Relatable Characters

After attending different writing conferences, I've learned several aspects of writing characters. One of them is to make them real. Relatable. You can even use one of your own ticks.

One of my personal ticks is when I get nervous or stressed I bite my cheek. So, I gave that tick to a protagonist in a romance novella. Another one I have is an educated medical professional but she has a dirty little secret...when she's stressed she lights up a cigarette. And then feels guilty about it.

All people have secrets and ways to relieve stress so study them and learn what they do. Do they look up when they're fudging the truth? Do they twirl their hair when they're bored? Make a list and use them for different characters. To me, this is some of the most fun in writing...painting in the line of your characters!