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was his relationship like with his relatives? Describe the deathbed scene.

You can do the same thing with wedding and engagement announcements. How did the couple meet? How old are they? Is it a first or other marriage? What are their occupations? How long did they know each other? Are their religious or ethnic backgrounds the same or different? How did the families react to their engagement? What do each picture as their ideal wedding? What are their plans for the future?

Look at the classifieds. Sometimes people sell unusual items. But even the mundane items have possibilities. Ask why someone would be selling a diamond ring or giving away a dog or piano? What were the circumstances that led up to it? If they're getting rid of items to clear out their houses, what is the reason? What happens when the seller and buyer meet? Does the buyer try to haggle? Where does the seller live? Is it a difficult drive?

Don't forget the personal ads. Imagine what type of person posted the ad and who responds. Why are they looking for love? What prompts them to post ads? What happens when they meet? Do they look exactly how they describe themselves?

Use astrological charts to create characters. Find compatible and/or incompatible signs. Usually astrology guides list character traits for different signs. Borrow those for your character sketch. Use the horoscopes to spark ideas and situations. Interpret them any way you want.

Randomly generate characters with a phone book. Open a page and randomly choose a name. Turn to the yellow pages and randomly choose an occupation. You can also use this method to name your character. (More on naming later)

Look at photos. (Ideally use someone else's or look in newspapers or the library for pictures of strangers.) Ask "What if?" What is happening in the photo? What were they doing before the picture was taken? What happened afterward? What do they talk about? What is their relationship to each other? What does their body language suggest about them?

Mine your family history. Ask relatives about their lives. Find out about their childhoods, work, family, friends, their loves, hobbies, whatever else. Read letters, diaries, and appointment books. Write about what you remember. You don't always have to be the main character if you use autobiographical events. Borrow personal situations for your fiction. And you don't have to transcribe it exactly as it happened. Mix and match incidents. Change the outcome.

Regularly people watch. Observe the people in the checkout line, in your neighborhood, in waiting rooms. Listen to conversations (discreetly of course). Note mannerisms, postures, and rhythms of speech.

Use any combination of the above ideas. You could start off by basing your character's physical description on your Uncle Hank, but the conflict can come from another source. Maybe your Uncle Hank never smoked or drank, but your character smokes cigars and whiskey. If you base your characters on people you know, change their traits enough so they don't recognize themselves. On the other hand, some might be flattered that you've written about them.

If while you're writing, your character wants to go in a different direction or has different motivations, or other traits surface, don't resist it. Let your character lead the way.

Learn more about this author, R. M. Ziegler.
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