There are a lot of things that we know about ourselves. They color our dealings with other people and our other actions. These questions are a starting point for creating a background for your character. There are lots of these for a reason, and there's no need to answer them all. Pick five or more that interest you and answer them in character. You might be surprised what you learn.
How does your character walk?
How old is your character?
Are their parents alive or dead?
How many brothers and sisters?
Have you ever been in love? What happened?
What is your character's home position?
If your character found a pound in the street, how would s/he spend it?
What's your character's idea of a fun night out?
Is it more important to buy the shoes that fit well, or the pretty ones?
What's the most important thing in life? Love? Money? Happiness? Revenge? Something else entirely?
What's your favorite food?
Do you like your job? Why do you do your job?
What is your dream job?
What would you do if your lover cheated on you?
What's your most prized possession?
Who's your best mate and why?
If you grew up with a mum, what did she always say to you as a kid?
Are you married? Do you want to be?
What do you dread most in the whole world?
Do you eat till you're not hungry or till you can't fit any more in?
What are your vices?
Have you ever had any broken bones? How did it happen?
When you're in pain, do you find a way to get rid of it, or do you just do your best to ignore it?
Have you ever been in a fight? Who won?
What's your favorite piece of clothing and why do you like it so much?
Did you enjoy your childhood? Why or why not?
You can make all of the answers up as you go. And all your decisions are subject to change as you learn more about your character and the period. After all, who's going to know? The customers see you once, and your fellow actors are adaptable. Most of this is backstory anyway, and not something that will come up in conversation. In your real life, you may know that your favorite color is blue and you hate pineapple, but how often do you talk about that?
However, sometimes a whole interaction can be built on something like that. You see a blue bonnet on a customer, and you just have to tell her how it goes with her eyes, and how it's your favorite color, and do you know Cockles? She had a pair of gloves just that color--
And just like that, you're having a conversation. Customers often come in wanting just that kind of thing and will play along. Others want to hang back and basically watch TV. If you get one of those, just move on to the next one. It's no different from talking to another passenger on the bus and finding out that they'd rather read their book, thank you.
If you're having trouble getting started, or you don't yet have a character, answer the questions as yourself. Chances are, you know what you think about all these things. Then try answering them in character. Pick the answers you'd like to give, rather than the ones you yourself would and see where it takes you.
Quizilla.com has lots of quizzes. Try taking them in character and out. There are also personality tests on the net. The questions might shake ideas loose.
Emphasizing a quality you already have, or one you would like to have is another way to create a character. You can also try out a character who is as far from you as possible. This is particularly useful when you're either having trouble staying in character, or you're trying not to slip into, say, your Ren Faire character.
If you come up with any particularly good questions of your own, please mail them to me so I can add them to this sheet!
Compiled by Erin NhaMinerva 2003