Does your character believe in fate? Make them a slave to it. Or make them be a trail-blazer who hates the idea of destiny. People don't want to read about a character who just kind of cares about things. If your character is passionate, the reader will be forced to think about whether or not they care. Sure, it may seem like a great idea to have your character be too cool to care, but it's not realistic. Even the people who seem like they don't care have something that matters to them. They just don't want to show it. When you give your character opinions, you make them both vulnerable (belief can get you hurt) and strong. The vulnerability will make them human. The strength will make them someone to admire.
I'm not saying you should make your main character take an extreme opinion on every issue. Reading that book wouldn't be fun. If I wanted to listen to someone argue about controversial things 24/7, I could ask that annoying kid in my history class to follow me around. My point is that every one has ideas or issues they feel strongly about. When you give your character a stance, you have a whole new story. They didn't form that opinion spontaneously. Maybe they hate purple because their father used to wear it before he died and their passionate hatred of this color will cause them get into a fight with a mysterious man wearing a purple tie. Or maybe they hate the idea of fate so much they go out of their way to contradict what people expect them to do. Use your characters' deep-seated beliefs to create conflict. When you have conflict, you'll have a story.
Caroline
