When authors create characters for stories, they spend a lot of time thinking about their significant traits and life experiences. Since your own life is so familiar to you, Bright Hub Education suggests thinking of yourself as a character within the plot of your essay to get distance and see your experiences in a different way. You can create yourself as a character by writing your name at the top of a sheet of paper, then brainstorming significant attributes of your personality, strengths and weaknesses and formative experiences. You can then focus on the traits that best fit the prompt you've selected.