Characterization


 * 6. [The rules] require that when the author describes the character of a personage in the tale, the conduct and conversation of that personage shall justify said description.


 * &mdash;Mark Twain, "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"


 * Show, don't tell.


 * &mdash;Your English teacher and every creative writing guide ever.

Characterization (Brit. characterisation) is how a character is created and presented in a narrative. It includes the actions, interactions, thoughts, speech, and other traits that make them them.

Characterization may be simple (one- or two-dimensional) or complex (three-dimensional). When writing complex characters, it is generally considered better to show the audience what they're like by means of their behavior (indirect characterization) than to tell the audience what they're like in the narration (direct characterization).

Simple characters aren't inherently bad, but fanfiction writers often don't know how to create complex, sympathetic characters and end up writing flat, unbelievable ones instead. Discrepancies between direct and indirect characterization in fanfiction are nearly always a sign of bad writing.

Character Writing
Characterization may be given either directly or indirectly. Direct characterization is what is said about the character by the narrator, other characters, or the character themself, and may or may not be reliable. This is also known as telling.

In indirect characterization, the audience must infer what the character is like based on their actions, interactions with other characters (including how the other characters react to them), thoughts, speech, mannerisms, and appearance. This is also known as showing, and is more reliable and thus vastly preferred over telling alone.

Sometimes a character's indirect characterization is notably different from their direct characterization. In these cases, the author may be setting up a discrepancy on purpose to create suspense, or to present a character who is not sane. However, when the medium is fanfiction, it's far more likely to be a case of bad characterization.