I read an article in a childrens' writer newsletter about finding a specific trait to assign your character in a children's story. I felt disgruntled by the simplicity of the advise, but truthfully, I need it. My children's character, Scaffold Cat, is not a unique, lovable character.
A. A. Milne used this concept in his Winnie-the-Pooh series. Pooh is greedy and covets honey. What a great set-up for children; they are greedy and covet sweets. Piglet is fearful and requires constant reassurance. Rabbit is a know-it-all who knows nothing. Tigger wants to play and has a bouncy tail. Eeyore is despondent, very different from hard-working helpful donkeys. He sighs all the time.
These characteristics make up the world of children. They are greedy, fearful, despondent, know-it-all, overly confident, and playful. Children can relate to all of these easily. The characters are exaggerated through physical characteristics.
Eeyore's tail is pinned on so of course he's despondent. He's ashamed because this isn't normal and then he's always worried about whether it's there. Sigh.
Tigger wants to play and have fun and can do many wonderful, joyful things using his bouncy tail. This tail also makes him extremely obnoxious, just like a very playful child.
Winnie-the-Pooh is greedy and the thing he wants to have is honey. This drive to acquire honey gets him into lots of fixes; a honey jar stuck on his nose, bees chasing him, stuck high in a tree. Poor Pooh!
Piglet is fearful and is also small. He needs to hold hands with others, and he also wants companionship. Which is why he is willing to accompany Pooh on forays -- even into the woods -- to find honey.
Perhaps this concept of character exaggeration is critical for evocation in a story. I'm comfortable with characters personality and motivation, but I've never thought about exaggerating those. And yet ... Duh!
Other fictional characters, especially for children, who have exaggerated character traits?
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