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JUNIOR LEVEL

What strategies do you employ to create well-rounded and relatable characters in your stories?

Novelist Interview Questions
What strategies do you employ to create well-rounded and relatable characters in your stories?

Sample answer to the question

To create well-rounded and relatable characters in my stories, I employ a variety of strategies. First, I dedicate time to character development, getting to know my characters intimately by creating detailed profiles that include their backstory, personality traits, and motivations. This helps me understand their actions and reactions throughout the story. Additionally, I draw inspiration from real-life individuals, observing their behaviors, quirks, and emotions to make my characters more authentic. I also utilize dialogue to reveal their unique voices and perspectives. Lastly, I ensure that my characters undergo growth and transformation throughout the story, allowing readers to connect with their journey.

A more solid answer

To create well-rounded and relatable characters in my stories, I employ several strategies that showcase my strong written and verbal communication skills and exceptional storytelling abilities. First, I dedicate ample time to character development, meticulously crafting detailed profiles that encompass their backstory, personality traits, and motivations. This allows me to understand their actions and reactions throughout the story and ensures their authenticity. Additionally, I draw inspiration from real-life individuals, closely observing their behaviors, quirks, and emotions to infuse my characters with a genuine quality. Dialogue plays a crucial role in revealing their unique voices and perspectives. By carefully crafting dialogue, I bring my characters to life and allow readers to connect with them on a deeper level. Moreover, I ensure that my characters undergo growth and transformation throughout the story, providing a relatable arc that resonates with readers. By employing these strategies, I create characters that are multidimensional, relatable, and compelling in my stories.

Why this is a more solid answer:

The solid answer expands on the strategies mentioned in the basic answer and provides more specific details and examples to showcase the candidate's skills in written and verbal communication and exceptional storytelling. It emphasizes how the candidate spends ample time on character development, draws inspiration from real-life individuals, carefully crafts dialogue, and ensures character growth and transformation. However, it can still be improved by providing more concrete examples of how past characters have resonated with readers or how the candidate has received positive feedback on their character development.

An exceptional answer

To create well-rounded and relatable characters in my stories, I employ a combination of strategies that fully demonstrate my strong written and verbal communication skills and exceptional storytelling abilities. Firstly, I begin by extensively exploring the backstory, motivations, and personality traits of my characters, crafting detailed profiles that serve as a foundation for their development. To make my characters truly relatable, I draw inspiration from real-life individuals, carefully observing their mannerisms, speech patterns, and emotional experiences. This attention to detail allows me to create characters that feel authentic and resonate with readers. Furthermore, I prioritize dialogue as a means of revealing their unique voices and perspectives. I ensure that the dialogue is natural, incorporating distinct idioms, slang, or accents to reflect the character's background and personality. Additionally, I utilize character arcs to provide growth and transformation, allowing readers to connect with the characters on an emotional level. By presenting relatable challenges and showing how my characters overcome them, I create narratives that captivate and engage readers. Overall, my strategies for developing well-rounded and relatable characters involve a deep understanding of their motivations, authentic dialogue, and meaningful character arcs that evoke genuine emotions in readers.

Why this is an exceptional answer:

The exceptional answer goes into greater depth and provides more specific examples and details to highlight the candidate's strong written and verbal communication skills and exceptional storytelling abilities. It elaborates on the process of crafting detailed character profiles, drawing inspiration from real-life individuals, prioritizing authentic dialogue, and utilizing character arcs. The answer also emphasizes the emotional impact and engagement that the candidate's character development strategies have on readers. It showcases a comprehensive understanding of character development techniques and the ability to create relatable and captivating narratives. However, the answer could be further enhanced by including specific instances where the candidate's character development strategies have received praise or had a profound impact on readers.

How to prepare for this question

  • Read books or watch movies that are known for their well-rounded and relatable characters to understand different approaches to character development.
  • Practice writing character profiles for existing fictional characters, analyzing their motivations, and considering how they could be enhanced or made more relatable.
  • Seek feedback from beta readers or writing communities on character development in your works. Use their insights to refine your approach.
  • Study real-life individuals and draw inspiration from their behaviors, emotions, and interactions to create authentic characters.
  • Experiment with different dialogue styles and voices to develop a range of distinct and relatable characters.

What interviewers are evaluating

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Exceptional storytelling and character development abilities

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