Generic Guide to Apps

So you're making a character, but you need to make a main character not a side character.

Step 1 : What is their conflict? What are they doing? You need to give the impression that they can be left alone in a room and will go do something proactively. This doesn't mean 'ignore plot hooks to pursue personal quest', but you need to give the DM the flavor of plot hook to offer you so that they know that you'll happily bite at it. Conflicts can be grand, simple, internal, external; the campaign might be about fighting off a necromancer's faceless undead hordes in the plane of super magic, and your character's conflict can still be about trying to find your childhood friend.

If your character has to be doing something, or they wouldn't be the focus of the story.

Step 2 : Why are they here? Who do they know? Where are they from? Loop a big chain around your character and lash him to the setting somehow. A good setting has drama spilling out of the cracks in the wall, so pick something interesting (or make something interesting in the vagueness) and use it. Then tie it in with your conflict from Step 1. The point of this is to get invested in the story.

Step 3 : Double check that your character is a team player. Drama between the players is a dangerous thing. If everyone knows eachother OOC well and you're friends, then you can get around it and survive it, it's a fucking napalm landmine to a fresh group. Your character should be able to buckle his pants and get down to business with the other characters. Don't make someone who will be a turncoat, a "you all can wait for half the session while I do my own thing", don't make the one lolevil person in a good party. Don't do it.

Step 4 : Basic editing rule of thumb : you wrote twice as much as you needed to, cut it down to size.

Step 5 : Spellcheck.