MFA Collective A creative writing magazine written by students in creative writing programs.

Q. How do we meet people in real life?

A. A little at a time, gradually getting to know them over time.

I think that this is important to remember when introducing characters to our readers. One of the most obvious ways we fall into this trap is through character summary. Why would we feel the need to introduce them all at once? You could also think of it like watching a play. A character does not need to be clearly understood by the audience before they appear on stage.

Character summary has its place, but when looking at ways to characterize, as opposed to summarizing our characters, remember that characters which are summarized become boxed in. It flattens them out from the beginning, leaving future actions which might not hold up to this initial summarization. My argument is that character summary which is shown, is characterization.

Defining a character the moment they are introduced creates boundary lines which the reader will use to interpret their actions. What I meant above by showing a character, is essentially to let the reader use their own interpretations/imaginations of a character’s actions to develop a sense of “who” they are.

Now, it is essential that we as the creators know who these characters are, their past, their motivations, etc. But, does the reader really have to? I like to think of it as less is more in the sense that more information does not make a character round.

Remember, character summary involves the past, which takes the reader out of the present. This is not all together a bad thing, but it has its time and place, and can when used properly not only develop a character, but it can also develop the rhythm of the narrative.

Here are some ways to establish character gradually:

• Through the way they react to a situation directly.
• Characterized by another character, NOT THE AUTHOR!
• Dialogue

Remember, we learn about people by what they say and do (dialogue and actions). That is the rule in real life, and to understand that and apply it to your story only makes it that much more real. All the information we wish to expose about a character must be done unobtrusively. Give only what is needed at a given time. One final point to consider which applies to using dialogue as a means of characterization:

• Look out for dialogue which is exposition or character summary in disguise. It reads like a trick.

I hope some of these thoughts make sense. Again I am not a fan of strict rules in art, but these techniques can add depth to your work, if that is what you are looking for. Keep this in mind when revising, and ask yourself if you have told us too much about your characters, when there should be enough information already shown for us to bring the character to life as readers.