#7: Characters: Revealing Character

Okay, so you've done the exercises and know your characters as thoroughly as you can possible know them. Now how do you get the readers to know them that well? "Show don't tell." If you haven't heard that writing rule before now, you should know that it is the oldest writing dictum around. With characters, it means you put them in action every chance you get.

Example: The tan-furred humanoid pulled off his helmet, reveling clearly the mouse stamp on his facial features. He raised his empty hands and took another step closer.


The muscles in Charley's arm quivered but the gun stayed aimed at the bare chest underneath the black leather vest. "Don't come any closer!"

"Being told is like hearing about someone; being show is like meeting someone." (Levin 6) We want the readers to meet our characters and draw their own conclusions about the meaning of the character's actions. Adds ambiguity and depth to a character and brings them closer to becoming real (shades of Pinocchio). Actions of the characters move the plot forward as well as show the reader what type of person they are.

Okay, what actions? How do we define action? Levin divides action into six broad categories that hold a wealth of action decisions for your character and you the writer.

The action of choice: Just like real people, characters have to make decisions about their daily lives as well as how they react to the extreme circumstances you are writing about. Charley supports herself by working in the garage she owns and builds inventions on the side. That makes an incontrovertible statement about her. Professions, how a character would face a physical, emotional, or financial crisis, the type of restaurants he or she frequents; eventually add up to a lifestyle that reveals the character in the broadest strokes.

The action of speaking: Dialogue is the quickest way to bring a character to life. Speaking reveals education, where and when a person grew up, sense of humor, self-image, and personality. The author disappears and the character talks directly to the reader.

Examples:

"TARZAN! I want Tarzan!"

"That play was packed full of glory. They're bringin out mops."

"Tell your slimy boss that I don't care how much money he has. The Last Chance Garage is mine and it's not for sale!"

"We're just havin’ us a nice friendly little tractor-pull contest whilst we maintain our vigilance."

"AOOOOW!"

Catch phrases and verbal tics are one way cartoons identify their characters. Be sure to add them into your story for the established characters. Limburger always uses what are called five-dollar-words. Karbunkle always comes up with a variation on a dairy product to call his boss. “Rock and ride! Ride free, citizens!” Make some new ones for your new characters.

Does your character speak in slang or more formally? Is English her native tongue? Does he speak at all? (I would like to point out that it is very hard to write a character that doesn't speak. And I know because one of the characters in the crossover novel I'm writing is mute. I have to keep track of who knows his sign language, the notes he writes to everyone else, and the charades he uses when the other means are unavailable. I don't recommend you starting your first writing project with a mute character. But if you're looking for a challenge....) Does she talk too much when nervous? Does he shut up when embarrassed?

The actions of the body: Gestures and mannerisms are the quickest way to convey habits or emotions. Shuffling feet, hands on hips, narrowed eyes, drumming fingers, popping a wheelie. People try to hide physical characteristics they're not proud of and play up the ones they are. Illnesses and learning disabilities also effect how a person gestures.

Don't forget moments where nothing is said between characters can be just as powerful. I still remember the first time watching "A Test of Friendship" and the tantalizing ideas triggered by the scene where Throttle grabs and holds Charley's hand before charging off to save his bros.

The actions of choosing a wardrobe: How does your character dress? What does she use her clothes to hide or accentuate? Does he dress for pure comfort? How often do they change their outfits? People in different walks of life dress very differently and their personalities affect the clothing and jewelry choices they make.

The actions of decorating: How this character has altered his or her living or work environment gives you a way to describe the character by describing the scene. Killing two birds with one stone.

Example:The other bedroom was less spartan than the first. The closet was filled with black jeans and blue work-shirts with the less practical outfits pushed to one side. A hot biker babe outfit hung in front of a nearly strapless green gown. A small jewelry box filled with earrings sat on the dresser top. A door led straight into the bathroom. The shelves were neatly filled with a woman's toiletry needs, towels, one very small bottle of an expensive perfume along with hardly-used compacts of make-up.


"Momma. Look, you've been to Disney World." Hannah pulled a metal-framed picture off the nightstand next to the bed and carried it to Charley. She took the hefty frame from the girl. It was chrome-plated with the words "Best Friends" molded all over the metal. And it surrounded a four by six snapshot of her, dressed in one of the blue work-shirts and black jeans outfits, with the mice creatures from her dreams beside her all laughing and smiling at the camera.

By giving the details like this, instead of telling the reader "It was a single woman's bedroom", you allow the reader to reach their own conclusions while letting them experience the room.

The actions of belief: Your characters should never be mouthpieces for a philosophy, but what they believe does affect how they act and how they view themselves and others. Trying to discover the whys and motives behind beliefs is often fertile grounds for story ideas. Modo hate rats. Why?

I think we've talked about everything but how to show what a character looks like. Few things to remember. Don't skimp on describing the established characters because everyone knows what they look like. Your story might be the first one someone reads about Biker Mice From Mars and they have never seen the show. This is also a concern with writing series fiction; you never know on what book a reader is going to pick up your series. So it is a good idea to describe the characters as if every book is the first. Granted, you should not recap every physical feature revealed in past books. You don't want to annoy your faithful readers. Like all things, this takes practice.

The mirror trick gets old after a while. You're writing a limited first-person story and you want the reader to know what color eyes the point-of-view character has, so he steps in front of a mirror and proceeds to name out loud or think to himself every physical perfection or imperfection visible on his face. Yeah, just steer clear of this one.

Your job is to pick the most relevant details about a character's appearance and let the reader imagine the rest. And you should tie the description into the action.

Example: The little girl wrapped the end of her bright red ponytail around her fingers. "Hello Momma," she said seriously as her grip on her hair tightened.

Another way to describe characters is how the other characters view and react to them. Good example is the bros' reactions to the Masked Motorcyclist, especially before they know it is Charley.

A few more ways to reveal character (Stop groaning, already). A character's heritage plays a big part in making him what he is. This is where playing with established characters can be loads of fun. You have the personality, now what does it tell you about the character's parents? How many people think Vinnie was abused as a child? How strict was honor and duty emphasized in Throttle's home? And how often did both of them escape to Modo and his mother's house? The values of the time and place--social milieu--are also very important. The bros know a lot about Earth, but it is from movies, television, and songs. How often do they get things mixed up? How much do they honestly don't know? How different are Martian morals from Earth's?

Personal history is the biggest. This is everything that has happened to the character before the beginning of your story. You have to know how these events have shaped your character. Big caution light, do not use long flashbacks when they only serve as characterization. They bog down your story. If you use flashbacks, it should help further your plot. But using a short reference to the past often helps enlarge the reader's view of the character.

Example: Charley twisted the loose diamond-encrusted wedding band on her finger. I can't believe it is gone. The Last Chance was what her father built for his family, where he had raised her after her mother had walked out on them both. Where her grandmother had come every night to read her a fairy tale and tuck her in. Where her father had taught her everything about engines and motorcycles, designing and riding them. I can't believe I didn't rebuild it.

Tips listed in Building Believable Characters that we haven't covered yet. Use specific words to describe, give the reader a sharp picture. Avoid using too many adjectives. And when appropriate, reveal some emotion behind your description. (McCutcheon 13-14) Give your main characters vulnerabilities. No one is perfect and that includes your main character. Give a character a bad habit they need to break. Be sure to contrast speaking styles. Real people don't sound alike.

If you do this revealing for all the characters, how do you make the protagonist different? Most of you have probably decided on who your protagonist is when you solidified your story ideas. A few things to think about as you write. The protagonist must change, especially if you are writing a novel. A lesson needs to be learned, lifestyle altered, something has to happen, and it needs to have a lasting effect of the character. A question Rex Burns asks when creating a series character is "Will I get bored viewing the world through the protagonist's eyes?" (Writing Mysteries 50) I think you should ask it of any story you plan to write.

Are you like me and using a female character as the protagonist? Or putting a female in a traditionally masculine role? Charley fits both criteria, being a woman and a mechanic. So does Carbine. Catherine Dain finds her best description of a contemporary female private eye in a quote from Natalie Shainess on Antigone. "Antigone is not the average woman, but she is what the average woman might become: a person of autonomy, high principal, not narcissistically self-involved, and not defensively suffering, but willing to take risks to live authentically." (Writing the Private Eye Novel 105) The three qualities needed to ensure that the average woman becomes more than average are autonomy, bravery, and integrity.

Not claiming that the boys don't have these qualities too, but for a woman in an action adventure or a quest plot, you need to make sure that they are never questioned. A woman needs to be an individual, capable of making her own plans and carrying them out (autonomy). But she doesn't have to become a loner without a friend in the world. Charley often comes up with the plans to get the bros out of a sticky spot. And she usually has to carry it out alone because they're too busy blowing something up to listen. A woman has to be able to handle the danger herself (bravery). Carbine went to rescue Throttle and the others from Karbunkle's lab and she kicked Mace's tail while at it. And she must have a code of conduct that cannot be compromised (integrity). Throttle won't even break his word to the bad guys, even when they have renegade on theirs. Okay, so it's not a female example. All characters need these qualities, help make them complex and gives them stature.

Homework: Analyze your protagonist, make sure this character has the three qualities listed here as well as the complexity, stature, and get-up-and-go listed earlier. Ask yourself will you get bored with this viewpoint? Also practice writing scenes that show the characters.