Writing Characters

Characters can make us laugh or cry, surprise us, or make us REALLY annoyed!

Whether they are people, animals, robots, unicorns, or creatures from outer space, all characters need some basic things to bring them to life.

In this lesson you’ll learn about what makes characters INTERESTING - and what you can do to make yours leap off the page!

Key Concepts:

• An introduction to the idea of story characters and character creation
• Ideas about inventing a story character from the beginning
• How characters can be used as both a starting point for stories, and a useful tool for developing plot

Take Aways:

• Resources for thinking about character personalities and giving substance to fictional characters
• Inspiration to create layered, interesting, purposeful characters for stories

Resources for Writing Characters

Resources include lesson plans for middle and upper primary students,

each with their own activities and supporting resources.

• A simple chart to explore the basic story formular about what their character wants, and what might their challenges be
• Brainstorm sheet to invent a brand-new story character
• Tools to develop a character’s personality and backstory

About Writing Characters Creators

Mat Larkin

Mat writes children’s adventure stories with heart.

After starting out on the Zac Power junior fiction series, his debut middle-grade novel, The Orchard Underground, was voted Best Children’s Book of 2018 by Readings Books customers.

Mat lives on Wurundjeri land in Naarm-Melbourne. He’s working on more books, and for the last time, he didn’t invent chips.

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Melissa Keil

Melissa is a writer and children’s book editor.

Melissa’s books have been shortlisted for many awards, and have been translated into many languages around the world.

She spends her days thinking up story ideas, watching Star Wars videos, and hanging out with her dog, Hugo.

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