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Characterization

© Kim Kay

Revealing Character

Let's say your protagonist is a 30 year old woman named Allison. Allison is not very good at asserting herself. Her husband is overbearing and she is unable to stand up to him. You want your readers to see how intimidated Allison is by her husband. This can be done in a variety of ways. Combining methods to reveal the different aspects of your character will create dynamic characters and keep your readers interested.

Exposition: Exposition is a technique where the narrator simply describes the character. (No matter how hard she tried, Allison was unable to stand up to her husband.) This should be used sparingly because it can slow down the pace of your novel and bore your readers. Giving too much description at once is called an "information dump" and should be avoided.

Self-description: While exposition works when using third person point of view, self-description is its first person counterpart. Like it sounds, the character describes aspects of him/herself. (I don't know why, but I have always been intimidated by my husband.)

Confession: Some traits can be revealed by what your character tells to someone else in the story. ("I don't know what to do, Joan. I want to stand up to him but every time, I get intimidated and back down.")

Action: Action is how the character behaves. (Allison started to say "no" but lost her nerve at the last minute. "Yes, dear," she replied, staring at her feet.) If the character is behaving in a way that does not reflect their thoughts and feelings, you need to make that clear. For instance, if a husband brings his wife flowers, is it because he's being thoughtful or because he has a guilty conscience?

Speech: How a character talks, including the specific words and the manner in which they are said. ("Sure, dear, whatever you say," Allison responded quietly.)

Name: Different names evoke different mental images. If Allison's name was something like Star, you would be less likely to think of her as shy and unassertive.

Appearance: This includes everything from clothing to style to body language. Allison probably wouldn't wear flashy clothes. When talking to her husband, she might fidget or avoid eye contact.

Conclusion

The most important thing to remember is that your characters need to be three dimensional and unique instead of flat and stereotypical. Every major character should have his her own look, pattern of speech, personality, mannerisms, strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears, goals and motivations. And finally, just like real people, your characters need to grow and change. The obstacles and challenges which make up the plot of your novel should affect your characters, making them different or giving them a different perspective at the end of the novel than at the beginning.