Craft Glossary · term

Flat vs. round / static vs. dynamic

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Plain English: Round characters have contradictions and interiority; flat ones are a single note (fine for minor roles). Dynamic characters change; static ones don't (also fine, in support).

Rule: Spend roundness where it pays — POV and the antagonist especially. A great antagonist has a coherent want and believes they're right.

Fail: A cardboard antagonist who is evil-for-evil's-sake; or every minor character sketched with main-character depth, drowning the throughline.


Arjuna Badger Press · Craft Library

Glossary · Doctrine · Anti-patterns · Triptych form · LLM tells

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