I found a quote on Pinterest that said, "If you’re struggling with writing a character, write 20 things that the Reader will never know about your character. These will naturally bleed into your writing and provide a richness even though you didn’t share the detail." (Barbra Poelle)
I tried it: It's magic. Totally fleshed out my character.
Just write things that don’t have anything to do with the story, the plot, characters and things the reader won’t need to know. Write about their family/friend problems as a kid, write about their favourite subject or old teachers. Write about times when they’ve been in trouble or have broken a bone. Minor things
Oooh I like that! I’ve actually done something similar and it helped me a lot!
One thing I read somewhere actually really helped me as well when I was stuck with my characters plot and development. It said something along the lines of, “- and if you ever get stuck, write down all the things that can go wrong in the story and against your character on a piece of paper. Then do it.”
Challenge your character and make their lives hard! No one wants to read a story where the character gets everything handed to them on a plate! Put all the odds against them and make it seem like there’s no way for them to be able to succeed.
Then all you have to do is find that way :)
By the end of the struggle, your character will probably have changed more than you expected!
