Don't know much about history...

So go the lyrics to a popular song. But if you want to develop well-rounded, believable characters in your writing, you'll want to pay attention to history.

Here's what we mean.

One of the best ways to get a handle on a character's personality is to give some thought to his or her history prior to the time they appear in your fiction.

For example, what year was the character born? Did he/she get along with his siblings, or was he/she an only child? What sort of music would have been popular during his or her teenage years? What was the popular lingo during that time? What news events might the character have seen on the nightly news as he/she grew up? What courses might he/she have taken at college or university?

These are the types of questions you need to have answered in your mind about your characters even if the specific details never make it into your writing.

Before writing your next story, take the time to develop a "personal history" for your lead character(s). It may help you make writing history one day!