People have spent millennia trying to understand what causes different personality traits. Everything from the timing of a birth, the number of letters in a name, birth order and blood type have been used.
Whether or not you believe any of these, they can still be a lot of fun and a good way to mix worldbuilding and character development together.
As an exercise: Pick any number and create segments for your zodiac cycle. Determine how each segment is designated—is it based on seasonal, celestial or numerical indicators? Assign each one to a marker such as an animal or a number, and assign each marker between seven and ten personality traits.
Next, go through your character list and determine which marker each would be assigned based on their birth. How has this affected them throughout their life?
Bonus: There’s a lot of debate on how well horoscopes work, both for determining personality traits and for predicting the future. Take a look at the symbolism behind each of the markers you’ve chosen. How might these crop up in your characters’ lives? How might these symbols supposedly predict their future?
The Written Vixen 