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Elaborative Detail: Character
When describing your character it can be helpful to move beyond simple statements that list what your character looks like.
You can show how the character is feeling by describing facial expressions and body language, instead of simply telling what the character is feeling.
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Tell
The teacher was angry. Show
Mr. Smith strode to the front of the room, his heels clicking sharply against the floor. His jaw was tight, and a deep crease formed between his eyebrows. He exhaled through his nose—short, sharp bursts—like a bull ready to charge. Gripping the whiteboard marker with a white-knuckled grip, he tapped it against the desk, each impact louder than the last. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and steady, but there was no mistaking the fury beneath it. |
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You can show the characters personality and attitude by describing how they behave and react, instead of simply telling what kind of person they are.
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Tell
Mandy doesn't like mess. Show
Mandy's nose wrinkled as she weaved between the cluttered desks, eyeing the crumpled worksheets and abandoned pencils, ditched as if they were toxic waste. She let out a slow, exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes at the sheer chaos. Then, a smirk curled at the edge of her lips. If they thought they could leave the classroom looking like a disaster zone, they had another thing coming... |
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✏️ Your Turn
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Use elaborative details to create a descriptive paragraph about a character below. For the character, can you:
Tell
He is a frog. He is green and he is lazy. Show
The frog sprawled lazily across a broad lily pad, his mossy-green limbs folded over his bulging stomach. The winter sunlight highlighted the gold-speckled sheen of his skin. One eye cracked open, flicking toward the dragonfly hovering inches from his nose, but he made no attempt to snap it up—too much effort. Today he had no jobs, no chores, nothing at all to do, just the way he liked it. |
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Character Profile
When developing a character it can help to create a visual character profile. A simple labeled drawing / diagram of your character can help connect your character to the storyline. Check out the basic and enhanced example below.
