Characterization
Wednesday, 08/04/2010 
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A story is nothing without a juicy character or two. I highly recommend outlining the main character's goals-motivation-conflict before starting. It's not something I learned until recently and I was able to go in and edit the gmc's in, but it would have been easier if I had done it at the beginning.
Goals. What is it your character accomplishes during your story? How does your character change or not change?
Motivation: Why does your character have the goals he/she does?
Conflict: What is the main drama that causes tension for your character through the plot? What keeps the plot moving?
People have nuances. If you go out and watch people, try to write brief descriptions of what makes one brunette different from the next. It's a handy exercise and actually witnessing the sometimes subtle differences helps you put it into words.
I also use photos. Usually there's something in a face that sparks my interest in casting them as one character or another. I file the photos. It helps me keep the characters straight.
Besides the photos and descriptions, I keep character lists with descriptions and where their detail appears in the manuscript, for consistency. Consistency is important. Readers will call you out if you fail. And after you've been emerged in your fictionalized world for awhile, it's easy to mix things up. So, it's a good idea to refer back and refresh the memory before forging ahead.
Flaws make characters interesting and come to life. Perfect characters are nauseating and bland. A plot can get much juicier if your main characters have issues and faults. My favorite character to write to-date is a total badass. It was fun slipping on her boots for a few months.
