Building a character is important to any story line. A well-developed character (or characters) allows a reader to connect with the story, meaning the story itself becomes more personable, involving, and interesting. An author can build a character through character backgrounds, character descriptions, and character actions and dialogues.
CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS
Throughout a story, an author will give the reader bits and pieces of information about a character to reveal something about who they are. If the character is a person, the author will likely include information about who they were or where they were before the story takes place. Often, this information comes in the form of memories, flashbacks, and/or personal anecdotes.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
In order for a reader to connect with a character, an author will need to include a description about what they look like and what their personality is like. When characteristics of a character are directly stated, this is called direct characterization. Important attributes may include gender, physical appearance, likes/dislikes, attitude, ethnicity, language, location, or family structure.
CHARACTER DIALOGUES
Another way an author will communicate what a character is like to a reader is through the way the character interacts with other characters. This process of "showing and not telling" provides the reader with evidence of a character's personality and allows the reader to make their own judgements. "Showing not telling" is known as indirect characterization. If an author says, "Jane was a polite woman," it may not be as effective as showing a situation in which Jane acted politely with another character. Likewise, character actions become very important. If the author says, "Mike had a keen eye for fashion," it may not be as effective as saying, "Mike took his fashion portfolio with magazine clippings and ran to the bus stop. He didn't want to be late for the fall gala where he would meet the country's top designers."
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