Character Sketch

Creating a portrait with words . . .

From Reading to Writing Mary Oliver
captures the nature of a person in her poem The Journey. In the story Powder, Tobias

Wolff draws a more leisurely portrait of a man in

his forty-eighth year, rumpled, kind, bankrupt of honor, flushed with certainty.

Character Sketch

Creating a portrait with words . . .

A good character sketch captures the personality and appearance of a person and can be part of almost any writing genre, from poetry

to fictional narratives to biography to news

stories.

Basics in a Box
Character Sketch at a Glance RUBRIC Standards for
Writing
physical description persons action and speech mannerisms of person
A successful character sketch should
present a vivid picture of the personality and physical appearance of a person establish a dominant, or main, impression of the person reveal the writers response to the person include dialogue, mannerisms, description, and other devices that show rather than tell what the character is like place the character in a context that contributes to the readers understanding of the character have a clear organizational structure and a strong conclusion

MAIN IMPRESSION OF SUBJECT

writers other peoples feelings about reactions to the person the person surroundings

Writing Your Character Sketch

1

Prewriting
A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes. Richard North Patterson

Writing Your Character Sketch

1

Prewriting
Whom do you want to write about?
You can choose someone you know well. You might consider an interesting

relative, a special teacher, or a remarkable friend.

You can also write about someone you

have only casually observed but whose actions are unusual or revealing.

Planning Your Character Sketch

1. Explore your feelings. How do you feel about the person? What tone will you use to convey your feelingsdetached, admiring, humorous, serious?

2. Create mental images of the person. Mentally replay scenes in which your character speaks, moves, and interacts with others. Which details stand out?

Planning Your Character Sketch

3. Place your character in a setting. Describe the person in a time and place that will reveal his or her personality. Which setting will best show how your character interacts with others? Which setting will reveal your characters inner self? 4. Create a dominant impression. What is the main impression you want to give? What descriptions and incidents involving the character will best create this impression?

Writing Your Character Sketch

2

Drafting
The best part of writing a character sketch is

that you can start anywhere. Just begin

drafting and let the person emerge as you write. You can rework the details when you revise and edit.

Writing Your Character Sketch

2

Drafting
Show rather than tell.

Good character sketches let readers draw

conclusions. Use anecdotes, dialogue, or any other device that will show rather than

tell what your character is like.

Writing Your Character Sketch

2

Drafting
Grab attention early but save the best for last. Draw in your audience by starting with an interest ticklera funny incident or a

bizarre detail about your characters

appearance. As you develop your character, save your best for last.

Writing Your Character Sketch

3

Revising

TARGET SKILL WORD CHOICE

In a character sketch, carefully chosen words add clarity and vigor to description. Specific verbs can bring the action to life. Specific modifiers can paint vivid pictures of how things look, smell, sound, taste, and feel.

Writing Your Character Sketch

4

Editing and Proofreading

TARGET SKILL PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Pronouns help present ideas clearly and help prevent unnecessary repetition. Make sure your pronouns agree with their antecedents in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) and are the right case (nominative, objective, or possessive).

Pre-Writing Questions for the Character Sketch

1.Name a person who has made a difference in your life or been important to you and explain what the importance has been. 2. If the person is a family member, where do you see him/her most often? If the person is not a family member, where did you meet him/her?

Pre-Writing Questions for the Character Sketch

3. What do other people think of this person? What might other people say about him/her? 4. Picture this person. Describe him/her in as much detail as you can. Include facial features, physical appearance, clothing, manner of speech.

Pre-Writing Questions for the Character Sketch

5. What is his or her most unusual characteristic? What would someone who meets him or her for the first time be most likely to notice--or least likely to notice? 6. How does his/her appearance reflect his/her personality?

Pre-Writing Questions for the Character Sketch

7. When you picture this person, what do you think of him/her doing? 8. How is this persons view of life different from that of most other people? 9. Describe something special or memorable that happened between you. This should be an incident that shows how this person has made a difference in your life.