Now that you know where your story is set and what's going on, you need to bring the characters on stage. Make them realistic. I once wrote a story with a park bench as the main character. Needless to say, this didn't work but it was an exercise in writing that failed. You need to show your characters as you bring them on stage in a realistic way. Put some details into the description of the person you are introducing. Think of how you see a new person in your space and try that. Susan looked at the short dumpy woman and wondered what the woman wanted.
Show the new character in action. Mildred stomped across the room and glared at Susan.
Bring your characters on stage one at a time. The reader can become completely lost when you bring the characters on in a mob scene. I often have this problem because often my characters are part of a series and they're getting together for some reason. I know who they all are, but in the opening scenes bring them on stage one at a time with a bit of action and description before you move to the next character.
Thank you for sharing this. I agree that it's necessary to establish each character one at a time, otherwise the reader will feel he or she is at a party with strangers.
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