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What Would Your Character Do?
"Get Inside Your character's Head" - Personality Quizzes for Analyzing Your Characters A book that seeks to help the writer really get into their characters' personalities and complexities.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
10 people are currently reading
978 people want to read
About the author
Eric Maisel
138 books164 followersEric Maisel, Ph.D., is the author of more than 40 books in the areas of creativity, coaching, mental health, and cultural trends. He is a psychotherapist and creativity coach, and writes for Psychology Today and Professional Artist Magazine and presents workshops internationally.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 10, 2016
The first chapter of this book is so interesting I’m finding it hard not to quote the whole thing. Maisel, who holds degrees in philosophy (B.S.), psychology (B.A.), creative writing (M.A.), counseling (M.S.), and counseling psychology (PhD) discusses what a personality is, the traditional psychologist’s theories, clinicians and experimenters, and how little is actually known or provable from a scientific stand point about personality.
He asserts “Fiction writers have a leg up on psychologist when it comes to understanding personality and character. To put it differently: Fiction writers are our real psychologist.” I love this perspective and after reading Maisel’s take on the failing of psychologist to actually define a personality theory, I’m fascinated.
Writers get to make up characters, defining who they are, what motivates them, how those characters interpret and respond to their world. And while what the writer creates is artificial, it is a depth of understanding human motivation and personality that rivals what psychologist have tried to understand and theorize about because we get to be inside the characters head.
Though there are plenty of theories of personality, they don’t hold up to the real scientific rigor of analysis. A real theory is provable and results reproducible, human personality theories are not. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis in the late nineteenth century, led the psychology movement down the path to experiments which led to a plethora of theorist. “...Gustave, Jung, Adler, Horney, Kelly Erikson...” their major ideas have not led to any one conclusive theory. In fact, “...no psychologist, psychiatrist, family therapist, or clinical social worker, could say, except guess, what caused depression, anxiety addiction psychosis or any of the other ailments that befall people.”
Without a concrete theory that explains why we suffer from these psychological maladies, “...health care professionals are left with three ways of dealing with our emotional health.” Medication, clinical methods(psychoanalysis), or behavioral changes. “Or they could do what natural philosophers have done for thousands of years, use their common sense and their understanding of human nature– and a lot of wit and warmth– to affect behavior changes.”
There are plenty of health professional who work this way. “There turned to be all the difference in the world between standing behind a theory and having insight into human nature. The first could be called pseudo-science: the second, wisdom.” To me, it this wisdom of noticing and being in touch with humanity that gives writers the basis for building characters that are alive and real on the page.
Maisel goes to discuss academia, the problems with diagnosis, and testing. Basically he wants you, the writer, to realize that professional psychologist are no more an expert on why humans do the things they do than you are. In fact writer have the advantage of being able to get inside the subjects head and know why a character is behaving the way they do, what exactly is motivating them and their secret wishes and desires. No therapist can do that.
The majority of the book is Maisel’s “personality quizzes for analyzing your characters.” Scenarios are proposed, such as “At the Airport” and questions asked with answers provided. The answer you pick for your character have a small synopsis explaining what that might reveal about your character. The first question about the airport is about waiting, if you chose the answer, “A. Restless?” you’d find out “ Waiting restlessly is consistent with type A character whose appetites, ambitions and high energy level make it impossible for him to relax.” While I found them interesting, they ended up not serve a purpose for me in this study. I was more intrigued by his ideas of personality and the writer than any of the exercises. Though I wouldn’t hesitate to try out the exercise if I ever feel stuck or wanted to do character building exercises for practice.
He asserts “Fiction writers have a leg up on psychologist when it comes to understanding personality and character. To put it differently: Fiction writers are our real psychologist.” I love this perspective and after reading Maisel’s take on the failing of psychologist to actually define a personality theory, I’m fascinated.
Writers get to make up characters, defining who they are, what motivates them, how those characters interpret and respond to their world. And while what the writer creates is artificial, it is a depth of understanding human motivation and personality that rivals what psychologist have tried to understand and theorize about because we get to be inside the characters head.
Though there are plenty of theories of personality, they don’t hold up to the real scientific rigor of analysis. A real theory is provable and results reproducible, human personality theories are not. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis in the late nineteenth century, led the psychology movement down the path to experiments which led to a plethora of theorist. “...Gustave, Jung, Adler, Horney, Kelly Erikson...” their major ideas have not led to any one conclusive theory. In fact, “...no psychologist, psychiatrist, family therapist, or clinical social worker, could say, except guess, what caused depression, anxiety addiction psychosis or any of the other ailments that befall people.”
Without a concrete theory that explains why we suffer from these psychological maladies, “...health care professionals are left with three ways of dealing with our emotional health.” Medication, clinical methods(psychoanalysis), or behavioral changes. “Or they could do what natural philosophers have done for thousands of years, use their common sense and their understanding of human nature– and a lot of wit and warmth– to affect behavior changes.”
There are plenty of health professional who work this way. “There turned to be all the difference in the world between standing behind a theory and having insight into human nature. The first could be called pseudo-science: the second, wisdom.” To me, it this wisdom of noticing and being in touch with humanity that gives writers the basis for building characters that are alive and real on the page.
Maisel goes to discuss academia, the problems with diagnosis, and testing. Basically he wants you, the writer, to realize that professional psychologist are no more an expert on why humans do the things they do than you are. In fact writer have the advantage of being able to get inside the subjects head and know why a character is behaving the way they do, what exactly is motivating them and their secret wishes and desires. No therapist can do that.
The majority of the book is Maisel’s “personality quizzes for analyzing your characters.” Scenarios are proposed, such as “At the Airport” and questions asked with answers provided. The answer you pick for your character have a small synopsis explaining what that might reveal about your character. The first question about the airport is about waiting, if you chose the answer, “A. Restless?” you’d find out “ Waiting restlessly is consistent with type A character whose appetites, ambitions and high energy level make it impossible for him to relax.” While I found them interesting, they ended up not serve a purpose for me in this study. I was more intrigued by his ideas of personality and the writer than any of the exercises. Though I wouldn’t hesitate to try out the exercise if I ever feel stuck or wanted to do character building exercises for practice.
April 27, 2014
Quick review for a quick read. Oh wow, this turned out much better than I expected. A practical guide to character personality that tests your character in a series of 30 scenarios with extended questions. Granted, it takes a little bit of creative stretching because the scenarios may not fit your characters (I tried three of my protagonists and side characters from the YA projects I'm working on, and suffice to say I had to skip a few descriptors/questions because they didn't really apply.)
This text made me think about how my characters would answer if put into a certain situation, and the Maisel's do a fine job of allowing the reader to come up with their own frame of the scenarios, but also following up with some possible choices and meanings for each question. I found it quite helpful overall and see myself trying these series of "What ifs" for crafting a narrative in the future. Note that I would say this is a supplemental personality text. This won't give you any distinct foundations on how to shape your characters, but rather provide an eye into how they would react in a given situation and allow the free-range of the writer's mind to expand upon that as they would like.
Recommended.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
This text made me think about how my characters would answer if put into a certain situation, and the Maisel's do a fine job of allowing the reader to come up with their own frame of the scenarios, but also following up with some possible choices and meanings for each question. I found it quite helpful overall and see myself trying these series of "What ifs" for crafting a narrative in the future. Note that I would say this is a supplemental personality text. This won't give you any distinct foundations on how to shape your characters, but rather provide an eye into how they would react in a given situation and allow the free-range of the writer's mind to expand upon that as they would like.
Recommended.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
August 25, 2008
This was a fun book to mess around with, and it delivers on its title with several exercises designed to explore your character's actions. Each exercise proposes a situation, then follows up with questions about what your character would do in the given circumstances.
But I kept thinking the exercises were just a little light. If you really want to get the most out of this book, it seems you'll use the questions withing as a jumping off point, and brainstorm a lot more of your own. For me, it wasn't illuminating enough to become a staple resource.
But I kept thinking the exercises were just a little light. If you really want to get the most out of this book, it seems you'll use the questions withing as a jumping off point, and brainstorm a lot more of your own. For me, it wasn't illuminating enough to become a staple resource.
June 20, 2010
I love Eric Maisel's take on creativity. His book "A Writer's Paris" is really wonderful, whether or not you're a Paris fanatic or not.
This book offers a lot of different ways to examine your character and get to know him or her in a more in depth way. It's a pretty quick read and very useful.
This book offers a lot of different ways to examine your character and get to know him or her in a more in depth way. It's a pretty quick read and very useful.
September 13, 2018
While the concept of this book is one that I really enjoy; and is the reason I bought it in the first place, I found there were almost more things I disliked about it than things I liked. However I will start with the pros of this book, and end with the cons.
Pros:
Provides thirty different scenarios each with handful of questions in relation to said scenario. I feel thirty is a simply a a fair number of scenarios to include.
Gives info about what your character's thought process and personality may be like depending on the answer you have chosen.
The formatting of the book is very easy to follow along with, and each scenario has a cute little picture drawn on the first page.
Does in fact help with getting a writer to think more about a character and their actions, or thought process.
Cons:
Has absolute zero answers that could pertain to a character in a magical setting; not even an urban fantasy setting which is absolutely needed. I could understand if there were no high fantasy or historical based answers, or informaiton, but no urban fantasy whatsoever? No options for using magic or supernatural abilities at all? Nope. None.
There are very few mystery, or crime based scenarios. Off the top of my head I can only think of one from the book that was about being cryptically told to leave town.
There are not enough options per question, and frankly some of the options are very weird or repetitive. There were quite a few options where my main and even side characters would absoluately do none of the things mentions because some of the options were such awkward and frankly confusing things for someone to do. There was also no options of "fight the person" or "kill the person" or even "threaten the person" or anything of that sort, there was barely any options for action based characters, because and this is another con: Everything is very average modern day fiction.
A lot of the scenarios and questions weren't anything someone writing the genre wouldn't automatically be able to think of. While there are some good ones, I found myself spending a good amount of time laughing and being utterly amused and perplexed at how vague, boring, and yet somehow hilariously awkward some of the scenarios and options were.
That said, I do think at least 9-10 scenarios will work even in by urban fantasy book, and maybe 17-18 of them would work in my next book which will be modern romance.
It needs more than thirty scenarios. Like I said it's a fair number, but it's not a great one for the price of the book. I paid $3 for my copy because it's a used copy from thriftbooks, however for $18 new, the book needs at least fifty scenarios.
Over all I want to give this book the benefit of the doubt that I will find it more useful in the future. I do like the format, and while some scenarios are ridiculous they are at least good for a laugh.
I would buy this book again if it came out in a second addition, IF the second addition had thirty more scenarios, and there were questions and answers that fit into urban fantasy.
Pros:
Provides thirty different scenarios each with handful of questions in relation to said scenario. I feel thirty is a simply a a fair number of scenarios to include.
Gives info about what your character's thought process and personality may be like depending on the answer you have chosen.
The formatting of the book is very easy to follow along with, and each scenario has a cute little picture drawn on the first page.
Does in fact help with getting a writer to think more about a character and their actions, or thought process.
Cons:
Has absolute zero answers that could pertain to a character in a magical setting; not even an urban fantasy setting which is absolutely needed. I could understand if there were no high fantasy or historical based answers, or informaiton, but no urban fantasy whatsoever? No options for using magic or supernatural abilities at all? Nope. None.
There are very few mystery, or crime based scenarios. Off the top of my head I can only think of one from the book that was about being cryptically told to leave town.
There are not enough options per question, and frankly some of the options are very weird or repetitive. There were quite a few options where my main and even side characters would absoluately do none of the things mentions because some of the options were such awkward and frankly confusing things for someone to do. There was also no options of "fight the person" or "kill the person" or even "threaten the person" or anything of that sort, there was barely any options for action based characters, because and this is another con: Everything is very average modern day fiction.
A lot of the scenarios and questions weren't anything someone writing the genre wouldn't automatically be able to think of. While there are some good ones, I found myself spending a good amount of time laughing and being utterly amused and perplexed at how vague, boring, and yet somehow hilariously awkward some of the scenarios and options were.
That said, I do think at least 9-10 scenarios will work even in by urban fantasy book, and maybe 17-18 of them would work in my next book which will be modern romance.
It needs more than thirty scenarios. Like I said it's a fair number, but it's not a great one for the price of the book. I paid $3 for my copy because it's a used copy from thriftbooks, however for $18 new, the book needs at least fifty scenarios.
Over all I want to give this book the benefit of the doubt that I will find it more useful in the future. I do like the format, and while some scenarios are ridiculous they are at least good for a laugh.
I would buy this book again if it came out in a second addition, IF the second addition had thirty more scenarios, and there were questions and answers that fit into urban fantasy.
September 7, 2020
Nice little writing book that was fun to read. Reminded me of a cross between the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books and a personality test. I'll have to keep this one in my library. It makes a great resource for character development in fiction.
The first three chapters serve as an introduction and explanation to how the rest of the book is laid out. In the remaining 30 scenarios, an opening vignette is presented, and in each scenario, there are 6 multiple choice questions presented, in which the protagonist has to make a decision to move the plot forward. Each question has 5 possible answers, and each answer includes a brief analysis of what that particular choice reveals about the protagonist.
I read every answer to every question for the first half of the book, and initially this was very revealing (though laborious) about how much power the author has in shaping perceptions of the characters through just a few significant "obstacles" placed in their paths. Each chapter closes with a "Situations to Consider" section that follows the 6 multiple choice questions, allowing the template of that scenario to be applied to similar plots with different components.
In the second half of the book, I chose just 1 or 2 answers to each question, based on how I would likely respond to each scenario if I had been placed into each story. This was even more fun, and it helped me to learn more about myself. I can see now how easily an author might craft a "fictional" story around autobiographical events.
I would recommend this book to aspiring writers and anyone who would like to enjoy an adult version of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series you may have read as a kid.
The first three chapters serve as an introduction and explanation to how the rest of the book is laid out. In the remaining 30 scenarios, an opening vignette is presented, and in each scenario, there are 6 multiple choice questions presented, in which the protagonist has to make a decision to move the plot forward. Each question has 5 possible answers, and each answer includes a brief analysis of what that particular choice reveals about the protagonist.
I read every answer to every question for the first half of the book, and initially this was very revealing (though laborious) about how much power the author has in shaping perceptions of the characters through just a few significant "obstacles" placed in their paths. Each chapter closes with a "Situations to Consider" section that follows the 6 multiple choice questions, allowing the template of that scenario to be applied to similar plots with different components.
In the second half of the book, I chose just 1 or 2 answers to each question, based on how I would likely respond to each scenario if I had been placed into each story. This was even more fun, and it helped me to learn more about myself. I can see now how easily an author might craft a "fictional" story around autobiographical events.
I would recommend this book to aspiring writers and anyone who would like to enjoy an adult version of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series you may have read as a kid.
January 13, 2026
Contains a good amount of information on different ways people react to situations to promot your ideas. Unfortunately I tend to write fantasy and these prompts veer towards modern realistic fiction, so many of the prompts do not apply without liberal tweaking. At times it feels a bit dated, but overall an acceptable read.
readers rating 3/5
readers rating 3/5
May 14, 2021
This book has some interesting ideas, but not enough to build an entire character on. It's best used if you're stumped or need a little inspiration. I didn't like all of the provided answers or agree with all the analyses, but it's easy enough to ignore that and make up your own responses.
February 7, 2016
I was pretty excited to find that my university carries this book. But the book itself wasn't as good as I had hoped. I read it from front to back, and there were 5 situations I particularly liked for the protagonist of the novel I'm currently working on. Mostly the others just weren't relevant, but I liked the amount of detail Maisel put into all of them.
There are 6 questions expanding every scenario, and then 5 options for each question. Each option is then given a brief relation to personality as to how a character who reacts like that would generally come across. It is limited in its scope, but at the same time there is a fair bit of accuracy behind it--going through the exercise as my protagonist, some of the personality briefs described him to a T.
Each scenario is also related to the real world in some way, usually through research. Some are experiments and some are case studies, and some are checklists for things like PTSD or bad ways to fight. I found some of them useful, but several of them I am already very familiar with; anyone who has taken an intro psych course would know of them. It's a good basis point if you want something to write with your novel characters that isn't your novel that potentially gets you out of a slump, but it's not really what I was looking for.
There are 6 questions expanding every scenario, and then 5 options for each question. Each option is then given a brief relation to personality as to how a character who reacts like that would generally come across. It is limited in its scope, but at the same time there is a fair bit of accuracy behind it--going through the exercise as my protagonist, some of the personality briefs described him to a T.
Each scenario is also related to the real world in some way, usually through research. Some are experiments and some are case studies, and some are checklists for things like PTSD or bad ways to fight. I found some of them useful, but several of them I am already very familiar with; anyone who has taken an intro psych course would know of them. It's a good basis point if you want something to write with your novel characters that isn't your novel that potentially gets you out of a slump, but it's not really what I was looking for.
December 30, 2015
I'm a big fan of Eric Meisel and recently dug this book out of a batch I'd bought several years ago when thinking about writing a novel--but never, until just now, thought of using.
It's proven hugely helpful as I begin to reflect and refine the characters I've dreamed up.
This is a genius resource for novelists. Meisel--a licensed family therapist, creativity coach and trainer--offers 30 different scenarios in which your main characters might find themselves. Then he provides quizzes to identify how each character might respond. Followed by a sense of the psychology of your character, depending on each choice. And, at the end of each of these scenarios, the author provides lists of other, similar situations, some fascinating "Did you know?" relevant insights, and Food for Thought.
Since I already knew my main protagonist fairly well, I was able to dive deeper into her psyche by using the insights from this book.
I highly recommend this for first-time (or even experienced) novelists, like me, that want to provide readers with deep, authentic, complex characters. Thank you, Mr. Meisel!
It's proven hugely helpful as I begin to reflect and refine the characters I've dreamed up.
This is a genius resource for novelists. Meisel--a licensed family therapist, creativity coach and trainer--offers 30 different scenarios in which your main characters might find themselves. Then he provides quizzes to identify how each character might respond. Followed by a sense of the psychology of your character, depending on each choice. And, at the end of each of these scenarios, the author provides lists of other, similar situations, some fascinating "Did you know?" relevant insights, and Food for Thought.
Since I already knew my main protagonist fairly well, I was able to dive deeper into her psyche by using the insights from this book.
I highly recommend this for first-time (or even experienced) novelists, like me, that want to provide readers with deep, authentic, complex characters. Thank you, Mr. Meisel!
July 26, 2008
I expected more. I should have spent more time looking through this at the bookstore - I was just so excited about the idea of "personality tests" for the characters in my novel. But it was more a series of questions - "What would your character be doing at a funeral?" Not something I couldn't think up on my own.
March 14, 2008
This book is greate for fiction writing. It gives personality quizes for your characters so you can get to know about them better.
January 23, 2011
Excited to get to this book. I think it will help me flesh out characters and their story and back stories too.
June 16, 2013
It was fine. It didn't work for me though. And it is definately for adult or older teenage characters.
March 1, 2016
Really good for writers block or trading with CP's.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews