I know this is not a naming question, but I usually see a lot of helpful insight on here from fellow posters, so I thought I would ask this. By “in touch,” I mean how do you develop them? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you fill out character charts? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you write scenes that won’t necessarily be in your work but are pivotal to your character (as in the events may be mentioned in your work, but they’re never explained in full - ie "the disastrous birthday party, the life-altering divorce between the character’s parents, etc)? [name_f]Do[/name_f] you just write and hope that they turn out okay?
I’m wanting to flesh out my characters beyond what may be known to readers; I’m just searching for ideas.
Thanks! 
I do find that filling out character question charts can be helpful, especially ones with unusual questions like what would your character do in this situation, or what would other characters say about them? You don’t have to answer all the questions immediately, but it does help slow you down to stop and consider things you might not have before.
Maybe create a pinterest page so that you can add pictures of clothes and photos that remind you of them. Having a visual for their sense of style or what their house looks like, etc. can be helpful in getting a better picture of the character. You could also look for songs that remind you of that character, or maybe even challenge yourself to make a playlist that the character would put together for themselves.
Really though, just imagining and practicing writing your character in different scenarios can help you build up a stronger personality for them. The characters that I consider my best and love the most are all YEARS in the making, which might sound a bit grand, especially if you don’t plan to do much with your character or only have a certain plot based around them, but they’re your characters, and you should like them just as much as anyone else.
My stories build my characters, and I think I am fairly unique in that. I have a sense of the story and the characters, but they develop with the novel. Their background and their experiences arise with the twists and turns of their journey. If I try to plan too much, the whole thing collapses. My writing is spontaneous, although with some instances, I have more of a sense than others. Basically, I am no help in helping you develop strategies for delving into your characters, but I definitely recommend just letting them flow into who they are! I am well into my book, and although my technique doesn’t work for everyone, I think my characters are real in their own journeys and I know them deeply. I couldn’t tell you what [name_u]Ash[/name_u] did on her eighth birthday or what [name_f]Lila[/name_f]'s favorite breakfast food is, but if it came up in the story, I would know exactly what to write in that moment. I hope I shed some light into a different perspective.
I used to fill out character charts/surveys but found that it made my characters feel too academic, for lack of a better term. I felt like I was overthinking them. Right now my approach is to write scenes as they come to me. I’ve fleshed a few characters out really well this way. I do keep notes of little details that present themselves as I write.
I usually write scenes that are essential to the plot, and go from there, to see what happens. I also have an author friend named [name_f]Rebecca[/name_f] that is helping me with my character and her first flaw was lack of self-confidence and second flaw is perfectionism.
I sometimes fill out character charts, but I feel they can be a little too detailed and specific, and leave no room for my characters to organically grow.
One thing I’ve been doing recently is filling out this for each character
Predicament:
Conflict:
External barrier to overcome:
Internal barrier to overcome:
Wants:
Is afraid of:
Needs to learn:
For example, it might look like this filled out:
(this is just me making it up on the spot, usually it’s more detailed)
[name_f]Delphine[/name_f]
Predicament: Being forced into an arranged marriage.
Conflict: Wanting to follow her heart, but also wanting to do what is best for everyone.
External barrier to overcome: Pressure from her father to enter into the marriage and be a noble lady.
Internal barrier to overcome: Not feeling good and strong enough to decide for herself.
Wants: To make the right choice.
Is afraid of: Making the wrong choice, disappointing those around her.
Needs to learn: That she can ask for help.
I usually carve out my other basic stuff, like appearance, strengths/weaknesses, etc. But beyond that, I find this small chart to be all I need to know how my character is going to act in any given situation. People are driven by their internal conflicts, their fears and their desires. If you know what is going on for your character and what is driving them, they will develop organically as you write.