5 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR CHARACTERS TRUE CHARACTER

Characters in novels reveal themselves in a number of ways.  Good writing should be palpable when bringing out their subtle corks and true intentions, sparsely sprinkling the information in variation. 

1)     Dialogue. A character’s response, inquisitiveness or aggression clearly shows their intent or lack of intelligence, even their passivity or dominance, using these means.

2)     Backstory. This is a cool tool to assist in showing off your characters. With proper use, revelations about a character’s family, shady past, or victimization of abuse may be uncovered through this method. Be careful, though, because overuse is a death sentence. 

3)     Through other characters. Just like real people, we restate or poke fun at the traits of those we know well. Characters in books should demonstrate the same familiarity.

4)     Body language. Non-verbal lingo says more than what comes out of the mouth. Take advantage of incorporating gestures; a raised or crunched eyebrow also gets the point across.

5)     Comparisons. This creative venue can be fun.  For example, saying, “The gentleman spoke like Elmer Fudd,” or, “Her hips were as wide as Lake Michigan,” can be both engaging and amusing.

How many ways do you divulge things about your characters?