Tips for Crafting Compelling Fictional Characters (Part 2) – Dialogue & Character Descriptions

In the last part of the series, we discussed understanding character backgrounds, personalities, flaws, and attributes. Using the iceberg method, we learned that there’s a well of information beneath the surface of every compelling character.

Now that we understand character backgrounds, we can begin bringing them to life through dialogue that enthralls and physical descriptions that feed readers’ imaginations.

Show, don’t tell.

No doubt, you’ve heard the advice before: show don’t tell. It’s the element of writing that takes simply recounting a series of events into the realm of storytelling. But how does one go about showing a story instead of telling it, especially in character descriptions?

Use all five senses.

Don’t end character descriptions with appearances only. Describe what they sound like or smell like (or taste, depending on the kind of story you’re writing) as well. These details help round out a character’s description and latch onto readers’ imaginations.

Incorporate gestures, mannerisms, and speech patterns.

Almost nobody speaks without some telltale gestures or body language markers. Take note of the ways people around you in real life communicate silently, whether they do it intentionally or not, and use that information to further develop your character’s traits.

Show how characters react to or feel about situations through their body language.

Let readers use their intuition as they would in the real world to come to conclusions about the character's thoughts and feelings.

Use actions to reveal character attributes.

Have you ever heard the saying “I’ll believe it when I see it?” That’s the case for character attributes as well. Additionally, this expectation can create unexpected tension if used strategically in reverse. For example, say a character boasts of their bravery, yet runs away at the first sign of danger.

Use dialogue to progress the plot.

Authors are often intimidated by writing dialogue, because, done wrong, it can distract readers from the story at hand. However, entertaining dialogue is a key component of crafting compelling characters and can artfully progress character and story development.

Use each interaction to reveal something about the character’s personality or relationship with others.

Even the most mundane interactions can inform readers of some essential character attributes, as they should. Use dialogue strategically to help readers learn how their characters interact with the environment around them. Try to avoid dialogue for the sake of dialogue, since this can tire out readers. If dialogue doesn’t reveal some important information about the character or the plot, it probably isn’t necessary.

Use meaningful conversation to progress, reveal character backgrounds, or plant foreshadowing seeds.

Instead of information dumping on readers, use dialogue to slyly reveal character histories and worldbuilding. Readers typically don’t need to be spoon-fed information about the world they’re in. Allow readers to fill in the blanks with context clues delivered through dialogue.

Do keep it concise.

Dialogue shouldn’t last an entire page. Paragraphs of lengthy dialogue back and forth can be exhausting for readers. Make sure to break up lengthy paragraphs of text with environmental ambiance, character reactions, and action.

Read the dialogue out loud.

Reading aloud helps to determine if it sounds natural or not. If you have a friend to read along with you, that’s even more helpful. Some writers have found success using text-to-speech software. The way dialogue sounds in our head when we’re writing doesn’t always translate to natural conversation, so this final act can help make it more realistic for readers.

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