Developing Character

ELA 9

November, 2006

What is a character development?

Character development refers to the way in which characters are brought to life by the author

the better the audience knows the character, the better the character development.

How do authors develop character?

they could describe the personality of their character

they could describe the mental or emotional qualities of their character

they could describe the appearance of their character

Some hints for describing character

Adjectives used for describing character

Phrases used for Describing people

How else do authors develop character?

Authors may want you to learn about their characters by paying attention to– what they do – what they say– what they think and feel– or by what others say about them.

Make intriguing characters

In a good piece of writing, the characters go beyond the obvious features.

They might have an unusual or surprising feature.

Look at not just the person's outer qualities, at what the character looks like, but also at the inner qualities.

How should we develop our characters?(all school appropriate of course!)

So Now….

Your Character’s Profile

NameAge HomeFamilyOccupation

What Does Your Character Look Like?

General physical descriptionQuirks or mannerisms

– Perhaps your character has a special way of walking or a habit that is noticeable

How Does Your Character Act?

Describe his/her personality In a tight situation, how will your character

react? What does your character feel strongly

about?

How do other characters in the story react to this character?

Are they scared? Are they respectful? Are they helpful? Do they laugh at him or her? Do they gossip about him or her? What do they tell others about your

character?

Your Individual Assignment Time: 20 minutes

Develop a character that will fit into the setting/situation you developed in your group in last day’s session

Try to be as detailed as possible, but point form is fine for now

After 20 minutes you will share with your partners and choose which will be the main character of your story, and how the others will fit into the story