The hero QuesTionnaire

The Hero
QuestionNaire
Use the following questionnaire to help you figure out which archetype
is most suited for your hero (or for yourself for that matter).
Answer each of the following ten questions, rating each of the
answers:
3 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
1 Almost Agree
-1 Disagree
See Female Quiz for detailed instructions.
1. What is the most important thing in his life
a. Being Right
b. Accomplishing Goals

Writer’s Guide to Characterization
c. Pursuing Dreams
d. Following Impulses
e. Work
f. Power
g. Having a Good Time
h. Analyzing People
2. How is his Temperament
a. Unpredictable
b. Composed
c. Hot Blooded
d. Intense and Focused
e. Easygoing
f. Workaholic
g. Dominating
h. Emotional
3. House and Home—What matters to him
a. He prefers his home to be elegant and impressive.
b. He prefers the city; an apartment is fine.
c. His home must be comfortable and have room for everyone.
d. He needs privacy and space for the things he likes to do.
e. Wherever he lives must be ‘inviting.’
f. He prefers to live in the country or where he is close to parks
and open spaces.
g. He can live anywhere under any circumstances.
h. He needs lots of space to play around in.
4. Childhood—How he used to be (if an adult now)
a. He had lots of secret games and created imaginary worlds.
b. He always protected the weak ones when playing games.
c. He mostly loved to play with guns and G.I. Joe.
d. He always had his nose in a book.
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Writer’s Guide to Characterization
e. He loved to be outdoors.
f. He loved acting and performing.
g. He played solitary sports and hobbies.
h. He tried to develop his own games and changed his name often.
5. When he has free time how does he spend it
a. Drawing, writing, sculpting.
b. Socializing with friends or attending a social event.
c. Activism.
d. Collecting ‘toys.’
e. Going to a bookstore or spending time reading.
f. Taking a walk/hike outdoors.
g. Working quietly, meditating.
h. Playing ‘manly’ games—karate, shooting pool, hunting.
6. Love and Marriage—What they mean to him.
a. Marriage only works with a woman who will let him have his
‘alone’ time. She can’t be needy.
b. Marriage is the foundation that allows him to work without
worry of normal daily troubles. The wife does that.
c. Love is all-important; without it his marriage is empty.
d. Love and marriage are fine, so long as he has plenty of freedom.
e. Marriage can give him stability but it can also be suffocating.
f. Marriage is not a luxury he can afford.
g. Marriage sometimes has to be sacrificed for the sake of his
work.
h. Passion is all important; without it his marriage is empty.
7. Friends—Their place in his life.
a. Most of his friends have the same job he has.
b. He chooses his friends carefully and they are very important
to him.
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Writer’s Guide to Characterization
c. He enjoys exploring ideas and going on adventures with both
women and men friends.
d. He tends to have friendships with solitary people.
e. His friends are mostly the acquaintances he meets with the
same interests.
f. His women friends are generally more important to him than
his men friends.
g. His friends are business associates he never really gets to
know on an intimate level.
h. He has very few close friends but many acquaintances.
8. Which of the following statements is most true for him
a. I’m filled with creativity and spontaneity—I’m always up to
something.
b. I keep to myself and spend much of my time at home.
c. I am most content and comfortable when I am working.
d. I like to be in charge and do things my way.
e. I love to party and I like to break the rules.
f. I am adventurous and often urge others to take risks too.
g. I am knowledgeable, I enjoy intellectual discussions and I like
my world to be calm and orderly
h. I am very competitive and driven to succeed
9. Books—What he mostly has around.
a. Art books, craft books, self-help books.
b. Serious nonfiction, biographies, coffee table books, travel
books, illustrated history.
c. New age books, psychology, metaphysics, I Ching, Tarot.
d. Sports, fitness, and yoga manuals, animal books, wildlife
books, how-to books.
e. Popular biographies, novels, poetry.
f. Politics, sociology, recent intellectual books, avant-garde literature,
philosophy books.
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Writer’s Guide to Characterization
g. Books on exotic places to make him look well traveled and
smart.
h. Gag and joke books, fun stuff.
10. The Larger World—His attitude toward it.
a. He tries to stay informed about what’s going on in the world.
b. Politics only interests him for the intrigue behind the scenes.
c. He knows more about the world from his dreams than from
newspaper or TV.
d. If it doesn’t affect him or his company directly, he doesn’t get
involved.
e. It’s mostly a corporate world, so he leaves the corporations to
it.
f. It’s important for him to play an active role in the community.
g. He knows what those in power are up to.
h. He rarely knows what’s going on—or cares!
Woman’s
Man
Protector
Business-
Man
Artist King Recluse Male
Messiah
Fool
1 = C A E D F H B G
2 = E C F H G B D A
3 = C F B E A D G H
4 = E B D F C G H A
5 = F H E A B G C D
6 = C D G H B A F E
7 = F B A E G D H C
8 = E H C A D B G F
9 = E D B A G C F H
10 = H F A E D C G B
Totals
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Writer’s Guide to Characterization
On the above chart, you will find the ten questions listed from top
to bottom. Enter your scores next to their corresponding letter for
each question. When you are done, add up all the score for each
column and record the totals. The highest scores show you which
archetype dominates your character.
Example: If on question 1 you scored answer A with a 2, then
go to question 1 above, find answer A, and place a 2 on the line next
to A. You will see that answer A applies to the Protector archetype.
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