What is the FIRST thing you notice about

someone you meet for the very first time ?

The way they dress

The way they smell

The way they speak

The way they look overall

The first things we notice about someone are these above attributes.
Do you agree or disagree ? Is this considered to be judgmental ?

Body Language:
- nonverbal communication
- person may reveal clues as to some unspoken
intention or feeling through their physical
behavior.
- body posture, gestures, facial expressions,
and eye movements.

How would a cocky person walk into a room ?

How would a bored person walk into a room ?

How would an excited person walk into a room ?

How would a sad person walk into a room ?

How would a socially anxious person walk into a room ?

How would a confident person walk into a room ?

Major characters usually have unique traits or

qualities that set them apart from other
characters.

Friendly
Smart
Dishonest
Determined
Wise
Lazy
Generous

Authors present their characters to us in 2ways:

Indirectly showing

- reader must INFER the character traits

- inferences is when you make a conclusion based on
what something you see
Mike always runs for the bus he is not organized
Directly telling - author describes the character

Mike is disorganized he is not organized

How can the author show or tell the reader?

The characters thoughts and outlook on life

The characters actions
The characters dialogue and way of speaking
Interaction with other characters
Interaction with environment
Information about characters past
What others say about the character
How others react to the character
Physical descriptions

Motivation the reason for a characters thoughts

and actions.

Main characters always have a motivation the

reason why they do what they do.
Motivations are framed by his/her character traits.

Fear
Guilt
Love
Greed
Revenge
Peace
Success
Jealousy

Round:
They are complex, have many sides, and
touch lives at many points.

Flat:
They are one dimensional.

-Characters that are well-described, with many

details, are round characters.
-The protagonist is almost always a round
character.
-If you feel that you have gotten to know the
character, then he/she is a round character.

Flat characters are not well-described.

However, this does not mean that they are
not important to the story.
They may be a catalyst that leads to change in the

story.

Authors cannot fully describe every character

in a book. They must analyze how much the
reader needs to know about a character in
order for the story to be believable and to
move forward.

Static:
Character does not change, develop, or grow
in the story.

Dynamic:
Character changes, develops, and adjusts to
situations. The change is usually crucial to
the story being told.

The change can take many forms, such as a

change in:
Beliefs
Attitudes
Outlook on life

Values
Motivations

The change the character goes through must be an

internal change, not a physical external change.

Ex A character may have a life changing brush with

death due to bad health. As a result, he starts to
take better care of his health, and loses a lot of
weight. So, the change in the character was a
change in the value he places on good health, not
that he lost weight.

No internal change has occurred to the

character during the story.

Be wary of physical changes. They do not

count. If you cut your hair, your personality
does not change. You are still you.

You must ask yourself questions about the character

at both the beginning and the end of the book and
see if you get the same answers.

1. How does the character feel about him/herself?

2. How does the character act toward others?
3. What are the characters goals?

No change in the answers static character

Change in the answers dynamic character