Inspired Love Workshop
October 20, 2000

Five Ways Readers Learn About Your Characters

HOST WRTR Sandie: Welcome to Inspired Love, everyone!!!!
HOST WRTR Sandie: Gail, why don't you give a short intro ...

GailGMartin: Okay - many of you know me already. I'm multi-published. God has blessed me so much. I write for Heartsong Presents and Barbour anthologies. I also write for Steeple Hill Love Inspired and recently sold to Silhouette Romance which is a sweet line without explicit sexual content. I can't believe this has happened in a little more than 2 years. 

HOST WRTR Sandie: Gail, your topic tonight is characterization?

GailGMartin: Correct - the five ways we show characterization to our readers. The number of ways varies but I think 5 is a good number. We show characterization with physical description, mannerisms, dialogue, action/reaction and introspection.

Let me define these and give some examples. We begin with a stick figure so to speak and the first thing we usually show in a novel is physical description - this is appearance, clothes and how they are worn and also voice. This breathes life into our characters

First - let me give you an example from a novel I'm working on called Home to Loving. A character named Claire is an elderly woman - here's the description from her daughter-in-law's POV. 

When she first met her mother-in-law, Jemma had blinked in surprise at the older woman's reddish flyaway hair and her eccentric costume - zebra striped spandex pants with a black gauze peasant blouse, right out of the 70s. But Jemma soon learned that Claire's heart was as lavish and generous as her flamboyant clothing.


You'll notice that in this case Claire's clothing helps to depict her eccentric character.

GailGMartin: Another example is from my novel - on the shelves in bookstores
as we speak, Upon A Midnight Clear - this is from the hero's POV when he first meets the heroine.

David studied her again. Her frame, though thin, rounded in an appealing manner and tugged at his memory. The straight skirt of her deep blue suit hit her modestly just below the knee. Covering her white blouse, the boxy jacket rested at the top of her hips. Her only jewelry was a gold lapel pin and earrings. 

Now as we compare this character to Claire - you will see many differences. What kind of person can you guess the heroine might be? Her name is Callie, by the way - What clues do we see to her character?

Janet Edgar: Conservative?

GailGMartin: Please jump in - yes, Janet

Janet Edgar: classy?

GailGMartin: Yes!

Gena HS: Ladylike

Janet Edgar: calm, especially in comparison.

Flutterz: professional

TFowler277: Knee length garment indicates reserved.

GailGMartin: Yes - great! 

GailGMartin: Yes she is on a job interview and is very nervous about this job. Let's look a little more at this story. When Callie first makes the telephone call about the job she has reservations. Hear it from her words. 

A rich baritone voice filled the line, and when Callie heard his command tone, she caught her breath. Hamilton's self-assured manner caught her off guard. His tone intimidated her, and her responses to his questions sounded reticent in her ears. 

She is making a judgment based on his voice. She's very nervous going up the porch steps and shudders wondering what this formidable man will be like when she meets him face to face.

GailGMartin: Here's what she sees. 

Callie moved forward and paused in the doorway. The room was lovely. But what caught her off guard the most was the man. David Hamilton stood before the fireplace, watching her. Their eyes met and locked in unspoken curiosity. A pair of gray woolen slacks and a burgundy sweater covered his tall, athletic frame. His broad shoulders looked like a swimmers and tapered to a trim waist.

He stepped toward her, extending his hand without a smile. He was far more handsome than she had imagined, and she chided herself for creating an ogre, rather than this attractive tawny haired man whose hazel eyes hinted sparks of green and brown as he observed her. 

I think you can see that Callie wants to dislike him - but you see the beginning of a conflict - and we see it in her description of him. We see hints of conflict. 

GailGMartin: Now - let's look at mannerisms. They're fun. Mannerisms include - traits, habits idiosyncrasies, eccentricities, movements: walk, gestures, eye contract.
To create effective tags - (clues to characterization) you will want to use these right away upon introducing your character - but don't over use them.

GailGMartin: In my novel Heart Under Construction which is my first Silhouette Romance, Kathryn - is an uptight director of marketing - a neatnik, organized, in-control woman. She hires a carpenter to remodel her farmhouse hoping to bring her grandmother there to live with her. She is a rug straightener - which gives the reader a hint to her neatness -along with many other things.

GailGMartin: The carpenter is laid-back - notice one of his habits is to tuck his hand in his pants pocket. 

Lucas tucked his loosed fingers into his back -pocket. Later in the story we see - He shrugged and poked his fingers into his back pocket, tightening the denim across his backside, and meandered through the room. And later - he stands with his hands tucked in his pocket, his jeans nestled around his firm legs. 

We see this from the heroine's POV. She is determined to dislike him. Right! Can you imagine the laid-back carpenter and the uptight woman. Let's look at Claire again - from the early example - the one with the spandex pants.

GailGMartin: Claire snatched her dentures from her mouth and dropped them into the pocket of her exotic print dress. Another; Jemma had been afraid to compliment any accessory or clothing of her mother-in-law fearing that Claire might rip from her body to present to her. A guest could easily find himself leaving Claire's carrying her sofa. I think you can see Claire's idiosyncrasies. 

GailGMartin: Now - lets look at dialogue. Dialogue is used to provide mood and information. But readers learn much more from dialogue. They can learn the character's education, occupation, age, attitudes by the way they talk. Dialogue covers speech patterns - such as dialects, repetitions, hesitations, vocal style such as terse or verbose, large words, short or long sentences, direct or avoidance - double meanings such as innuendoes and insinuations and attitudes: fearful, apologetic, shy, vain, witty, etc. This is learned by the way the character speaks and the selection of words.

GailGMartin: In my romance suspense - the janitor Charlie has a stutter. When you use dialect or a speech problem, you don't want to over use them. Just a hint is enough for the reader to see it as a tag. I mentioned the grandmother coming to live with Kathryn. Here's a little dialogue that helps you meet grandma. This scene is Kathryn taking grandma to her house to see the construction. She's trying to convince her to move in.

"Can't see why you're dragging me out here to lunch, Kathryn," Grandma Brighton said. "You usually take me to a restaurant. Gettin' cheap are you?"
Kathryn looked toward heaven and groaned. "No, grandma, I want you to see the house. I told you."
"How about photographs? You could just show me pictures. You live a dang-awful distance from civilization. I'm expecting to see cows in the middle of the road."

GailGMartin: What type of conflict can you see in these first moments with grandma?

GailGMartin: We have Kathryn - in charge and Grandma has taken over!

Janet Edgar: grandma is a city girl, heroine likes the country? Grandma is grouchy! :)

GailGMartin: Yes! Grandma wants privacy -and independence. She's a wonderful old gal. 

Janet Edgar: she doesn't want to move....

GailGMartin: Action/reaction. Remember - what we say isn't always what we mean. You know that the heroine wants to be in charge - and we have a laid back carpenter. Watch the relationship here. She comes home to find him shirtless in her backyard with binoculars. 

"Excuse me," she called, heading across the grass 
Lucas lowered the binoculars and pivoted her head in her direction. He pressed his finger against his lips to quiet her and she froze in place. 
Who was this man to shush her in her own yard? But as anger rolled up her spine, the ridiculousness of the situation flew to her lips. As she struggled with her grin, Lucas shot her a smile as if she were grinning at him.

GailGMartin: Finally Lucas convinces her to look through the binoculars. 
She lowered them and swung around to face him. He stood a heartbeat away from her, and swallowed to dispel the sizzle of emotion rising up her arms. "I see it, but what does this have to do with getting my rooms finished?"

GailGMartin: Here's another reaction a little further in the story. 

His constant instruction irritated Kathryn, and he was still so close he distracted her with his brisk soapy smell and the feel of his warm breath against her cheek. 

Okay - friends - do we see a woman losing a battle?

GailGMartin: Finally we have Introspection. This is the truth of every story. This is the one place the reader knows what is really happening. I don't give a lot in introspection except hints of problems to keep the reader wondering. Let me show you a couple of reactions. This is from my book out now - Upon A Midnight Clear. David's POV. 
An overwhelming sorrow washed over him, and the answer struck
in his throat. Callie's question disturbed thoughts he'd tucked away. Now they cam crashing into his memory. Without knowing it, she was treading on raw nerve endings and deep painful wounds that had yet to heal.

GailGMartin: Callie's POV. 
She withdrew her hand a second time. He tilted his head, his face filled with emotion. She wanted to touch his unshaven cheeks with her palms and kiss the worry from his eyes. A worry that she knew was for her, not for himself. Everything in her cried out to tell him, but she pushed the urge deep inside her, praying this time the pangs would stay there. 

I hope you notice that I haven't told the reader anything really, yet they can see the pain and hurt that each character is going through - and it keeps them wondering too what's going on.

GailGMartin: Anyway - those are the five ways. I wanted to do some things with you. I hope we have time. Let's look at mannerisms. Okay. Take Nervous - give me some mannerisms that you can give a character in your novel to show that he or she is nervous!

GailGMartin: Jump in.

Janet Edgar: a guy, clearing his throat.

GailGMartin: Yes

Janet Edgar: A woman, curling a strand of hair behind her ear.

Gena HS: wringing hands 

GailGMartin: Very good. Yes.

Flutterz: biting nails

Gena HS: that's wringing

GailGMartin: Shifting eyes.

Garf1011: A girl biting her nails

GailGMartin: Yes.

HOST WRTR Amccum: A woman folding and unfolding a napkin.

SRAM86: biting lower lip

GailGMartin: Great - see there are so many ways. Now what you do is take
that and use it periodically for this character to show this trait. How about a slob. What mannerisms can you think of?

HOST WRTR Sandie: Anyone??

SRAM86: Chewing with his mouth open.

Flutterz: piling dishes in the sink

GailGMartin: Great!

Garf1011: Shirt untucked

Janet Edgar: a guy, stripping his shirt off, throwing it on the floor.

GailGMartin: Yes.

GailGMartin: That; would drive Kathryn insane. <g>

HOST WRTR Amccum: Picking his nose in public.

Janet Edgar: LOL.

Garf1011: A Man's shirt un-buttoned

SRAM86: belching

GailGMartin: LOL

Janet Edgar: Ewww!!! LOL

Garf1011: Burping in public

GailGMartin: Great! Okay these are things we need to do to characters.

Janet Edgar: double ewww!

GailGMartin: Not the hero please - no belching

Janet Edgar: LOL!

Janet Edgar: amen!

GailGMartin: But secondary characters can make the story interesting. Look at Claire and her dentures in her pocket.

SRAM86: Hero wouldn't be a slob, right?

GailGMartin: Right - but remember that heroes have flaws. They are never perfect. My hero in the Heart Under Construction drives the heroine crazy with this laid back attitude. He does so many little things that she doesn't approve of - yet he has a great sense of humor and a deep caring for people. Those are his saving factors. If we make characters too perfect, they are boring. Remember that you need to blend all of these 5 ways so that the reader can see your characters as deep - compelling and believable people - clothes, appearance, mannerisms, dialogue, reaction, etc. 

Be original too, avoid stereotypes. Come up with unusual things - like the dentures. That; makes a memorable character. Also stay consistent with your character - don't' have them be a slob and then suddenly become neat. The change has to be gradual and grow as the character learns and grows. Sorry I left no time for Questions.

HOST WRTR Sandie: But you filled our heads with info!!!

GailGMartin: I'll take any if you have time.

HOST WRTR Sandie: Anyone have anything for Gail?

Janet Edgar: Which trait is more important?

GailGMartin: I think one that really defines the deepest problem of the character. That's the trait you should show. If we had time to show the psychological background of the H & H in Heart Under Construction, you'd see.

MThomp1595: This was great, Gail... very helpful!

GailGMartin: Welcome

Janet Edgar: very informative Gail!!!

GailGMartin: www.gailmartin.com - come visit my web site. I have tons of workshop logs on it.

HOST WRTR Sandie: As always, Gail ... You're wonderful.

GailGMartin: Thanks - wish we could have done more activities.

Flutterz: Great job, Gail! Thanks!

GailGMartin: Please pick up my novel UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. I'm getting wonderful reviews!

GailGMartin: Thanks everyone. 

HOST WRTR Sandie: Thank you, Gail.

HOST WRTR Cynth: Thanks for coming Gail!

GailGMartin: You're all welcome. I'll be back whenever you ask.

LynColeman: Great job Gail.

GailGMartin: Good night..