One of a writer's most essential tools in telling a story is their characters. Well-developed characters can draw your readers in, create sympathy for your protagonist, make them fall in love with your main character.

Of course creating these life-like characters almost always involve drawing on the characteristics of real people. Clearly you can't create a character that's an exact copy of someone you know. (Unless you're writing their biography.) 

I recently found myself in the (un)fortunate position of arriving at the airport to discover my flight had been delayed. Most people would get all in a huff about it. As a writer, it's the perfect opportunity for me to observe people's behaviour and study their mannerisms without influence. Being stuck at an airport for two hours is a great way to practice character development and building back story.

Very few people have the opportunity to live in different cities or countries. In the past 12 yeas I was fortunate enough to not only live in 3 different countries, but 5 different cities.

Let me share some of my likes/dislikes with you about these five cities.

That is probably the words most uttered by novice writers starting out.

There's no definitive answer to that question, though some may reason that there are numerous books, courses and on-line 'tutorials' that will teach you where to start. As any experienced writer will warn you - check the author's credentials. Can I teach you how to fly a 747 if I read the technical manual but have never actually managed the controls? Likewise, I may hold a degree in English, qualifying me to talk about the intricacies and nuances of the English language Ad Nauseum and have written numerous articles and thesis's on the subject. Yet I have not written or published a single work of fiction. How can I be qualified to teach you how to write a novel? (Disclaimer: I don't hold a degree in English and avoid Ad Nauseum discussions whenever possible.)

So where does one, novice or experienced, start? What gets the creative juices flowing, urging you to sit down and write?