Hi Writers and Teachers!
Character is the foundation of story! The following exercises can help you understand all your characters–from the POV character to the antagonist and ally–all from the inside out! Please feel free to share with friends! And let us know if they work for you!
WHO ARE YOU?
Divide participants into pairs. Have each one ask the other: WHO ARE YOU five times each. Suggest answering briefly–even with just one word. Then switch partners and repeat. Then switch partners and repeat again. Remind everyone that they can’t use the same answer twice. When they are done, discuss how we reveal truths about ourselves. What were the easiest answers? What were the hardest? What made you uncomfortable? What did you learn at each interaction? You can use this activity to help create a new character or to help understand a character in a book–to reveal motivation and emotion behind action and yearning. I often do this exercise before writing time begins. The deeper I go, the more squirmy I feel–but I also get closer to my characters’ heart and fear.
COMPOSE A DOSSIER
Act like a spy! What does this person look like? Hair, eyes, facial features, posture, mannerisms, toes pointing in, makeup, stray hair to push aside, veins in arms, fingernails, tummy, frowning, smiling, yawning, sneezing, skipping. Clothes, perfume, socks, hair ribbons, jewelry, shoes. Act like a detective or an FBI agent. Take note of every detail.
Then follow your character for a day. Where does she go? Who does she talk to? What conclusions can you draw from her actions? How do you know when someone is happy? Sad? Scared? Nervous?
START WITH PLACE: Make a memory map!
Draw a map of your house or your character’s house or neighborhood. What important events happened? Write them down on the map! Use them for stories!
Want to go further?
MAKE A MAP OF YOUR HEART!
Students receive a pre-drawn heart and then fill it in with “village of cats”, “ cousins river”, “pizza mountains”, –whatever they cherish. They can also put in things they dislike or fear like “dark forest of hairy spiders” or “bog of the big sister”.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!
What is your favorite food? How do you prepare it? What does it say about you? Who would you like to share it with?
STORY SOUP
As a class, choose two characters, one adjective, one place, and action, and one exclamation. Allow everyone to separately use those elements to create a story. Then share!
TELL A STORY IN SIX FRAMES
Draw six squares.
For each square, write down ONE MAJOR ACTION and whatever your main character is feeling. Draw a picture for each frame. Then share your stories!
Suggestions: What is your earliest memory? Tell a story where you learned something surprising. Or tell a scary story. Or one that always makes you laugh.
ADVICE COLUMN
Using the voice of a favorite character, how would you answer questions kids have on dealing with friends, family and/or school? Also: what questions might your favorite characters ask an advice columnist?
OUR MIGHTY GIRLS PANELISTS:
Lesley Burnap
Twitter: @LBurnap90
Crystal Allen
http://www.crystalallenbooks.com, Twitter: @rcpallen
Sarah Aronson
http://www.saraharonson.com, Twitter: @sarah_aronson
Kate Hannigan
http://www.katesbooks.com, Twitter: @KateChicago
Tricia Springstubb
http://www.triciaspringstubb.com, Twitter: @springstubb
Special thanks to Lesley Burnap for moderating and guiding this panel.
And to NCTE for welcoming us to this conference to talk about the power of girls!