Michael Leask

In my previous blog, I mentioned the famous Proust Questionnaire. I was introduced to the questionnaire as a tool to help writers understand their characters in one of my courses in the Creative Writing Certificate. Though there were some interesting questions, I used them very little. I didn’t understand why until I finished the Character Development course from UBCx.

While I agree the Proust Questionnaire is valuable to some, the philosophical questions do not help determine your character. It could also be my mindset. I want more direct and relevant questions. Instead of, “On what occasion would you lie?” which already a dozen situations pop into my mind any reasonable person could experience, I would prefer the question, “What is the most evil thing you’ve done?” 

It’s similar but far more interesting. Depending on the writer’s character, would they tell the truth if something they did was horrible? I love this question even to the troupe of White Knight. What if your character was in a ‘new’ crusade, and they believed that the evilest thing they did was steal bread from a starving child, but just before he took the edible item, he murdered the child’s family—an acceptable scenario to the disbelievers under the rules of his crusade.

Maybe I find the Proust Questionnaire too old. From what I could gather, the questionnaire is something Marcel Proust answered in 1890 and did not invent or name. His answers (and the famous questionnaire) were published in 1920, a literary period focused on philosophical and topographical discussions in the Victorian Era. For example, “What do you consider the most overrated virtue?” While significant over a hundred years ago, the topic seems irrelevant in the present. Perhaps things are not as black and white, or society no longer values virtues.

The Character Development Questions, though most likely influenced by the Proust Questionnaire, ask direct questions to the writer and the character. The vocabulary is something modern society is more accustomed to hearing.

Questions like, “Which living person do you most despise”, or “Which historical figure do you most identify with?” are lost to the ages. I think a person can fluctuate rapidly on who they most despise. Moreover, I think most people don’t respect or understand world history, let alone accurately recall many important figures. Questions like those in the Proust Questionnaire don’t help explain who a modern character could be or their motivations. In the Character Development questionnaire, “Who is the most important person in your life”, or “While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them,” are direct, significant and profound questions for the modern writer.

The Proust Questionnaire has good questions. I don’t think they are relevant for an emerging writer. If some people use it because it gives them the objectivity to understand their character, then all the power to them. If a writer is struggling to understand character development and doesn’t know where to find help or answers, I suggest this course from UBCx.