There are whole shelves dedicated to character development at the bookstore and library, but there is no better way to get inside your character's head than to spend time with them. Some people like to use question sets. You can create a Pinterest page for them, or you can just write scenes that you don't plan to use. That last one has been my method of not-really-by-choice.
I don't like the question sets, because they tend to lean on the side of ridiculous.
What did your character have for breakfast?
What's in his refrigerator?
Boxers or briefs?
Really? Is any of that going to tell me more about my character? If anything, I like the Proust questionnaire because I've actually used this (back in my college days) to learn more about people, but its not necessarily fun. Sooooo, I thought I'd do a pop culture magazine puff piece on for my character, Collette. Here is what she said:
What's your perfect day?
I'd spend all day on a private beach with Matt, eating pomegranates and listening to Sarah Vaughn and then I'd count the stars in the sky until I fall asleep on the back porch of our rented beach cabin in Hilton Head.
Collette, 16 year old empathic witch, just recently raised from the dead.
What's on your bedside table?
Talcum powder for the sheets, my bible and chrysanthemums for strength.
What's on your iPod right now?
Sarah Vaughn's Greatest Hits
What's in your Netflix queue?
Bright Road featuring the incomparable Dorothy Dandridge
What's your favorite word?
Insidious
Favorite Shopping Destination
Modcloth.com. They have all the latest styles and where else can you get gloves and calf-length pencil skirts? I don't want to look like a hobo. I have Mama's legacy to protect.
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