Editing Character (arts) (section)

==Types==
===Round vs. flat=== <!-- Characterization links here. -->
In his book ''Aspects of the Novel'', [[E. M. Forster]] defined two basic types of characters, their qualities, functions, and importance for the development of the novel: '''flat''' characters and '''round''' characters.<ref name="Hoffman">{{cite book |last=Hoffman |first=Michael J |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zxFqVTxvNA4C&pg=PA36 |title=Essentials of the theory of fiction |author2=Patrick D. Murphy |publisher=Duke University Press, 1996 |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8223-1823-1 |edition=2 |pages=36}}</ref> Flat characters are two-dimensional, in that they are relatively uncomplicated. By contrast, round characters are complex figures with many different characteristics, that undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader.<ref>{{cite book|last=Forster|first=E.M.|title=Aspects of the Novel|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.509170|year=1927}}</ref>

In psychological terms, round or complex characters may be considered to have five personality dimensions under the [[Big Five personality traits|Big Five]] model of personality.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pelican|first=Kira-Anne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NnabzQEACAAJ|title=The Science of Writing Characters: Using Psychology to Create Compelling Fictional Characters|date=2020|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=978-1-5013-5722-0|language=en}}</ref> The five factors are:
* [[Extraversion and introversion|extraversion]] (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
* [[agreeableness]] (friendly/compassionate vs. critical/rational)
* [[openness to experience]] (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)
* [[conscientiousness]] (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless)
* [[neuroticism]] (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident)<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167202289008 |title=The Big Five Personality Factors and Personal Values |vauthors=Roccas, Sonia, Sagiv, Lilach, Schwartz, Shalom H, et al. |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin |pages=789–801 |volume=28 |issue=6 |date=2002 |doi=10.1177/0146167202289008|s2cid=144611052 }}</ref>

[[Stock character]]s are usually one-dimensional and thin. [[Mary Sue]]s are characters that usually appear in [[fan fiction]] which are virtually devoid of flaws,<ref name="Bennett">{{cite book|vauthors=Bennett, Lucy, Booth, Paul |title=Seeing Fans: Representations of Fandom in Media and Popular Culture|isbn =978-1501318474|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]] US|year=2016|page=160|access-date=January 19, 2017|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ydwuDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA160}}</ref> and are therefore considered flat characters.

Another type of flat character is a "walk-on", a term used by [[Seymour Chatman]] for characters that are not fully delineated and individualized; rather they are part of the background or the setting of the narrative.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chatman|first=Seymour Benjamin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ewrOp9uPjYUC&pg=PA139|title=Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film|date=1980|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-9186-3|page=139}}</ref>

===Dynamic vs. static===
{{see|Character arc}}
'''Dynamic''' characters are those that change over the course of the story, while '''static''' characters remain the same throughout. An example of a popular dynamic character in literature is [[Ebenezer Scrooge]], the protagonist of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' by Charles Dickens. At the start of the story, he is a bitter miser, but by the end of the tale, he transforms into a kindhearted, generous man.

===Regular, recurring and guest characters===
{{See also|Bit part}}

In television, a regular, main or ongoing character is a character who appears in all or a majority of episodes, or in a significant chain of episodes of the series.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sandler|first=Ellen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YeCet_B_-IC&pg=PA40|title=The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts|date=2008|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-49221-0|page=40}}</ref> Regular characters may be both core and secondary ones.

A [[recurring character]] or supporting character often and frequently appears from time to time during the series' run.<ref name="Crafty">{{cite book |last=Epstein |first=Alex |title=Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |year=2006 |isbn=0-8050-8028-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/craftytvwritingt00epst/page/27 27–28] |url=https://archive.org/details/craftytvwritingt00epst/page/27 }}</ref> Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus.

A guest or minor character is one who acts only in a few episodes or scenes. Unlike regular characters, the guest ones do not need to be carefully incorporated into the storyline with all its ramifications: they create a piece of drama and then disappear without consequences to the narrative structure, unlike core characters, for which any significant conflict must be traced during a considerable time, which is often seen as an unjustified waste of resources.<ref name=mcbeal>{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=Greg M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=joaM7TvhSzUC|title=Beautiful TV: The Art and Argument of Ally McBeal|date=2009|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-77784-2|pages=147, 151}}</ref>{{rp|147}} There may also be a continuing or recurring guest character.<ref name=mcbeal />{{rp|151}} Sometimes a guest or minor character may gain unanticipated popularity and turn into a regular or main one;<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kukoff|first=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T9zj0AqB6bUC&pg=PA62|title=Vault Guide to Television Writing Careers|date=2006|publisher=Vault Inc.|isbn=978-1-58131-371-0|page=62}}</ref> this is known as a [[list of breakout characters|breakout character]].<ref name=ESL>{{cite web|url=http://eslnotes.com./movies/html/man-on-the-moon.html|work=English Learner Movie Guides|title=Man on the Moon|year=2000|first=Raymond|last=Weschler}}</ref><ref name="This definition">{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Ron|title=They really were a great bunch of happy people|url=http://www.thecolumnists.com/miller/miller426.html|publisher=TheColumnists.com|year=2005|quote=Originally, the Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli character was to be a comic relief dropout type, put there for comic contrast to the whitebread Richie and his pals. He was a tall, lanky guy, but when Henry Winkler blew everybody away at his reading, they decided to cut Fonzie down to Henry's size. Ultimately, Winkler molded the character around himself and everybody, including Ron Howard, realized this would be the show's 'breakout' character.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716055123/http://www.thecolumnists.com/miller/miller426.html|archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref>