I saw a great photo affixed to my hairdresser’s license today. The picture showed an orange tabby kitten looking in a mirror that reflected back the face of a lion. It occurred to me that this could be a great question to ask when you are flushing out a character for a novel. For example, how does your protagonist see themselves—as an innocent victim or a fierce fighter ready to take on the world? Does this self-image vary between interactions with different people? Does his or her personality change during the course of the novel?
After you have answered the above questions, dig a little deeper:
How would the character’s parent or spouse describe your protagonist?
More importantly, how do you, the writer, see your protagonist? Have you captured that personification on the page?
Posted by Jill Hedgecock 
