these moral boundaries shape the story’s conflicts?
18. How is your character affected by their environment?
• How are they influenced by their surroundings, culture, or socioeconomic conditions?
• How do environmental factors create pressure or opportunity?
• How do societal factors create pressure or opportunity?
19. What are your character’s biggest sources of internal conflict?
• Are they torn between different desires or beliefs?
• How does this internal conflict affect their actions and decisions?
20. What is your character's mental health like?
• Do they experience anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges?
• How do these mental health issues affect their actions, relationships, and decisions?
• Do they seek help for their mental health, or do they try to cope alone?

Bringing It All Together

Character psychology and motivations are at the core of what makes a character feel real and relatable. Understanding not just what your character wants, but also why they want it, helps create a stronger connection between your protagonist and your audience. Dive deep into their psyche, and you'll find the motivations that propel them forward, making your story both compelling and authentic.

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

• Character Backstory Questionnaire
• Character Relationships Questionnaire
• Character Strengths and Flaws Questionnaire
• Character Voice and Expression Questionnaire
• Minor Character 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.