* Actions: What a character *does* reveals a lot about their personality, values, and motivations. Their choices, both big and small, are crucial.
* Dialogue: The way a character speaks – their vocabulary, tone, slang, and even pauses – reveals their background, education, and personality.
* Thoughts and feelings: Access to a character's internal monologue allows the reader to understand their motivations, fears, and desires. This is often done through internal narration or stream of consciousness.
* Appearance: Physical descriptions, including clothing, posture, and mannerisms, can offer clues to a character's personality and social standing.
* Relationships: How a character interacts with others – family, friends, enemies – illuminates their personality and their place in the world.
* Backstory: Revealing details about a character's past experiences helps to explain their present behavior and motivations.
* Reactions: How a character responds to events and challenges can reveal their strengths, weaknesses, and resilience.
* Foils: Contrasting a character with another character (a foil) highlights specific traits of both.
* Symbolism: Objects, settings, or events can be symbolically linked to a character to represent their inner world or key aspects of their personality.
By using a combination of these techniques, writers create believable and engaging characters that resonate with readers.