20 Character Questions Worth Asking
Because the right question can change how you see your characters.
Last week, we talked about worldbuilding and how to ask your beta readers questions they haven’t seen a million times. Questions that go deeper than “Did the setting feel real?” and bring back real insight instead of vague answers.
This week is about your characters.
How to ask beta readers about arcs, motivations, and relationships in a way that helps you understand what’s landing, and what isn’t.
Protecting Your Heart With Yes-or-No Questions
Character feedback hits closer than you think.
If a reader doesn’t connect with your setting, that stings, but it’s easy enough to fix. Add a detail. Clarify a rule. Keep going.
But when they don’t connect with your main character, or when a relationship falls flat, it feels personal.
Like maybe the story isn’t worth writing.
That’s when the panic sets in.
So to avoid that feeling, you protect yourself by asking the easy questions:
“Did you like the main character?”
“Were the relationships believable?”
And what comes back?
Yes. No.
That’s it.
The problem isn’t the reader. It’s the question.
Those yes-or-no prompts don’t reveal what’s working or what’s getting lost.
Most of the time, the issue isn’t whether readers liked your characters or found them believable.
It’s whether they understood what motivated those choices in the first place.
When a Character Becomes Something More
Open-ended questions slow people down. They make readers pause and think.
Who stood out?
Who surprised them?
Who left a mark?
That’s what you want to know.
Character-driven stories aren’t about getting every detail right. They’re about connection.
Those small moments when a reader recognizes a piece of themselves in someone else.
20 Character Questions to Ask Your Beta Readers
Which character did you feel most connected to, and why?
Which character changed the most in your eyes?
Which one stayed the same, and how did that feel?
What did your favorite character bring that no one else could?
Who seemed like they were hiding something?
Which character caught you off guard?
If you could ask one character anything, what would it be?
Who felt most like someone you’ve met in real life?
Which character left you wanting more?
Whose story would you follow next, if you could?
What moment between two characters stayed with you?
Which relationship frustrated you most?
If one relationship continued after the story, which would you keep watching?
Where did a relationship feel unfinished, and why?
If you had to cut one character, who would it be?
Who did you want to see interact more?
What relationship felt like the heart of the story?
Who felt missing from a scene that needed them?
Which character felt out of place in the world?
What part of a character’s backstory or personality would you have liked more of?
Coming Up Next
Next week, we’re digging into plot and pacing.
It’s hard to notice where things slow down when you’re too close to the work, but the right questions can help.
In the meantime, I’d love to know:
What’s one question you’d add to this list?
Until next time!
–Mia
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