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Fascinating insight into character development, thanks. I suppose stereotypes are a bit like cliches, popular because useful. I think part of me would consider so much background writing: scenes which will never make it to the book, as wasted effort. On the other hand, for the author to have a deep knowledge of the character, which is not necessarily included in the book, adds a roundedness which the reader instinctively picks up.
I often think that my plots are just silly, then try to remind myself of the basic plots of famous novels, Wuthering Heights, for example, which when broken down to their basic levels seem fairly mundane. (Adopted child, given a hard time by older 'brother' falls in love with his adopted sister. After her death, he avenges himself upon the next generation. Ending: their ghosts are seen walking the moors. This is made even sillier by a double framing: story told to us by a man being told the story by a servant who witnessed the events.)
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