What a character!

1. What a character! Creating Characters in Fiction

2. Good Characterization • Washington Irving describes Icabod Crane, the main character in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, as: “…tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulder, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it might have been mistaken for a weathercock perched upon a spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew. To see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield.

3. Good Characterization • Icabod Crane is unquestionably a fictional character, but because of Irving’s vivid description of his character, the lanky schoolteacher has leaped off of the page right into the American imagination.

4. Protagonist Main character Most important character in a story Center of the conflict and focus of reader’s attention Usually a person, but may be an animal or force of nature Often heroic or admirable, but not always Antagonist Force or person in conflict with the main character Remember Man vs. … Example: Walter Mitty’s wife Protagonists & Antagonists

5. Round Characters Show many different traits Have faults as well as virtues Example: They may be generous, hard working, and jealous all at the same time Flat Characters One dimensional Lack depth or resonance Often function as types or stereotypes Often serve as foils or background for the dynamic character Example: The tightfisted husband, the seductress, or the spoiled child Types of Characters

6. Dynamic Characters Develop as people throughout the story Grow and change as real people do Static Characters Do not change Are the same at they end of the story as they were at the beginning Often help to underscore the changes the dynamic character experiences Types of Characters

7. Types of Characters • These categories are not exclusive. For example, a round character can also be dynamic. • One type is not better than another, rather, each has a special function to fill within a narrative. • Don’t be fooled: Major characters do not have to be dynamic.

8. The character’s physical appearance, traits, emotions, personality type. The character’s actions. The character’s background. The reaction of other characters to a character. The character’s speech. The character’s thoughts, feelings, and desires. The thoughts, feelings, and desires of other characters. The narrator’s direct commentary about a character’s nature or personality. *Note: If your story is to come alive on the page, your characters must seem to be alive. Your reader has to be able to visualize your characters. Methods of Characterization

9. In direct characterization, you state a character’s traits outright. For example: “My mother believed you could be anything you wanted to be in America.” Joy Luck Club * This comment tells us that the narrator’s mother is convinced that America is the land of limitless opportunity. In indirect characterization, you let readers infer a character’s traits from his or her appearance, actions, or speech. For example: “I didn’t want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I though so right up to the moment I cut his throat.” In Cold Blood * From this dialogue, we can draw the conclusion that the speaker is a cold-blooded killer, inhuman in his viciousness. Direct & Indirect Characterization

10. Stuck? Here are some character traits to get you started: Ambitious Brave Cruel Lazy Generous Dishonest Patriotic Cowardly Selfish Gloomy Loving Honest Humble Bold Shy Loyal

11. A lot… Pick your character’s names carefully because readers relate to characters according to their name. Find names that convey a sense of each character’s personality. For example, “Daisy” suggests vulnerability, “Dexter” suggests geeky, etc. Name only your main characters. What is in a name?