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to go to these lengths. Not every one of these questions will reveal critical information about each hero or heroine, Some will be more important than others. It's difficult to tell ahead of lime, however, which ones are crucial—and asking them all gives you every opportunity to learn the hidden facets of the characters you're creating.

Often the real advantage of asking and answering these questions is simply to make the characters more real to the author. That's a sense that carries over to the readers almost automatically, even if the information from the answers is never revealed in the story. Exploring your main characters fully will help you establish their heroic qualities, problems, and conflicts, and will help you develop satisfying outcomes.

Answer the following questions about your main characters. It's usually most productive to address one character at a time, but if you run into difficulty answering the questions about one, try switching over to the other main character for a while.

As you're answering the questions, look for points of agreement and disagreement between the characters. If he's from a big family and she's from a small one, how might that create problems for them in developing a relationship?

• What is this person's name?

• Why was he named that?

• Age?

• Birthday?

• What astrological sign was he born under? Does it matter to him?

• Where does he live? (Urban? Small town? Rural?)

• Why did he choose to live there? Was this geographical location his choice or someone else's?

• Does he live in an apartment? A house? What type or style? Did he choose the residence, and why?

• Does he live by himself? With others?

• What kind of vehicle does he drive?

• What are his important material possessions?

• Give a brief physical description.

• What are his hobbies?

• What kind of music does he enjoy?

• Does he have pets? If not, why not? Would he like to have pets?

• What are his favorite foods and drinks?

• If he has an unexpected free half-day, how does he spend it?

• How would a friend describe him?

• What is his education?

• What is his job? (For historical heroes and heroines, describe their place in family life or society. How do they occupy themselves?)

• Is this a long-term career or just a job?

• Why did he choose that type of work?

• How does he feel about his work?

• What does he want to be doing in twenty years?

• How does he feel about the opposite sex?

• Why does he feel that way?

• Is he married? Single? Divorced?

• Does he have children?

• Does he have former lovers?

• How would a former date or lover describe him?

• Who are his parents?

• Does he have brothers and sisters?

• Where was he born and raised?

• How important is the family relationship to him?

• Who is his best friend? Why?

• Who is his worst enemy? Why?

• Which one event in his life has made this person what he is today?

• How does that turning point in the character's life relate to the other main character in the story?

• How does he feel about himself?

• What trait does he want to keep secret from the world?

• What does he like most about his life?

• What does he dislike most about his life?

• What one thing would he like to change about the world?

• What would this person die to defend?

• What is his most likeable character trait?

• What is his most unlikeable or troublesome character defect?

• As the story begins, what is his problem?

• What does he do that makes this problem worse?

• Who is this person's love interest?

• What qualities in the other main character are most attractive to this person?

• What is this person's ideal happy ending?

• What reaction do you want the readers to have to this person?

• Why should the readers care about this person?

Did your discoveries about your characters surprise you? Do you feel more prepared to write about these people? Do you have more insight into how they might act or how they'll behave under stress or pressure?

You may feel tempted, now that you have all this information, to find places to plug it into the story. But