Creative Writing Skills: Character Development | Self-Paced Study Guide

Help students create characters readers actually care about. Every step — from the wants/needs/flaws framework to voice, backstory, and character arc — is paired with a hands-on activity, so students are building their own original character from the very first slide rather than reading passively.

Covers the external want vs internal need distinction, using flaws and contradictions to drive conflict, show-don’t-tell characterisation, developing a distinct character voice, avoiding flat/stereotypical characters, and mapping a possible character arc. Finishes with a peer/self discussion check and a complete, reusable character profile template.

Includes worked exemplars throughout, continuous practice activities, an independent character-building task, and a consolidated answer key with a self-assessment checklist for evaluating character depth.

The second in the Creative Writing Skills series — pairs naturally with Idea Generation & Story Planning, and sets students up for strong dialogue and narrative work later in the series.

File information: Non-editable PDF, Not an editable PowerPoint
How to use: Upload to your LMS for digital learning / Print selected pages for classroom use / Display pages to guide discussion and activities / Adapt in presentation or design platforms if desired (formatting may vary)