First of several tutorials is up on how to create characters that pop. 
http://totaldanarchy.com/character-crea ... r-purpose/

Did you do the exercise? Post up here!

What does the workflow look like for these tutorials? There are exercises, do they build upon each other? If so, I may give this the old college try. 

Yes, each tutorial in the series will cover a different aspect of character building, which will expand upon what's been previously covered. The exercises will lead you step by step through the process, and by the end of it you will have created a solid character that stands out from the chaff. 

So I did this, and I'm going to do them all. I think you should post each exercise text in here also so we don't have to toggle back and forth to see it. Do you know what I mean? Like, so we can refer to it here. 

Tut 1 Exercise:
Write down the name of your character. Define your character’s purpose and role in the story. What reason does your character have for being in the story? What role does the character fill? Define whether the character contributes to a goal, tries to prevent a goal, or fills an auxiliary role.

Name: Lucinda Glaston (Lucy). This will be the main character. I do not yet know her goals, but being that she will be a main character, I think this qualifies her to be in the story. I just know that she will have a goal that she wants to obtain. She won't be trying to prevent anyone else from reaching their goals. How did I do? Clearly all I have is a name. That's not a very good start in my opinion. You should hurry up and get the next tutorial done so we don't feel like your series is leaving a lot to be desired. I'd just hate to have someone come away with this same amount and go, "This is supposed to help me create breathtaking characters? All I have to show is a name!" So yeah. Do that. 

Great points, I'll start adding the exercise text in so people can refer to it from here. Also, I'm glad you mentioned getting the next tut up as soon as possible to avoid being left disappointed with your progress. I think that's a valid concern. That being said, Lucinda Glaston. Cool name. I think a lot of people struggle with names. They're either over the top (wish fulfillment names) or so plain and boring that you get the feeling the author is uncreative. Of course there will be people who are going to want to brow-beat me for saying that, and to be clear -- one or two names like that which are intentional are not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about every character ever mentioned in a piece having an outrageous name or a plain name. Jesse Miller. Dave Smith. Sarah Black. You can do better than that. I personally love surnames you don't normally see. I've even made a few up. Glaston isn't so common that it can't be fresh. You've also picked a name that has the potential for a nickname, which I think is good. 

Good point, and I agree about naming things. Some people tend to use names that really stand out. Like, "wow, these are outrageous names in this story." When's the next tut coming?