Prewriting Exercise for Character Sketch
In a character sketch, you want to create a snap shot of a person you
know. This exercise is meant to help you come up with material that
you can then build into the character sketch. Copy and Paste (highlight,
Ctrl C, Alt/Tab, Ctrl V) this
page to a new wordprocessing file and then answer the questions, giving
descriptive detail when possible.
- What is the name of the person you wish to write about?
- Where will you set this sketch; what is the scene?
- What are the things in this scene that are associated in your
mind with the person?
- What is the person wearing?
- What does the person's face look like?
- What does the person's hair look like?
- What do the person's hands look like? What does the person
do with his or her hands? If you touch the person's hands, what
do they feel like?
- What does the scene smell like?
- How does this encounter begin?
- What, generally, happens in this encounter?
- How does it end?
- Record a conversational exchange during this encounter in which
you and the person each say at least two or three different things.
- Can you think of any significant mannerisms to include?
- Is there anything else about the person you want to get into this
sketch?
- What impression do you want the reader to have of the person?
- Given this impression, what details should be emphasized?
Put your name at the top of this file, save a copy to disk for your
own use and either print a copy to hand in or E-Mail a copy of it
to your teacher