How to Write the Character Sketch

1. How to Write the Character Sketch

2. A character sketch is an analysis. • Define analyze. What does it mean to analyze something? • Explain what it means to analyze a character in a book. What exactly would you do?

3. Analysis means breaking into parts to determine meaning • Identify relevant character traits. • Collect data that supports those traits • Interpret data • Formulate a statement about the meaning.

4. Why write a character sketch? • To understand a character better • To think about what role the character played in fulfilling the author’s message/theme of the novel.

5. Writing about character Writing about a character, whether fictional or real, involves noting and analyzing a character’s • personality • actions • thoughts and feelings • motives

6. Writing about character • A character’s personality traits • A character’s physical appearance and name • A character’s actions • A character’s choices • A character’s speech • A character’s thoughts and feelings • A character’s past • A character’s comments about others

7. A character’s personality traits • Traits refer to one’s attitudes or behaviors that reflect personality qualities. • a character may be curious, brave, cold, loving, aggressive, open-minded, or naïve. • Personality traits are also qualities that make us find people likeable, lovable, etc.

8. A character’s appearance & name • Physical appearance is important if it brings out a person’s unique personality qualities, culture, traditions, or influences. • His warm green eyes lead me right to his soul. • A name is often significant as it may reveal information about one’s family background, tradition, influences, or personality traits.

9. A character’s actions • Remember the old cliché “Actions speak louder than words.” • A character’s behavior (actions) is usually motivated by his or her attitudes and values. • By examining potential reasons behind the actions, you can reveal a great deal about the inner world of a character.

10. A character’s choices • The choices people make regarding how they deal with obstacles, resolve conflicts, or overcome difficulties reveal character strengths or weaknesses. • We make judgments about people based on the choices they make every day.

11. A character’s speech • Based on what he/she says and how he/she says it, you can determine important qualities. • He/she is unhappy, selfish, sarcastic, or domineering, uneducated. • The choice of words spoken can also reveal important information about the character’s age, education, culture, and values.

12. A character’s thoughts & feelings • The saying “A penny for your thoughts” shows how much we wish to know others’ inner worlds. • By sharing their thoughts and emotions, people often reveal a great deal about themselves—motives and qualities. • love, hate, fear, revenge, etc.

13. A character’s past • Setting of one’s upbringing is important; we are the products of our early environment. • Significant past experiences influence who we are and shape our personalities. • Family background may also be important as it reveals values and traditions that are passed on from generation to generation.

14. A character’s comments about others • What people say about others often reveals important information about them as well. • How judgmental are they? How supportive?

15. The Character Sketch Organization

16. Introduction • Introduce the character in a creative way. • Begin with a colorful hook. • Take the reader to the time and setting where you met your character. • Introduce major personality traits to be developed and supported in the body. • Formulate a statement about why this individual is significant enough to you to write about. (Central idea)

17. Body • First, you may want to touch on background of the character and his relationship to other character in the novel. • Next, develop and support each personality trait you mentioned in the introduction. • Provide incidents, actions, and behaviors to support your character’s qualities. • Make sure you develop at least one full paragraph per personality trait.

18. What to watch for. . . • Do not just tell what a person is like; show qualities through the use of incidents. • Do not describe a story or event without drawing some conclusion about your character. • Avoid developing points about a character that you did not list in the introduction.

19. Conclusion • Tell the reader why you are writing about this unique character. This is a so what statement. • Consider discussing why this individual is significant to you—if at all. • You may want to share how this person has influenced you--positively or negatively. • Consider what role the character played in fulfilling the author’s message/theme. • You definitely want to write about if this character changed or grew during the novel

20. Summary • Introduction • Begin with a colorful hook creative; • Discuss significance of individual • Provide background information about the character. • Body • Use a transition to bring you from your introduction to your first body paragraph • Develop each personality characteristic • Conclusion • Discuss why this individual is significant to you or how he or she has changed.

21. Now it’s your turn!