Amazon Writing to Publishing: STEAL to REVEAL

In the Amazon Writing to Publishing class, we spent a significant amount of time discussing characterization, a topic I had hinted at in previous classes. Characterization, simply put, is the creation or construction of a fictional character. It’s about more than just saying, “He is cool” or “She is sad.” Instead, it involves showing these traits through actions, dialogue, and descriptions.

This concept became a core part of our lessons, and we explored it in depth using the STEAL to REVEAL model, an approach I first encountered in my AP Lang class and found incredibly effective for teaching how to introduce and develop characters.

STEAL to REVEAL stands for Speaking, Thoughts, Effects on others, Actions, and Looks. These five elements form the foundation of how we can reveal a character's personality, motivations, and complexities.

For example, instead of directly stating a character's mood or personality, we can reveal it through their dialogue or how other characters react to them. We examined examples from literature to see this in action. For instance, in The Great Gatsby, the description of Tom Buchanan as "a sturdy straw-haired man of 30 with a rather hard mouth...two shining arrogant eyes...a body capable of enormous leverage--a cruel body," shows us his harsh and domineering nature without explicitly stating it.

Another example from the same novel describes George Wilson as "a blond, spiritless man, anemic, and faintly handsome," giving us a sense of his subdued and worn-out character through descriptive language.

We also explored examples from Baldwin, such as the line, "What was wrong with me? I thought. Why hadn't I been that excited to be Iranian when I was a six-year-old boy?" This introspective thought reveals the character's internal conflict and sense of identity.

Another example from Baldwin, “'I am!' he'd say, and he'd get up and dance next to his chair," shows a character's lively and enthusiastic nature through action rather than description.

In our class, we practiced using the STEAL to REVEAL model to develop characters in our own stories. We emphasized the importance of not just telling the reader what a character is like, but showing it through their behavior, speech, and interactions with others.

This approach helped the students create more nuanced and believable characters, making their stories richer and more engaging. It was exciting to see them apply these techniques in their writing, and I believe this focus on characterization will serve them well as they continue to develop their writing skills.