[ unfortunately, I lost the original poster's name.  If you know it,
  I'd appreciate being told, so I can attribute properly. ]

     In response to your questions on how to improve your character's
background and your own roleplaying questions I'm posing a series of
questions.  Sit down and answer each of them carefully, and you'll
have a much better idea of who your ranger is.  Turning a "character"
into a memorable "person" is the one thing that seperates true
roleplaying from munchkinism (there's that word again) but it can be
done.

20 questions for any characters creation.

1)  Who were the character's parents?  Did they raise the character?  If 
    not why?  If not them who?

2)  Did the character have any childhood friends?  Any siblings?
    Where are they now?  Does the character stay in touch with them or
    have they become seperated?

3)  What was childhood like for the character?  Calm and peaceful or
    turbulent and traumatic?

4)  Does the character have any or did the character have any role
    models?  Describe them?

5)  What did the character do before he / she entered the story?  Who
    trained the character to do what she / he does now?

6)  What are the character's moral and religous beliefs?  What lengths
    will the character go to defend those beliefs?  Who or what taught
    those beliefs to the character?

7)  Does the character have any unusual habits or physical traits?
    How do others tend to react to them?

8)  What is the general reaction to the character of other characters?
    Why, in the character's opinion, do they act that way?

9)  Can the character kill?  Why would the character kill?  Does he /
    she have any enemies at all?  Would or could the character kill
    them?

10) What kind of relationships does the character currently have?
    Does he / she have any close friends?  Bitter enemies?  If so who?
    What are they like?

11) Does the character have any mental problems?  Phobias?  If so what
    are they?  What do they stem from?

12) How does the character generally treat others?  Does she / he
    trust easily?  Or not?

13) What does the character look like?  Does he / she have any scars
    or tattoos?  If so how did she / he get them?

14) What is the character's normal daily routine?  How does he / she
    feel when it's interupted for whatever reason?

Next sit down with your DM and consider these questions:

15) Was the character present during any key events in the history of
    the campaign world?  How did that event affect the character?

16) Does the character have a notorious or celebrated anscestor?  What
    did he/she do?  What do people assume about the character when
    his/her ancestery is known?  Does the character actively try to
    live up to the reputation, try dispel it or try to ignore it?

Finally consider these questions:

17)  What are the character's dreams?  Ambitions?  Goals?

18) How does she / he seek to obtain them?  How does adventuring fit
    into this dream, or does it at all?

19) Does the character ever want to have a family of his / her own
    someday?  If so with who or what type of person?

20) Has the character ever considered the possibility of his / her own
    death?  Has he / she made a will?

Only after going through this process will I let a player choose an 
alignment, since that is formed from past experiences more than anything 
else.