What Methods Do Authors Use To Present And Develop Characters?

Alton Clarke
5 Min Read

Physical description, behavior, insight into the character’s cognitive processes through conversation or narration and insight through other characters’ perspectives in a novel are all ways an author builds a character.

Character development in literature is creating a distinct, three-dimensional character with depth, personality, and distinct motives. Character development refers to changes a character goes through due to their actions and experiences during a novel.

Authors use characterization to support themes in literature because it makes it simpler for the reader to relate.

Characterization is a literary strategy used in literature to emphasize and explain the specifics of a character in a tale in a step-by-step manner. Many people eventually abandoned this point of view because, in the nineteenth century, the supremacy of character over narrative became obvious in petty-bourgeois novels.

Melodrama in the author’s work is another vital sign of underdeveloped characters. It is most evident in extreme situations, as the characters react in a theatrical performance with exaggerated gestures, voice, and emotions.

The act of generating and characterizing characters in literature is known as characterization. Characterization includes both descriptions of a character’s physical qualities and descriptions of the character’s personality. The definition of characterization has divided into direct and indirect characterization.

Characters should have layers, and when a character is the result of the three factors listed above, the outcome may be intriguing.

Nonetheless, it is critical not to overburden the author’s character. It is preferable to choose a handful and investigate them rather than a new one for each chapter. Usually, two key features are desirable. For example, Harry Potter is diligent and bold in all seven novels.

Two things can assist the writer in deciding what traits to offer the writer’s character. First, what is his or her role in the book? Two, how do writers want their readers to perceive him/her? (This is where imagination kicks in). For example, in Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, both the Joker (played by Heath Ledger) and Bane (played by Tom Hardy) are supervillains with somewhat similar intentions. They are both terrible mass killers. However, one has presented to be so amiable that writers want to join him in razing Gotham City to the ground, and the other has portrayed him as a complex boiled evil type. As a result, the Joker has given a sense of comedy, while Bane has given a sense of rage.

Emunah La Paz developed her characters through her personal experience in her novel. Memoir of a Jaded Woman: Tainted Love was released in November 2016 by La-Paz. In this book, La-Paz convened focus groups of women and investigated marriage and adultery with Bible study, spurred by a friend’s problematic marriage. One critic described the work as “a collection of angry, funny, and ultimately balanced opinions, including those of numerous males and their girlfriends” by one critic. La-Paz Why Do Married Men Cheat with Unattractive Women? 2011,  “a five-foot-seven-inch black lady who had to monitor her weight constantly to meet the bill as a print model” met blonde, “regal” Judie on a photo session while working in Arizona. Despite having “graced the cover of countless high-end publications,” Judie was depressed, having lately found that her photographer husband was cheating on her with an assistant.

Conclusion

Continuity may be complex for authors who build their characters as they write. Authors who write books with a large cast of characters or series in which characters come and encounter difficulties in making characters appear and behave consistently throughout time.

Generating characters varies greatly across authors and might even change throughout books written by the same author. While some authors start with fully defined characters in mind, others allow characters to emerge as they write.

TAGGED:
Share This Article
Alton Clarke was born and raised in Syracuse. He has written for MSNBC, The Business Insider and Passport Magazine. In regards to academics, Alton earned a degree from St. John’s University. Alton covers entertainment and culture stories here at Diving daily.