How to Introduce a Character Effectively

• Jun 04, 2025
• 6 min read

• Tags: Book Writing, Character, Types of Characters, Writers

So you’ve started on your new writing project, but can’t seem to find the best way to introduce new characters? Characters are the backbone of a story—be it a novel, a play, a screenplay… and it’s important to introduce your characters in such a way that you immediately grab the reader’s attention and get them invested in that character’s arc or journey. 

Whether they’re a heroic protagonist or the worst of the smarmy villains, if you can make a character appear interesting from the beginning, that’s half your work done!

Here’s how you can introduce a character effectively:

Steps to introduce your character

Step 1: Avoid stereotypes

No human being is completely black or white—everyone has shades of grey. Similarly, all heroes have their flaws, and all villains have their redeeming qualities. Introducing a main character as a perfect Mary Sue who’s sweet as sugar and gets along seamlessly with all the others can seem a little boring, and writing a villain who’s irredeemably bad in every situation can be a little predictable.

Step 2: Show, don’t tell

Instead of giving the reader the lowdown on the character’s background, life story, and personality, let the reader figure it out for themselves. As an author, it is important to credit the reader with enough intelligence to come to their own conclusions—most readers dislike being spoonfed. The best way to do this would be to introduce the character in a setting where they are doing something that gives an insight into their character and personality. It could be something as simple as waiting for a coffee order or dramatic, like saving a puppy from being run over by a vehicle—just make sure the character’s personality shines through their actions.

Step 3: In medias res

‘In medias res’ means ‘in the middle of action’. Instead of starting the story at the beginning, consider beginning in the middle, with the character involved in some activity that would require an interesting backstory. This is a great way to slowly unravel the events of the story while simultaneously peeling back the layers of your character’s personality, like an onion, making them more interesting to the reader. This is also a super effective way to introduce a character in a screenplay, as it immediately grabs the attention of the audience.

Describing their physical appearance

It’s important to remember that while you, as the author, may have a fully formed image of your character in mind, most readers would not. So, it is important to describe their physical appearance just enough to allow the readers to form a mental image without going overboard and leaving no room for the reader’s own imagination. Here’s a great example of how to introduce a character in a book by physical appearance:

In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge is described as an odious character from the start—she is a short, squat woman with iron-grey curls and a broad, pallid face. She dresses in fussy, girlish outfits in shades of pink that do not suit her, wears too many rings on her thick, stubby fingers, and on her head wears a black velvet bow that reminds Harry of a fly perched on a toad. He almost expects her to stick out her tongue and catch the fly!

This description of her is so clear that the reader is immediately repulsed, forming an unpleasant mental image of a toad-like woman who clearly sees herself as something she is not. It is also unexpected and interesting how a middle-aged villain is depicted as dressed in a youthful, girly style that is usually reserved for young, fresh-faced heroines. It’s also a good idea to introduce a character through another’s eyes—a character that either loves or hates them—to show how they appear to the world.

Describing their voice/smell/mannerisms

Introducing a character through intangible qualities such as their voice, smell, or mannerisms can also offer a deeper insight into their nature and vulnerabilities. While the character of Kate Sheffield (Sharma in the TV show) in the Bridgerton series is initially introduced as a sarcastic spinster, she is also described in the books as smelling of lilies—something that her future love interest, Anthony Bridgerton, notices, lending her character a hidden femininity.

Similarly, a baritone can suggest an authoritative male character, while a squeaky voice can suggest someone young and inexperienced, and not too sure of themselves. Certain mannerisms, like fiddling with a lock of hair, can suggest nervousness, displaying a vulnerability that may not always come out through dialogue. Introducing a character through their voice or mannerisms is also often used on screen in order to create the character’s aura in the mind of the audience.

A few pointers to keep in mind when describing intangible qualities:

1. Picture the character as a person you might meet in real life, not a caricature. Make them real—neither too perfect nor utterly imperfect—this is the best way to make them believable.
2. Adding certain details about their voice, mannerisms, and smell also helps the reader to picture and relate to them better. Try to picture the character from the reader’s point of view.
3. Do not be overly descriptive—provide just enough information to form a clear picture of the characters and allow the readers to flesh out their image themselves. Spoonfeeding every single detail of the description can make a work tiresome to read.

Introducing a character through their behavior

The perfect way to introduce a character with a particularly strong or peculiar personality would be to highlight those traits in their depiction. A great example of this is the whiny, arrogant, self-centered character of Eustace Scrubb in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, who is introduced as follows: His name was Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. In this way, Lewis manages to introduce a character humorously and immediately grabs the reader’s attention, building curiosity as to what a boy with a name like Eustace Clarence Scrubb could be like.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Certain common pitfalls can turn an otherwise interesting story into a tedious read. Here’s what to avoid:

1. Info-dumping on the character’s backstory all at once can often turn an intriguing character into a stale one. Provide just how much information is necessary to introduce the character, and then reveal more in relevant places as the story goes on—this will hook and surprise your readers far better.
2. Giving your character an unexpected entrance will grab the reader’s interest far better than a clichéd one. For example, you can introduce your main character in an unobtrusive manner but build them up to be the main character, this would help get your reader more interested in them than if they had a flashy, hero-like entrance from the get-go.
3. Inconsistent characterization is a writer’s worst enemy. Once you create a character, their behavior and decisions should make sense and be consistent. If they are to make a drastically different decision or alter their behavior, there must be a transformative event that brings it on.
4. Focusing too much on physical appearance and repeatedly describing in detail what a character is wearing/how they’ve done their hair, etc., can take away from the narrative. Once the preliminary introduction is done, only relevant details need to be provided in subsequent scenes to set the tone.

How to introduce a character in a script or screenplay

The best way to introduce a character in a script or screenplay is by putting them in a situation that reveals their personality before any dialogue. It is also important to note that a detailed description is required for main characters only—most scripts/screenplays have between four to seven main characters. Giving detailed introductions to minor characters can detract from the main purpose of the story.

Whether you’re introducing a main character or a villain, in a book, script, or screenplay, it’s all about creating an interesting and memorable character with their own unique quirks who will stay with your reader/audience long after they finish the book or movie!

Check out PaperTrue’s expert self-publishing services and writer support to enhance your writing today! With our expert editors, detailed instructional blogs, and AI-powered services, we can help you turn your manuscript into a published book!

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Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.