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A Character Development Writing Exercise
Blind Date
Your protagonist meets your villain for the first time - on a blind date. What happens?
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Similar exercises
Get your creative juices flowing with these similar writing prompts.
The Truth Shall Set Your Characters Free
In order to dive deeper into your character's emotional depths, ask a round of questions - both probing and seemingly innocuous alike. (Hey, you never know when your character's favorite choice of ice cream topping might come in handy!) While we encourage you to build and refine your own set of questions, these questionnaires will provide solid inspiration for now: Arthur Aron's 36 Questions That Lead to Love, and The Proust Questionnaire.
Talent Show
Your protagonist has been asked to showcase a little-known, unusual talent at a community fair's talent contest. Begin on stage and show not only the performer but also the crowd's reaction to this talent unveiling.
The Dinner Party
Who are the three most unlikely people your protagonist would have dinner with? Why? Write the scene.
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Don't Look in the Mirror
It's impossible not to put some of yourself and your own life into your writing. But when you're writing about characters who you don't share much in common with, it can be tricky to authentically capture their "voice" and point of view. To develop this skill, fill out this character profile and base it on yourself. Then fill out a second one and make it as different from your own as possible.
Musicals
Your character's story has been Disney-fied. At what point in the arc does your protagonist break out into song - and what is that song about?
