Every person has layers, like onions.  They have layers to their personalities, their life experiences, and even their dreams.  In creating characters, we need to remember this.  We need to give them those all important layers.  Without them, our characters fall flat. 

     We don’t need to write every detail but we need to know the minutiae behind our characters.  We need to know the little nuances that will make them unique and real to the readers.  We need to bring them to life.

     How do we do this?  Some people make complicated charts, lists, and countless outlines.  I’m lazy I don’t.  I have a one paragraph character description, maybe two, or three for major characters, in a file for each book I’m writing.  The most important thing is to peel back the layers and show the character’s goals, needs, and morality. 

     You need to show what drives the character.  Once you know what drives each character, what is beneath each layer, you’ve given them those all important three dimensional lives that will make the readers come back for more.