Last night at a gathering of folks from my MFA workshops, the talk turned to dating and the attempt to find a romantic connection. I listened to those who are using dating apps talk about how horrible it is to try to find a potential partner that way. I’ve known success stories from the apps, but for every triumph, there’s several tales of misery and regret. As one person said last night, “It’s just so hard.” Another person said, “He [her date] didn’t ask me a single question about my interests.” I’m amazed at the lack of curiosity—the nonexistent desire to get to know someone—that apparently goes on these days when it comes to looking for a lasting love.

The non-curious can never be fiction writers. Everything we do on the page is in the service of trying to understand the characters we create. No questions, no answers. No answers, no depth. We have to know our characters so well that we understand why they feel what they feel and why they do what they do.

To help us in this regard, here are a few questions you can ask yourself as you think about your characters’ multi-dimensional lives:

*Your character has something hidden in a closet. What is it, and why is it kept out of view?

*Your character has an article of clothing that they never wear, but they can’t bring themselves to get rid of it. What’s the story?

*Your character has something they stole. What is it, and why did they steal it?

*The last time they saw a family member, your character said something that now haunts them. Why?

*Your character lost something. Why do they keep looking for it even though they’re sure they’ll never find it?

*When was the last time your character cried?

*What was the last letter or email your character received or wrote? Why is the message significant?

*Your character has a guilty pleasure. Tell us about it. What happens if someone discovers what your character’s been doing?

*Your character saw something they shouldn’t have seen. What will they do about that?

*Your character lied to a neighbor. What was the lie, and why did they tell it?

Use any or all of these questions to investigate your characters, either before, during, or after you’re written a first draft. Doing it before may help create plot. Doing it during may help you get unstuck. Doing it after may show you contradictions within the character that were hidden from you. In either scenario, you’ll certainly deepen your understanding of your characters, thereby making them more multi-dimensional.