Character Background

Character Background 

Week 3, Blog 1 

Monday, February 10th, 2025

In the previous blogs, I have done some introductory research about how the drama genre works in general, including its characteristics and target audience. Now it is time to focus on our main character and what drives this person to act and make certain decisions which are mostly influenced by the character's background. 

What is the Character Background? 

"Background, for a character, includes the elements of his or her history and experience. Things such as family history, education, work experience, hobbies, etc. can fit into a character's background." 

Who is our character?

Among my partners Fatima, Santina, and Julia, we decided that we wanted our main character to be a teenage girl, and these are some key factors from her past that might have affected her present. 

History and Education 

We consider that our main character is a teenage high school girl who is an immigrant. She is a student from a high school in the United States. She is from a Latin American country in South America.  Her family moved to the United States when she was younger, a couple of years ago. She still keeps with her heritage and her culture. Although it has been some years since she moved, she still misses her past experiences, yet is unsure about how to express them. This double connection to her past and her now present affects her stability and personal growth as a young woman. Her lack of motivation for living is then demonstrated. 

Family and Friendships 

Our main character's family supports her, yet she is alone most of the time. Although sometimes her family tries to communicate with her, she finds it difficult to express herself and open up, she misses the connection she had when she was little and how easy it was before. She feels connections with her friends, yet not at a deep level of trust. This makes her feel not physically alone at all times but it does make her feel lonely emotionally. 

Hobbies and Coping Mechanisms

Our main character finds it difficult to express her feelings and thoughts verbally, yet writing and journaling in her diary has been a coping mechanism in her life since it helps her to capture her exact feelings and understand them better. Her diary represents her life and all the changes she has been through. Some of the pages in her diary have some images and pictures, however, as the pages go on, the colors decrease, and her handwriting gets worse, representing her lack of motivation. She is someone who wants to hold on to her memories, it gives her a sense of comfort.  

Sources

• What is the difference between backstory and background? - Questions - Dramatica. (n.d.). Dramatica.com. https://dramatica.com/questions/what-is-the-difference-between-backstory-and-background

Sources Images 

• Levin, B. (2019, December 17). Not Fate, Just a Coincidence - Sila Paniker. Pinterest. https://pin.it/1f4XOumFn

• k. (2024, December 14). Soul Ties. Pinterest. https://pin.it/6LqPRr39n

• How Many Countries Are In South America? (2024, March 20). WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/how-many-countries-are-in-south-america.html

• Darling, L. (2019, December 11). Could There Be a Cure for Social Isolation? AARP. https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2019/medical-cure-for-loneliness.html

• (2025). Pin.it. https://pin.it/4hYoEeGB3