Character Questionnaire: Strengths and Flaws

By David Griffin Brown

Everyone Has a Slightly Distorted View of the World

In this questionnaire, we’re doing two things: (1) creating a sketch of your character in terms of their general strengths and weaknesses, and (2) identifying the source of their “weird pair of glasses”—a core fallacy about the world that they developed as a result of past experiences. In Lisa Cron’s book Story Genius, she refers to this fallacy as a misbelief, and it’s at the heart of a character's fatal flaw. More importantly, it should be something that gets in their way throughout the story.

The concept of a “weird pair of glasses” involves how characters (and people) develop distorted views of the world and themselves. Something significant happened in your character's past that created this fallacy, and it has come to shape their actions, goals, and fears. They often believe they are acting rationally and pursuing what they need, but in reality, they’re trying to avoid being hurt again.

The external conflict in your story may be about achieving a particular goal, but the internal journey is about removing these glasses and seeing the world more clearly. It’s about your character realizing that the very thing they thought would make them happy might actually be holding them back. As they navigate the story world, they will face situations that challenge their misbelief. Ultimately, their arc will involve them either taking off these glasses to see the truth or remaining trapped by their flawed worldview.

By exploring both the strengths that define your character’s capabilities and the fallacies that shape their internal journey, you can create a character who is complex, dynamic, and capable of true transformation.

Character Strengths and Flaws Questions

1. What skills, talents, or abilities does your character possess?
• Are they skilled at a particular trade or craft?
• Do they have a creative talent, like singing, painting, or writing?
• How did they develop these skills—were they self-taught, trained, or mentored?
• What new skills or abilities will your character gain over the course of the story?
2. What are your character's hobbies or passions?
• Do they have a particular interest that they pursue outside of their main goals?
• How do these hobbies influence their daily life and relationships?
• What are their favorite topics of discussion?
3. How does your character handle problem-solving?
• Are they analytical and logical, or do they rely more on instinct and intuition?
• Are they outwardly emotional? Composed?
• Are they good at thinking on their feet, or do they need time to process situations?
4. What social strengths does your character have?
• Are they charismatic, confident, diplomatic?
• How do they interact with others—are they empathetic, insightful, or skilled at conflict resolution?
5. What physical strengths or abilities does your character have?
• Are they athletic, coordinated, or proficient at a particular sport?
• Do they have any skills that involve physical dexterity, like dancing or martial arts, or that involve hand-eye coordination, like baseball or tennis?
6. What areas does your character struggle with or lack ability in?
• Are there particular skills or subjects they find difficult, like math, technology, or socializing?
• Do they have trouble understanding certain emotions or relating to others?
• What are some topics of conversation they prefer to avoid?
7. What are your character's weaknesses or flaws?
• Are they impatient, overly trusting, stubborn, or fearful of failure?
• How will these weaknesses create obstacles for them throughout the story?
8. What is the source of your character’s weird pair of glasses?
• What misbelief or misconception about themselves or the world do they carry?
• How did this misbelief form—was it the result of a particular event or a series of experiences?
• How does this misbelief influence their actions and decisions throughout the story?
• What are they trying to protect themselves from by holding onto this misbelief?
• How does this fear manifest in their behavior?
9. How does your character’s misbelief create conflict in the story?
• Does it lead them to make poor decisions or cause them to clash with other characters?
• How does this flaw get in the way of them achieving their goals?
• Does it cause them to pursue the wrong goal, or the right goal for the wrong reasons?
10. What would your character need to realize in order to overcome their flaw?
• What truth about themselves or the world must they confront?
• How does this realization tie into the character's arc and growth?
11. What is the turning point for your character’s internal conflict?
• At what point in the story do they begin to see their misbelief for what it is?
• What event or realization pushes them to confront this flaw?
• Will they manage to take off their weird pair of glasses?
• If they do, what new perspective will they gain?
12. How will you time your character’s transformation?
• Will they come to this realization prior to the climax, so that what they learn will enable them to succeed at their quest?
• Or will their weird glasses cause them to fail at their quest, in which case their defeat will bring about their realization?

Bringing It All Together

Both strengths and flaws are crucial for a well-developed character. The abilities and passions that make your character unique also play a role in how they handle adversity, but it is often their flaws—especially when based in their misbeliefs about the world—that create the most compelling conflict. Understanding the strengths that define your character’s capabilities, alongside the weaknesses that shape their internal journey, is essential to creating a nuanced and transformative character arc.

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 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.