 For Authors: October 12, 2011 Issue [#4658] |
  For Authors
This week: Characterization In Action Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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Hello, hello! I'm ~jay, and this week I will be your For Authors newsletter editor.
I thought I'd start things off with some thoughts on characterization I had last week while working away on some different preparations for National Novel Writing Month. (You might know it as "November.") It occured to me that characters are everywhere... even in the kinds of writing where we don't expect "characters" but "people" instead.
Characterization is that subtle art of grouping together a set of traits, quirks, and observable behaviors and speech -- implicit characterization -- as well as that out-and-out expression of the way a character behaves as told by the narrator or other characters or even the character himself or herself -- referred to as explicit characterization.
In our writing, we associate characters with fiction, but to me it's not so simple as that. Poetry, essays, blog entries, and other nonfiction entities can also benefit from good use of character development to show a new and more complete picture to the reader. It helps the reader to become immersed in a world when they feel like they "know" the people who live in it. Characterization in fiction is perhaps the most straightforward. Developing personalities and situations that hook the reader into the plot and make them care-- it's a critical part of the process.
In poetry, use of characterization is generally more subtle and personalized, but it still makes a difference. Talking about events in a poem, for example-- framing things from a specific emotional perspective is akin to using character development in fiction writing if you think about it; whether the poem is a personal one or an imagined scene. I find that the best poetry is often more personalized and specific; poems that talk about one specific situation rather than trying to address a general catchall of emotions often have more success with me as a reader. Use the character of the speaker in poetry to pique the interest of your reader... it can help to add deeper meanings and relatability.
In nonfiction works, character also plays a part. Essayists and bloggers who can hook you in and tell you a story that makes you laugh even when you've never met them before often use devices of character development to get you interested in what's happening. It's possible to present true (and "true") events in a way that these people become larger than life-- they become the characters that your reader wants to know more about!
Just some food for thought to start us off! See you next month! Stop by with an answer to this month's question, in Ask and Answer, and I'll feature your relevant feedback next month.
Take care and Write on!
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This being my first go at a For Authors newsletter, I don't have any feedback to share yet, so here instead is a feedback question:
In your own writing, how would you say you have used characterization best?
Who is your best character and why? How did you come up with good methods to show off your character's best traits?
I'll print all relevant feedback next month. Til then...
Take care and Write on!
~jay |
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