Creating Realistic Characters: Part 4

This is the difficult part of character development for tweens, and it is directly related to the way most of them see the world. Everything in their existence is usually seen through the filter of “me”, and that is developmentally appropriate.

While each child develops along his or her own trajectory, most students take some time to develop abstract thought including determining multiple possible outcomes beyond their own experience based on forming new ideas from known principles. They also often have trouble considering multiple points of view on a topic, particularly those that do not agree with their own initial views. Finally, metacognition is a new concept. Being aware of their own thinking processes as an observer of those processes is a new experience.

Helping students create a backstory for their characters actually helps students with cognitive development!

Family Dynamics

We begin by determining where the character lives, with whom he or she lives, the size of the family unit, and the relationship with each family member. To do this, we make a family tree for the character. Next to each family member is a brief biographical description of that family member including the relationship to the main character. We spend about twenty minutes exploring possible family dynamics.

Perhaps Dad is an absentee character. How does this affect the Main Character (MC)?

Perhaps Mom left the family when the MC was a baby. How does this affect the MC?

Both Mom and Dad may be present, but Grandpa may have needed to move in for extended care. What change did this have on the family dynamics for the MC?

If the MC is the youngest in the group, how do the older siblings treat the MC? Are there sibling rivalries? Is there a favorite child of the parents? Is there a favorite brother or sister of the MC?

Once the students have the family tree and relationships defined, I have them write a family dinner scene based on their work so far. Did someone cook the meal? Did someone order pizza delivery? Did someone get takeout food? Is each family member on his or her own for dinner? Do the family members sit at a table, go to their own individual spots to eat, or huddle in the den around a T.V.?

Eating together to “break bread” is one of the oldest of human interactions. It is, therefore, one of the easiest ways to explore abstract possibilities for relationships, because the students can imagine variations in the familiar routine. I have also found it to be the easiest way to have students imagine different points of view.

The next twist is to explore what would happen if the family was rich or if the family was very poor. This usually requires bringing in examples from literature and the popular press. A news article about a wealthy family with a private chef and servants provides a great contrast to my students’ home environments. Similarly, imagining a homeless family huddled in a tent under an overpass is eye-opening for many of my kids. Sadly, from time to time one of my students is homeless. If the student chooses to share what it is like to dine at an outreach facility, it can be a life-changing revelation for the rest of the class.

Life Experiences as Personality Shapers

We end the exercise by talking about the MC’s experiences. What happened to the MC to make him or her behave a particular way. What shaped the MC’s personality? How did the other family members (including pets) play into the MC’s mental outlook and opinions? The kids tend to really enjoy this conversation. They take notes on their characters' imagined experiences at the end of class.

Speaking of conversations, how does the MC talk? What does the MC’s dialogue sound like and why? Is the MC an introvert or an extrovert? Is the MC a thinker or a feeler?

Next time, we will examine dialogue creation in Creating Realistic Characters: Part 5.

Creating Realistic Characters: Part 3

Goals. Most of us in adulthood have them. We might aim to lose weight, obtain another degree, save to buy a house, date to find a significant other, apply to adopt a child, or in some other way reach for something beyond our current existence. Characters need to do the same thing, even in short pieces of fiction.

When we last talked about creating a character, I had the students putting their characters through various scenarios to flush out their strengths and flaws. As part of this exercise, they should have the character do things to make the author proud as well as do things to make the author despise the character. Every character creation needs to have his or her “terrible twos” moment of author disgust.

A great way to discover the inner desires of a created character is to have the student interview the character as though the character was on a talk show. It is often very revealing to have the students take on the role of the character while peers interview them. Journalists interview people to learn more about a topic, create an interesting story from the answers, and put the interviewee a little on edge. They begin with small talk to make the subject comfortable, and then move into probing questions. The interviewer needs to tolerate long pauses. The questions can also be on a worksheet, but I have found it works best to have someone talk through the questions with the student.

I use these interview questions:

1. Which scenario did you find the easiest to envision and why?
2. What did you learn about yourself as a result of that scenario?
3. Were there any surprises in your response that caught you off guard? Why?
4.  Which scenario was the most difficult to use and why?
5. What did that scenario tell you about yourself that surprised you?
6.  Think about someone who would be a good friend for you. Who did you select, and what aspects of that person makes them a good potential friend?
7. What situation might turn that friend into an enemy? What could cause that to happen?
8.  How would you mend the relationship, or would you not try to mend it? Why?
9. What do you love the most about being you?
10. What do you hate the most about being you?
11. What one thing do you want the most in the world, and why do you want it?
12. To what lengths would you be willing to go to get it?

From this exercise, the student should learn the goal of the character as well as his or her motives. Wants and desires emerge from the later questions, and the needs are categorized by status (immediate, near term, and future). An easy way to work with this concept is to have students look at printed advertisements in magazines to identify the wants and desires reflected in those images. That little visual nudge can help to crystallize the personality of the character, making it sharper and more memorable. The Pinterest pin for this post is a clear image showing how this idea works. It is clear what the piebald cat wants, and it is clear what the black cat is thinking. The next discussion point for the class is determining the motive or motives which drive the characters.

The next step is to create a backstory for the character. Who is this person, and what made him or her be like that? What life experiences did the character have? Where did the character live? We will cover that next time in Creating Realistic Characters: Part 4.

Keywords: character, cartoon, traits, writing, writing sprints, character traits, students

Creating Realistic Characters: Part 2 

In the last installment, I had my students select three character traits they regarded as positive and three character traits they regarded as negative. The traits selected are going to vary as widely as the personalities of the students who are creating these characters. That is perfectly acceptable, as there is no right or wrong answer to selecting the traits. I do, however, enforce one rule: the traits need to oppose each other. The goal is to have a sliding scale of behavior for the main character.

Elementary school personal narratives stress selecting a single incident with a focus on learning how to show the story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. By sixth grade, students are expected to add a reflection to the narrative to describe the “lesson learned” by the student. I’ve had the most success by having students practice this “lesson learned” part with a character the student creates rather than trying to put themselves into what could become an embarrassing lesson for the first round.

Once the students create a character, they make an “incident wheel” spinner. Each student selects eight scenarios to place on a pie chart. I usually dictate the setting as school for middle school students and home for elementary school students. I’ve found middle school students are more reluctant to write about their home lives than elementary students.

Here’s a sample incident list for sixth graders to choose from if the setting is school:

·         Fell in the hallway next to the classroom

·         Forgot to print and bring the report to school

·         Unable to find classes at a new school after a mid-semester move

·         Due to behavior issues, a parent had to shadow the character all day

·         Student caught cheating on a test by copying answers

·         Teacher selects student’s submission as a good example to show the class

·         Classmate tells student he or she likes the kid

·         One student does not do the assigned part while working on a group project

·         A student is recognized in the morning announcements for an outstanding performance

·         A student tries out for advanced orchestra, but does not make it

·         During art class, one student draws an unflattering cartoon of another student

·         A noisy student talks constantly while sitting next to a quiet student

Seventh graders usually add more situations about personal relationships, crushes, and friendships. Fifth and fourth graders usually add more situations about family events. I often start a bullet list, and allow the students to add scenarios they want to see on their wheels. By having twelve or more easily envisioned incidents, the task of selecting eight possibilities becomes easier. If you are working with a reluctant writer who is overwhelmed with anxiety, narrow the choice list.

Next, the students use the paperclip spinner wheel to pick one of the scenarios. They then use their sliding scale to determine how the character will react to the situation. For example, a student decides Character X (we don’t name them until later) has these opposing traits:

1.      Selfish……………………………………………………………Generous

2.      Outgoing……………………………………………………….Quiet

3.      Brave…………………………………………………………….Timid

The student spins, landing Character X in the scenario where the character falls in the hallway. The student first decides on which traits dominate the character’s response to the event and why (we often act out the event). Perhaps the student decides the character responds with severe embarrassment and anger, shouting out in wrath at an innocent character.

1.      Selfish………X……………………………………………………Generous

2.      Outgoing………X……………………………………………….Quiet

3.      Brave……X……………………………………………………….Timid

The student then writes the interaction as narrative text (we insert dialogue later).

Character X walked down the hall toward math class, but tripped on his own shoelace. He then landed with a thud, and yelled out at a nearby scapegoat.

Next, we rewrite the event from within the character as a first person narrator.

I was late. Despite the crowd, I almost made it through the doorway. Suddenly I careened into the lockers and sprawled on the floor. Leaping up, I shouted at a nearby sixth grader to watch where he was going. He didn’t actually trip me, but I wasn’t going to admit it!

The flaws for this character then become a quick temper, an unwillingness to be embarrassed, and a desire to pass blame onto others. These weaknesses reflect both moral and mental weaknesses. The mental weakness is the inability to control a flash temper and the struggle to handle embarrassment. The moral weakness is the desire to blame others instead of accepting responsibility. The moral weakness is the greater flaw, since it indicates a willingness to belittle or bully others. 

For the final step, they turn the scenario into a short narrative poem using the voice of the created character, and create a cartoon of the event.

By putting character X through more scenarios, the student adds more flaws to the character. Strengths can also surface. Suppose character X had hit the sixth grader when he fell, and apologized rather than casting blame. Putting characters through these small scenarios helps to round them.

Next time, we’ll look at setting a goal for the character, as well as deciding between wants and needs. Remember these are short writing sprints to help students see multiple sides of their characters. They also help students later write about themselves more freely than they otherwise would without the neutral character X practices.

Keywords: character, cartoon, traits, writing, writing sprints, character traits, students