Getting to Know Your Character From the Inside Out

Sometimes in the writing world, the lingo is the scariest part. Hearing words like indirect characterization causes you to flashback to 7th grade ELA class bringing with it all the sweaty nervousness that comes along with being a preteen. How-tos are packed with these terms, sometimes making them scary to pick up and read. After several searches on Google, you still don't feel any closer to breaking down these terms that should be your bread and butter. Luckily for you, I teach 7th grade ELA class, and I'm here to break it down in a much more approachable way. 

When you sit down to write your protagonist, antagonist, or supporting characters, you're faced with two options. Will we, the readers, get to know this character from the inside, the outside, or both? 

Indirect Characterization simply means that we're getting to know your character from the inside.  We get full access to their thoughts and motivations, as well as a peek into their flashbacks and internal struggles. You see this a lot with the first-person point of view and with third-person omniscient. Sounds great, right? It sure is, but this also means that you have to write a character that is loveable despite their flaws. Remember that what the character sees and thinks has to (unless you are purposefully making it not so) line up with their actions. Because as we all know, actions speak louder than words. 

Direct Characterization is when the reader gets to know the character from the outside. We can see how the act and what they say to those around them, but we have to make our opinions based only on what we can directly see. Welcome to the third-person point of view. A lot of times, this is how readers get to know the supporting staff of a novel. 

See, the lingo isn't too bad, right? 

Remember that the goal of getting to know the character is so that the reader gets emotionally attached. Once we're invested in their fictional lives, reading the book becomes a necessity and not an option. So when you're sitting down to write that next scene or chapter, take a moment to ask yourself: Will this scene work better from the inside out, or the outside in?

Happy writing!