Here are some:
Helpful Tips and Tricks for Character Development
There are many, many methods out there to help writers with such things. This is mainly because it is such an important aspect of writing, which you understand seeing as you're viewing this now. The characters are who the reader relates to, who carry the burdens of the story, who change depending on the circumstances, and, most importantly, who make the story what it is and guide it along. In this forum I'll provide you with tips, techniques, simple exercises, and examples for how to develop any character. Since I've seen so many people asking for help with Sesshomaru's character, I'll offer examples pertaining to him, and since I've seen Kagome's character weaken through time I will exemplify my take on her as well.
Character Foundation
This is very important. Just like for any house, you need a solid, reliable, earthquake resistant foundation, or else the whole thing will sink and crack and begin to collapse in on itself. Character foundation is basically the core of the character, their basic essences, their moral standing and the key things which make them who and what they are. For OCs (Original Characters), I commonly find myself with a character foundation in mind even before naming them.
In making a character's foundation, you need some key ingredients, including family history, culture, religious background, age, gender, goals in life, and any of their quirky beliefs (even racism, which Sesshomaru totally falls under at the beginning of the series). This doesn't have to be complex or in depth. In fact, if you want, just answer one per chapter you upload, and allow your character to unfold, but I DO want you to build up who they are and to keep that factor in mind throughout the story, even if that means revisiting this forum and skimming it briefly. These suggestions are also small and simple ones, and many writers attempt to base their stories just on this and perceptions. If you want to fiddle with a character, by all means just flop down someplace and daydream, think about them, let them live a little inside your head and assess what their actions are telling you about them. Everyone has their own take on characters, even our favorite couple on this site. For an example, here's my foundation on Sesshomaru and Kagome for my story How to Escape An Arranged Mating (In Ten Difficult Steps). Feel free to use it, but I would be much happier (and so would you) if you went ahead and develop them yourself, and make them YOUR characters. The examples below will be complex and thorough, but don't let that deter you, I have had close to a month now to develop their characters, it did NOT happen just on the spot.
Sesshomaru: The youngest pup in his family and the only male, with three living older sisters, two of them mated and living in China, the other staying with his stubborn and goal-oriented mother at the o-shiro (great floating palace) and keeps to herself for the most part. Sesshomaru, being the sole heir to his father's title, is pressured with responsibility and obligations, and despite his strength he still risks being severed as the heir to the Western Lands depending on his actions. His mother, for the last four years, has hosted the mate she has picked out for him for when he comes of age in the hopes that he will either grow accustomed to the female and bend to his duties, or at least fall into habit and accept what comes with a mere shrug. As much as it grates at him, Sesshomaru is very respective of his culture and upbringing, and acknowledges and performs his duties even if he has to grin and bear with it. After the first year with the mate-to-be in residence though, he got so fed up that he left the o-shiro for two whole seasons (something he was fully capable of doing since his lack of age means he hold no sway yet over the lands his mother rules over in his father's place) which happened to be when he found Rin and met Inu-Yasha's odd troop. This is also when he decided to resolve issues in his life, grow as strong as possible in preparation for his title, and to obliterate the nuisance Naraku so as to stand on good terms with the Lords and Lady of the surrounding Lands (Southern, Eastern and Northern, respectively). Over the years of watching Rin grow in Kaede's Village, Sesshomaru has developed a mild tolerance for humans, and is able to see value in them in terms of how he can use them, to what extent, and to what ends.
Kagome: Stuck in the feudal era for three years and running, Kagome is comfortably situated alongside Rin as Kaede's apprentice. He has examined villagers from head to toe, assisted in births, and travels when necessary to local villages. Before being stuck in the feudal era, the well had closed up for three years after Naraku's defeat, and she finished high school while idealizing about the well opening again and allowing her to live out her fifteen year old's fantasies. During high school, bending to her mother's hopeful insistence, she dated a few boys, but never went so far as to have her first kiss, seeing them as less than Inu-Yasha, and as less than what she desired in life. When the well opened though, and she jumped into the past with high hopes of marriage at the age of eighteen, she grew to realize the disadvantages to Inu-Yasha's hanyo (half-yokai ['demon']) blood, and went back in time into the arms of a fifteen year old boy. This highly disappointed her, and her prospects for love were dashed and thrown aside as a child's fantasy, a feeble hope gone bad. Because of this, she latched onto Kaede's teachings and made the most of her life, figuring she will never really find the right man and, after years, feels content with the idea. She doesn't NEED a man, although having one would be nice for the lonely times in life. She was perfectly strong by herself, and attended the archery club throughout high school and practiced the arts of kendo and wing chun for two years, seeking the thrills of the feudal era, hoping to redeem herself for all of her past slip ups, wanting to be stronger and doing all she could to be strong. Stuck in the feudal era, she is an non-ordained miko of high self-worth and self-respect. She loses herself to emotion sometimes, but she is far more mature now, and will not tolerate another's immaturity. She considers herself a good judge of character, and stands by her beliefs strongly, refusing to be weak and refusing to submit when doing so will offer her nothing.
Very thorough, very detailed. As you can see, these characters are copyrights of Rumiko Takahashi, but according to how I've developed them, they are 'mine', and it is a very satisfying feeling. The more foundation you can give a character, the more firmly they will stand before a reader and slap them in the face to induce awe and respect, curiosity and insight, familiarity and delight in watching them grow through the story. This is why I hold such high value on character foundation, and I wish you the best in pursuing it in all of your writings.
Character Framework
This is very similar to character foundation. Just as the bone-bonded muscles of a body allow the organism to flex, framework attaches as part of character foundation and grows away from it, allowing the character to move comfortably in the skin you make for them, and letting them dance and flex for the reader in an easy to follow and realistic manner. Normally, I backtrack to the character foundation and highlight certain points to use as framework. Let's go back to the analogy of the cement foundation of a house. Before any details are put into it, the architect will decide where certain rooms will go, how many stories the house will have, what shape it will be, and with those plans laid they will begin to build the frame on top of the foundation, a strong structure in which to contain the home and with which to define it. For a character, I normally look at their foundation and ask myself one key question: what about this determines their actions the most. For example, gender and age are natural reaction inducers, something we all relate to and understand easily. Because of this, they rank low, and do not stand out from the character enough to make much of a conscious effort in basing their reactions off of those factors. Normally, these natural reaction inducers will happen naturally throughout the story, so don't think about it too much. In terms of Sesshomaru though, I enjoy playing off of his rank of birth and older siblings. In my story, I made it a point that he knew how to dress someone in a kimono not just because he happened to take it off of them (natural reaction inducer being his gender here), but also because he had survived three older siblings who could drag him around as a youth and force him to help with certain things or to play certain games. Because of this, I highlight his family history as a key framework for his character and as something to think about when pondering his actions and reasoning. I've also based his actions in the story heavily on his cultural upbringing and resulting obligations. Because of this dedication to the framework sprouting from his foundation, I can take any number of colorful idea balls and throw them down into the room I've created, making the ideas bounce off of the framework I've created so I can watch with a smile and see where they land in the plot. When you set up a character correctly, you can get into their heads, and these colorful idea balls soon become their natural trains of thought. Here's an example of framework put into an actual paragraph:
Kagome: Because of how often she's messed up in the past, she's made herself stronger and has great pride in her beliefs and actions. When it comes to regarding other people, she is capable of slipping into miko-mode and regarding the individual as a patient and experience mother would, whether it's in dealing with children or with adults with questions about the facts of life. She strives to understand how best to assist others, and sometimes this leads to her investing a little too much care on a matter. She is prone to becoming exasperated with anyone who behaves childishly for no good reason, and will openly respect those who earn her respect.
This example was originally based off of the idea of her being the village miko and helping others. The idea ball bounced around, and the framework was stretched over how her status and duties would change both in themselves and her as an adult. If I wanted to know how she would act in response to, say, someone being shot with an arrow, I'd guess she would immediately take the necessary steps in saving them and being as quick and intolerant of lazy helpers as possible. If I wanted to see how she'd react to a guy coming on to her, I'd reflect on her high school experience and add that to her pursuit of personal strength and self-reliance, and figure it would grate at her if someone expected her to simply give in to him on the basis of her being a girl, or that she would turn away because of her responsibilities in life, or that she may even smear their lips with medicine and walk off. Anything you give them in their framework is something they are bound to act upon in any given situation.
Character Filling
Back to the house in progress, you can't have a warm and comfortable home if it has no insulation. This is the pink fluffy stuff you find meshed in between the wood of the framework, and while it's something we don't always think about we still appreciate it for the warmth, especially when things get cold. Filling is what I like to refer to as a character's memories. They hold no substantial or (usually) physical importance to a character when they are viewed by another, but memories can highly affect their course of action, even make them break away from their framework and act out of desperate desire to not repeat said memory. Filling adds some extra flavor to a character which you don't find in the rest of the pastry. It's an element a writer can draw on when they feel they are in a pinch, or when they want to push a character in a certain direction and can't with the material they have. In fanfiction, this filling is normally found within the actual series, including when Sesshomaru's father had a pep talk with his oldest son before running off to die, or when Kagome first sat Inu-Yasha, or anything (that held importance or sway in their lives) you need in order to base a character's necessary actions. Just remember that while filling is a nice thing to taste, it is NOT the entirety of a character, and it can not completely guide a character, merely make them interesting or assist in a tight spot.
Character Skin
This is the part of the character everyone sees, but the character may and will control that aspect into what they want to be seen as. Things like their physique or their hair and eye color fall under this category, but what I want to focus on is personality. We're all familiar with Sesshomaru's cold and aloof self, a strong and independent yokai who can and will kill anything and everything which imposes itself upon him or stands in his way. That is the skin he wears in front of others, the person he wants to be seen and respected as, and it portrays his ideals in regards to someone of his station. Sesshomaru's skin is quite thick with all the layers of self-restraint he has painted on. Kagome on the other hand as a fairly thin skin. She acts how she thinks and thinks how she acts, and while she is capable of being serious it will not stop her framework and foundation from showing through. Where Sesshomaru is a cement wall, Kagome is more like a window with angled blinds, which is what makes meshing these two characters into a relationship so difficult and, oh, so much fun. The skin surrounds a character's framework and is what other characters are allowed to see.
Character Soul
This is what really makes a reader fall in love with your character. This soul, this evolved combination of all the previous elements, is what completes the body we've designed and downloaded the required data into. Compare a human with a robot, and determine was is lacking. A robot can respond to situations, and it can fulfill certain functions. A human has a sense of humor, specific language and grammar usage, habits, quirks, favorite sayings, special facial expressions, preferences in food and company- anything which makes us unique as individuals, and what provides our friends with something to love us for. I can not even guess how many people loved someone's use of Sesshomaru lifting a solitary eyebrow, and how writers began putting that into their own stories, making it something entirely Sesshomaru while entirely not. I don't think he ever did that in the series, but everyone loved this expression so much that most fanfic readers know it. This soul is also what makes the character smile, or cry, or chuckle, or seek out a hug, or makes their eyes bleed red. It is the element which makes a reader stare, and smile with them, and relate to the character, and share the moments with the character as opposed to reading ABOUT everything. I can sum this element up into 'self expression', but that is not the same. Take the following example, try and find what character elements are implemented and where:
(ex. 1) Kagome stared, then laughed.
(ex. 2) Kagome fixed him with a stern look, biting at her thumbnail while pondering his motivations, wondering why he said what he did and suspiciously trying to relate it to earlier that day. Then the actual context struck her, and she balked as though splashed with a bucket of ice water, surprised, and regarded the calm, regal yokai with wide startled eyes. Did he really...? No, he couldn't have. But he did. That was so... random! Immediately laughter began bubbling out of her, and she very nearly lost her seat over the idea of what had just transpired.
I was tempted to make an example with one of everything that this forum covers, but doing so would make this a crappy example. You don't HAVE to use these character rules ALL the time (in fact, please don't), and that is the last step I'll explain in this forum: While it's great to have a solid, developed character, it's even better to allow the reader to grow and react with them throughout the story and to let their foundations and frameworks eventually be expressed through actions or character reflection, giving the reader that 'a-hah!' moment. Have foundation and framework to base certain responses off of, know what fillings can be used to add a little something to parts of a story, and play with the characters' skins and make them rub one another the wrong or right way whenever appropriate, but at the very least, allow the character's soul to express itself when appropriate, and to draw in the reader and fellow characters with a distinctly defined personality which has developed itself around core concepts and values unique to each of your characters. If it helps, keep a small spreadsheet or create a document so you can write down certain things about your characters. Make sure you know every little detail about them and what makes them tick, what makes them think the way they do, what drives them in life and why? The more you can develop your character on a piece of paper for reflection while you're writing, I guarantee the better of a writer you will become, and the more engaging your story will be.
Good luck, and please feel free to post any questions, I will be more than happy to help you out if you genuinely wish to learn how to better yourself as a writer. ^__^ Thanks for reading, and happy writings.
~AD
Favoured: 3
, that really was helpful 
). I agree that I wouldn't be able to do this constantly, I much prefer to let my caracters grow throughout the the story, let the readers 'meet' them slowly and unexpectedly explain their behaviour a little later. Ya know, drop hints and reasons here and there (at the right time, of course) and hope the readers have the 'ah-ha' moment when reading. 
