If you're writing about a character, if he's a powerful character, unless you give him vulnerability I don't think he'll be as interesting to the reader--Stan Lee
Writers aren't people exactly. Or, if they're any good, they're a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person. It's like actors, who try so pathetically not to look in mirrors. Who lean backward trying—only to see their faces in the reflecting chandeliers--F Scott Fitzgerald
In his book, Writer's Idea book, Jack Heffron reminds us that if we know too much about a character, we may grow bored very quickly. The character will offer no surprises and the piece will lack tension.
"Compare this situation to having a guest in your home who is unpredictable, volatile. At any moment, the most innocuous topic or comment could set off an emotional outburst. Even an offer of cheese dip becomes fraught with tension. Your character, of course, needn't be so volatile, but he should offer your piece a level of tension. The reader isn't sure what to expect."
Then he goes on to talk about how the first step in evoking people on the page is to be observant and that a good writer, while he/she may have an unbalanced check book, a roof about to cave in and no idea of current events, is always a good observer.
"You must be sharp, noticing subtle shifts in mood, intuiting thoughts that people attempt to conceal."
Prompt: List at least half a dozen people you know who interest you enough to write about them. Describe why you find them interesting. If you want, recreate them as fictional characters making up new names and changing some aspects of their personalities, but leaving the real people pretty much as they are.
Later
Keeping this one private in the interest of free self-expression (and keeping friendships)! What I liked about this exercise was how much potential each person would have as a fictionalized character. It was much easier for me to find dimension in someone I know than to create it in a character.
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