Tag: characters

“How do you introduce characters?”

This question made me stop and think. I never really thought about the nuances of introducing characters. I just did it, and I teach students to do it through description and other methods. It seemed like a natural flow in writing.

But it’s not so simple for everyone, especially young writers.

So what’s the answer? Well, there are a few answers, actually. When it comes to presenting characters, whether in the introduction or further into the story, there are several strategies writers can implement.

Here are three techniques young writers can try.

(Taken from my response to a parent in a Facebook group.)

Introduce the character by saying something interesting or memorable about them.
– Elyse was the class bully and everyone was afraid of her.

Use an action to introduce the character, so when the audience meets the character for the first time, they’re doing something.
– Elyse, the class bully, snatched the book from my hands.

Explain the character’s reaction (especially emotionally) to something that happens.
– I looked across the room and saw Elyse, the class bully, turning boiling with anger.

Notice the type of information in each sentence and how the sentences are structured.
– Name
– Who they are
– Quality OR Action OR emotional state

Of course, these aren’t the only ways to introduce characters, nor do these sentences have to be written exactly like this. However, for a young writer who’s not sure about what to do, this is a great place to start.

#WERDCoachYouth#NarrativeWriting#BetterWriters

Stories have many moving parts, and sometimes it helps to think of each part as a thread in a tapestry. Each thread has its own colour, texture, and role to play in making the tapestry special. However, it’s the skill with which the threads are woven together that really brings out the beauty.

When it comes to words, there is nothing more beautiful than well-written descriptions. Young writers must learn to include figurative language and imagery throughout their stories. At first glance, this seems challenging, but there are a few strategies and guidelines that help make the process easier.

One way is to have characters interact with the setting. Instead of dropping random sentences of description for characters and setting separately, have the characters react to their environment. For example, if writers want to show that the path characters are walking on is rugged, they can have characters stumble on an uneven pavement. And to emphasize an untidy room, characters can trip on an object that’s out of place. Characters can also make observations about their environment through dialogue, rather than the author just telling readers what’s there.

Those observations should be accompanied by emotional reactions in order to make them meaningful. When these things are done, writers will also have an opportunity to show a character’s attitude or personality through positive or negative reactions. So after the experience, characters could say things out loud or think something that helps readers learn more about them.

As a result, a lot more showing instead of telling can happen because these are instances where imagery can be used. Writers would be able to describe what characters are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching, as well as how they move and feel. And because actions and reactions are part of plot development, stories can move forward with excitement and energy instead of stopping for unconnected descriptions just to bring readers up to speed.

#CreativeWritingforPrimary#NarrativeWriting#BetterWriters

#CreativeWritingforPrimary#NarrativeWriting#BetterWriters

All stories include characters and great characters engage readers. If you read up on developing characters, you’ll realize that often great characters are developed over time, as the audience gets to know them and learn to love (or hate) them. However, short stories don’t have a lot of time or words or pages to fully develop characters the way novels and movies do. So how can young writers use the principles of characterization in their writing? Well, the secret is in using every opportunity to help the audience know more about the character, to develop an emotional connection with them. And to do that, young writers have to use their words wisely.

Here are three things young writers must do well in order to make their characters memorable and believable.

1. Describe the characters in ways that creates an image in the mind of the reader.

This is like explaining who the person is – personality, looks, and behaviour altogether. The main thing here is to create an emotional reaction, not just a physical image in the mind of the reader. Show more than what the character looks like.

EXAMPLE – Andre was the kind of child everyone else in the class hoped to never meet alone on the playground. He was big and burly and the rest of us thought he must have been some kind of mutant teenager who got stuck in standard three.

2. Use dialogue to help readers learn more about the character.

The fact is that we judge people by the way they speak and the words they choose, so dialogue is an excellent way to bring characters to life and make them seem like real people. This also includes internal thoughts. Whether the story is from a first person perspective (writer is main character) or third person (writing about someone else) it puts readers in the head of the main characters and that’s a beautiful perspective to help them know who characters are, and what they think.

EXAMPLE: “Aye! Small head! Tankabean head!” Andre shouted from across the field. My first reaction was to ignore him. Of course he wasn’t talking to me. I tried to run in the opposite direction but somehow Andre had run 15 feet in 5 seconds. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and said, “Yes, is you ah talking to! Who else head small like marble and shape like a tankabean?” And with that, he pushed me to the ground, hard.

3. Use actions and behaviour to show who characters are.

Using descriptive words and imagery helps add to the readers’ mental picture of the characters. Compare the examples below to see how much of a difference this makes.

EXAMPLE 1: Andre ran after me.

EXAMPLE 2: Andre charged after me.

EXAMPLE 3: Andre charged after me like a raging bull.

EXAMPLE 4: Andre charged after me like a raging bull intent on impaling its victim.

It takes practice to develop writing skills like this, so be sure to have your child/student practice their writing regularly. And not just through responding to prompts, but guide them in targeted practice.