Yep. You’re in the right bracket. It’s an interesting study.

Lol. I also have a degree in Psychology (B.A.) and favour the Myers Briggs, but you can’t do it for free online. I look forward to the post in this series about it.

I just did the millennial test you posted… I scored 91!!!!!!! Not sure if thats a good thing or not? Im 28 so I think I am in the right generation bracket!

Hi Connie, thank you for such a wonderful reply. I hadn’t thought about generational stuff, but thats a really good point. I suppose it would make more of a difference for someone writing historical fiction or fiction written in based on Earth. I am a fantasy writer which is probably why it didn’t occur to me. When I get a moment I will edit the template and upload it again to include your point – thank you 🙂 I will go take the test too I’m curious now! Now the personality tests I am more than familiar with. I have a degree and masters in Psychology, my personal favourite is Myers Briggs. It’s my own personal obsession, and there is a post in this series later down the line all about it. I have written a few before too, but this one will be specifically about character development. Thank you so much once again for the wonderful comment 🙂

Maybe they are remembering who they were in a past life! 😉

Regarding the Character Interview Template, one thing you didn’t include but which probably seemed too obvious was to what generation they belong. I was just reading an article on “Millenials,” those who are in their late teens or early twenties now. It’s an interesting read comparing generations, and there’s a quiz you can do to find out “how Millenial you are based on the traits of this new generation. The quiz is at: http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/how-millennial-are-you/. (It won’t mean much, though, unless you read the study.)

I scored 33, which put me right in with the Gen X crowd and is accurate with my birth date. Sometimes there are outliers, though, people who’s values, characteristics, and interests coincide with a generation other than the one they were born in. Is your character an outlier?

Another cool thing rather than an interview might be to answer questions on behalf of your character in a free personality quiz. (I personally like the Keirsey personality test based on Jungian theory of personality types. There are four areas in which you are assessed, resulting in 16 personality types –> http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/register.aspx.) If you answer for your character, you may find out more about them by reading the summary of their personality type. Finding out from your friends what their personality type is–and who isn’t curious?–may help you answer questions about your character. You may, for example, be having difficulty imagining how your character would react in a certain situation. Just imagine a friend with that personality type and how they would react.

My mind works that way too. In a way, I am those people.

That’s really interesting. I was talking to a writer today who said they don’t write it down before starting their novel either. They said they have their characters memories embedded in their mind as if they were their own, it’s a fascinating subject this. I am intrigued by different writers processes :). My inconsistencies were one of the reasons I started creating a template sheet actually 🙂