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,”

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.”

CharacterSketch

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.

CharacterSketch

B a s i c s i n a B o x

Character Sketch at a Glance

RUBRIC Standards for Writing

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 writer’s 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 reader’s understanding of the character

• have a clear organizational structure and a strong conclusion

physical description

person’s action and

speech

mannerisms of person

writer’s feelings about

the person

other people’s reactions to the person

surroundings

MAIN IMPRESSION OF SUBJECT

MAIN IMPRESSION OF SUBJECT

Writing Your Character Sketch

A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes.

Richard North Patterson

A writer must learn to deepen characters, trim writing, intensify scenes.

Richard North Patterson

1 Prewriting

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.

Whom do you want to write about?

Writing Your Character Sketch1 Prewriting

Planning Your Character Sketch

1. Explore your feelings. How do you feel about the person? What tone will you use to convey your feelings—detached, 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 character’s 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 Sketch2 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.


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.


Grab attention early but save the best for last.

Draw in your audience by starting with an

interest tickler—a funny incident or a

bizarre detail about your character’s

appearance. As you develop your

character, save your best for last.

Writing Your Character Sketch3 RevisingTARGET 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 Sketch4 Editing and ProofreadingTARGET 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).

Documents

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,”