“Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…”

In order for a work to be believable, the reader must find the characters convincing; in order to find the characters convincing, the reader must be able to visualize them. Authors make their characters ‘come alive’ by describing not only such things as physical attributes, actions, conversations, and their effect on the other characters but also such things as thoughts and emotions.

The term characterization refers to the various means by which an author describes and develops the characters in a literary work. Flat vs. Round Characters Dynamic vs. Static Characters There are two types of characterization…

Direct characterization occurs when the author directly comments on the personality, traits, or physical appearance of a character. In this case, the author is telling the reader about a character.

“Herbert is a poor boy who cannot afford to buy a cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts.” In this example, the writer has commented directly on the traits of a character.

Indirect characterization occurs when an author chooses to reveal a character’s personality through actions, statements, thoughts, and feelings. In this case, the author is showing the reader what the character is like.

“Herbert walked into the Dunkin Donuts wearing tattered jeans and shoes with the souls worn down. He dug through his pockets and counted out $.79 exactly for his coffee, returning the extra few coins he had to his jeans for safekeeping.”