Character

Characters are presented in two ways:
Directly: The author tells describes the character – his or her actions, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. 
Indirectly: The author shows what is important to the character through his or her actions, speech, appearance, or thoughts. 

Actions reveal character traits.


  • Wapoose's actions show she is enthusiastic and intelligent. Wapoose never gives up, and even finishes the race when the winner has already been determined.  She uses strategies to make the journey easier, such as using wind currents to help her avoid large obstacles. 
  • Her actions show she is compassionate. Wapoose helps her competitors.

Show, don’t tell results in effective story writing.

Speech (dialogue) reveals personality traits.



  • Dialogue can help develop character. By showing Wapoose's positive attitude, we learn that she can remain calm and upbeat despite being behind every other racer.

  • Dialogue helps the reader to hear the character. 
Example/Evidence:
"Yes," Wapoose said.  "It would be an honour to contest with such magnificent beings" (page 86).
“It is not honoring the challenge if I should stop”  (page 87).
"But there is much that I have not seen or learned," Wapoose said, "It is in the journey that one comes to understand the territory" (page 92).


Writers may use formal, informal, and non-standard language to develop dialogue and character.  As you read each example below, you begin to visualize the person who may speak in such a way. You learn something about that speaker's character.

  • Formal language:  “Greetings, students.  How are my charges today?”
  • Informal or conversational:  “Hi.  How are you?”
  • Slang (non-standard language):   “Yo.  Whassup, peeps?”


Appearance reveals character traits.




  • Readers associate certain character traits with stereotypical appearances such as those we frequently see on television.  Leiningen may remind you of some other cigar smoking, take-charge characters you might have seen, such as Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer in Predator, John "Hannibal" Smith from The A Team, Wolverine in the X-Men, Lieutenant Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, and Harmon Rabb from JAG. 

  • Adding details about facial expression, emotions, mood, and the setting of the plantation helps the reader to understand Leiningen’s character much better. 
      Wapoose’s calm confidence is in contrast to the desperate panic of the other animals.
      Example/Evidence:                                              
      "Wapoose ran nimbly along under the snags and tangles that hampered the bigger creatures"  (page 87).
      "Where the way seemed impassible for someone of her size, she merely sat up on her haunches and eyed the territory until she found a pathway" (page 87).
      "She blazed through open stretches and hopped boldly along the edge of chasms..." (page 91).


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