◄Previous: 5.2 Round and flat characters

# 5.2.1 Enriching stereotypes

Figure 5

Recalling the real life characters in our video Keeping track of useful details, do any of these suggest a stereotype to you?

If so, can you think of a way in which you might develop such characters beyond stereotype?

Novakovich suggests that showing the contradictions in characters is one way of making them ‘round’. Taking a stereotype and portraying it in a way that goes against the usual expectations is an effective way of making them more complex.

For example:

- the bullying headmaster with a tender sentimental side
- the meticulous manager who lives in a messy house
- the shy librarian who goes bungee-jumping
- the habitual flirt who avoids relationships.

◄Contents►Next: 5.2.2 Talking more than types

OpenLearn - Start writing fiction: characters and stories
Except for third party materials and otherwise, this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence, full copyright detail can be found in the acknowledgements section. Please see full copyright statement for details.