Character Questionnaire: Relationship Arcs

By David Griffin Brown

Relationships Are a Critical Part of Characterization

Relationships are an integral part of most stories. They serve as subplots that deepen the main narrative by adding structural complexity, but even more importantly, relationships are a powerful tool for characterization. As two characters push and pull against each other, readers get to see them both more clearly. We learn about their values, their hopes and fears, and their social limitations.  At any given time in a relationship arc, the two characters are either working toward connection or rejection. And there’s plenty of tension when one character is seeking connection while the other is in rejection mode.

It doesn’t matter if you’re mapping out a friendship, romance, or rivalry. Every relationship comes with its own arc, its own set of conflicts, transformations, and resolutions. Like the main plot, relationships are driven by a desire for change. Both characters want the relationship to be something different than it currently is, and through their interactions, they evolve together.

This questionnaire is designed for a single relationship. It will help you explore the characters’ starting points, their assumptions and misjudgments, the conflicts they face, and how they ultimately transform in relation to one another. Through these arcs, both characters will learn more about themselves and each other, for better or worse. Aim to use this questionnaire for every major relationship in your manuscript.

For more information about the plot points that typically show up in a friendship, romance, or rivalry arc, check out this blog post.

Character Relationships Questions

1. How does the relationship begin?
• In their first encounter, what do these two characters think about each other? What are their initial assumptions? How are those assumptions incorrect?
• Before meeting, had they ever heard about each other? If so, what details or rumours did they hear, and how did this influence their first impressions?
• What is the status of their relationship at the beginning of the story? If they met before the start of the story, what was their relationship like then?
• When they first meet, what five things do they have in common, and what five things set them apart?
• What are five principles or values they might agree on? And what are five things they argue over?
2. What does each character want (or not) from the relationship?
• At the outset, are the two characters working toward connection, rejection, or a clash of these intentions? (For example, a friendship might start out with both characters seeking connection; a rivalry could start with both rejecting each other; a romance often begins with one seeking connection and one rejecting.)
• How do each of these characters initially conceptualize their relationship in a way that the other would disagree with? (For example, one might conclude they are best friends while the other is lukewarm about the friendship; in a family relationship, one might be working toward reconciliation while the other is closed off because of past trauma.)
• Are they aware of what the other person wants, or do they misjudge each other’s intentions?
• How do these divergent desires create tension or conflict?
3. What are the preliminary hurdles the relationship must face?
• Following the characters’ first impressions of each other, how do their incorrect assumptions lead to conflict?
• How do these misunderstandings impact the development of their relationship?
• When it comes to the main external conflict, how might each character take a different approach? How might this lead to tension or conflict?
• What do these two characters stand to gain if they can work past their differences and/or initial assumptions? What will they lose if they fail to find common ground?
4. How do the characters push and pull each other?
• If one of the characters seeks connection, how do they go about trying to forge that attachment or bond? And how might this run afoul of the other character’s intentions or expectations?
• If one of the characters is rejecting connection, what steps do they take to voice their disapproval? What new conflicts might this create?
• What motivates both characters’ desire to come closer or distance themselves?
• What are the main sources of conflict between the two characters? For example, how will the events of the external conflict (the rising action) bring the characters together or push them apart? Will the plot drive a wedge between them? Or will their relationship create obstacles for the plot?
• Will each character handle conflict differently? If so, how do their strategies differ?
• Will the characters collaborate when it comes to the external conflict? What differences of opinion might arise? How might they be forced to compromise?
• How will their different approaches to the external conflict reveal their true feelings about each other? How will these approaches highlight their different values?
5. What is the status of the relationship at the midpoint of the story?
• Has the relationship grown stronger or weaker?
• What key events have changed their dynamic by this point?
• How much do they trust each other? How has their trust level changed since the beginning of the story? Are either of them harboring secrets that might shatter the trust they’ve built? Or is there a noble act that either of them could perform to rebuild trust that has been damaged?
6. Does the relationship hit a rock-bottom phase?
• What causes this low point?
• How do the characters react to this setback, and what do they do to move forward?
• If the relationship is a rivalry, do the two parties reach a “false victory” stage where it seems like they might get over their differences? What is looming on the horizon that will send the rivals back into conflict?
7. How does the status of the relationship impact the story's climax?
• Are they working together or against each other at the climax?
• How does their relationship add stakes to the climax?
• Will the conclusion of the climax bring them closer together or drive them further apart?
8. What do the characters learn about each other by the end of the story?
• How have their perceptions of each other changed?
• What new understanding have they gained that they didn’t have before?
9. What do the characters learn about themselves through their relationship?
• How has this relationship forced them to confront their own flaws or fears?
• Have they grown or regressed as a result of this relationship?
10. What is the final state of the relationship in the story’s resolution?
• Are they closer, further apart, or have they found a new balance?
• How does the resolution of the relationship reflect the growth or change of both characters?

Bringing It All Together

Relationships in stories are powerful tools for character development. Through the push and pull of friendships, rivalries, and romances, readers learn more about who the characters are. A relationship arc, like a plot arc, requires effort, conflict, and transformation. By the end of the story, both characters should come away with a deeper understanding of each other and themselves, whether they end up closer together or further apart. Whatever happens, a relationship should ideally be dynamic—it should change over the course of the story, as should both characters.

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 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.