How well do you know your characters? Not just the things written into the story to fit the plot, how well do you REALLY know your characters?

One tip some authors use is to create a list of 10 or more details about their character that don't necessarily come up in a story but help humanize them. Details that help you as the author know them, either visually (ie character has a secret birthmark) or personally (ie an undisclosed preference they have for a food, favorite color, etc) or even historically (ie something obscure they did in the past or even a habit that doesn't really have a place in the story). These are things that are just random facts about them, to make them more real. Not necessarily details you'd include in your story to advance the plot or fit somewhere for descriptions for the readers.

In short, these are character notes for you as the author and they might just slip into the works by way of their personality. Seeping through. Part of creating HUMAN (or relatable) characters that feel real is that they have more personality and such than just shows on the page. That they have a life outside of the story plot. Like they truly exist.

So, to exercise and make use of this tip, let's try to make a short list of 5-10 facts about our characters that don't necessarily go into the story. Things that you as the author know about them, but for the readers, it's something they never knew. Oh and just to keep things orderly (and to get some of you some publicity) please name your character(s) and the story they come from in your comment. Thank you all, and as always, happy writing!