172 / Types of Writing
- The readers see the old man in action, not just what he’s doing during the
visit but what he’s been doing prior to the visit. - The readers hear his voice, his words, his accent.
- The writer chooses a third-person point of view. Notice, however, that readers
see the old man from the boy’s point of view. - The mechanics of writing this particular characterization call for accurate use
of quotation marks and accurate paragraphing to indicate change of speaker.
Inaccuracies here will confuse the reader and cause the characterization to fail.
With the process, suggestions, sample, and analysis in this section, you should have a
good idea now how to develop a successful character sketch of your own.