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Creating a character

It's important to include characters in your writing because they help to drive the story.

Characters can be real people who you know. They could also be real people who you don't know. Or they can be completely made up.

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Watch: Where do characters come from?

Find out how asking questions can help you create a new character.

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Activity 1

Watch this short video and then try the activity below.

Find out about fairy stories.

Take a look at the table below and see if you can complete it by filling in the missing details.

Some fairy stories you know might be films - you can include them too.

Name of fairy story/filmGood characterBad character
- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -
- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -
- - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - -
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An illustration of a young boy smiling with question marks around him.

Activity 2

Look at the list below and write a sentence about each of your favourite characters.

  • Your favourite animal character
  • Your favourite female character
  • Your favourite male character
  • Your favourite evil character

Make sure you use capital letters and punctuation correctly.

Once you've finished you can show your sentences to someone else, like someone you live with, friend or teacher, and see if they agree with you.

An illustration of a young boy smiling with question marks around him.
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Activity 3

Take a look at the video below to find out how to create a new character. Then try creating one yourself.

Explore how to create a character.

An illustration of a young girl smiling with question marks around her.

Now that you have all the ingredients to come up with an amazing character, have a go at creating one.

Take a piece of paper and create six sections on it. Title each section with the labels below, then write about your new character in each section.

  • Name
  • Job
  • Clothing
  • Appearance
  • Where they live
  • Likes/dislikes

Fill in these sections to create one character.

An illustration of a young girl smiling with question marks around her.
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