Student Writing Handbook Fifth+Edition

Character Sketch / 169

Dialogue. Let your character talk. Use the same kinds of words and sentence struc-
ture in the dialogue as the character really uses. You will, of course, enclose the dia-
logue or monologue in quotation marks. [See Chapter 22, Dialogue.]

Weak

Telling: Jeremy seemed nervous.

Better

Showing: “No. I’m okay. Don’t bother.” Jeremy’s tight voice left me uncon-

vinced. “It’s just.... Well, no, I’m okay. Really.” He studied his fingernails.

Often these three means—description, action, and conversation—are combined in a
narrative style resembling an excerpt from a short story. [See Chapter 11, Narration.]

STEP 5: Prewriting—Determining the Point of View

Next, decide from which point of view to present your character sketch. [See point of
view in the Glossary.] A first-person point of view permits you to describe the char-
acter by being a part of the description. You become the “I.” A third-person point of
view allows you to stay outside the description. The reader sees the character more
objectively.

Select the point of view which will best enable you to present the character to your
reader.

STEP 6: Writing—Putting It All Together

Now, as you write, follow a clear organization. [See order, in paragraph development
in the Glossary.] A character sketch can follow nearly any organization. Certainly
one of the orders of importance could function well. Often a sketch will read almost
like a piece of fiction, so time order may be appropriate. Because of its similarity to
fiction, the sketch may also include flashbacks, especially if you want to develop the
sketch stylistically.

Write the sketch now, including description, dialogue, and action, showing rather
than telling.

STEP 7: Revising—Checking for Content

When you have completed your first draft, consider the following questions as you
reread to spot possible weaknesses:

• Does my character become real to the reader?


• Have I made him or her sound special rather than stereotypical?


• Have I maintained a single focus rather than rambling about all kinds of
  interesting details? [See Sample Revision for Unity in Chapter 3, Revising.]