Creating Characters

I used to do my character sketches this way: I'd jot out a character's likes and dislikes. Then I'd reflect on some personality traits they should have at the beginning of the story, and decide how the challenges they encounter will help elicit a new set of personality traits by the end of the story.

For some reason, my characters still lacked oomph.

Last summer, I attended a well-taught workshop on defining character in Berkeley hosted by WRITEteen and facilitated by YA authors Kristen Tracy and Nina LaCour. The teachers used excerpts from books to show examples of how authors release hints about character.

The four things I learned to look for in my reading were:
1. A character's thought process- Consider if a character's thoughts are aligned with what they say or present to others.
2. A character's manner of speech- Consider if the speaker is emotionally present or emotionally removed from a situation.
3. A character's behavior- Consider what a character's actions tell you about them.
4. A character's description of the people and things around them- When someone's describing a person or an object, you should learn as much about the person  doing the describing as you are about the item being described.

At the workshop, I worked on exercises as I reflected on my story's characters. I also learned about character arcs, journeys, and archetypes. After the workshop, I felt more confident about revising my characters. 

Creating strong and believable characters is something I would like to spend more time working on. So I'd like to hear about how other writers develop their characters.