11 R2W - Characters in Stories

Characters in Stories

Why Make a Good Character?

• Making a main character for your story is very important.

• The reader needs to feel a connection to the main character to make the story interesting.

• If we do not care about the main character, we do not care about the story.

Multiple Choice

Good characters are important because they create a _____________ with the audience.

• Theme

• Connection

• Adventure

• P

How to Make the Main Character

Make them the protagonist

• This will mean that they are constantly taking action and making choices.

• DO NOT make them passive.

Fill in the Blanks

The main character who is constantly acting and making choices.

Make them rounded, NOT flat

• Rounded means that they have more than one characteristic.

• Flat characters are okay for background or side characters. These have only one characteristic.

• Rounded example: they are courageous but also impulsive.

  Eg. Romeo is romantic and loving, but also impulsive and immature. He is a rounded character.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that a character might have?

• Thoughtful

• Greedy

• Rich

• Brave

Multiple Choice

The main character should have more than one characteristic. This makes them...

• Heroic

• Challenging

• Flat

• Rounded

Make them dynamic and not static

• Dynamic means that they will develop or change through the story.

• Static means that they will not change.

• Eg. the main character has a flaw that they learn to overcome.

• Eg. Scout is prejudiced against Boo but eventually learns to accept him as a neighbour

Open Ended

What are some flaws that you could give a character?

Think and Share

Examples of a Character Developing

Take 1 minute to write down a short explanation of how a character might change in a story. You can use a story you have read.

A few students will be randomly chosen to share with the class.
Eg. Scout is prejudiced against Boo but eventually learns to accept him as a neighbour.

Make the reader feel empathy for them

• Empathy is where we feel an emotional connection with the character.

• Eg. it can be good to show the character facing a common human challenge. This will be something we can all relate to.

• Eg. the character is nervous because they want to propose to their girlfriend.

Fill in the Blanks

The term for making the audience have an emotional connection to the character.

Make the reader feel empathy for them

• Eg. making the character suffer is an easy way to create empathy. It is hard, but you have to make the characters suffer and struggle.

Poll

What is most likely to make you feel empathy for a character?

• Family problems.

• Loneliness or isolation.

• Physical or health problems.

• Facing a major change in their life.

Fill in the Blanks

Unscramble this famous character and write it down. First and last name. No spaces.

TEOARTRHRYP