Writer's Tip More on Characterization.

Let's look at some other ways to show your characters. What about showing two characters who are opposites. Sort of like the song I say potatoes. you say potahatas. Not a great example but the idea is having the characters in contrast to each other. Such as the ambitious one vs the laid back one. This allows your reader to see a character in a different light.

Names are another way. I know I sometimes spend hours with the many baby books I have deciding on a name for the character. Other times the name seems to leap out at me.

Using exposition to reveal a character who is not in the scene. A discussion between two characters who have very different opinions of the character under discussion can give a picture that can intrigue the writer.

Of course description is another way but the kind of description that says something like this - John was six feet tall. His hair was brown and so were his eyes - isn't going to characterize him. Something like John loomed over the children. His brown eyes held a threat. Before he spoke he raked his brown hair with his long fingers.

Remember when developing your characters, you want ones that will leap into the reader's view as people not sketches drawn in black and white.