Character Development Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RL.6.3

Core Standard

Developing a character is basically a process that all authors are tasked with when they create a work of fiction. Authors need to make their characters, to a good extent, believable. They could do this by providing their personalities with a bit of depth. The authors' ultimate goal is to connect with their readers and make readers find value in their characters. Regardless if you are writing about animals or robots, as a writer, your job is to make those characters human. The worksheets that are found below can provide you with a good bit of help to understanding what goes into developing a persona in literature.

Character Development Worksheets To Print:

Looking Ahead - This is a prediction organizer to get you focused on understanding the character's thoughts more.

Traveling Abroad - You will make a passport for your person.

Creating a Character - Read the cover of the book and see if you can completely fill this one out.

A Hiking Your Readers Will Go! - Follow the main character's travels with the people he or she runs into.

Based on Real Life - This is a very freely open response activity.

Character Relationship History - In the lines below, write a detailed paragraph of your main character's relationships with the minor characters before the story began.

Doctor Visit! - Your main character is sick and needs to fill out a form before he or she sees the doctor.

Main Character in Context - The setting of the story helps put the main character(s) in context.

Physical Character Traits - The key to not having similar-looking characters in every story is to brainstorm a variety of traits and mixing them together.

Character Timeline - Create a timeline below of your main character's life before the actual story begins.

Character Relationship Map - Write the name of your main character in the space below, and describe the appearance, relationship to at least 3 supporting characters.

All About Your Him/Her - Fill in each box with the traits that below to your character.

Developing Supporting Characters - Fill in the blanks and answer the questions below about your supporting act.

Developing Main Characters - Take time to brainstorm the best way to present this to your readers and make it clear and concise.

Exploring Character Development - Read one of your favorite books or short stories. Notice key details about the characters, specifically the focus of the story.

More Related Topics:

Character Actions and Decisions - We show you how to evaluate not only these acts, but also how they respond to the actions and choices of other people in the story.

Internal Point of View Worksheets - Understanding this can help you better realize why a choice or decision was made and acted upon.

How Do You Develop a Character?

Any character that you present to your audience is going to have under lying goals and motivations that you will need to bring to the surface. Your character's main goal is usually the morale of the story and it is really the reason you are even telling this story at all. You should really build this goal and tell all about it. Tell what the main character is concerned about and if any form of internal or external conflict exists within trying to achieve that goal. Also explore how the supporting characters and antagonist of the story feel about that goal. It is best to often ask yourself at each stage of the writing how your characters feel. Are they happy, sad, mad whatever emotion they are feeling? Ask yourself, at each stage of your writing, if you are getting that through to your readers. It is also very helpful for you characters to have a past. This instantly establishes an identity for them. A healthy back story also requires less of the author going forward. If you think of some movies you have seen, there are a few that are more back story then present day story.


One of the coolest things about writing fiction is that you can decide what happens to all of your characters. You decide your character stays the course and does exactly what they say they are going to go. You can also have your character go completely off the rails and become a loose cannon.


Things to Consider When Preparing Your Audience


When we are introducing a personality whether it be a human or wildly out there fiction, we always what to think about what our audience is thinking throughout the piece. Many writers will go overboard with descriptions of these personas. Some will tread too little and not give enough detail. How do we know when we over or under shared? A good way to go about this is think up all the adjectives that you want your readers to think when they key on a particular persona. Then just make certain that your description covers all of those aspects.


Another thing to keep in mind is that how your personality carries themselves when it comes to speech and in particular dialogue. Do they have an accent or speech issue? Do they have a funny way about them or walk in certain manner? What does their natural body language indicate to your readers and can you get that across in the written word? This can also help your audience draw a conclusion on the age and nationality of this persona. Given enough dialogue, the audience may be able to uncover the level of education that this particular has and those that surround them. You can also allude to their internal thoughts by having them day dream or through the use of a narrator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Creating a Character Preview