Definition: In a character
sketch, you are letting the reader know many things about the character in only
a paragraph or two. It is like drawing a
quick pencil sketch rather than doing a full portrait. The reader should get a general idea about
the nature of this person, and know something about how they look and how they
live in the world.
Try it: Use detail to describe someone you know or someone you have
seen. Following are some questions you may answer to get you started.
- Where did you see him? Walking down my street; in the airport; sitting on a park bench; on the news…
- What was he doing? Trying to fix his car; yelling out the window…
- What color was his hair? How long was it? How was it styled?
- How long or short were his fingernails? Were they clean or dirty?
- Think of a word to describe his expression: hateful, comical, stupid, curious, blank…
- How was he dressed?
- Describe his body. Was he tall, short, lean, fat, muscular, flabby…?
- What does this person do? He looked like a person who would…kick a dog; take his grandmother out to dinner on Sunday; hide his dirty socks under the bed…
- In what kind of place does he live? A mansion, a shack, a boat…
- How did he walk or move? Did he saunter, slide, limp, ramble, hobble, or stroll?
- Did he remind you of an animal, a machine, something in nature, or an object? He looked like an old, rubber boot, hunched over and worn.
- What kind of things does this person think about, need, or wish?
Challenge: Create a poem or story using the
character you have described. Illustrate
your piece. Try creating a fictional
character. You can use this list of
questions to describe your character, or think of your own ways to help us see her.
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