@ Nightsong – I always say to people not to force a character to stick to that original idea. Eventually, the more we write them, characters take on a life and breath of their own. If I look back on characters I have now, and what they were like when they first began their life… wildly different sometimes.

@ FitJerk – Yes! Finding that REAL person and sitting down with them can be revealing in many ways. Want a biker? Have a beer with one and see what that person is really like!

@ Mary – I like to think that my life is a story and I’m writing it each and every day. And in my story, I can be whoever I want to be.

@ Lori – Bingo. Cut the task right in half and bring it home to make it personal.

@ Mrs. Micah – I’d say ALL my characters began as a cliché – and I also have to say that even now, fully developed as they are, they *still* fit in a cliché… only they’re way better.

@ Robert – I do things a little differently – I never write anything down, but visualize the character in my mind. Then I get to know that person through writing. S’interesting, definitely.

And, yeah – NEVER force a character into your definition if that character wants to break free!

@ Michelle – Ahh, you’re getting the NaNo discussion flowing, good job!