Characterisation
Think of your favourite character from a book or movie. Spiderman? Katniss? Iron Man? Percy Jackson?
What makes them so special?
Find out the definition of: protagonist; antagonist; anti-hero; cameo role; minor characters.
Choose a film or book character and write down what gives them their own special character. Be prepared to explain this to the other writers in our group.
Two of my own characters:
Nathan Barnabus Smedley O'Donnell is the main character of my book, SHINE. Read the first few pages of the book and you'll find out all about him!
Dr. Daniel Moss is the main character of my trilogy of thrillers. He is a bookish intellectual, with a zest for life, always eager to get away from his rather boring job. But he has a birthright, a secret about his own identity that only comes out later in the first book, BIRTHRIGHT.
Daniel is in his mid thirties. He is rather nondescript, with reddish hair and green eyes. He is an orphan and grew up in a boys' home, where the manager, Marcia Cohen, became his 'mother'.
He works on a secret project at the Ministry of Defence, a computer system called PANDORA, which gathers Intel from all over the world. his job is not that rewarding - at first - and so every weekend he tries to do something adventurous: self-defence, parachuting, etc.
But Daniel is also a puppet. Those around him are all trying to use him for their own purposes. When he slowly realises this, he rebels, and follows his own course.
What makes them so special?
Find out the definition of: protagonist; antagonist; anti-hero; cameo role; minor characters.
Choose a film or book character and write down what gives them their own special character. Be prepared to explain this to the other writers in our group.
Two of my own characters:
Nathan Barnabus Smedley O'Donnell is the main character of my book, SHINE. Read the first few pages of the book and you'll find out all about him!
Dr. Daniel Moss is the main character of my trilogy of thrillers. He is a bookish intellectual, with a zest for life, always eager to get away from his rather boring job. But he has a birthright, a secret about his own identity that only comes out later in the first book, BIRTHRIGHT.
Daniel is in his mid thirties. He is rather nondescript, with reddish hair and green eyes. He is an orphan and grew up in a boys' home, where the manager, Marcia Cohen, became his 'mother'.
He works on a secret project at the Ministry of Defence, a computer system called PANDORA, which gathers Intel from all over the world. his job is not that rewarding - at first - and so every weekend he tries to do something adventurous: self-defence, parachuting, etc.
But Daniel is also a puppet. Those around him are all trying to use him for their own purposes. When he slowly realises this, he rebels, and follows his own course.
Things to consider:
Appearance
Family and friends
Job, profession
Race, nationality, religion, etc
Motivation
Development as your writing continues
Secrets!
Character profile
Backstory
TASK: Write a couple of paragraphs where you introduce a protagonist/antagonist. Use the notes above to construct your character. Read your work to a friend and ask them to describe the person back to you. Did they note and understand the things that you wanted to portray?
Family and friends
Job, profession
Race, nationality, religion, etc
Motivation
Development as your writing continues
Secrets!
Character profile
Backstory
TASK: Write a couple of paragraphs where you introduce a protagonist/antagonist. Use the notes above to construct your character. Read your work to a friend and ask them to describe the person back to you. Did they note and understand the things that you wanted to portray?