Let's write!

Today's theme is character. Choose a character - either an established one or create a new one - and think about their personality and flaws, then choose a trait or a flaw and come up with the reason of why it exists. For example, two of Donna's flaws is that she never dedicates herself to anything (e.g. she works as a temp rather than looking for a steady job) and she is shallow, only interested in celebrities and pop culture - why is that? Well, maybe when she was a child, her mother forced her to ballet lessons, piano lessons, etc. to try to motivate and educate her, and this was her way of rebelling. Picture young Donna walking out after her mother signed her up for something yet again.

Now that you have that in your mind, write a scene of the present-day character (not our present day, but the character's present day, like Donna during Series 4) where that backstory comes into play. The character could mention it, or they could think it, or they could do something that hints at the backstory (think Rose swinging on that chain because she used to be a gymnast). As an example, I once wrote a fic where Martha mentions that her mother made her take piano lessons, thus establishing that she has some musical training and that her mother was the type, like Donna's above, who decided what her children should do, which we know is true from the show.