My friend Tom Marcoux is an author who writes in a variety of genres. 
Recently he shared this advice with me about writing fiction:
“If you do try you hand at fiction, here’s a method I devised and have taught to college students/graduate students for 14 years.
To get to the heart of the main character, ask the D.S.L. questions:
What would the character:
1. Die for?
2. Stand for?
3. Live for?”
What great advice for writing, and equally as powerful for living. A great life of character can be constructed around the answer to those three questions.
Start with what you live for. We all know how we live but few of us know what we live for. What do you stand for? If you told your children or a close friend the central beliefs and convictions or your life, what would they be?
And finally, ask yourself the somber but profound question, what would you die for? Knowing what you would die for shapes what what you live for, creating a circular philosophy.
Tom’s books include Be Heard and Be Trusted, TimePulse: Beyond Titanic and Crystal Pegasus. For more information about Tom, and to read his popular blog, go to BeHeardandBeTrusted.com