Read a character description or a scene that displays a character's personality. Every scene in which a character reveals his thoughts or interacts with his world reveals one aspect of his personality.
Highlight or underline any passages, sentences or phrases you believe reveal character traits. For example, you might highlight a passage that says: "John stared angrily at the mosaic on the wall."
Write down each action the character takes in the passage. An action is anything a character does. This may include engaging in small talk with the mailman, jumping over a pond or staring angrily. Write down why the character engages in this action, if possible. For example, the character may jump over a pond because there is no bridge in sight or jump over a pond to test his jumping skills.
Create a list of each word or phrase the author uses to describe the character. For example, the author may write: "He was an unpleasant, plump man." Write down "unpleasant" and "plump" in the list.
Assign a character trait to each action and descriptor. For example, the character is polite for engaging in small talk, adventurous for jumping over the bridge and short-tempered for staring angrily.
Write down the name and physical descriptors of your character. For example, you may create a character named Bob, who is tall, thin and bald. Jot this down in the form of notes.
Assign an archetype to your character. The archetype describes the role the character plays in your story. Popular archetypes include hero, villain, sidekick, love interest, femme fatale, antihero and mentor.
Determine what character traits you wish to give to Bob. If you want Bob to seem likable, give him a positive trait, such as friendliness, courage or intelligence. If you want to create a villain, assign him negative traits like rudeness, wickedness or intolerance.
Examine each trait you add to your list and determine if it fits or clashes with the archetype. A hero can have a few negative traits, such as bossiness or gloominess, but he should not be evil. Similarly, a villain may be skillful and lively but he should not be pure or holy.
Assign several actions for each character trait. These actions should display the trait. For example, a bossy character may yell at his girlfriend, order his co-workers around or give long, detailed instructions to a waiter. A confident character may approach strangers to hit on them or blink in the face of danger.
Write your passage, including a few descriptive words about your character when you first introduce him. Take your character through one or two actions that describe his character traits. These actions can be the focus of the passage or they can be included, in addition to the main focus. For example, an energetic hero may spend his morning doing push ups. He may fight against the villain tirelessly. The action of push ups is an addition to the main focus, whereas fighting against the villain is a part of the main focus.
Write down the character trait you wish to display or consider. Determine if this trait is positive or negative.
Think over your day to determine when you displayed the trait. Write down each instance in which you displayed the trait. Asses if the situation went poorly or well. For example, if you displayed kindness by holding the door for another person, determine how the person reacted. Did he react with thanks or get annoyed?
Assess your day to determine when you failed to display the trait. Did you react with hostility, instead of kindness, when a waiter gave you the incorrect order? Determine how you could better handle that situation. Perhaps you could ask to send the food back politely, instead of insulting the waiter.
Keep in mind the trait as you move throughout your day. When you find yourself in a situation where you believe you will act in a way oppositional to the trait, try to correct your actions. For example, if you are trying to avoid being hostile, take a moment to calm down before starting a fight with a sibling.