[Jazuela]

I've found the easiest way to do it, is to bring part of me into my character's personality. Or leave part of her personality open for me to inject my own personal "stuff." Like, for instance, my lower lip is always a little chapped; in the winter it is bad, even bleeds and cracks. But in warmer weather it just feels a little rough. I like nibbling on it. It perpetuates the dry skin but it's just something I've been doing so many years I hardly ever notice I'm doing it.

I put that in one of my characters once. Whenever she got -especially- nervous, or if she was -particularly- focused on something or concentrating, she would tug at the dried skin on her lower lip with her upper teeth.

When I add even little tidbits of myself into my character, I can see -much- more easily, the layers of personality. It becomes effortless to "make my character do something" because the doing becomes organic. I had another character years ago, in a medieval fantasy themed game who was this big giant brute of a gal, but I played her as being a bit mentally retarded - mild down's syndrome kind of thing. Usually honest, blurted things out without worrying if they were "appropriate", almost always cheerful, giggly, naive, and not overly smart - but with an inner wisdom that would just pop out of nowhere once in awhile.

The part of me in her was the giggling and blurting things out. General irreverence and trying not to take things too seriously. It made things much easier for me to play her, when I plucked these little parts of myself and inserted them into her. It made her come alive for me, and made it possible for me to "see" the game world from "her" eyes.