Character is subordinate to

the action, because the action,

however limited it may be,
represents a sum of “given
relations”
W. T. Price
A play is a pattern involving more than one
character. The conduct of every character,
even though he is alone on the stage, even
though his activity seems to be unrelated to
other events, has meaning only in relation to
the whole pattern of activity.
 (1) The attempt to build character by excessive use of naturalistic
detail;
 (2) The use of historical or local color without social perspective;
 (3) The heroic, or declarative, style of characterization;
 (4) The use of minor characters as feeders whose only function is to
contribute to the effectiveness of one or more leading characters;
 (5) The illustration of character solely in terms of social responsibility
to the neglect of other emotional and environmental factors;
 (6) The attempt to create audience sympathy by illustrative events.
Appear in their real
complexity of temperament
and motive; they are in
explicable relation to nature,
to each other, to their social
class, to their own past.
Is natural vernacular, not heightened or
poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-
of fact.
Objectivity in presentation becomes
increasingly important: overt authorial
comments or intrusions diminish as the
century progresses.
In Black and White Strangers, Kenneth Warren
suggests that a basic difference between
realism and sentimentalism is that in realism,
"the redemption of the individual lay within
the social world," but in sentimental fiction,
"the redemption of the social world lay with
the individual"
The realism of James and Twain was
critically acclaimed in twentieth century;
Howellsian realism fell into disfavor as
part of early twentieth century rebellion
against the "genteel tradition."
Benjamin Disraeli on the voice, there are
two levels to character voice. If your
character is the Point of View character
and narrator, the voice of narration
should reflect the mind and personality
of your character.
In James Joyce’s short story ‘Clay’ from the
story collection Dubliners, the POV character
is a cook named Maria. Throughout the story,
Maria’s thoughts are described in the third-
person:
‘She hoped they would have a nice evening.
She was sure they would but she could not
help thinking what a pity it was Alphy and Joe
were not speaking.’
 In addition to this technique through
which you can use the narrator’s voice to
mirror individual characters’ voices,
dialogue helps you create distinctive
characters. Here are some pointers on
how to write believable characters using
dialogue:
Make dialogue
mimic real speech.
Make sure characters’
styles of speech fit their
backstories.
 Think about colloquialisms (slang): Does your character
use any quirky expressions specific to their age group,
geographical location or image? A teenager is likely to
have up-to-date slang, while an adult trying to be hip could
use slang from a bygone era mistakenly. Think about what
the specific types of words characters use suggest about
them. Is a character who uses swear words frequently
angry? Or are they simply expressive and indifferent to
social taboos and ideas of propriety and politeness?
 What is my character’s social status?
 Is she privileged/underprivileged in relation to other
characters?
 How does she talk to other characters as a result, and
what does this say about her personality?
 (As an example, a character might be from a wealthy
family but might speak kindly and unaffectedly to
people of less privilege, suggesting that the character
is not warped by social position and status).
How old is my character?
she speak typically for her age, or are there
details about her speech that convey
something out of the ordinary about her (for
example, a young character who uses bigger
words than normal for her age group can
seem precocious or pampered).
 How does my character develop throughout the
story, and what effect does this have on her voice?
 For example, in George Bernard Shaw’s play, the
central storyline is a professor of phonetics’ attempt
to turn Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney girl, into a ‘well-
spoken’ lady. This change in voice brings about
changes in the dynamics between characters and in
the trajectory of the character’s choices.
 Characters should discover new things about themselves,
other characters and their world in the course of a story.
 There are exceptions to this: a character’s unchanging
stasis can be used to convey a sense of tragedy and
inescapable ‘fate’, should this be the effect you want to
achieve. It is important in this case to make sure there are
other sources of story development that create forward
momentum. One characterization mistake beginner writers
sometimes make is to focus on plot development to the
exclusion of everything else.
 Vary your descriptive language to match your POV character’s age.
 Make sure that your character does not speak and behave identically
to his or her younger self once grown up.
 As an example, in Great Expectations, the book begins with the
protagonist Pip as a young boy. By making Pip the Point of View
character, Dickens presents his fictional world through a boy’s eyes,
including larger than life adult figures and a child’s naivety. As the
novel progresses and Pip grows older, the style of descriptive
language shifts subtly as Pip’s impressions mature too.
 Give your characters core beliefs that are tested and renewed
or altered.
 Every person has a set of core beliefs and values, and these are
subject to change over time.
 Think about what your character’s ethical, moral or general
world view might be.
 How does this affect how they interact with other characters in
your story? Will their principled (but also possibly judgmental)
outlook be tested during the course of the novel? A believable
character is just as changeable (and sometimes contradictory)
in outlook and opinion as real people are.
How does your character’s environment
affect her personality and worldview?
If, for example, your character lives
through a war, does this bring out fear or
courage, pro- or anti-war sentiment?
 A character might discover an inner strength she or
he never knew existed. This is an example of a
momentous, potentially life-changing development.
Remember not to neglect the small changes, such
as changes in the way your characters express
themselves or interact with those around them.
These convey the way little things add up and shift a
person’s outlook and likely responses to particular
situations.
 Creating believable characters means considering many
aspects of real people and what distinguishes them from
each other.
 Physical attributes provide one way to show your readers
what types of people populate your fictional world.
 A unique character voice can be created by thinking about
how a character’s backstory and psychology contribute to
how they express themselves.
 Paying attention to lifelike character development
also will help you set individual act ants of your
story apart. While some characters triumph over
adversity, others might fail. Including this variety of
personality type and character arc in your story will
help to convince your reader that your fictional
world is just as vivid, varied and interesting as our
own
There is good dialogue and there is bad dialogue
and, depending on which you are writing, it will
make or break your story.
Nothing engages a reader more than realistic
dialogue and nothing disgruntles a reader more than
a phrase that is contrived, clichéd and unnatural; it
will pull a reader away from your lovingly crafted
prose quicker than a flat character or a thin plot
could ever do.
It is not too much of a surprise, then,
to discover that writing dialogue is
one of the most challenging elements
of fiction writing and one which takes
time to master.
 This is the best way to learn about speech patterns
and natural dialogue. People have many different
methods of verbal expression which vary
depending on who they are talking to, what they are
talking about, their mood and their upbringing.
Taking notes from real life will really improve the
authenticity of your dialogue. Use dialogue to move
the story forward
 Dialogue in fiction is an economical representation
of the real thing. In addition to being realistic, it
must be purposeful. Read your dialogue and ask
whether it has a function. Does it establish tone or
mood? Does it reveal anything about the plot or
characters? Does it add to the relationship that the
reader is building with the speaker? Does it add or
create conflict? If it doesn’t have a purpose, delete
it.
Breaking up the dialogue is especially useful
when handling large sections of speech which
a reader may find tedious. Including actions
alongside dialogue also gives the reader a
sense of the conversation taking place in the
real world, which elevates the conversation
above mere words on a page.
 Speech tags indicate who is speaking and are
essential in following dialogue (he/she said).
Varying the use and placement of the tag will help
the flow of the conversation and prevent the
dialogue from becoming tedious. Place tags at the
beginning, middle orend of speech. When
experienced, a writer instinctively knows the most
effective use of tags and when to leave them out
completely.
 In theory, a reader should be able to read a line of
speech and identify which character is saying it.
There are many techniques for achieving this. You
may give your character a distinct accent, use
habitual phrases or mistakes which they tend to
repeat or vary the speech patterns through the
grammar. Paying attention to what a character will
and will not talk about, their level of intelligence
and sense of humour will also create the difference
As with all elements of writing fiction, you
are in control of the pace. In urgent
situations, when you want to pick up the
pace, leave out or limit narration and
tags. To slow the pace and building
suspense, use monologues and longer
sections of narration.
The best way to learn is to see
how the masters do it. Read
within your genre and note
techniques that really work.
With dialogue, the ears are often a
better judge than the eyes. Listen
to the dialogue to hear the flow
and notice the mistakes that
interfere with it.
This is where trust in your reader is essential.
If you have done your job well, the reader will
be able to follow the story as it slowly unfolds
without a character speaking for the sole
purpose of filling in a back story, reminding
the reader of past details or over explaining.
Information dumps are unnatural, lazy and
annoying. Don’t do it.
People don’t obsess about grammar
when they speak and you shouldn’t when
you are writing speech. People speak in
incomplete sentences, leave out words
and interrupt each other. Relaxing the
grammar can only help your dialogue to
be more believable.
 You may be tempted to replace ‘he/she said’ with
‘he roared, whimpered, gushed or barked’, but you
will be in danger of drawing too much attention to
the tag and away from the dialogue. When the
dialogue is strong, simple tags will suffice and keep
the reader engaged with what is really important.
As stated earlier, use action to ground the reader in
the reality of the conversation.
 Beware of overusing stereotypes and slang. These
can distract or alienate your reader. They will also
age your work. In real speech people take time to
think about what they are saying and ‘Ummming’
and ‘Ahhhing’ is commonplace. Again, to keep the
dialogue economical and interesting, use this
sparingly.
There are essential dialogue writing rules to
follow if one expects to write a good story.
Dialogue is what keeps the story interesting
and moving quickly for the reader. It’s
essential to a good story. However, there are
dialogue writing rules that must be followed
otherwise nothing is going to work no matter
how good your words may be
One of the absolute dialogue writing rules is
using quotation marks. This is a must. If you
think that you can get away without using
those pesky little marks, try it. Try writing a
story without using quotation marks then go
back and read it to yourself. Quotation marks
indicate what’s spoken and what’s not. It’s
used to guide the reader in the story.
 Each speaker needs to be given their own
paragraph. This is another one of those dialogue
writing rules that has to be followed to the letter.
Even if it’s only one line and they are talking about
the same subject, they need to be separated. This
allows the reader to read along and know when one
character is finished and the other is responding
without the writing having to refer to them as he
said, she said, constantly.
Give life to the phrases not only by
indicating who is speaking it but also
by describing the character’s
reaction or actions while speaking
the words. This is one of those
dialogue writing rules that a good
writer will never ignore.
 Proper usage of the speech tag is one of those important
dialogue writing rules. Some people tend to always use
them at the end of sentences repetitively. This gets boring
after a while. A good writer will vary the use of the speech
tags by placing them in different parts of the sentence.
Some sentences can start off with a speech tag while still
others can break in the middle with a speech tag. The use
of a speech tag can be eliminated altogether when a
sentence is used identifying the actions of the speaker and
leading up to their comment.
 Many fledgling writers feel that they are overusing
the word “said” as they add the speech tags. They
feel that they need to vary by adding adverbs but in
reality this only creates more problems. A good
writer will learn use one of the dialogue writing
rules to convey those adverbs in the context of the
actual dialogue eliminating the need for stating the
adverbs. By learning how to do this, one is truly
becoming a master storyteller.
 Don’t put in dialogue just for the sake of having your
characters talk. They need to have a reason to speak. Good
dialogue writing rules are that dialogue is used to move the
plot along and reveal the characters. It needs to be a
substitute for narration. Never use dialogue and narration
to tell the reader the same thing. It should also reveal the
character’s intention in the story and also set the tone. By
asking yourself if your dialogue serves one of those
purposes and having the answer come back as “yes”, then
you’ll know that you are using dialogue correctly.
 Always keep in mind that good written dialogue should
mimic actual speech that one hears around them. This
means not following perfect grammatical wordings. Spend
some time listening to the people around you talk and
you’ll find that most of them speak in some kind of slang.
“Um” and “like” are two words that one commonly hears in
a spoken dialogue. Using them in dialogue will lend an air
of reality to them. Although this isn’t grammatically correct,
it’s one of those good dialogue writing rules to follow
 Good dialogue writing rules are simply rules to
guide a writer in putting together the most realistic
sounding dialogue that will pull the reader along in
your story. Consider pasting a list of all of the
dialogue writing rules someplace where you can
refer to them as you are writing dialogue and you
are sure to burn these dialogue writing rules into
your brain. You’ll be writing dialogue like a pro
after time.
 What makes dialogue believable? The trick is to
strike a balance between what you might hear in
real life and an artistic rendition of a conversation.
Try recording a short conversation at the post office
or in a coffee shop, and then transcribe your
recording.
You will probably find that the
transcription looks clumsy on the page,
and is far from what you’re looking for in
your work. People tend to speak past
each other, repeat themselves, and invest
a lot of time talking around the important
information.
it’s up to you to cut away all the
unnecessary chatter and let the
important parts of the conversation shine
through. So how do you sort through all
the words and leave your characters with
realistic dialogue that matters? Here are
some tips.
Cutting greetings and other small talk is
a great place to start paring down your
dialogue. If you omit all the hellos and
goodbyes, you get your characters in the
scene faster and allow them to start
telling your story through language and
action.
 Try to keep each instance of dialogue to one sentence.
When you get to the second sentence, it’s likely your
character has become an “explainer,” delivering
expository information instead of acting as a dynamic,
believable character. Any time you find yourself giving a
character multiple sentences of dialogue, ask yourself if
there’s a natural way to put all the important information
into one sentence, if it can be broken up into a few different
places in the conversation, or if another character can
deliver some of the information.
 Having only one contribution to a conversation shouldn’t
mean a character only speaks once. Maybe Frank’s only job
is to tell George when the cops pull up outside a
convenience store. “The cops are here” is the only thing
you need Frank for, but make sure he isn’t silent until the
moment he delivers that all-important line. Take the time to
establish each character in the conversation, and allow
them to do more than just advance the plot. A discussion
between two characters can do a lot for tone and character
development, too.
 At some point in your writer youth, you were no doubt told
to be descriptive. When it comes to speech tags, we all
spend a while playing with “David joked” and “Mary asked
uncertainly.” In general, however, descriptive speech tags
distract from the real story happening within the dialogue.
If you’re doing it right, you don’t have to tell readers Mary
is uncertain, because they already know (“I think the cops
might be outside?” versus “The police are here!”). Stick to
“he said”/”she said,” which blend into the page and let the
reader stay in the scene.
 The only sure-fire way to create strong dialogue—and set
your work apart—is to practice. A lot. Consider starting
your daily writing practice with five minutes of dialogue, or
rewrite a scene that’s been troubling you with a few
different approaches to the dialogue. Read scenes with
heavy dialogue aloud; if it doesn’t roll off your tongue,
fiddle with it until it does. You’ll hear the difference when
your characters’ conversations start working for you, and
your readers will, too.
 You're passionate about fiction writing, and you
have all these great characters in your head. The
trick is getting them out and onto paper. How does
an author create, through word-pictures, flesh-and-
blood characters that are three-dimensional—
characters that make your reader say, "Oh, yes, I
know someone just like that…" Our editors explain
the process of creating characters for your novel.
Any seasoned writer will tell you that creating
characters that are believable takes some
work. It's a little like painting a picture, stroke
by stroke. Characters have to be constructed,
bit by bit, until the whole, complex individual
finally comes into view.
 If you watch a very good actor performing a screenplay,
chances are that one of the things you will note is a
distinctive mannerism that defines the character. It can be a
small thing—a way of glancing in the mirror admiringly at
his own image, a way of rubbing her hands together
(remember Lady Macbeth?), or maybe a certain way of
speaking. It should be a mannerism that expresses the
character's inner being. If you give your character a
characteristic mannerism, and use it sparingly but tellingly,
that character will take on individuality and stick in the
reader's mind.
 When you are creating characters, you should know all about them,
even if you don't actually express every detail in the story. What does
your character like to eat for breakfast? What is his favorite color?
Who is his best friend, and his worst enemy? Even if these details
don't play into your plot, you, as the creator, should know them by
heart, and they'll give your character new dimensions, even if they're
not expressed.
 Sometimes the best approach to creating characters is through a
character sketch, so you can lay out exactly what you want your
character to be like from the get-go.
 All right, so your character likes to wear Armani and drink
lattes and hustle ladies in singles bars. What's going on
inside his head? Does he have an inner life? You, as the
author, need to express his thoughts, his way of looking at
things, his inner conflicts. You can do this through dialogue
with another character, or you can simply show the
character's thoughts to the reader through his own inner
dialogue. When you go into a character's thoughts, you
deepen him, and he becomes more real.
 A character also seems more real if he is based in
reality. In other words, the old writer's dictum—
"Write what you know"—extends to characters. You
should focus on creating characters you know. Try
basing your characters on real people you have
observed, or even a pastiche of people. The
characters will seem more real, and you will have a
wealth of material to draw on.
 A character also seems more real if he is based in
reality. In other words, the old writer's dictum—
"Write what you know"—extends to characters. You
should focus on creating characters you know. Try
basing your characters on real people you have
observed, or even a pastiche of people. The
characters will seem more real, and you will have a
wealth of material to draw on.
Do your homework! You may have to research
your character, especially if you give her a
particular profession or a context that
requires some special knowledge. She's a
scuba diver? Then you'd better know
everything you can about scuba diving. In this
regard, sometimes it's best to figure out how
your character fits in with your plot structure.
 And, learn from the greats. A good writer is a good
reader. Take a look at how the greats wrote their
characters. Go back to Shakespeare's Falstaff or
Chaucer's Wife of Bath or any more recent character
in the hands of a great writer. Study how they do it.
Finally, practice your strokes. You will see the results
as your own characters take on more depth and
dimension.
Creating characters takes plenty of
time, effort, and editing. If you're
having trouble developing the
personalities in your novel, don't
hesitate to send your document to our
manuscript editors for their input.
 Knowing how to write believable characters is vital
for any fiction writer. A character that seems like a
stock character – the hero, the villain, the orphan,
the unwilling saviour – can easily become too
predictable. So how do you create a great
character? There are several ways to make sure that
your fictional characters draw readers into your
imaginary world:
 Think of some of fiction’s best-loved characters. J.K.
Rowling’s Harry Potter has a bolt shaped scar on his
forehead. The lawyer Jaggers in Charles Dickens’ Great
Expectations is described as having a ‘great forefinger’
which he constantly wags and points at people (and even
bites frequently before making a point). Details such as
these set characters apart from stock character types.
Unique body language and gestures as well as physical
‘flaws’ or distinguishing markers help to create vivid
characters that readers are easily able to imagine brought
to life
 Describe eyes carefully. This is one character
attribute that often strays into cliché. Rather than
describe the colour of characters’ eyes in vivid
detail, think about other, more distinctive
characteristics. Does your character have a nervous
temperament? Then perhaps he might blink more
than most people. Your characters’ eyes can say a lot
about them, but body language and posture,
gestures and actions are often even better for
conveying distinctive, subtler character traits.
 Is your character short or tall? People often infer things
about others based on their height. Dwarves in fantasy
novels (such as The Lord of the Rings) are usually short and
swarthy. As they are often miners, this further conveys that
they are closer to the earth. It also might suggest that they
are prone to short tempers due to widely known
stereotypes about short people being feistier. Also
consider the possible contradictions within a character’s
appearance, however. When a conventionally ‘ugly’
character has a seductive or husky voice, for example, this
creates a possible contradiction between readers’
impressions and expectations. This creates interest since
your characters’ contradictory attributes creates a sense of
unpredictability.
 Posture can say a lot about a character. Hunched
shoulders might suggest anxiety, while a slouched
back can suggest a sense of world weariness. This
could also convey that a person has led a life of
labour. As another example, many wealthy women
in Victorian times had lessons in etiquette and good
speech (‘elocution’), so a Victorian character from a
privileged upper class position is likely to have
very upright posture. Think about how traits such as
this can set characters’ backgrounds apart. This will
help you to create a fictional world populated with
characters who reflect differences in privilege,
power, and more, just as these differences manifest
in real life.