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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of traits should a writer use when first introducing a character?

2. Why should sources of inspiration be altered?

3. How often are sources of inspiration altered?

4. On a basic level, which one of the following defines character in a narrative?

5. Besides emotional, what type of attention from the reader is the goal of Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the role of a major character?

2. What technique does the author recommend when first introducing a character?

3. What does the author mean when he writes about "raising the emotional stakes"?

4. In what way can the story itself provide a writer with additional characters?

5. What is milieu and which types of stories feature it as the main narrative?

6. What are some of the ways a reader can know a character that is well written?

7. What does a character who becomes more heroic convey to the reader?

8. How and why should a writer vary the names used in their stories?

9. How does character factor into a narrative and why is it often a complex process?

10. What are the two aspects of creative writing and what is the difference between them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the main purpose of writing by answering the following:

1) What is the purpose of fiction and characters that are written effectively?

2) What is the expectations that a reader has of a fictional story and why?

Essay Topic 2

There are four basic factors that can be found in all narrative writing.

1) Describe milieu, how it works, and which stories feature it as the primary narrative.

2) Explain what the idea of a story is, which stories revolve around it, and how it changes the way the characters are developed.

3) Define character, the difficulties associated with a narrative based on character, and the techniques a writer can use to overcome them.

4) Explain what the event is, which types of stories are based on it, and the way fiction can use events to help make reality seem more logical.

Essay Topic 3

Transformations are a key part to the emotional connection between a reader and a fictional story.

1) Explain how transformations can be misunderstood or feared, and why fiction is a way for people to feel less uncomfortable.

2) Describe the way a character can be transformed in fiction based on external events and characters or events that they have no control over.

3) Describe how characters can transform themselves, the reasons for this type of change, and which stories feature it the most.

4) Describe why it is possible for a character to go through a random transformation, the difficulties in writing it, and how they can be overcome.

5) Analyze the different techniques available to writers when developing a transformation in characters.

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