Visualise a Character’s Mind

Unlock deeper character understanding by mapping a character's inner world.

Teaching context:
Perfect for creative writing lessons where students struggle to move beyond surface-level characterisation. Ideal in upper primary or early secondary settings to deepen narrative work.

Basic AI Prompt:
Create a mind map showing what my character is thinking and feeling.

Enhanced AI Prompt:
Act as a creative writing coach. Generate a detailed character mind map that shows what my character sees, fears, loves, avoids, and desires. Use dot points and headings to organise this for a Year 9 class.

Spice it up:
Ask for the mind map in the form of a visual poster, interactive slideshow, or printable worksheet.

Lesson implementation:
Start with a short story or novel the class is studying. Ask students to choose one character, then use the AI prompt to explore that character's emotional and psychological depth. Encourage students to reflect on how inner thoughts link to decisions in the plot. Scaffold the activity by modelling one together first. Use Canva or Google Slides if creating visuals.

This ties well into Book Week or character study units. For extension, ask students to create a second mind map showing how the character’s mindset changes over time.

If you liked this, you'll love 250 AI Prompts for English Teachers in our books section!