BIO-TYPE CHARACTERISTS:

Age, race, body type, size, textures, gender, hair/eye color, raw features, clothing, ectomorph/mesomorph/endomorph...physical characteristics.

STEREO-TYPE CHARACTERISTS:

Age, race, vocation, era that they live, gender, group-identity, role in society, cultural belongingness/nationality.

ATTITUDINAL CHARACTERISTCS: how they think, how they walk, how they talk, what they say, how they say it, their preferences, their temperament, their desires, how they wear their clothing, their tastes..Can these attitudinal things be seen immediately? easily visualized?

ARCHE-TYPE CHARACTERISTS:

What role do they fulfill in the story: Hero, shadow, mentor, helper, guardian, trickster, herald, the lackey ...etc.

NUANCE CHARACTERISTS:

Small but memorable differences within character types that help make a character compelling

Nuances can be physical things like freckles, type of clothing, jewelry, tattoos, hair style, living in a time (datedness). But should distinguish the differences between one character who is otherwise exactly the same. Your character may be a plumber, but how is THIS plumber slightly different. What are the characteristics THAT otherwise have NOTHING to do with any of the other identification methods. quirks, idiosyncrasies ticks, and traits.

Imagine a classroom full of school kids who are all forced to wear school uniforms. Although every costume is the exactly the same, does each kid look exactly the same? what nuances make the differences?

Nuances can be ANY kind of slight difference. They provide CONTRAST from otherwise pure stereotypes.

NUANCES by definition, important directly to the story, yet they are CRUCIAL to creating a compelling character, and avoiding formulaic/clichés Even if the character is very WELL DRAWN or technically masterful. The character can become quite boring, flat and UN compelling, rather quickly without developing nuances.