Tip #4
Don't base too many of your characters on real people.
I did that last year and let's just say it wasn't pretty. Here is how it went.
"Oh yeah. I'm writing a book and I'll give you a character. What do you want your name to be?"
Then once you have like almost everyone in the grade some kid comes up to you.
"Can I be in your book?" If you're like me and don't have the heart to say no, you might end up with a trillion characters in your book.
As well, I took people and exaggerated a trait of theirs by at least fifteen percent, so in the end, the characters didn't reflect them in the end.
I attended a book signing with Veronica Roth and Tahereh Mafi. They were asked if any of their characters are based on themselves.
Tahereh Mafi replied, "no, not really. I think it would be sad to be based off of this depressing and isolated character."
So, just be careful with the backstory of a character.