Creating a hero can be one of the most fun things about writing a story. You need to begin somewher, and you should start with a name. There are two ways to name a hero. The first is simply finding a name that means something to you. This could possibly be an uncle's or a grandmother's name you have a strong connection with who you'd like to base your character on. There is nothing wrong with using a name in this fashion. The other fun way is by searching through a name database online and finding a name with a meaning that matches the personality of your hero. Remember, a strong name will mean a strong hero.
With a name, you now need to figure out what your hero is like. A good way to do this is simply taking out a piece of paper and writing your character's name at the top of the page then answer the 12 following questions about your hero: 1. What is his age? 2. What were his parents like? 3. How important is family to him? 4. What are his hobbies? 5. What is his education? 6. Where does he work? 7. What does he do during free time? 8. Who is his best friend and why? 9. Who is his worst enemy and why? 10. What single event in his life has made him who he is today? 11. What does he like most about his life? 12. What reaction do you want your reader to have to him? If you notice, there is no mention of any physical characteristics. The physical description is best left for later and should be thought of as a separate entity as the emotional characteristics.
The first thing to do with the physical description is to go online or flip through a magazine and find an image of someone who matches the picture you have of your hero in your head. When you have an idea, begin describing them. You can do this on the other side of the paper you used for the hero's personality. Describe the hero's hair, eyes, height, weight and style of dress. Also consider, does he have any marks that can identify him--like a tattoo, a scar, or even an unusual piercing? These can be very telling about a character and you can create a whole story for the hero to explain why he has them. The physical description is not as important as the personality but it is essential if you want your reader to be able to visualize the hero.
Before you begin writing your story, there is one more thing you need to decide on: what is your character going to learn during the course of your story. There are two types of characters--round and flat. A flat character is the same at the beginning of the story as they are at the end. You don't want to make your hero a flat character. A round character makes some sort of change, usually for the better, through something they have learned during the story. The lesson can be something about himself. For example, the hero can learn to live for the first time without his significant other being there to help guide them. The lesson can also be about something external. For example, the hero can learn that even though it isn't always easy to trust people, sometimes he needs to go out on a limb and let someone into his world. Think of a good lesson that the hero can learn that relates to the plot of your story. It is best to do this before you start writing because you want to give hints of this lesson throughout the story, so that when the lesson is learned at the end, the reader is not surprised.