Interview your character before you write the scene
Last checked against the product October 1, 2026
Novelists have interviewed their characters on paper for a long time. It is a way to find out whether a character has a voice of their own or only the author’s. In the Novelmint Studio the character answers back. Pick a character from your book, and Minty, the built-in editor, answers as them, working from what your story bible says about who they are.
Key takeaways
- Roleplay is a mode of Minty in which she speaks as one of your characters so you can test voice, dialogue, motivation, and consistency.
- She loads the character’s bible entry first, so the answers come from what you established.
- In character she knows only what that character would know.
- Type in [square brackets] to step outside the scene and talk to Minty as your editor.
- The mode is read-only. Nothing said in a roleplay changes your book.
What it does
What you can find out
Whether the voice holds
Ten exchanges show quickly whether a character sounds like themselves or like everyone else in the book.
What they want
Ask a character why they did something. If the answer is thin, the motive on the page probably is too.
What they would not say
A character’s limits and blind spots show up as soon as you push on them.
Where the bible is silent
When you ask about something the bible does not cover, she improvises in keeping with the character and tells you, in brackets, that there is a gap.
A scene before it exists
Play the other side of a confrontation to hear how it might go before you plan the beat.
Stepping out
Square brackets take you out of the scene. Ask what she noticed, then step back in.
How to use it
How to run one
Open your book and open Minty
The Minty button is at the top right of the Timeline.
Switch the mode to Roleplay a character
The mode menu is in Minty’s chat panel.
Say who
Name the character, or ask for the cast list and pick one.
Talk to them
Ask questions, or play a scene by writing the other character’s lines.
Take what you learned back
Switch to World building to add what you found to the character’s entry, or to Build to use it in a beat.
Example
A short exchange
You ask
Joss, why did you lie to Ines about the supply boat?
You get back
- "Lie is a strong word for it. I told her the boat was late. The boat was late."
- "...It was late because I asked Marek to hold it. You want me to say that part too?"
- [The bible says Joss avoids direct admissions but does not say why. Worth deciding: is he protecting Ines, or himself?]
- You, in brackets: [Protecting himself. Stay with that.] And the scene carries on.
An illustration with invented characters, to show the shape of an exchange.
Questions
Frequently asked
- Can I talk to my own characters with AI?
- Yes. In Novelmint’s Roleplay mode you pick a character from your book and Minty answers as them, working from that character’s story bible entry. It is a tool for the author to test voice and motivation.
- What is a character interview for?
- It is a way to check that a character has a distinct voice and a reason for what they do. Asking them questions directly shows up thin motives and borrowed voices faster than rereading their scenes.
- Does the character know the whole plot?
- No. In character, Minty knows only what that character would plausibly know. If you want the editor’s view, step out with square brackets.
- Does roleplay change my book or the character’s bible?
- No. The mode is read-only. To record something you discovered, switch to World building and add it to the character’s entry.
- Does it cost credits?
- It writes no prose for the book and never starts a chapter build. It is a conversation with Minty and is counted as Minty chat. Current allowances are on the pricing page.Pricing
What this page does not claim
- This page describes a tool for authors. It is not a chat service for readers.
- What a character says in roleplay is not canon. It becomes part of the story only if you put it there.
- The roleplay is as detailed as the bible entry behind it. A thin entry gives a thinner voice.
- The sample on this page uses invented characters.
Keep reading
Around the character
A roleplay is only as good as the entry behind it, and what it turns up belongs back in that entry.
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Plan a book with Minty
Talk the story through and watch it become chapters and scenes on your Timeline.
Chapter builds
Turn a chapter’s beats into prose, written from your plan, your bible, and your voice.
Revise and polish
Fix the one scene that missed without rebuilding the chapter around it.
Import a manuscript
Bring in a book you already wrote. Your words stay; the structure is worked out from them.