What an outstanding post that really paints a picture of the help, exercises, and encouragement available at The Writer's Block.
The amount of writing I do before developing a story is considerable, and none of it sees the light of day. But from it, I know who my characters are, how they'll react and think in certain situations, and how the world in which they live works. It's an exciting and enjoyable process. I can only imagine how much fun this was to do all together. I'm disappointed I missed out on this one; characterization and world building is my favorite part of writing.