I tend to rely on out-of-the-blue inspirations (maybe too much, in all honesty), and my most recent revelation was to look through stock photos until I found my main characters.  This may sound kind of lame, but I really did not have a precise vision of Tess, James, Emma, and Oscar.  I had a good idea of what each character looked like, but seeing the photos really made a big difference for me.

There are quite a few stock photo sites out there, and I went with FotoSearch and 123RF.  It was kind of fun search through the pictures, and it was great when I found the right ones.

Is it necessary to see your main characters?  Am I doing this backwards? 

I need to know my characters a little better.

After getting some feedback from two of my loyal readers, I realized that my characters do not have enough depth.  Most of them go through some transformation, which is consistent with the theme of the book, but that by itself does not make them real.

I've decided to try two things:

1.  Interview my main characters, a technique suggested by a writer named Tina Morgan.  I read an article she posted on the 'FictionFactor' website.
2.  Assign a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to each of my main characters.  The Myers-Briggs types categorize people on four dynamics (introvert or extrovert, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, judging or perceptive).

This is going to take some time, but I think it will be worth it. 

How do you gauge characters in fiction?  What makes them real to you?

I realized this week that I have a lot more work to do on my book.  Kind of a bummer, but I am committed to doing this right.  More to come.

Wow!  After 33 month, two computers, and countless reams of paper, I have finally reached the end!  I completed my final proofing a few days ago and will start my last read-through next week.  Never thought I would get here!  Well, now it's on to Book 2!  (That one should go a little quicker!)