Character
Character can be revealed through the character's actions, speech, and appearance. It also can be revealed by the comments of other characters and of the author. 
Certain types of characters appear in many stories. Describe the following types if they appear in your book: 
•	The protagonist is the central character (person, animal, or personified object) in the plot's conflict. 
•	The antagonist is the force in conflict with the protagonist. It may be society, nature, or fate, as well as another person. It can also be the protagonist's own self, if he or she has an internal conflict. 
•	A character foil is a character whose traits are in direct contrast to those of the principal character. The foil therefore highlights the traits of the protagonist. The foil is usually a minor character, although if there are two protagonists, they may be foils of each other. 
•	A stereotype is a character who possesses expected traits of a group rather than being an individual. Sometimes stereotypes can have negative connotations regarding the type of person stereotyped. However, stereotypes can be useful in furthering the story quickly and are acceptable in minor roles if they do not provide hurtful portraits of the groups in question. 
Character development is showing the multitude of traits and behaviors that give the literary character the complexity of a human being. The amount of character development affects the quality of the story: 
•	A flat character is not fully developed; we know only one side of the character. 
•	A round character is fully-developed, with many traits--bad and good--shown in the story. We feel that we know the character so well that he or she has become a real person. 
•	Character development is a continuum with perfectly flat characters at one end and very round ones at the other. Every character lies somewhere on this continuum. Round characters are usually considered an indication of literary quality. However, characters in folktales are almost always flat, and flatness is appropriate for minor characters in modern literature for children. A character foil is often flat, even if the protagonist is round. 
The amount of change in a character over the course of the story also affects its quality: 
•	A static character is one who does not experience a basic character change during the course of the story. 
•	A dynamic character is one who experiences a basic change in character through the events of the story. This change is internal and may be sudden, but the events of the plot should make it seem inevitable. 
•	There is also a continuum of character change in a story, with very static characters at one end, and very dynamic ones at the other. Every character lies somewhere on this continuum. Dynamism in the protagonist is usually considered an indication of quality, but many characters, especially in stories for younger children, have only the mild amount of change which can be expected from growing and maturing from day to day. 
•	A character may thus be round and dynamic, round and static, or flat and static. A flat character cannot usually be dynamic, because you do not know enough about the flat character to notice a change. If a character seems flat and yet seems to change, it is usually because the characterization is not well written. 
The following table summarizes how the development and change in characters interact:
Character	Dynamic	Static	
Round	Considered the best type of character development. Usually the protagonist.	Development is considered well-done. Often found in protagonists in books for younger children. 	
Flat	Characters cannot be dynamic and flat, because in a flat character we do not know enough about them for them to recognize a change. If a flat character seems to change, it is usually due to poor writing.	In very simple books, or in fairy tales, the protagonist may be flat and static. Also appropriate for minor characters in other books.