Characters

Last week we looked at settings, this week we are going to look at Characters.

Good character description often tells us about more than the person described. It tells us something about the viewpoint of the narrator doing the describing, too. For example, it could tell us: Whether the narrator is judgmental, critical, or kind. In this instance You are the narrator.

What makes a good Character?

Character Quotes

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. (p. 46)Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling

They were dripping with sweat, and their faces were so dirty that it took Stanley a moment to notice that one kid was white and the other black. (p. 17)

Madame Zeroni had dark skin and a very wide mouth. When she looked at you, her eyes seemed to expand, and you felt like she was looking right through you. (p. 29)Holes by Louis Sachar

He has terrible tusks and terrible claws and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws. He has knobbly knees and turned out toes and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose. His eyes are orange, his tongue is black , he has purple prickles all over his back.The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

THINK:

What type of person do you picture when you read these descriptions?

Character Quotes

‘He was a rich man: banker, merchant, manufacturer, and what not. A big, loud man, with a stare, and a metallic laugh. A man made out of coarse material, which seemed to have been stretched to make so much of him… A man who was always proclaiming, through that brassy speaking-trumpet of a voice of his, his old ignorance and his old poverty. A man who was the Bully of humility.’ (p. 18)Hard Times by Charles Dickens

A man was sitting with his feet up on a desk. He turned his head when Stanley and the guard entered, but otherwise didn't move. Even though he was inside, he wore sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He also held a can of cream soda, and the sight of it made Stanley even more aware of his own thirst.He waited while the bus guard gave the man some papers to sign."That's a lot of sunflower seeds," the bus guard said.Stanley noticed a burlap sack filled with sunflower seeds on the floor next to the desk."I quit smoking last month", said the man in the cowboy hat. He had a tattoo of a rattlesnake on his arm, and as he signed his name, the snake's rattle seemed to wiggle. "I used to smoke a pack a day. Now I eat a sack of these every week."Holes by Louis Sachar

TASK 1:

Highlight or underline all the words that describe the following people

TASK 2:

Answer these questions for each of the people below. Think carefully about what their facial expressions and surroundings might be telling you.

Your characters are the people your audience will be living the story through, so you need to make them believable. If possible, try to base them on people you know, so that you're writing about someone familiar. This will help make your characters realistic.

Think carefully about who you want your character to be. If you, as a writer, know them well, then they are going to be believable to the audience.

When you're writing from your character's point of view, remember to draw on their senses to make your story more realistic. Think about what they can:

• Smell

• See

• Feel

• Hear

• Taste

What makes a good character?

My character

TASK 3:

Think about who you want your main Character to be – bearing in mind the setting description you wrote last week. Fill in the 4 boxes below with some basic details (this is also in a word document if you want to complete it on that or print it out.)

Old? Young? Sporty? Relaxed? Films?

Books? Drawing? Comics? Stickers?

Gaming?

Tall? Short? Eye colour? Hair colour? Face shape, freckles,

glasses, teeth, clothes, shoes.

Does your character have a pet? A best

friend? An imaginary friend?

Kind? Caring? Sensible? Passionate?

Angry? Unhappy

Basics Name:

Age:Hobbies:Interests:

Appearance

Relationships

PersonalityDescribe your

character's

appearance.

What are the three most important relationships in your character's life and why are they so important?

Describe your character's personality in five sentences.

My character

Physical appearance: (metaphors and similes will work well here, .e.g. The deep ravines which

map the contours of his face, tell a thousand tales of heartache and misfortune… / Her hazel eyes

are bright and optimistic, despite her tragic situation…)

Personality: (What is your character like? What do they like/ dislike? How do they interact with

others? Are there reasons to explain why they are the way that they are? E.g. He is an extremely

sociable person whose kindness and empathy touch all of those who meet him…/ When she

enters a room, an air of uneasiness descends due to the venom in her unyielding stare… )

TASK 4:

Add more detail to your Character using the headings below by including some similes/metaphors and other literary devices. Start putting some sentences together to use later in your descriptions (these are also in a word document)

Occupation: (What does your character do for a living? Think outside of the box here and be

creative. How does their occupation match their personality? Have they always done this job or

have their circumstances changed?

Deepest secrets/ wishes: (Is your character holding anything inside that they have never shared

with anyone? What would happen if people found out?)

• Remember that your character will be shaped by what they have and what they will be going through. If your character goes through some conflict in your narrative, they need to change accordingly.

• Remember to link your character's reactions to their personality.

• Try not to include too many characters in your story. It will not only be confusing for your reader, but also for yourself. Only use the characters that you need in your story.

Remember to show, not tell.

What makes a good character?

Character description

TASK 5:

Write a Character description for two characters that are very different. These could be characters that you will have in your story but if you are not sure what your story will be about yet then describe any two characters.

Make sure you use your senses to describe them and use the work you have done so far this week. There is also a sheet of adjectives to help you!

You should write at least two paragraphs for each character.