Learning to Develop Characters at SCATS

Have you ever wondered how someone came up with Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher? Or how Tolkien created so many races, each distinct from the others? In Interactive Story Telling, SCATS students are learning how to do exactly that. The class is set in the world of Fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons. To get the campers started, teacher, Tyler Johnson introduced them to the 12 archetypical characters. Questions about the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer or a paladin and a fighter helped the students delve into the finer points of the different types. They shared some of their own ideas, for example a bard that was a crab and a totally normal person who turned into a brick once a day. The brick example provided an opportunity to explain the importance of creating interesting characters and what traits make characters interesting. (Spoiler alert, all powerful, all knowing characters are usually not interesting.) Johnson then used a character he had developed to model the process. Students learned how a character’s appearance, backstory, strengths and flaws all combine into a fully fleshed out character. The students then got started on brainstorming their own characters. I bet they’ll have some great characters with great stories by the end of camp!