CharacterYour characters in a story are all the people, animals, or things that take part in the action of a story. Character is also a word that refers to the traits that make up a person's personality.
Every story should have a protagonist (main character who is experiencing the main conflict) and an antagonist (the character or force that is causing the main conflict). Do not confuse these with good guy/bad guy roles--that is too simplistic. While the antagonist is the "bad guy" in many stories, that isn't the only way it can be done. An author introduces us to the characters and gives life to them through a process known as characterization. In direct characterization, the comes right out and states what traits a character has--they are bossy, or quiet, or polite. Indirect characterization, which is much more common, is when the author gives us insight into what a character is like based on what they say, do, wear, think, feel, own, or even through how other characters react to them. Sometime we meet a character who is developed so well that we feel like we know them--that is called a round character. They have multiple character traits and are convincing as people--true to life. Opposite that, we have flat characters. These characters are stereotypical or shallowly developed. Oftentimes they are symbolic. After experiencing the conflicts in a story, oftentimes a character will grow or change as a person--learning something from what they have been through. When this happens, they are known as a dynamic character. Characters who do not grown and change are called static characters. |
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