There are many
ways to show character: exposition; description; action; gestures
and mannerisms; setting, tastes, interests; dialogue; thoughts;
and narrative voice.
You reveal
your character by what he sees, not by what you see.
Example: A
young boy would not notice his mother has on a shell-pink dress by
Halston, he would see she has on her rich-lady clothes, and within
two hours she would be "griping at him" for every little
thing because she was grumpy "from wearing high heels."
Inner thoughts
set the scene, advance the plot and show characterization.
Example: Betsy
stuck to the edges of the huge ballroom, away from the glowing
candles and glittery chandeliers. Mama had outdone herself on this
dress, and sure enough the stitches were so tiny a gnat wouldn't
be able to crawl between them. But still, Betsy was sure these
beautiful people with their dazzling smiles and twinkling jewelry
would be able to spot homemade at fifty paces.
When she was
sure no one was looking, she ran a cautious finger up along her
ribcage, making sure the safety pin that held the seam there
didn't show. She felt as out of place a mustard stain on a white
tuxedo shirt.
Physical
characteristics are another way to show characterization. Pick one
or two major mannerisms (cracking knuckles or flipping hair out of
eyes when nervous) that allow the reader's imagination to view
your characters. Props such as tattoos or body piercing are visual
characteristics for a character.
Susan
Elizabeth Phillips, best-selling author of Glitter Baby, Fancy
Pants, HotShot, and Honey Moon has developed a very good hand-out
entitled "Creating Memorable Characters." The following
Character Interview sheet will help you know your character better
and allow you to portray their strengths and weaknesses to make
them real and believable. You may not know the answers to all
these questions when you first start writing, but make a form for
each character (in pencil or on the computer) so that you can
change it as you learn new things about them.
-
Physical
appearance as it affects personality.
-
Educational
background as it affects personality.
-
Family
background as it affects personality.
-
What
drives him/her? What does he/she want from life?
-
What are
his/her strengths and how are they shown?
-
Why does
he/she have these particular strengths?
-
What are
his/her flaws and how are they manifested?
-
Why does
he/she have these particular flaws?
-
What
aspects of your own personality
(strengths/weaknesses/likes/dislikes) can you bring to this
character?
-
What is
he/she going to learn throughout the course of the book? How
is he/she going to grow? (i.e. What is he/she capable of doing
at the end of the book that he/she couldn't have done at the
beginning?)
-
What
external force puts him/her in conflict with the heroine/hero?
-
What
internal force puts him/her in conflict with the hero/heroine?
-
What will
make him/her beloved by the reader?
-
Describe
your character's "spine" (central elements of
personality) in three or four words.
After
answering all these questions, write or rewrite the scene that
introduces your hero/heroine to the reader. Make it active and not
passive. Show don't tell. Include vivid details that make your
character come alive. Try to include some element that gains
reader sympathy for your character. Do not tell the reader
everything you know about the character in one scene.
Kim gave an
example from Ray Midge's, The Dog of the South. "I ordered a
glass of beer and arranged my coins before me on the bar in
columns according to value. When the beer came, I dipped a finger
in it and wet down each corner of the paper napkin to anchor it,
so it would not come up with the mug each time and make me appear
ridiculous. I drank from the side of the mug that a left-handed
person would use, in the belief that fewer mouths had been on that
side.
That was a
truly great characterization paragraph. You can see immediately
that he is a meticulous, cautious person who doesn't want to
appear foolish.
___________
This article
appeared in Passion on the Plains, the Romance Writers of
the Texas Panhandle's newsletter. The author is unknown at
this time, however if anyone knows who wrote this article, please
email the information to webmaster@writingingcorner.com
so we can give credit.
