Creative Writing 1 - 2

Creative Writing
Unit 1 Introduction to Creative Writing
1.2 Who are You? Developing a Character

1.1 due date 1/29
1.2 due date 2/06
1.3 due date 2/09
1.4 due date 2/14
1.5 1.5 2 CST 1.5.3 TST due 2/16

​ Observe reading methods that can sharpen your own
writing technique.

Observe and explore descriptions of characters in
prose writing through guided close reading.

Explore ways to create interesting characters using
details, direct and indirect characterization, and
suggested motivation.

Create a character using details, direct and indirect
characterization, and suggested motivation.

​ Characters populate a story. The characters in your favorite book or movie may have been quite different from you, and you might have liked the way the story took you to a new place.

Or maybe one or more of the characters reminded you of yourself or someone else you know. You may have also enjoyed the story's exciting plot. But without characters, it's almost impossible to have a plot. Character and plot must work together to create a vivid and compelling story line.

​Study 1.2.1 page 1

​You've learned that when your descriptions include more sensory detail, your writing becomes more vivid. These details "wake up" the senses and make your reader feel as if he or she is really seeing, hearing, smelling, or tasting what you are describing. This same process is true for characters in fiction. Vivid details can make a character "come alive."

​1.2.1 Study page 2

​You're developing a character. Think about:
How does he enter the room?

Does he stand up straight, or hunch his shoulders and clutch the edge of his jacket?

If you sat across from this person at lunch, would he make eye contact
while you talked, or would he look down and play with his food?

Asking these kinds of questions can lead you deeper into the character, and when you include details involving gesture, movement, and body language, your character will seem even more real. Think about how your character stands, sits, walks, or gestures and then add other movements that might help a reader better imagine who he or she is.

​Study 1.2.1 page 4

​Study 1.2.1 page 5

​Do this or not.

It's up to you!

​Study 1.2.1 page 6

​As you write... have someone read your work and give you their honest opinion.
A word about feedback: Don't get discouraged if the feedback you receive isn't exactly what you hoped for. One of the most important skills a writer can develop is the ability to handle criticism.

Think of your reader's comments as a valuable tool that can help you understand what you're doing well and what you need to work on

​Close Reading 1.2.1 pages 7-8

​Moving slowly through a passage by looking at each sentence or small section, noticing what details are added and what we learn from them, and also thinking about what effect that has on us as readers.

​Read 1.2.3 Do a close reading

​"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Now you'll read a short story, which will give you a chance to observe some techniques French writer Guy de Maupassant used to make his main character, Mathilde, feel like a real person and "come alive" in the reader's imagination. As you read, pay special attention to the details Maupassant gives us to help us understand who Mathilde is. click on the link bottom of page 1

The Reading Guide will be very helpful!

​To make characters truly believable and turn them into people we feel we know — even if they only exist in our imagination — we need to understand their inner lives. This includes their personality, thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears.
Here are a few ways you can observe on the outside what people are like on the inside:

• Their actions

• Their habits

• What they say about themselves

• What they say about other people

• What other people say about them

​1.2.5 Study pg. 3

​1.2.5 Study pages 6-11
Show vs. Tell

​When you use direct characterization, you tell the reader in a more straightforward way what a character is like.


When you use indirect characterization, you imply what a character is like without saying it directly. To understand indirect characterization, the reader has to make an inference.

​Study 1.2.5 pages 12-16

Let your reader see your character's evolution.... show how complex he or she really is.​
As you think about your character's inner life, remember that the character does not always have to be perfectly consistent. In fact, the more complex a character is, the more interesting and real he or she can seem.

To show what your character wants.... you need to illustrate his/her motivation.... the impulse for your character to take action.

​1.2.7 Practice Character Sketch

​Write a character sketch (or description) introducing a reader to a character of your own creation. Your sketch should be at least 8 to 10 sentences long.

• Include vivid details that make the character "come alive."

• Use direct and indirect characterization to reveal who your character is.

For extra help on completing your assignment, click your practice guide.

​This course doesn't offer rubrics.... but there is generally a check list. I will refer to this while I grade your work.

​In the chat.... tell me why indirect characterization is more effective in helping the reader "know" the character.

​See you next Thursday!