For the Writers...

I've read a few stories and they are so amazing and fantastic with characters that you can't help but fall in love with. I'm very curious how writers develop the main characters in their stories.

So what I'm wondering is, do you mold the main character personalities based on your own personality? Or do you use someone you know as inspiration for a character? In all my stories, I find myself making each of my main character an expansion of myself and wondered if this was common thing among the writers here.

Would love to hear your thoughts on how your main characters are created or how you develop their personalities....