They may be more memorable than characters without much screen time, but they often lack any real substance. These are the folks who walk in and out of the story, performing their function and then vanishing into the background again until it’s time for them to reappear. Whether they’re historical figures or fictional protagonists, there is no better way to bring a film to life than by making the audience care about the people they’re watching.Ī flat character, on the other hand, is one who lacks depth and seems to have been created with a singular purpose in mind. More than any other medium, cinema thrives on the creation of characters who are interesting and multi-faceted, and three-dimensional. However, there are some flat characters who are more prominent than others.
The author does not describe them in depth.įlat characters are usually minor characters in stories, and they are very different from round characters, who are major characters that undergo complex changes in personality and development. The reader does not know their thoughts or feelings. A flat character does not change throughout the story. If you introduce a large number of characters in your novel or short story, it’s likely that some of them will suffer from being too similar to one another.Ī flat character is a type of character that is not developed by the author. They are, however, easily distinguishable once you know what you’re looking for.įlat characters can actually be very useful in stories with large casts of supporting players. If we’re going to write realistic fiction and movies, we have to accept that in real life, people will have faults and flaws, and our characters should too.Ī flat character is sometimes difficult to spot because their personality traits can be somewhat similar to other characters in the story. By giving your protagonist flat traits, you’re taking away the opportunity for them to grow and learn throughout the course of your book.Įven though it would be nice if all of our friends were perfect and had no flaws, that’s simply not true. They remain one-dimensional and serve as nothing more than a means to move the plot forward.įlat characters are useful, but they’re somewhat limited. Flat characters are those that do not change throughout the course of a novel.įlat characters never develop or grow.
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