The Writer’s Toolbox: CHARACTERIZATION

Types of Characters There are many ways readers can identify the characters that populate their stories.  Protagonist vs. Antagonist  Flat Character vs. Round Character  Static Character vs. Dynamic Character  Stock Character Let’s talk about these in more detail…

Protagonist vs. Antagonist The protagonist of a story is its main character. Most stories are told from the protagonist’s perspective. The antagonist of a story is the character who works against the protagonist. The antagonist is not necessarily a bad guy, however!

Protagonist vs. Antagonist cont’d Let’s decide who are the protagonists and antagonists in the following stories:  Little Red Riding Hood  Cinderella  Jack and the Beanstalk  Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Flat Character vs. Round Character Flat characters are characters who are not very developed in the story. They have a tendency to fade into the background. Round characters are very developed. They have multiple character traits and the reader feels as if he or she knows the character pretty well.

Flat Character vs. Round Character Let’s decide who are the flat characters and the round characters in the following stories:  Little Red Riding Hood  Cinderella  Jack and the Beanstalk  Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Static Character vs. Dynamic Character Static characters stay the same throughout the story (think of how static on the radio always sounds the same). Dynamic characters change and develop throughout the story.

Static Character vs. Dynamic Character Let’s decide who are the static characters and the dynamic characters in the following stories:  Little Red Riding Hood  Cinderella  Jack and the Beanstalk  Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Stock Characters Stock characters are characters that the author just “pulls off a shelf” and plugs into a ready made hole. (Think of it like having an item in stock at the store). They are very stereotypical. This means that instead of taking time to develop a character in detail, the author just inserts a “jock” or “bully” or “prep” or “crybaby,” assuming that readers will get what he means.

Stock Characters What kind of stock characters did J.K. Rowling use in the Harry Potter series?  Crabbe and Goyle  Fleur Delacour  Peter Pettigrew  Oliver Wood Now that we know what types of characters there are, let’s see how authors reveal traits about the characters… The big, dumb bullies The pretty, out-of-reach girl The weakling, whiny bad guy The team captain

What is Characterization? Characterization is the way in which an author tells us about the characters he has created. There are two types of characterization:  Direct Characterization  Indirect Characterization

What is Direct Characterization? Direct characterization is when the author blatantly TELLS readers what a character is like.  “Suzy was lazy”  “Tyrone is extremely creative.” Can you think of any examples?

What is Indirect Characterization? Indirect characterization is when an author gives the reader CLUES as to what the characters are like. He doesn’t tell readers, he just gives HINTS. After the author has given the reader hints about the character, the reader can come up with his own ADJECTIVES to describe the character.

Let’s Try One… Michael sat alone in the corner of the crowded gym. His arms were wrapped protectively around his chest, and the bill of his hat tipped down over his eyes as he watched his classmates play together. ‘I wish I could play,’ he thought, but no one talked to him, and he talked to no one. S. T. E. A. L.

Let’s Break It Down… A whole paragraph can be a lot to examine at one time! Instead of looking at the whole thing, we can find adjectives to describe Michael based on specific things:  Speech  Thoughts  Effect on Others  Actions  Looks

S.T.E.A.L. By examining the speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, and looks of a character, we can figure out what kinds of HINTS the author is giving us about a character. Sometimes we don’t get all five types of description, but that’s okay! We can work with whatever the author gives us.

Speech In the paragraph we read earlier, what did we notice about Michael’s speech?paragraph What adjective would you use to describe someone who doesn’t talk?adjective

Thoughts Does this paragraph show us anything about Michael’s thoughts?paragraph What adjective would describe someone who thought like that?adjective

Effect On Others What does this paragraph show us about the effect Michael has on others? (How do others seem to feel about him?)paragraph What adjective would describe someone who others feel that way about?adjective

Actions What actions is Michael performing in this paragraph? paragraph What adjective would describe someone who does those things?adjective

Looks Based on the previous paragraph, what do Michael’s looks tell us?paragraph What adjective would describe someone who looks like that?adjective

We Can Keep Track of Our Ideas Like This: HINTSADJECTIVES Speech—Michael didn’t talk to anyone. Quiet Thoughts— Effect on Others— Actions— Looks—

We Can Keep Track of Our Ideas Like This: HINTSADJECTIVES Speech—Michael didn’t talk to anyone. Quiet Thoughts—He wanted someone to play with. Lonely Effect on Others— Actions— Looks—

We Can Keep Track of Our Ideas Like This: HINTSADJECTIVES Speech—Michael didn’t talk to anyone. Quiet Thoughts—He wanted someone to play with. Lonely Effect on Others—No one noticed him. Unpopular Actions— Looks—

We Can Keep Track of Our Ideas Like This: HINTSADJECTIVES Speech—Michael didn’t talk to anyone. Quiet Thoughts—He wanted someone to play with. Lonely Effect on Others—No one noticed him. Unpopular Actions—Michael sat alone and watched. Shy Looks—

We Can Keep Track of Our Ideas Like This: HINTSADJECTIVES Speech—Michael didn’t talk to anyone. Quiet Thoughts—He wanted someone to play with. Lonely Effect on Others—No one noticed him. Unpopular Actions—Michael sat alone and watched. Shy Looks— Michael’s arms were crossed over his chest & he hid his face under his hat. Nervous

In Conclusion… The author has many TYPES of characters at his disposal: protagonist, antagonist, flat, round, static, dynamic, and stock. Authors can TELL us about characters with direct characterization. Authors can let us STEAL a glimpse of characters by giving us hints about speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, and looks with indirect characterization.