Handouts for the WFWA Craft Lab #2
Checklist for Well-rounded Characters:
Does your character have some/most of these qualities?
- Authenticity – Scarlett O’Hara
- Interesting characteristics – Holden Caufield
- Drive – they have to want something- Katniss (survival)
- A key strength – Mike Ross – Suits (his memory)
- A key weakness – Superman
- Complex psychology – backstory/wound – The Queen’s Gambit
- Humor – Oda Mae (Ghost)
- Personal integrity – Atticus Finch
- Courage – Harry Potter
- Fear – just about any Poe character
- A big/challenging arc – Sarah Conner- Terminator
Fictional Character Cheat Sheet –
revised from fictionyogi.com
- Define the core of your character
- Purpose & role:
o Determine your character’s role (protagonist, antagonist, mentor, etc.).
o Understand how they drive the plot and theme.
- Motivation & goals:
o Identify clear, personal motivations (e.g., love, revenge, freedom, wealth).
o Set both short-term objectives and long-term goals or dreams.
- Backstory:
o Sketch out key life events that shape their personality.
o Use backstory to explain current behaviors, fears and desires.
- Develop a distinct personality
- Flaws & strengths:
o Give them relatable flaws (e.g., stubbornness, naivety), and notable strengths (e.g., courage, wit).
o Consider how these traits create internal conflicts and growth opportunities.
- Unique voice & mannerisms:
o Develop distinctive dialogue patterns and speech quirks.
o Add memorable physical traits or habits that reflect their inner life.
- Values & beliefs:
o Outline their moral compass, what they hold dear, and what they repel.
o Allow their values to guide decisions and create tension when challenged.
- Craft a dynamic character arc
- Internal conflict:
o Highlight struggles (e.g., self-doubt, moral dilemmas) that hold a person back and eventually force internal change.
o For positive character arcs, ensure the arc shows growth; regression for a negative arc; or no change for a flat arc.
- External challenges:
o Introduce obstacles that test their limits and catalyze development.
o Use relationships and interactions with other characters to spur transformation.
- Transformation:
o Plan a clear evolution or realization by the story’s end.
o Decide if the character’s journey is triumphant, tragic or ambiguous.
- Show, don’t tell
- Actions over exposition:
o Reveal personality through behavior, decisions and reactions, rather than lengthy descriptions.
o Use dialogue, internal monologue and subtext to hint at deeper layers.
- Conflict & tension:
o Create scenes where characters are forced to choose, showcasing strengths and vulnerabilities.
o Allow contradictions to emerge naturally – people are rarely one dimensional.
- Relationships & interactions
- Dynamic relationships:
o Define how your character interacts with others – friends, foes, mentors.
o Use relationships to reflect or challenge their internal beliefs.
- Conflict with others:
o Introduce opposing forces that mirror or counterbalance your character’s internal struggles.
o Let every relationship contribute to their personal journey.
- Context & environment
- World-building impact:
o Consider how the setting and society shape your character’s beliefs and actions. o Reflect cultural, historical or fantasy elements that add depth and realism.
- Consistency & contradictions:
o Maintain a balance between consistency in character traits and surprising, believable contradictions.
o Allow your character to evolve naturally as the story progresses; avoid forcing their change.
The Framework of Transformation
- Show the Harm– Early in the story, let the negative trait cause problems. Readers need to see why it’s unsustainable.
- Introduce Pressure– Place the character in situations where the trait is tested and its limits are revealed.
- Reframe the Trait– Through failure, loss, or revelation, the character begins to see the trait differently.
- Culminate in Choice– The climax should hinge on the character using the “redeemed” version of the trait to succeed.
