1. The People Behind the Plot
Character
The People Behind the Plot

2. Do any of these characters seem familiar?
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3. What Is a Character? A character is an individual in a story or play.
A character always has human traits, even if the character is an animal or object.
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4. Methods of Characterization
A writer can reveal what kind of person a character is in one of two ways. He or she can
tell readers what the character is like, a method called direct characterization
show the character to readers to let them figure out what a character is like, a method called indirect characterization

5. Direct Characterization
Direct characterization provides readers with the narrator’s opinion of the character, directly stating the character’s traits.
Michele was almost impossibly perky and upbeat.
I decided to invite Max, who was always entertaining and good for a laugh, to the party.
His teacher could only wonder why Daniel was so lazy and unmotivated.

6. Indirect Characterization
Indirect characterization provides a variety of details to paint a portrait of a character’s traits without directly stating them. These details include
1. the character’s appearance
Peter rolled out of bed bleary-eyed, with his hair sticking up in every direction, wearing a rumpled T-shirt that matched his face, still creased from being mashed into his pillow.
2. the character’s words
“Mom, it’s Saturday. I shouldn’t have to get up early,” Peter grumbled.

7. Indirect Characterization
3. the character’s inner thoughts and feelings
Peter felt irritated at being woken. Why did he have to get up so early to work on his parents’ stupid project, anyway?
4. the character’s actions
Peter trudged down to the kitchen and slumped into a chair. He stared absently into the glass of juice that was waiting for him on the table and then yawned dramatically.

8. Indirect Characterization
5. the effect the character has on others
Peter’s mother rolled her eyes at his behavior. Despite his complaints, she knew that if she made him work on the project, he would wind up having a good time.

9. Types of Characters
You know from your own reading that some characters are more complex and interesting than others.
Flat characters have only a few obvious traits. Flat characters include stock characters—people who are instantly recognizable and may fit a stereotype (a dashing hero, a doting grandmother, a lazy teenager).
Round characters have many traits, including some that might contradict each other. These characters are more complex and interesting than stock characters.

10. What Motivates Characters?
Motivation is all of the reasons for a character’s behavior. A character may be motivated by one main factor or by a combination of factors.
Internal motivations include emotions, personal goals, and past experiences.
The new mother felt a rush of love for her baby, hoping to give him the happy childhood she had missed out on.
External motivations include social or cultural conditions, other characters, and historic events.
He didn’t want to disappoint his parents, but living during the Depression meant Bob couldn’t afford to stay in school.

11. Character Development
Characters may change during the course of the story or remain the same.
Static characters do not change much. They keep the same outlook and personality traits despite what they have experienced or witnessed during the story.
Dynamic characters change in response to the story’s events. They may gain a new understanding, make a life-altering decision, or take a crucial action.

12. What Have You Learned?
1. Describing a character’s actions is which form of characterization?
a. Direct b. Internal c. Indirect d. External
2. A stock character is an example of what character type?
a. Static b. Round c. Dynamic d. Flat
3. A character driven by greed has which type of motivation?
a. Internal b. Direct c. External d. Indirect
4. Which kind of character is someone who develops a new outlook on life by the end of a story?
a. Round b. Dynamic c. Flat d. Static

13. The End