How do characters contribute to a story

His face lighted up with a winning smile, and where I had a moment before seen only leaden sorrow I now beheld keen intelligence, genuine kindness of heart, and the promise of true friendship.

Characterization never stops! Stay aware of how a character is described, how others react to the character, and how those things change throughout the text. Changes in characters are often crucial to the meaning of a story. Narrative Elements. What is it? Why is it important? How do I create it? Self Check Example Characterization Tip. Lincoln has black hair and a wrinkled face. He looks older than he is, and he appears deeply sad until he starts talking.

He has a particular, awkward way of walking. How does the character behave towards others? Why is the antagonist important? How to develop a stronger antagonist: Always remember that the antagonist is the hero of his or her own story. Mentor Who is the mentor? Why is the mentor important? Sidekick Who is the sidekick? Why is the sidekick important? How to develop a stronger sidekick: A sidekick should be loyal but not to a fault.

Skeptic Who is the skeptic? Why is the skeptic important? Minor Character Development Tips Should you only focus on five characters within your story?

Here's why:. Tweet this. You can start by answering these questions: Will the character be static in the story? In other words, will the character not change during the course of the story?

Or, will the character be dynamic and evolve within your story? How much of the character will the reader see? Will the character be flat?

A flat character is not developed. Final Thoughts A compelling plot may entertain your reader, but it's the characters that live on long after the reader has closed the book. Plot Driven: Which Is Best? Subscribe Hold tight You might also like For example, a character who grew up with a controlling parent might have difficulty making decisions once they start living on their own.

Personality traits might also overlap with physical traits: talking too loudly or too softly or interrupting others, for example. To this end, you should allow your characters to fail at something, whether that something is huge or inconsequential.

Exercise: In a short vignette, deliver some news to your character. The news can be good or bad. It can affect just the character, or the entire world population, or any number of people in between. How does this character react? Who do they tell, if anyone? Try this exercise several times with the same character but different contexts e. There are legal reasons not to do this, of course, but there is also the danger that a story filled with too many real-life people and events will be flat and boring.

Fiction should generally be a healthy mix of the ordinary and extraordinary. If the mix is skewed too far in one direction, the reader can find the piece too unbelievable or too boring. Writing Compelling Characters Summary: For readers to connect with a character, they generally need to know at minimum three things about that character: a physical trait, a personality trait, and a goal.

Written by Carey Compton. Static characters are stereotypical characters who are two-dimensional or flat. Kate Prudchenko has been a writer and editor for five years, publishing peer-reviewed articles, essays, and book chapters in a variety of publications including Immersive Environments: Future Trends in Education and Contemporary Literary Review India. How to Create Characters for a Book.

Examples of Dynamic or Round Characters. How to Write a Short Story. The Types of Characters in Literature. Kate Prudchenko.