Character Analysis and Development

1. Character Analysis and Development

2. Character Traits • Personality – opinions, reactions to events, how they treat others • Appearance – how they look, dress, sense of style • Hobbies – what do they enjoy doing • Skills – what are they good at doing • “Origin Story” – family life, background history • Motivation – why do they do the things they do • Likes/Dislikes – works into motivation and personality • Voice – how do they speak or think, their feelings

3. Types of Characters • Flat Character: A flat character has one or two personality traits that don't change. The flat character can play a major or a minor role. • Round Character: A round character has many complex traits; those traits develop and change in a story. A round character will seem more real than a flat character because real people are complex. • Stock or Stereotype Character: Stock characters are stereotypes such as hot-tempered redheads, stingy businessmen, and absent-minded professors. They are often used as a tool to move a plot forward. • Static: A static character never changes. A loud, obnoxious "background" character who remains the same throughout the story is static. A boring character who is never changed by events is also static. • Dynamic: Unlike a static character, a dynamic character does change and grow as the story unfolds. Dynamic characters respond to events and experience a change in attitude or outlook.

4. Character Development • Plot developments may change a character’s viewpoints or personality. • For instance, something that happens in your life might cause you to develop different likes or dislikes, change friends, or behave differently. • Examples of character development • Scrooge • Hermione • Eragon • Batman

5. Character Analysis • Once you’ve studied a character, you should be able to predict exactly how that individual would respond to various scenarios. • You must understand a character’s motive (what drives them) and how it influences a plot line.

6. Now let’s try it out… • Listen carefully, and begin thinking about what each character’s actions reveal about their traits. • If your sticky note has a BLUE dot, write assumptions about character Ryan. • If your sticky not has a RED dot, write assumptions about character Marley.