I actually stole this from a thread on Scribophile, but in turn I’m pretty sure they took it from somewhere else, so I’m just spreading the love, because I think it’s awesome. It’s basically about what makes a good character, enjoy!
1- Every scuffed shoe and stained collar provides reams of information for your reader, and makes your job easier.
2- Every character, whether major or minor is motivated by something.
3- Rather than describing your character through physical appearance, try creating a sense of who he is and how he looks based on what he does and how he moves.
4- It’s only through writing and rewriting that characters finally gain their feet and become well defined.
5- Good characters almost never see themselves as others do.
6- Interview or observe someone who shares your character’s experience.
7- Characters are what they do.
8- Part of a character’s identity is what others say about him.
9- If the circumstances change, is okay for the characters to change too.
10- Physical description is not characterization.
11- First impressions are important: when a character first shows up in a story, readers start to like them or dislike them right away.
12- It is always good to give characters endearing imperfections. Humans are not perfect.
13- Murder will only make a character into a villain if he commits the crime for selfish reasons, and if the crime harms people who don’t deserve to be hurt.
14- No one likes to read the dull parts of a character’s life. In our own journals we tend to write down only what was interesting, skipping the boring parts of the day.
15- Everyone alive has habits and characters should too.
16- Don’t allow your characters to do stupid or illogical things.
17- Character transformation can be one of the most powerful effects in any story.
18- The highest character qualities are forgiveness and self-sacrifice.
19- Characters shouldn’t always act in character. People are not always predictable.
20- All stories are character driven.