"Characterization or characterisation is the representation of characters (persons, creatures, or other beings) in narrative and dramatic works."
Crafting relatable and complex individuals.
Characterization: Understanding the techniques used to create and develop believable characters, including their physical appearance, personality traits, beliefs, values, goals, and motivations.
Backstory: Knowing the history of your characters, including their family background, childhood experiences, influences, and past relationships.
Archetypes: Recognizing the common patterns and symbols that represent universal human traits and behaviors, such as the hero, villain, mentor, trickster, and sage.
Psychology: Understanding the basic principles of psychology can help you create complex, multi-layered characters that feel real and relatable to readers.
Dialogue: Creating convincing dialogue is crucial for developing characters and revealing their personalities, relationships, and conflicts.
Conflict: Understanding different types of conflict, such as internal, external, and interpersonal, can help you create characters who are dynamic, complex, and compelling.
Setting: Knowing the cultural, historical, and geographical context in which your characters exist can help you create believable and nuanced characters.
Point of view: Choosing the right point of view can affect how readers experience your characters and their development throughout the story.
Symbolism: Knowing how to use symbols effectively can help you convey deeper meanings, themes, and messages in your character development.
Foreshadowing: Knowing how to use foreshadowing can help you build suspense and anticipation in your character development.
Growth and Change: Understanding the arc of character growth and change can help you create characters who are dynamic and relatable to readers.
Supporting Cast: Knowing how to develop supporting characters can help you create a rich and vibrant world that feels real and immersive to readers.
Character Motivation: Understanding the characters' motivations helps to make them more real and believable.
Character Traits: Developing unique characters who exhibit solidly structured and defined attributes that make them more than just an embodiment of their goals. Success necessitates being unique, making all the right choices, and having the backing of a foundation of positive characteristics.
Physical Appeal: Physical appearance, style, attributes, and features can significantly impact character development, making them more memorable.
Name and Identity: Naming the character provides an opportunity to give them a unique and memorable identity while staying true to the character's ethnic or cultural background.
Character Goals: Specific, achievable character goals are an essential part of character development, and they add a sense of direction and purpose to the story.
Emotional Depth: Well-developed characters that display a range of emotions feel genuine and evoke empathic responses from readers.
Flaws and Weaknesses: Characters are much more realistic when they are imperfect, with unique quirks or short-sighted behaviors.
Character Interests: Hobbies, interests, likes, and dislikes reveal character development arcs and add depth to the narrative, often staying with readers and becoming a memorable detail.
Protagonist: The main character who undergoes the greatest amount of change in the story, typically the hero or heroine.
Antagonist: The character or force that opposes the protagonist, causing the conflict in the story.
Supporting character: A character who is not the main focus of the story, but is still essential to the plot and development of the main character(s).
Love interest: A character who is romantically involved with the protagonist or other major character, often used to create subplots or complications in the story.
Foil: A character who contrasts with and highlights the traits of another character, often used to emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist.
Mentor: A character who guides and advises the protagonist, often providing wisdom or teaching a valuable lesson.
Sidekick: A character who assists or accompanies the protagonist, providing comic relief or support in times of need.
Villain: An evil or antagonistic character who goes against the protagonist or connotes a sense of immorality.
Comic Relief character: A character, often wacky or ridiculous, that provides humor and lightens the mood in the story.
Ghost Character: A character that exists only in the memory or imagination of the protagonist or other characters, often used to convey the past or reveal aspects of the character's psyche.
"The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym."
"This representation may include direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description or commentary."
"Indirect (or 'dramatic') methods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters' actions, dialogue, or appearance."
"Such a personage is called a character."
"Character is a literary element."
"[...] the representation of characters (persons, creatures, or other beings) in narrative and dramatic works."
"Indirect (or 'dramatic') methods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters' actions, dialogue, or appearance."
"The attribution of qualities in description or commentary."
"Persons, creatures, or other beings."
"Direct methods" and "indirect (or 'dramatic') methods."
"Narrative and dramatic works."
"Indirect (or 'dramatic') methods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters' actions, dialogue, or appearance."
"The term character development is sometimes used as a synonym."
"Character is a literary element."
"Direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description or commentary."
"Persons, creatures, or other beings."
"Readers [are invited] to infer qualities from characters' actions, dialogue, or appearance."
"Indirect (or 'dramatic') methods."
"Narrative and dramatic works."