Hello,
Welcome back to our Creative Writing Elements series here on the PrintedFeet blog. We’re talking about characters today, and since this is such a complex subject, we’re going to split it into two posts. The next post will be on developing characters and is going to be posted later on this week.
To begin, let’s go over the main types of characters and what makes them so necessary to story building.
Basic Character Types
The Protagonist: The protagonist is the person at the center of the story. They’re “the one at the center of the character arc,” (Myers, 73). Often, these are characters who have some important obstacle they must overcome to complete the story. Surprisingly, the protagonist does not have to be the main or narrating …show more content…
Sometimes they are flagrantly obvious (the scary dude who beats up the little guy). Other times they are less recognizable (the mastermind who frames the protagonist for a murder they didn’t commit). The antagonist does not have to be a person – it could be a force such as a hurricane or an idea such as unregulated medical testing. However, the antagonist does have to oppose the protagonist.
The Foil Character(s): The foil character is a lesser-known idea. To be concise, “a foil is a character who is usually paired with the protagonist to illustrate contrast,” (Myers, 74). For instance, Dr. Watson is a foil of Sherlock Holmes, Gale is a foil for Peeta in The Hunger Games and Teresa is a foil of Brenda in the Scorch Trials. A foil sets up a contrast between the protagonists to help us gain a greater depth of insight into the protagonists’ persona.
Undefined or Stock Characters: Simply put, stock characters are extra characters that fill in the gaps. They tap into stereotypes and hold up the corners of your story. According to Lesha Myers, “Stock characters…tap into people’s preconceived ideas, background knowledge, and stereotypes,” (Myers, 74). This allows readers to flesh them out in their own minds without you having to develop them to a large …show more content…
Dynamic characters achieve a goal, surmount an obstacle or defy an inevitable fate. Something happens to them in their character arch that causes a change, and these characters don’t drop the momentum. They pick it up, run with it and grow.
Flat vs. Round Characters
Similarly, there are Flat and Round characters. Round characters are fully ‘fleshed out’, meaning that they are well developed and conducive to the story line. Flat characters, on the other hand, are usually stock characters. They are one or two-dimensional characters with little to no development beyond stereotypes or stock ideas. Protagonists and antagonists are usually round characters while filler characters remain flat. Oftentimes it’s nice to make your foil character round as well to give more juxtaposition to your MC (main character).
Basically
Welcome back to our Creative Writing Elements series here on the PrintedFeet blog. We’re talking about characters today, and since this is such a complex subject, we’re going to split it into two posts. The next post will be on developing characters and is going to be posted later on this week.
To begin, let’s go over the main types of characters and what makes them so necessary to story building.
Basic Character Types
The Protagonist: The protagonist is the person at the center of the story. They’re “the one at the center of the character arc,” (Myers, 73). Often, these are characters who have some important obstacle they must overcome to complete the story. Surprisingly, the protagonist does not have to be the main or narrating …show more content…
Sometimes they are flagrantly obvious (the scary dude who beats up the little guy). Other times they are less recognizable (the mastermind who frames the protagonist for a murder they didn’t commit). The antagonist does not have to be a person – it could be a force such as a hurricane or an idea such as unregulated medical testing. However, the antagonist does have to oppose the protagonist.
The Foil Character(s): The foil character is a lesser-known idea. To be concise, “a foil is a character who is usually paired with the protagonist to illustrate contrast,” (Myers, 74). For instance, Dr. Watson is a foil of Sherlock Holmes, Gale is a foil for Peeta in The Hunger Games and Teresa is a foil of Brenda in the Scorch Trials. A foil sets up a contrast between the protagonists to help us gain a greater depth of insight into the protagonists’ persona.
Undefined or Stock Characters: Simply put, stock characters are extra characters that fill in the gaps. They tap into stereotypes and hold up the corners of your story. According to Lesha Myers, “Stock characters…tap into people’s preconceived ideas, background knowledge, and stereotypes,” (Myers, 74). This allows readers to flesh them out in their own minds without you having to develop them to a large …show more content…
Dynamic characters achieve a goal, surmount an obstacle or defy an inevitable fate. Something happens to them in their character arch that causes a change, and these characters don’t drop the momentum. They pick it up, run with it and grow.
Flat vs. Round Characters
Similarly, there are Flat and Round characters. Round characters are fully ‘fleshed out’, meaning that they are well developed and conducive to the story line. Flat characters, on the other hand, are usually stock characters. They are one or two-dimensional characters with little to no development beyond stereotypes or stock ideas. Protagonists and antagonists are usually round characters while filler characters remain flat. Oftentimes it’s nice to make your foil character round as well to give more juxtaposition to your MC (main character).
Basically