[quote=@Dynamo Frokane]
I think this more a topic for Roleplay Discussion rather than Off-Topic
[/quote]

[@Hank] [@Ruby] I find myself agreeing and I imagine this topic would get more traction there. Perhaps an idea to ask the OP, but at least now you guys are aware.

[quote=@Siaya Dragalorn]
Can't write for any of my characters right now, no matter how hard I try, which got me thinking. I know how [i]I[/i] try to get into my characters' heads when they're being stubborn, but what about everyone else?

So, how do you get into character for, well, your characters, be they for a roleplay or personal stories?

One of my methods is to run a Cliff's Notes version--if you will--of their history and overall personality through my head as a refresher for why they are who they are. Has decided to not work for me for the past day or so, but hey. There you have it.
[/quote]

I self insert a lot of the time. I know that is seen as a bad thing a lot of the time, but as with all things involving writing, the tool is only as good as the craftman is. If you are a good writer, you can do a self-insert in a way where it's not a totally obvious attempt to play out your fantasies a lá I want to be a badass shadow elf who is super edgy, witty and intelligent, who can sail through the air effortlessly and shoot down 2 bad guys before landing on top of the big bad boss and destroy him, ending it with a witty one liner and so forth, oh and also even though my character is a badass and very angry he's actually a nice guy kthx. 

So how I tend to do it is I take one aspect of myself, usually 'bad aspects' that are more like character flaws, and enlarge them. For instance anger is a good one. Then the character would grow and embody anger, or another symbol. 

This can change during the RP, in fact I hope it does, but it's generally a good rule of thumb so that you always know how to react. 

That said I don't always do this. Sometimes I play characters that are total opposite me; easy-going, friendly, understanding, empathetic, etc. It's a bit harder but generally I just ask myself 'what would I [i]not[/i] do.' Sometimes it just comes naturally. It's all dependent.