Title: u02
Course: Creative Writing Through D & D

Q: What distinguishes a "round" character from a "flat" character?
- They have complexity and contradiction
- Whether they're the protagonist
- The length of description
- Whether they change in the story
A: They have complexity and contradiction

Q: In the "Wound and Want" framework, what creates a character's deep want?
- The plot
- The wound/formative experience
- The author's outline
- The antagonist
A: The wound/formative experience

Q: Which is the best example of "showing" rather than "telling" backstory?
- Maria was afraid of storms because of a childhood trauma.
- Maria had a difficult childhood.
- Every time thunder cracked, Maria's hand moved to the scar on her left arm and she went silent.
- Maria's backstory involved storms and fear.
A: Every time thunder cracked, Maria's hand moved to the scar on her left arm and she went silent.

Q: What is an archetype in storytelling?
- A character who appears in only one culture's stories
- A recurring character pattern found across many traditions
- The main character of any story
- A character with no flaws
A: A recurring character pattern found across many traditions

Q: When a writer "subverts" an archetype, they are:
- Copying it exactly
- Deliberately breaking or reversing the expected pattern
- Removing it from the story
- Making the character flat
A: Deliberately breaking or reversing the expected pattern

Q: What is the relationship between a character's "surface goal" and "deep goal"?
- They are always the same
- The surface goal drives the plot while the deep goal drives the character
- Only villains have deep goals
- Surface goals matter more in good writing
A: The surface goal drives the plot while the deep goal drives the character

Q: Why are character flaws important in fiction?
- They make characters unlikeable
- They create internal conflict that drives growth and story
- They only matter in tragedies
- Publishers require them
A: They create internal conflict that drives growth and story

Q: What are the essential building blocks of a compelling character?
- Whatever the dice determine
- Backstory, motivation, personality traits, flaws, and goals
- A name and a physical description
- High ability scores and powerful equipment
A: Backstory, motivation, personality traits, flaws, and goals

Q: What makes a character's motivation compelling?
- When the DM tells you what your motivation should be
- When it connects to relatable human desires like love, belonging, justice, or survival
- When it's as dramatic as possible
- Flaws make characters weaker in combat
A: When it connects to relatable human desires like love, belonging, justice, or survival

Choose a character from a book, show, film, or game. Identify their primary archetype and explain whether the author plays it straight or subverts it. Use at least one specific example from the text.

Explain the "Wound and Want" framework. Then, using a character you know (from fiction or your own creation), identify their wound and want and explain how the wound creates the want.

Compare how two different cultural storytelling traditions approach character flaws or character growth differently. What does each approach reveal about what that culture values?