1. CHARACTER

2. CHARACTER TRAITS
Special qualities, features, beliefs, and quirks that make characters distinct and realistic
Often revealed through character’s actions
Make the character act in a way that affects the development of a story
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3. CHARACTERIZATION How the author reveals the personality of a character
Telling the reader directly what the character looks like
Describing how the character looks and dresses
Letting the character speak or act himself or herself
Showing us the characters thoughts and feelings
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4. DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
The author tells the reader what the personality of the character is
The author describes the character’s traits.
Example:
To this day, I find it hard to gaze directly at people like Hassan, people who mean every word they say.
The narrator tells us directly that his friend is uber honest.

5. INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
The author allows you to see what the personality of the character is
Speech
What does the character say? How does the character speak?
Thoughts
What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?
Effect
What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character?
Actions
What does the character do? How does the character behave?
Looks
What does the character look like? How does the character dress?

6. MOTIVATION The reason characters behave the way they do
Stem from a character’s goals or desires
“What does the character want?”
Conflict is often tied to character motivation; to understand conflict, start by examining what a character wants
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7. TYPES OF CHARACTERS Protagonist The main character in the story
The one who drives the action
Antagonist The character who prevents the protagonist from getting
what he or she wants

8. TYPES OF CHARACTERS
Critics often use the following terms to refer to fictional characters:
Flat Character is a two- dimensional character with only one or two key personality traits
“Amy is exceptionally stubborn.”
Round Character has dimensions of a person from real life, with many traits and complexities.
Stock Character is one who fits our preconceived notions of a “type” (such as the mad scientist or the nutty professor).

9. HELPFUL SKILLS Making Inferences About Characters
Intelligent guesses based on current evidence or prior knowledge
Current evidence is the information that is in front of your right now
Prior knowledge is what you already know
Using clues along with your prior knowledge about human nature to decide what kinds of people these characters are

10. HELPFUL SKILLS Making Inferences About Motivation
Intelligent guesses that try to understand why a character acts or speaks a certain way
The underlying reason for a character’s actions is motivation
Ask yourself:
What does each character want?
What does each character want to avoid?
What conflicts do the characters face?
What happens as a result of these characters change?

11. HELPFUL SKILLS Comparing and Contrasting Characters
Writers often present characters that are similar or different (or both) to
Create tension or conflict
To highlight character traits
Allows you to deepen your understanding of each character’s role in the conflict and lead you to a greater understanding of the story’s larger truth
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12. HELPFUL SKILLS Understanding Historical Context
Historical context consists of social, political, and cultural forces of a story’s time and place
In order to accurately, or fully, understand a character’s motivations, you must consider their situation in a specific time and place
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13. Rewrite the dialogue with correct punctuation:
Kevin asked Why is Maggie so shy?
Because she was scarred by the fire Kimberly answered.
I think replied Morgan Maggie was intimidated by her sister and that is why she acted shy.

14. Group Work
Imagine what happens after Dee leaves her mother and sister. Consider the following:
What would Dee say to Hakim-a-barber as they are driving away?
How might she explain her mother’s refusal to let her take the quilts?
How would he respond?
Your task:
Write a dialogue between Dee and Hakim-a-barber that answers these questions.