Whether it’s fast fiction, a short story or a small novel, writing a character who has depth and personality isn’t always an easy feat, particularly when you’re already grappling with other elements of your narrative. There’s the issue of simple details, such as physical attributes, likes and dislikes, personal interests and relevant health concerns, like allergies – someone with hay fever is unlikely to want to spend time outdoors in the middle of Spring! Then there are the more complex topics, including family history and personal relationships. Discover how to breathe life into your work and bring those characters off the page. Please ensure you bring a pen and paper or a device to type with.
- Looking at character types, including protagonists, antagonists and tertiary characters
- Using personal experience, relationships and people-watching as sources of inspiration and information
- Becoming acquainted with the character(s) and understanding how they would interact with other individuals or react to certain situations
- Understanding how genre/the length of the story will impact the amount of detail provided to the reader
- Importance of objective feedback and using it to improve characterisation and writing
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand how genre and story length can determine the types and number of characters who feature in the writing, as well as the amount of detail that is provided to the reader about them
- Use a combination of personal experience and observations to write engaging, believable and authentic characters who have personality and depth
