If J.R.R. Tolkien knows how to practise one thing, information technology'southward create characters that readers beloved. Luckily, he as well knows how to create wonderful worlds and engaging plot twists, also, merely it's the characters who really stick with you after reading one of his books. In the first volume in his history of Middle Earth, The Hobbit, Tolkien uses plot to change characters or reveal truths near them in actually interesting ways.

The two characters who prove the well-nigh evolution in The Hobbit are the primary protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, and the leader of the dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield. The remainder of the dwarves exercise not alter much over the grade of the story, and Gandalf the wizard remains a cipher whom we simply learn more about in the subsequent books of the triology, The Lord of the Rings.

Bilbo is an effective choice as the protagonist because he is a stand-in for the reader. We may not be Shire-dwelling hobbits, only we are also not wizards or dwarves setting off on epic quests to retrieve treasure. Like Bilbo, most of us lead fairly ordinary and uneventful lives. We relish being at home where nosotros can relax, cook our meals and go on with our hobbies. Bilbo is an first-class example of a main character who encourages immediate reader identification.

Thorin Oakenshield initially appears to be a potent, proud and effective leader. Sceptical of Bilbo's inclusion in the quest, he eventually comes around to accepting the hobbit as a valuable member of the political party.

While occasionally the indicate of a story is that a character cannot change, generally, graphic symbol alter is crucial for the protagonist of a story, and Bilbo undergoes profound changes over the course of the novel. With Thorin, on the other mitt, we don't so much see a character change every bit we practice a character revelation as aspects of his personality come out due to the situations created by the plot.

Bilbo spends much of the first part of the quest terrified, uncomfortable and unhappy. He oft voices the desire to exist dorsum at home and not on an adventure at all. Yet Tolkien presents Bilbo with a series of challenges that he begins rising to run across. Past having Bilbo use his cleverness to escape Gollum, rescue the dwarves from both giant spiders and forest-elves and finally to lead the way into the lair of Smaug the dragon, Tolkien shows in a concrete fashion how his character is being contradistinct past the events of the story. By the story's cease, Bilbo is a inverse human. Non just has he been heroic, but he has fallen in honey with travel and adventure. Life at domicile will never be the same.

Thorin fares less well. As the story progresses, he remains a brave warrior, merely Tolkien uses his tendency toward greed and his temptation to proceed the treasure to reveal his weaknesses equally a leader and a human being. Again, here we can come across how plot and character development are intertwined, each supporting and developing the other.

In add-on to being a master of character development, Tolkien is also excellent at taking tropes of the fantasy genre (such as the trusty sidekick or the magic artefact that holds immense ability) and breathing new life into them. Although understanding how to develop your characters is important, when writing a fantasy novel information technology is wise to invest just as much time in creating a believable and original world.

What else have you learned almost writing from reading The Hobbit?

  • Tags characters in novels, how to make characters come alive, J.R.R. Tolkien writing communication, novel writing advice, tips from the masters, writing communication, writing fantasy

Bridget McNulty is a published writer, content strategist, author, editor and speaker. She is the co-founder of two non-profits: Sweet Life Diabetes Community, South Africa'south largest online diabetes community, and the Diabetes Alliance, a coalition of all the organisations working in diabetes in Due south Africa. She is also the co-founder of At present Novel: an online novel-writing course where she coaches aspiring writers to start - and cease! - their novels. Bridget believes in the power of storytelling to create meaningful change.

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