When we think, “What is a round character?” we're probably thinking of dynamic characters. A ROUND CHARACTER EXAMPLE YOU LOVE Dynamic round characters And, again, depth is the cornerstone of round characters. If round characters can be static, what is the difference between round and flat characters? While unyielding and unchanging, static round characters do have depth. But here are some more examples of characters that are both round and static. When you’re thinking about what is a round character, it is often round dynamic characters that come to mind. True, static characters are a bit less common. So when you’re designing your characters, it’s good to remember that sometimes the most compelling, confusing, and engaging can be both static and round. Traveling is just who she is, and she hasn’t really changed at all. Since her choice to live on the road seems to have been instigated by the Great Recession, that might make us think she’s a dynamic character.īut the “twist” at the end of the film comes when we find out she’s always been a nomad, long before she lost her husband and came on hard times. We are dropped into Fern’s story while she’s on the road, an itinerant Amazon worker. Her backstory continues to be revealed in bits and pieces throughout the film. Think of Fern in Nomadland, who is an excellent example. Static characters can be compelling protagonists specifically for their inability to change, which is often their downfall. Whereas, a dynamic character is always transformed by the story’s end.Ī dynamic character is always round (or eventually becomes round, through a transformational journey of some kind most likely).īut these characters does not necessarily have to be dynamic - they can remain static and still be interesting. But they do not necessarily have to change over the course of the story. Round characters are always interesting and develop to some degree over the course of the story, in that we continue to get to know them better.

Static/flat character definition