Writing a good story requires more than just a great plot and interesting characters. In order to make your story come alive, you need to create vivid and detailed characterization elements. Characterization elements are important tools used to bring your characters to life and make them believable for the reader.
What is Characterization?
Characterization is the method used by a writer to craft a character and provide that character with an identity. It is used to demonstrate how the character’s physical and psychological traits inform the reader of the character’s motivation, emotional state, and behavior. It is the writer’s choice which characteristics are used to describe a particular character, as well as how much detail is given regarding each characteristic.
Different Elements of Characterization
In order to craft complete and tangible characters for your readers, you will need to use a variety of characterization elements. These elements include physical features, speech patterns, actions, emotions, beliefs, values, attitude and relationships with other characters. In addition, you are able to demonstrate the character’s traits by the decisions the character makes during the story, and how the character interacts with other characters.
Physical Features
When writing a character, physical features are an easy and often neglected way to provide an initial impression of the character. It is important to consider physical features such as age, height/weight, skin tone, eye color and hair color/style. By taking note of physical features you can also consider how a character expresses their appearance: do they show signs of vanity or shame, do they take care of themselves or not.
Speech Patterns
The way a character speaks is also an important characterization element. You need to decide whether a character speaks in a formal or informal way and how articulate they are. You can also give your character a regional voice or accent to provide an additional level of detail.
Actions
The way a character behaves is a great way to demonstrate the character’s traits. Through their actions, you can reveal what a character stands for and further reveal their thoughts, motivation and goals.
Emotions
The emotions your characters feel can tell the reader more about the character’s personality and can also have a great impact on the plot. You can use the emotions of your characters to capture your readers and help them to empathize with the character’s struggles.
Beliefs, Values and Attitude
Beliefs, values and attitude are important aspects of characters as they define how they feel, think and act. Beliefs are a character’s personal convictions and morals while values are the traits they consider important. Attitude is the disposition the character has towards the world and the people around them.
Character relationships
The relationships each character has is an important element of characterization. Relationships help shape who the character is and how they interact with other characters in the story. Relationship dynamics also help drive the story forward and can provide some great opportunities for character development and tension building.
In summary, characterization elements are important building blocks for creating memorable characters. As a new story writer, you should strive to use as many of these elements as possible in order to bring your story to life and further engage your readers. To learn more about crafting compelling characters, subscribe to the AskGrayson Writing Newsletter today for tips and tricks to make your stories shine.