Part 2 - Writing Fiction

5 - Character Creation (Telling & Showing!)

Tell
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He was a 38-year-old, public-school educated man of considerable wealth,
who got very upset when his only daughter decided to do voluntary work
overseas.

Show
-----
Nigel downed a tumbler of claret very fast. Emily was going to live in some
dump of a country full of typhoons and terrorists for two whole years. He
marched upstairs and yanked her designer clothes out of the wardrobe,
making a mound on the floor. "Won't need these, then, will you, Princess?"
he thought.


Character Checklist - Things to consider when creating 'round' characters!
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Physical/biological
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Age, height, size, state of health, assets, flaws,
sexuality, gait, voice...


Psychological
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Intelligence, temperament, happiness/unhappiness, attitudes, self-knowledge,
unconscious aspects...


Interpersonal/cultural
-----------------------
Family, friends, colleagues, birthplace, education, profession, hobbies,
beliefs, values, lifestyles...

Personal History
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Major events in life, including the best and the most traumatic...