1.  What is the most basic element of fiction?

2. The building block of stories.

3.  Flat-has only 1 outstanding trait or feature, at most a few distinguishing marks Ex. Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol  Round-presented in great depth with generous detail Ex. Santiago in Old Man and the Sea

4.  Static- fixed character, start and end the same way  Dynamic- change, learn or become enlightened, grow or deteriorate  Often flat characters are also static and round are dynamic, but not always

5.  Names are often chosen for a reason Can indicate a characters nature  Ex. Squire Allworthy or Dolores Umbridge Can allude to other works such as the Bible, Shakespeare, or mythology  Ex. Ishmael ( a biblical outcast) or Ahab (tyrant comes to a bad end) Even simple names may intend to show average or humble upbringing  Ex. Harry Potter

6.  Start by studying the personality What makes this individual different from others in the story? Jot down a quick list of individual traits: physical, mental, moral, or behavioral  Do any traits seem especially significant?  Do any of these qualities foreshadow the action of the story?

7.  Jot down characters primary motivation. Does this motivation seem as reasonable to you (the reader) as it does to the protagonist/character? If not, what does this gap between character motivation and reader’s reaction suggest?  Ex. Odd motivation of narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” suggests the speaker is insane. Does the protagonist fully understand their motivation?

8.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blyg A-gGEbw