On character

As I promised the writers in my Getting Into Character workshop at the Port Townsend Writers' Conference last week, here is my list (long, but by no means comprehensive) of Things I Like To Know About My Characters. Often I'll dream up a character and just start writing, but at some point I'll usually visit this list to see what else I'll need to know.

Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Gender:
Education:
Occupation:
Passion, if not same:
Finances:
Sexual orientation/status:
Sexual history:
Friends & enemies:
Family:
Hobbies:
Possessions:
Politics & religion:
Books & music:
Food:
Flaws:
Most noticeable feature / idiosyncrasy:

And on…and on…and on. Feel free to add your own items to this list — I've left out plenty of things, such as a character's favorite color, favorite ice cream, shoe size, bad habits, etc. — and many more. Knowing these little details help ensure that your character is truly separate from yourself.

Happy writing!