Week 3 –
Character Sketches
This week’s activity:
To sketch out two related characters to add into your plot.
Thanks for joining in with the Summer Writing Challenge, a summer of words, ideas and stories
- one step at a time!
If word banks and plot boxes give you the bones of a story, characters give it the heartbeat.
So, in week three of the Summer Writing Challenge we’re going to focus on characters.
All writers need to be observant of the world around them, and this applies particularly when creating characters.
And, for GCSE students, using two pre-created characters in your exam descriptive writing will make the examiner think about awarding you a higher mark.
Novel writers spend many hours creating and developing their characters.
For a short story like ours, there’s no need to go into such detail. But even a few minutes thinking about realistic characters can help you with the plot and add depth to your story.
Begin with two characters that are linked in some way. It could be:
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Mother and son
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Father and daughter
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Grandparent and grandchild
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Siblings
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Workplace friends
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Neighbours
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Old school friends
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A boss and an employee
Now jot down a few background details about each of them. Things like their age, family situation, work or school life, how they spend their time. Note them down in a bullet list.
Then ask these four questions:
Question 1:
What makes them happy?
Question 2:
What makes them sad?
Question 3:
Who makes them happy?
Question 4:
Who makes them sad?
These questions help you get to the core of them as people. You’re looking for something that can create drama in your story.
That's the activity for this week, to sketch out your two characters. Check out my characters on the SWC Example tab below to help you.
We started with Word Banks in Week 1 to generate ideas. In Week 2 we devised a plot using a Plot Box. Now, in Week 3 we have introduced two characters.
Next week, we’ll see how these characters can be included in your plot to make your story come alive. Don’t worry too much about your actual story at the moment - with the work you have done today, you’ll be ready for next week.
Please remember, you have the option to post your work in the comments on Facebook or email them to me on david@davidwritingtutor.com. I'll read every one and give you some feedback.
Here’s to a summer of words, ideas and stories – one step at a time!
David