Name _____________________________________
Creative Writing
CHARACTERIZATION
What is it?
Characterization is the way in which authors convey information about their characters. Characterization
can be direct, as when an author tells readers what a character is like (e.g. "George was cunning and
greedy.") or indirect, as when an author shows what a character is like by portraying his or her actions,
speech, or thoughts (eg. "On the crowded subway, George slipped his hand into the man's coat pocket
and withdrew the wallet, undetected."). Descriptions of a character's appearance, behavior, interests, way
of speaking, and other mannerisms are all part of characterization. For stories written in the first-person
point of view, the narrator's voice, or way of telling the story, is essential to his or her characterization.
Why is it important?
Characterization is a crucial part of making a story compelling. In order to interest and move readers,
characters need to seem real. Authors achieve this by providing details that make characters individual
and particular. Good characterization gives readers a strong sense of characters' personalities and
complexities; it makes characters vivid, alive and believable.
How do I create it?
Create characterization by choosing details that make real or fictional characters seem life-like and
individual.
To create characterization in fiction or non-fiction,
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Tell the reader directly what a character's personality is like:
"Mrs. Freeman could never be brought to admit herself wrong on any point."
—Flannery O'Connor, "Good Country People"
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Describe a character's appearance and manner:
"The Baker, who was an older man with a thick neck, listened without saying anything when she told
him the child would be eight years old next Monday. The baker wore a white apron that looked like a
smock. Straps cut under his arms, went around in back and then to the front again, where they were
secured under his heavy waist. He wiped his hands on his apron as he listened to her. He kept his
eyes down on the photographs and let her talk."
—Raymond Carver, "A Small, Good Thing"

Portray a character's thoughts and motivations:
"I didn't come to Utah to be the same boy I'd been before. I had my own dreams of transformation,
Western dreams, dreams of freedom and dominion and taciturn self-sufficiency. The first thing I
wanted to do was change my name. A girl named Toby had joined my class before I left Florida, and
this had caused both of us scalding humiliation.
"I wanted to call myself Jack, after Jack London. I believed that having his name would charge me with
some of the strength and competence inherent in my idea of him. The odds were good that I'd never
have to share a classroom with a girl named Jack. And I liked the sound. Jack. Jack Wolff."
—Tobias Wolff, This Boy's Life

Use dialogue to allow a character's words to reveal something important about his or her
nature:
"Unable to contain herself, [Mrs. Bennet] began scolding one of her daughters. 'Don't keep coughing
so, Kitty, for heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces.'"
—Jane Austin, Pride and Prejudice

Use a character's actions to reveal his or her personality:
"He would hang around our place on Saturdays, scornful of whatever I was doing but unable to leave
me alone. I couldn't be on the swing without him wanting to try it, and if I wouldn't give it up he came
and pushed me so that I went crooked. He teased the dog. He got me into trouble—deliberately and
maliciously, it seemed to me afterward—by daring me to do things I wouldn't have thought of on my
own: digging up the potatoes to see how big they were when they were still only the size of marbles,
and pushing over the stacked firewood to make a pile we could jump off."
—Alice Munro, "Miles City, Montana"

Show others' reactions to the character or person you're portraying:
"No respect at all was shown him in the department. The porters, far from getting up from their seats
when he came in, took no more notice of him than if a simple fly had flown across the reception room."
—Nikolai Gogol, "The Overcoat"

Give fictional characters meaningful names or use real people's nicknames that relate to
their personalities:
Severus Snape—"Severus" means "strict" or "severe" in Latin. Severus Snape is a strict professor
who treats Harry harshly.
Sirius Black—"Sirius" is the brightest star in the Canis Major or "Great Dog" constellation. Sirius
Black is a wizard who transforms into a black dog.
Peeves—"To peeve" means "to annoy." Peeves is a ghost who pesters people at Hogwart's School.
—J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter series
Self Check
Ask yourself these questions when trying to understand characterization:
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What does the character look like?
How does the character behave towards others? How do others behave toward the character?
What does the character seem to care about?
What adjectives does the author use to describe the character's personality?
What does the character think or say?
Example
"Lincoln's shock of black hair, brown furrowed face, and deep-set eyes made him look older than his fiftyone years. He was a familiar figure to almost everyone in Springfield, as was his singular way of walking,
which gave the impression that his long, gaunt frame needed oiling. He plodded forward in an awkward
manner, hands hanging at his sides or folded behind his back. His step had no spring...
"His features, even supporters conceded, were not such 'as belong to a handsome man.' In repose, his
face was '[overspread] with sadness,' the reporter Horace White noted... Yet when Lincoln began to
speak, White observed, 'this expression of sorrow dropped from him instantly. His face lighted up with a
winning smile, and where I had a moment before seen only leaden sorrow I now beheld keen intelligence,
genuine kindness of heart, and the promise of true friendship.'"
—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals
What does the character look Lincoln has black hair and a wrinkled face. He looks
like?
older than he is, and he appears deeply sad until he
starts talking. He has a particular, awkward way of
walking.
How does the character
He is warm and friendly towards others, and others—or
behave towards others? How at least this reporter—seem to react with fondness and
do others behave toward the admiration toward him.
character?
What does the character
seem to care about?
Lincoln seems to care about and thrive on his
interactions with others; he seems less concerned with
his physical appearance.
What adjectives does the
author use to describe the
character's personality?
The author quotes the reporter as saying when Lincoln
interacts with people, he loses his sorrowful
appearance and becomes bright with "a winning smile,"
"keen intelligence," "genuine kindness," and "true
friendship."
What does the character
think or say?
I'm not sure yet what he thinks or says.
Characterization Tip
Characterization never stops! Stay aware of how a character is described, how others react to the
character, and how those things change throughout the text. Changes in characters are often crucial to
the meaning of a story.