Creating a character from scratch can be challenging, but giving students some basic facts to start with can give them the springboard they need. For this activity, teachers can cut out pictures of different people from magazines and put them in a hat or box for students to randomly select. Then they can free write for five minutes about who the person in the picture might be. They can consider what job and hobbies he has, what his family is like, and what his attitude toward life might be. The ideas may end up forming the characters for their stories.
Jobs are an important part of our identity. You can look through help wanted ads in newspapers and find a job for which your character might apply. Then you can create his resume, thinking about what skills and experiences qualify or don't qualify him for the job. If the listing is for a cat sitter, your character could have run up his mom's cell phone bill and be so desperate for money that he applies even though he's allergic to cats. The character's entrance into the job can potentially become the basis for conflict in your story.
Often, new writers fall into the trap of creating stereotypes, characters who seem cut out of a particular, overused mold, such as "dumb blondes" and nerds with big glasses and pocket protectors. Looking through what you've brainstormed for your character so far, you can consider if you have created someone who fits a stereotype. Then, you can think of a way to make him a unique variation on this character type. For example, if you've created a blonde cheerleader who loves high fashion, you could have her be a physics prodigy whose projects always win the school science fair.
One question an author must address is what will be his character's central problem. In a brief writing exercise, you can describe what dilemma your character is facing, what he stands to gain or lose as a result of this problem, and how he plans to solve it. Your character might be a girl whose crush asks her to set him up with a date for the seventh grade dance. She could solve this problem by writing him love letters and signing them with the other girl's name to get his attention.
Other characters can be used to help develop the main character. For instance, most middle school students have experienced bullying on some level. You can develop your character by thinking about who are the "bullies" in his life. Then you can consider how his relationship with the bully might change during the story. Or the antagonist might not be human. For example, your character could be an animal shelter volunteer who is terrified of a growling Rottweiler, and her fear begins to get in the way of her job. The story could focus on her overcoming her fear and even befriending the dog.