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Creative Nonfiction - SHS

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Characters and POV

Module 005 Characters and POV

A narrative cannot exist successfully without a character. The character does


not have to be a human. It can be an animal, as with fables. It may even be an
inanimate object, depending on how the writer can successfully make that
happen.
In creative nonfiction, characters are based on real life. Therefore, there is an
extra pressure in portraying them accurately. The dialogue is especially
difficult to write. Verbatim is next to impossible, unless the whole thing has
been staged and recorded. That would have been unnatural.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
1. Identify the ways of developing a character
2. Discriminate between direct and indirect characterization
3. Develop a character, through gestures, dialogues, and descriptions

How to Develop a Character


1. Direct Characterization
2. Gestures
3. Monologues and Dialogues
4. Character Growth

Direct Characterization
Last week, we looked at characterization as one of the elements of storytelling, for both
fiction and nonfiction. Usually, books that are directed to younger readers have a tendency
to use direct characterization, wherein the narrator blatantly tells the readers what the
character is all about.
For example:
Andrea’s grandfather is the best. He likes to climb trees even at seventy-five years old. This is
because he has always been used to physical activities.
This could have been shown in a particular scene, in which visitors are in awe of the old
man climbing a tree to gather some mangoes. However, the narrator has chosen to
directly inform the readers.
Examples, Anecdotes and Vignettes
Direct characterization does not have to be the bland, Sweet Valley way that goes
something like this: “Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are identical twins, with
blonde hair, aquamarine eyes, and a size six figure.” This was not copied verbatim,

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but you get the point. Some just like to give their characters a bio-data like approach
in terms of description. This may be helpful, but should be used sparely.
Examples, anecdotes, and vignettes may reveal both direct and indirect
characterization. Indirect characterization, after all, is done through words and
gestures. Anecdotes and vignettes may make use direct narration, as well as words
and gestures. These little tales about the character, possibly told by another
character, can reveal a lot about the topic character and the narrator.
Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street” is a collection of autobiographical
vignettes. Instead of a plot, there are a series of little narratives that collectively
create the world of Mango Street. “
Here is a vignette from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”:
“Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!” said Petunia, now as pale as she
had been flushed. “Freak!” she spat at her sister, and she flounced off to where her
parents stood. . .
The scene dissolved again. Snape was hurrying along the corridor of the Hogwarts
Express as it clattered through the countryside. He had already changed into his school
robes, had perhaps taken the first opportunity to take off his dreadful Muggle clothes.
At last he stopped, outside a compartment in which a group of rowdy boys were
talking. Hunched in a corner seat beside the window was Lily, her face pressed against
the windowpane.
Snape slid open the compartment door and sat down opposite Lily. She glanced at him
and then looked back out of the window. She had been crying.

In Creative Nonfiction
In creative nonfiction, direct characterization is also used. It speeds up the narrative,
especially since a premise should be established. Depending on who is writing and
how far back memory is being pushed, sometimes dialogue in verbatim can be
forgotten. The actual sequences of events may also become blurry in some cases.
However, there are truths that can never be changed. In the example above, Andrea’s
grandfather has always loved to climb trees.
While we are often advised to show and not to tell, the narration is accurate and the
grandfather could not have been completely different from the telling. However, the
motivation, when declared by an omnipresent, omniscient narrator in fiction, is
marked as fact. The motivation may be less confidently received if the narrator is
one of the other characters. How sure is the character that Andrea’s grandfather
climbs trees because he is used to it? Maybe he wants to do it to prove his
independence or to show his children the importance of physical activity? We would
have to go deeper into his gestures and words in order to know his motivations. We
can never be fully sure unless his thoughts are revealed. This will not happen in a
creative nonfiction piece, unless he is the narrator himself.

Gestures
It has often been said that actions speak louder than words. Even when words seem clear,
they don’t have to be true. That is what we learned from the figure of speech, irony. With
gestures, however, mannerisms are established. Mannerisms are little movements that a
person is used to doing even when he/she is unaware. These provide insight as to what
kind of person he/she is.
Creative Nonfiction - SHS
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Characters and POV

In Creative Nonfiction
If the biographer is in no way related to the person he is writing about, then he
needs to conduct extensive research. This is easy to do if he is writing about famous
dignitaries, whose videos are easily accessible. This is why it is easier to flesh out
movie stars and members of the royal family, compared to reclusive poets or
scientists. There are some biographers who can still successfully incorporate
gestures into their works even if they are writing about the latter set, but it requires
extensive research. Extensive research, in this case, includes not only a whole lot of
reading, but also a lot of interviews. The biographer has to talk to people who may
be directly or indirectly involved in the story he is about to tell. During the
interviews, he should also take note of the gestures of his interviewees, especially if
they are going to be part of the narrative.

Monologue and Dialogue


Monologues and dialogues, especially the latter, can make or break a story. They need a lot
of work to make them realistic. Fiction book characters do not behave like radio drama
ones. Radio dramas, according to Crook (2017), are typically badly written. It is also a dying
art. It, after all, operates much like the following:
“Do you see that balloon floating towards us?”
(In books, this could just be “Do you see that?” However, the listeners would need to know
what is coming. The characters also serve as narrators.)
“Yes, I can see it. It is blood red.”
(In books, this could just be, “Y-yes.”)
“Oh no, it is getting closer and closer.”
They could be speechless here, anticipating the floating balloon doing something horrible to
them.
“Are you going to use that knife on your left hand on that?”
(In books, the narrator could simply say that one of the characters was gripping a knife
tightly.)
Dialogues are also supposed to convey character. Not everyone should be talking in long,
convoluted sentences. One of them may do so, to highlight him as the talkative character.
Some may be more educated, speaking in correct grammar, while others may speak in a
dialect or Pidgin English.
Monologues, on the other hand, may also convey character or reveal information.
Shakespeare tends to allow his main characters express themselves through long
monologues.

In Creative Nonfiction
There is more at stake in creative nonfiction when it comes to letting the characters
talk. These are real people. The information that they are revealing is not enough.

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The way in which the words are expressed is key to showcasing characterization.
Monologues should be sparse, as well, if not completely absent. Some people may
have a tendency to talk to themselves, but usually they may just curse aloud or talk to
a laptop (it happens!) but if they start spouting out a whole long speech, some of
their friends and relatives may be alarmed. There may be some quirky characters
that will do this, but there aren’t a lot of them.
Keep this in mind the next time you read a nonfiction book. Try to find examples of
characters talking to themselves or saying things aloud while alone.

Character Growth
A character needs to show growth. Everybody changes, no matter how subtly. If a person
never learns a thing from the trials that life has to offer and remains the way he was at the
beginning of the story, then that in itself is characterization.

In Creative Nonfiction
In real life, growth is a necessary ingredient. People grow up, not just physically but
also mentally and emotionally. They learn things as they go along and apply those
learnings, albeit subtly, to change some of their gestures and deeds.
In morality tales, we often see some changes for the better or at least a realization at
the end for the character that has either learned a lesson or has been punished.
There are characters that do not change, with attitudes that are glaringly equal from
start to finish, but most characters have changed in one way or another.

Character Development Guide (clearer image is also provided, separately)

Figure1. Character Development Worksheet (n.d) Retrieved from:


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0b/bb/3f/0bbb3fae568fe1f36a2c4677f3d91a6d.jpg
Creative Nonfiction - SHS
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Characters and POV

Glossary
Anecdote: a short story about a particular incident or person, usually told in an amusing
way
Motivation: a character’s reason for doing something
Narrator: the storyteller
Omnipresent: someone who is everywhere; a description generally attributed to gods
Omniscient: knows everything; all-knowing
Vignette: a slice of life or verbal sketch

References and Supplementary Materials


Books and Journals
Lopate, P. (2013). To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction. Wilmington:
University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Online Supplementary Reading Materials


Principles of Writing Radio Drama http://www.irdp.co.uk/scripts.htm; 12th August 2017
The 7 Tools of Dialogue http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-7-tools-of-
dialogue; 12th August 2017
Jennifer Ellis - Writing Drama http://jenniferellis.ca/revealing-character-through-
dialogue/; 12th August 2017

Online Instructional Videos


Nonfiction Characters; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeiB8N-UOXw; 12th August
2017
What is a nonfictional character? ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61sXuDb4EFk;
12th August 2017
Character Traits and Character Development Lesson;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWYpj9aqTr012th August 2017

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