Character interviews
Get to know your characters by interrogating them as if they were real people sitting across from you. King builds characters so vivid they drive the plot themselves, reducing the need for rigid outlines.
Steps
Choose a character you are developing and write their name at the top of a blank page
Ask them ten questions — mundane and profound — and write their answers in first person
Push past surface details: what do they fear, regret, and secretly want?
Put them in an unexpected situation on paper and see how they react
Keep the interview in your notes and revisit it whenever the character feels flat
Practitioners
Related Systemsin Learning & Growth
Mirror Writing Notebook
Keep detailed cross-disciplinary notebooks that connect disparate fields. Leonardo da Vinci's method for fostering creative breakthroughs by linking art, science, and engineering.
Thought Experiments
Explore ideas by running vivid mental simulations. Einstein imagined riding a beam of light — and discovered relativity. Your imagination is a laboratory.
Reading 80 Books Yearly
Read voraciously and widely. Stephen King reads 70-80 books a year because he believes reading is the creative center of a writer's life.
Patient Observation
Immerse yourself in your subject for extended periods without rushing to conclusions. Jane Goodall spent years simply watching before she understood chimpanzee society.