


This can be a “good” change as in a positive character arc or a “bad” change as in a negative character arc.Īdditionally, a rounded character will be complex in terms of desires, personality traits, relationships, and backstory. A round character, on the other hand, changes over the course of the story. A flat character is defined by the lack of an arc, either positive or negative. The biggest difference between a flat and round character is the arc. Follow this template and you'll find your characters are just jumping off the page at you (not literally, unfortunately) Get it FREE! Flat Characters vs. To further explore flat characters, it's helpful to compare them to round and static characters.īy the way, if you want to really flesh out your characters, we've got an all-inclusive character profile builder that you can look at. We'll get into some examples later, but for now just know that a flat character can be used to great or detrimental effect, depending on their purpose in the story and even the genre in which you're writing. They also usually lack complex personality traits. The two-dimensional character's journey is often described as having a flat arc, meaning they don't change from the beginning of the story to the end. Identify the Flat Characters in Your LifeĪ flat character is one that lacks complexity in several facets.What is an Effective Way to Use Flat Characters?.
