There are so many ways to develop and come to know our characters. Sometimes, oblique, odd questions can bring flashes of insight so the character comes into focus, clear and fully formed with  shades of intangibles that somehow bring them to life.

Here are some random and tangential questions to ask – in no order of importance. You’ll probably think of others.

– What colour of clothing does your character best like to wear? What colour suits her/him best?

– What colour does your character normally wear? Why?

– What colour are the walls of your character’s bedroom? The bedclothes? The main rooms of the house?

– If your character were a colour, what would it be? (We’re not talking skin colour here.)

– What’s the colour of your character’s mood at the start of the story? At several points along the arc as the tension develops? (There’d better be some tension, and if there isn’t, back to the drawing board!) And at the end?

– What colour food does your character best like to eat?

– What colour explodes in the mouth of your character when she/he eats her/his favourite foods?