Brainstorming as a Character

This is a hectic technique because it requires use of acting and writing skills. You can do this routine in small chunks; you just need to know where each snippet is saved. To accomplish this technique, you will have to role play and imagine being in the position of your character─be spontaneous and shocking. I use this technique to handle characters who are a little foreign to me or who have so many aspects that it is tough to imagine them comprehensively. For instance, for my upcoming novel Saryan, I am brainstorming to figure out the way the cops/detectives react, behave, and think. During this routine, you will have to use your mental and physical notepads to scratch the surface of your observations and then scratch what lies beneath. Here you are not only building your character but you are also learning how to make this character stand out. This session will have two phases: brainstorming phase and then an expansion phase. During the expansion phase, you will take your brainstormed content and re-imagine it within the setting of your novel.

Here are some ideas I just generated while creating the cops/detectives for my upcoming novel Saryan:

Always give them the benefit of doubt while acting nice or getting along.
Always suspect everyone.
Always take mental notes of everything that you observe and see.
Listen to all the nonsense crap someone is saying. There are clues in there.
Be supportive of community. People think, “We have found a good cop. Life will work out this way.” That’s how people share information with you.
Sometimes, they tease to intimidate you or for fun. They think if they should be teasing everyone who belong to a group or just be selective about it.
Think in a scattered way without feeling an obligation to agree with his/her peers. For instance, “What’s this other sound? No! that other sound. Where is it coming from?”
Able to form concrete conclusions by using less evidence. Hence, the line, “You might be ahead criminal, but I am 10 points ahead of you.”
Be secretive about things and hold back. This requires lots of patience and most people cannot do this at all.
Throw a litmus paper test to see if someone is on your side or not.