Characterisation

Characterisation

An ability to create strong characters is one of the most important aspects of novel writing. This is because you are trying to make the novel mirror real life and are taking events, circumstances and emotions that would happen in reality but instead are placing them in a fictional setting.

Characterisation is the creation or construction of a fictional character. It is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character, such as physical description, action, inner thoughts, reactions and speech.

Direct characterisation

Direct characterisation tells the reader what the personality of the character is:

The quiet boy and the patient girl were both compliant and did not disobey their father.

Here, the writer is directly telling the reader the personality of these two children.

Indirect characterisation

Indirect characterisation indicates what a character is like by revealing their personalities through descriptions of their speech, actions, appearance, and interactions with other characters. So, thus, characterisation is a literary device used to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story.