: Re: How to describe a character with changing features? I’m writing the pilot for a Crime/Mystery/Thriller. When we first meet the lead detective character - he is depressed about not being able

@Ann1701686

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Characters have multiple facets: how they perceived themselves, how others perceive them, what they do, what they won't do, and expectations. No character is a thing at all times. Tell your story with the character as he is, reveal that he's more through interactions and decision. In almost all cases it is better to characterize through interactions than to tell a reader how someone is. When you tell, do so through another characters' perception (work compression).

The reason why is because your reader will trust what they observe, not what you explicitly tell them. So the answer is show, don't tell. Look up that Maxim, as it is almost always the right answer for novice writers.

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