We make a movie in our minds, drawing on the text to envision (or become) the character.
We use our own experiences to help us walk in the character’s shoes, inferring what the character is thinking, feeling, experiencing.
We revise our mental movies as we read on, getting new details from the text.
We notice when we feel connected to a character and use that feeling to deepen our understanding of the character.
We read with our minds on fire and capture thoughts that lead us in grand conversations.
We pay attention to the actions of our characters and see those actions as choices.
We think about instances when the character seems to act out of character and think, “How might these instances lead me to revise my initial idea about the character?” or “Might the character be changing?”
We notice the objects that a character holds close and think, “What might the character’s relationship with this object suggest about the character?”
We pay attention to the way other characters treat, speak to, and view the main character.
An idea I am starting to have about my main character is ... This makes me think that …..
In other words what I am really trying to say here is …..
This is important because it connects to ….
This makes me realise….
The bigger ideas here is ….
Wow, I was surprised to learn that…. I now think that…. is the type of person who….
Even though the book doesn’t come right out and say this, I think this (character).... is (some traits) …..
At first I thought (character)...... was (some traits) …….but as I get to know him/her more, I’m coming to think that deep down, she/he’s really (some traits) ……...
Sometimes my character is…... For example, ….. But other times, she’s/he’s ….. for example ….. This makes me think…..
The main character b different sides to him/her. When she’s /he’s ….. she’s/he’s ….. Then when she’s/he’s …...
In the beginning, my character was …...but as the story continues, I think my character could be changing. By the end, he/she…...
