Building a Character Building a Character ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What are the ways we can develop a character in a fiction piece of writing?

Character: Character:  Definition:  An individual who is well-developed and believable to the reader. This individual is greatly involved throughout the story and is affected by the action in the story.  An interesting character is one that grows or changes (physically, emotionally, or mentally) throughout the course of the story.

What is ‘good’ fiction? What is ‘good’ fiction?  Good (fiction) writing has a purpose, a point, a reason it was written.  As we move into fiction writing, you need to stretch yourself as a writer.  We must remember… Fiction is one of the hardest genres to write!  Some aspects of fiction we will be exploring when writing fairytales include:  Setting  Character  Conflict  Resolution

What character traits do we see in Shrek? Questions to answer: 1.How does Shrek speak to others? 2.How does Shrek interact with other characters? 3.How does Shrek treat strangers? 4.What are some of Shrek’s annoying physical habits? 5. Describe Shrek in your own words.

What Character traits do we see in Olaf?     How is Olaf introduced?   What are Anna and Kristoff’s initial reactions to Olaf? Why do their reactions change?   Why does Olaf decide to travel with Anna and Kristoff?   How does Olaf change as the story develops?   If you could pick one adjective to describe Olaf what would it be and why?   Now, make a list of all the adjectives you can think of that could describe Olaf. Next to the adjectives, write down how you know this describes Olaf

Considerations in Creating a Character for Fiction  The opening paragraphs and pages are the most crucial to the success of your short story or fairytale.  This is your opportunity to get a character up and walking around, breathing, living.  Build people  Listen to how they sound.  Observe how they think and behave.  Understand them.  An author once wrote, “My characters always take shape first; they wander around my mind looking for something to do.”