[in Classroom Notes Plus. January 2002. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, pp 4-5.]

Characters and Speculations

I was introduced to this idea in a college-level creative writing class. I've found it very effective in teaching character development to high school students.

Students who have a sense of how their characters will react in situations of conflict generally have an easier time with narrative writing. I introduce this idea by getting students to speculate how a friend or family member would react in a stressful situation. Then they speculate about a reaction that that person would NOT have—I make the point that when we contemplate a response or action that doesn't fit a given person, we generally say the response or action is 'out of character'.

In this exercise, students try to imagine what a given character would or would not do in a situation. First, each student draws a simple character, either on a sheet of paper or on a balloon. In the next step, they make their characters 'come alive' by introducing them to their classmates. The questions that follow can be used as a guide for those who struggle with generating a response:

1. What is your character's name? Age? Sex? Occupation?
2. Describe some daily routines in the life of your character.
3. What types of novels or magazines would your character read? What kind of music would he or she prefer?
4. How would your character react if coffee were spilled on him or her?
5. How would your character respond if asked for a date?
6. What would your character fear? Hate? Love?
7. Describe your character's clothes.
8. Identify one word that would best describe your character.
9. Identify some of your character's mannerisms.

The character's attitudes and personality may also be described, but students should be encouraged to use specific details to support their descriptions.

After character introductions, groups of two to four students decide how their characters will interact together in situations of conflict. Students may enjoy generating their own ideas for conflicts. Some examples of possible conflicts are as follows:

1. The character is changing a flat tire.
2. The character is involved in, or witnessing a fight.
3. The character is stuck in an elevator.

A suitable assignment at this stage would be a one-scene story from each group, and a follow-up assignment could include a short story assignment involving a number of scenes.

These activities help make imaginary characters come to life for students, and make them better able to appreciate character development in fiction, as well as better able to develop their own characters in creative writing.

Gerard Landry
Saint Patrick High School
Yellowknife
Northwest Territories, Canada