On Character Development

Today I managed to do several character sketches to prep for my NaNo project. On a break, I checked out this article pertaining to a school assignment focusing on a child's development. In the article, it describes an assignment were children (with their parent's permission) were to venture out on their own to tackle a task that they wanted to tackle - taking the bus by himself, going to the store by herself, trying something new, preparing his own food for the first time, - tackle it, then write about it.

Reading the excerpts from the kids' essays were inspiring. The kids were taking their first steps to become independent adults - pushing their own boundaries and comfort zones, their awe and wonderment of that "I did it!" moment, and the pride and growing confidence in knowing they can accomplish something.

With that in mind, I'm revisiting the character sketches of my primary characters (and if I have time, my secondary characters) and adding developmental background information that mirrors the developmental markers of people in general -

• First time they accomplished something they didn't know they could do
• First time they accomplished something they struggled to do
• First time they failed at something they thought would be easy
• The biggest failure that resonates with them
• First time the character experienced a sense of loss
• Any lasting rivalries with another character
• Fears (and explain the origins of the fears)

I know that some of these "first" or landmark incidents could happen during your story. Sometimes, the 2nd or 3rd "fail" is the one that resonates with a character the most. I expect very few of these scenes/markers to make their way onto the pages of the main story, but it will go a long way in explaining why a person is a wallflower, or why they always have to make sure everyone is safe, why they notice the littlest details (ala Monk's OCD) and how that can be a flaw.  

How do you develop your characters? What thoughts drive you or inspire you?