Characteristics of a Flat CharacterĪ flat character is not as interesting as its opposite, the round character. He writes about it in his exceptionally useful book Aspects of the Novel. The idea of a flat character comes from E.M. This is important to remember when learning how to write a book. They are not the ones readers are supposed to be connecting with the most. Secondary characters are often the flat characters of the story. Most of the time, they also remain relatively unchanged from the beginning of the story to the end. What is a flat character? They are characters that are mostly one-dimensional and don’t have a lot of backstory or depth. Familiarizing yourself with examples will help you learn how to become a better writer, too. And a flat character they are not.īecoming familiar with the workings of a flat character is essential in knowing how to write a novel.

The main character is, of course, the biggest focus. While there are some stories focus entirely on only one or two characters, most have several that are present throughout the story.

Example of flat character