Intro to SuperHero Project Writing Lab
Every Superhero known to man has had a strange or unusual past. Superman landed on Earth in
a pod from the Planet Krypton, Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider, Edward Cullen
(who is Bella’s hero) is a vampire who wishes he was human, and well the list goes on and on. It
is always best to start with the story of “who” the Superhero was before he/she got their
superpowers.
The Superhero should have some character flaws to endear them to the reader. Making them
perfect would just not get you’re audience to understand your superhero.
Character Development: Who are they and how did they come to be?
Read the list of questions below and brainstorm who your character is.
Decide what city they lived in, with whom, and what they did everyday of
their lives.
CREATE A STORY AROUND THEM BEFORE GETTING TO THE ACTION PARTS!
I always find that brainstorming with a partner is helpful, motivating and
creative. You can do this using the Super Hero Prewriting sheet. Be sure
to save it on your desktop and also make an electronic copy for your
partner
1. Choose a name for your superhero. Make sure it is catchy and
original. Their name could reflect their powers or their personality
or something unique about them.
2. Decide on your superhero's personality. Are they going to be
aggressive and confident, or quiet and shy? Do people look up to
them? Does anyone know that they are really a superhero? Is your
superhero going to be well known?
3. Choose a gender for your superhero. Is yours going to be a male
or a female?
4. Think about “who” they will be when they are a normal person.
Almost all superheroes need a "secret identity" as a normal person
to avoid constant publicity from their fans and constant attacks
from their enemies. Make sure the normal person is a believable
character--someone realistic. You could decide to create the normal
person around someone you know so that you can use their
characteristics and make the character more realistic.
5. Think about your superhero's powers and how their powers have to
be evolved. Be imaginative. Think of why they would need these
powers to survive. Why they need their powers to adapt? Did a
mutation occur? Maybe they grew wings, changed skin color, got an
animal power or the power to read minds? Super strength? There are
lots of super powers to put into your own character, or you could
think of some original ideas of your own.
Intro to SuperHero Project Writing Lab
6. Decide how they got their power and if they are proud of it or
ashamed of it.