Character Roles
Q: The central character driving the story toward a goal.
A: What is a protagonist?
Q: A character who does not undergo any significant internal change.
A: What is a static character?
Q: A conflict that takes place entirely inside a character's mind.
A: What is an internal conflict?
Q: The letter 'S' in the STEAL acronym stands for this.
What is Speech?
Q: The hidden feelings or desires beneath a character's spoken words.
A: What is subtext (or secret motive)?
The force or character directly opposing the protagonist
A: What is an antagonist?
Q: A character who undergoes an important internal transformation.
A: What is a dynamic character?
Q: A struggle between a character and an outside force.
A: What is an external conflict?
Q: The author explicitly states a character's traits directly.
A: What is direct characterization?
Q: Spoken dialogue only gives about this percentage of what is happening.
What is 20%?
Q: True or False: An antagonist must always be an evil villain.
A: What is false?
Q: A simple character with few revealed traits or limited background.
A: What is a flat character?
Q: A character struggling against a heavy blizzard or storm.
A: What is Person vs. Nature?
Q: The author reveals personality through actions, words, and looks.
A: What is indirect characterization?
Q: Character motivation is often compared to this floating structure.
What is an iceberg?
Q: The Greek root origin of the word "protagonist".
A: What is "first actor"?
Q: A well-developed character with complex personality details.
A: What is a round character?
Q: A character fighting against unfair societal rules or laws.
A: What is Person vs. Society?
Q: Examining how other characters react to a main character uses this STEAL letter.
A: What is 'E' (Effect on others)?
Q: In Thank You, Ma'am, Roger sits where Mrs. Jones can see him to gain this.
What is trust or respect?
Q: In Alexander T. Wolf's version of the 3 Little Pigs, the pigs serve as this role.
A: What is the antagonist?
Q: Cinderella's Fairy Godmother is an example of this character type.
A: What is a static (or flat) character?
Q: Bud getting scared by storm noises on his way to Chicago represents this conflict.
A: What is Person vs. Nature?
Q: Clues like clenched fists or rapid foot-tapping fall under this STEAL category.
A: What is 'A' (Actions) or 'L' (Looks)?
Q: Marcus crushing his own snack bag while refusing help shows this hidden trait.
What is insecurity or pride?