Student creative writers must develop unique and colorful characters to enliven their writing. Each character must be consistent to itself and distinct from the others.This may seem like a daunting task to young writers. You can help your writing students succeed by giving them a written exercise that acting students often use. Writing students must complete one of these exercises for each character in their story.
Present these questions as a worksheet, and go over them in class. You can assign the first step as homework. The students must answer the questions for themselves -- not for their characters. Once they have written down their own answers (in the first person,) it will be easier for them to formulate answers in the voices of their characters.
I have provided sample answers in the voice of a high school student.
WHO AM I?
I am a high school sophomore. I am a dedicated athlete and on the gymnastics team. I am a girl with lots of friends but no boyfriend. I am a big Phish fan. I am enrolled in honors algebra, but am terrible at algebra.
WHAT AM I DOING?
I am sitting at my desk in my room, and staring at my algebra homework.
WHAT TIME IS IT? (year, season, day, minute, atmosphere)
6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, 2008. Thankgiving is next week. I'm looking forward to it because of the days off from school.
It is starting to get very cold outside, and it is a little windy today. Will probably rain tomorrow. I'm wearing a fleece sweater and my parents started a nice fire in the wood-burning stove.
WHERE AM I?
Home in our house where we live in Vermont. I am upstairs, in my bedroom, sitting at my L-shaped desk in the corner. My desk is near the window, but I can't see much with the lights on because it is dark outside already. There is a vent in my floor though which I can feel the heat from the stove. And Phish is playing on my stereo over on the bookcase.
WHAT SURROUNDS ME?
My open algebra book and my empty notebook. Three pencils and a big, pink eraser. The window if I look up. My desk lamp is to my right at the corner of my L-shaped desk, and if I turn to face the other part of my desk I will be facing my computer.My backpack is on the floor under the computer. To my left is a throw rug and then my ceiling-high bookshelves. They are full of my books, three gymnastics trophies, my CD's and stereo equipment. Phish music is filling my room.
The vent is in the middle of the floor behind me. My bed is the rest of the way across the room behind me and a quilt decorates the wall over my bed. Both of my cats, Coco and Marsh, are sleeping on my pillows.
