Fleshing out
your characters for your novel or short story requires an analysis of all those
things that make us human—what we call ourselves, how we look, how we speak,
and how we behave. A character’s name,
appearance, speech, attitude and mannerisms all provide a good starting point
for the fleshing out process.
Names
Believe it
or not, characterization can actually begin with the name you give your
character. If your story has an old
woman in it along with a teenage girl, you may want to give them names that
correspond to the popular or common names of the times into which they were
born. For instance you may give the old
woman the name of Edith and the teenage girl the name Melissa. These names
place these two characters at different ages. (Of course parents can name their children anything, but different names are popular at different times.)
Nicknames
can further help to reveal your character’s character. A name like Jack the Ripper creates a
distinct mental picture of a certain type of character, as does Boris the
Butcher. In James Scott Bell’s novel Try Darkness the character Pick McNitt
enjoyed picking arguments with those he knew disagreed with him. Names can provide the first clues as to what
your character may be like.
Appearances
A person’s
appearance gives further clues as to personality and character. Is the person meticulously dressed? Is his or her shirt wrinkled? How a person
dresses can reveal whether he or she is sloppy or fastidious. A well-groomed guy wearing expensive clothes and
a flawless complexion is going to tell the reader something different from the
guy in a tank top with a large scar across his cheek and a crooked nose.
Speech
The three
primary ways to use speech in characterization is through repetition, accent,
jargon and syntax. Does your character
call everyone Dude? Does your character have an accent? Does your character use
jargon specific to a particular occupation?
Does your character string his or her words together in a way unique to
his or her situation or environment?
Speech is a big part of revealing character.
Attitude
Regardless
of what is going on in your story, your characters are going to have attitudes
one way or the other. Attitude manifests
itself through behavior patterns or the habitual way a character reacts to
something. Does your character complain
about everything? Is he or she
sarcastic? Does your character face difficult situations with a smile? Is he or she upbeat most of the time? Does your character react with fear or
anxiety to most situations? What about
anger? Does your character respond to
certain people or situations with cutting remarks or hurtful words? Until his change of heart, Ebenezer Scrooge
had a negative attitude toward all things Christmas, often responding with
harsh words. Overall, it is important that your character’s attitude fit the
part he or she has been asked to play.
Mannerisms
When someone
mentions mannerisms, I always think of people who talk with their hands. It is distracting, yet amusing. It usually indicates either hyperactivity or
insecurity about getting the message across. I also think of Norman Bates of
the Bates Motel in Psycho. His
mannerisms show us his nervousness and insecurity, and give us a glimpse of his
psychosis. Likewise, Monk’s character
in the television mini-series Monk is
also a great illustration of mannerisms revealing and defining character.
Name,
appearance, speech, attitude, and mannerisms can help us begin to get beyond
the first impression our character leaves on the reader.
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