--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Characterization is an accident that…" description: "\"Characterization is an accident that flows out of action and dialogue.\" — Jack Woodford" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png" --- # Characterization is an accident that flows out of action… ![“Characterization is an accident that flows out of action and dialogue.” quote by Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png) > “Characterization is an accident that flows out of action and dialogue.” [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Character emerges unintentionally from actions and dialogue rather than deliberate design. **In simple terms:** Characters arise from what they do and say. Key Takeaway Let characters act to reveal themselves. Themes writing character dialogue Mood reflective instructive Type creative literary When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - role‑play Key Concepts authenticity emergent design Questions to Reflect On - How does dialogue shape character? - When should you intervene in character development? A Different Perspective Over‑planning can make characters feel artificial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Characterization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/characterization/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Don't have conversations taking place in empty space. Weave in background details of where the action (dialogue is a form of "action") is taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-wyndham/don-t-have-conversations-taking-place-in-empty-space-weave-in/) Lee Wyndham > [From 1940 to about 1960, I had been writing just regular comics, the way my publishers wanted me too. He didn't want me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/from-1940-to-about-1960-i-had-been-writing-just-regular-comics-the/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [You can use the fun of the genre, but I also really wanted to come at it from the point of view of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-hodges/you-can-use-the-fun-of-the-genre-but-i-also-really-wanted-to-come-at/) [Adrian Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-hodges/) > [“the characterization of actions allegedly prior to any narrative form being imposed upon them will always turn out to be the presentation of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-macintyre/the-characterization-of-actions-allegedly-prior-to-any-narrative-form/) [Alasdair MacIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-macintyre/) > [Because the world of this film begins and ends in the imagination of Tim Burton, you're not seeing a movie that's been shot on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/because-the-world-of-this-film-begins-and-ends-in-the-imagination-of/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [I think my wife would take objection to any characterization of me as perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-blair-henry/i-think-my-wife-would-take-objection-to-any-characterization-of-me-as/) [Peter Blair Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-blair-henry/) > [There are technical tricks that may help you create more effective characters. My approach to characterization is not at all technical. I can't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/there-are-technical-tricks-that-may-help-you-create-more-effective/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [Characterization requires a constant back-and-forth between the exterior events of the story and the inner life of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corbett/characterization-requires-a-constant-back-and-forth-between-the/) [David Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corbett/) > [Now, learning how to make a movie is something you can figure out in about an afternoon. The physics of it, the marks, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/now-learning-how-to-make-a-movie-is-something-you-can-figure-out-in/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [I think with any characterization there's a point where you empathize, no matter how much of a deviance his or her actions may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/i-think-with-any-characterization-there-s-a-point-where-you-empathize/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Characterization requires self-knowledge, insight into human nature . . . it is more than impersonation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-surmelian/characterization-requires-self-knowledge-insight-into-human-nature-it/) Leon Surmelian > [“I do not know the man I should avoid So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much, He is a great observer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-do-not-know-the-man-i-should-avoid-so-soon-as-that-spare-cassius-he/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Characterization is not divorced from plot, not a coat of paint you slap on after the structure of events is already built. Rather characterization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-kress/characterization-is-not-divorced-from-plot-not-a-coat-of-paint-you/) [Nancy Kress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-kress/) > [ Steve \[King\] has been incredibly supportive. He's also really good about getting back to me when I have questions about plot or characterization. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-furth/steve-king-has-been-incredibly-supportive-he-s-also-really-good-about/) [Robin Furth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-furth/) ## More by Jack Woodford > [One of your first jobs, as you write for money, will be to get rid of your vocabulary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/one-of-your-first-jobs-as-you-write-for-money-will-be-to-get-rid-of/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) > [Few human beings are proof against the implied flattery of rapt attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/few-human-beings-are-proof-against-the-implied-flattery-of-rapt/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) > [“Louella remarked that when foreign nations had intercourse with this country they knew they had been intercoursed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/louella-remarked-that-when-foreign-nations-had-intercourse-with-this/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) > [Money talks. And writes. And publishes. And reviews. But it can't read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/money-talks-and-writes-and-publishes-and-reviews-but-it-can-t-read/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) > [“There is only one love story: Boy meets girl, Girl gets boy into pickle, Boy gets pickle into girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/there-is-only-one-love-story-boy-meets-girl-girl-gets-boy-into-pickle/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) > [“At last a lifetime ambition of mine to become a pimp was satisfied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/at-last-a-lifetime-ambition-of-mine-to-become-a-pimp-was-satisfied/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) > [Boy meets girl; girl gets boy into pickle; boy gets pickle into girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/boy-meets-girl-girl-gets-boy-into-pickle-boy-gets-pickle-into-girl/) [Jack Woodford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) [Explore all 8 Jack Woodford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/) ## More Accidents quotes > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [No, I think most astronauts recognize that the space shuttle program is very high-risk, and are prepared for accidents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-ride/no-i-think-most-astronauts-recognize-that-the-space-shuttle-program/) [Sally Ride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-ride/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [I made out with a homeless guy by accident. I had no idea -- he was really tan, he had no shoes on. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-made-out-with-a-homeless-guy-by-accident-i-had-no-idea-he-was/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [Naturally I feel no shame in writing these things because of the time which separates the moment when they are written--when only I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ernaux/naturally-i-feel-no-shame-in-writing-these-things-because-of-the-time/) [Annie Ernaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-ernaux/) > [In a city where you walk around, it's impossible to plan your day and your life as accidents will happen, you'll overhear things, bump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-schwartzman/in-a-city-where-you-walk-around-it-s-impossible-to-plan-your-day-and/) [Jason Schwartzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-schwartzman/) > [I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/i-don-t-think-it-s-by-accident-that-i-was-first-attracted-to/) [Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/) > [Despite my mentors advice that I would never go to heaven fishing with a weighted nymph and a float, I took it up. (As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/despite-my-mentors-advice-that-i-would-never-go-to-heaven-fishing/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Dont stand outside in a lightning shower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig/dont-stand-outside-in-a-lightning-shower/) [Padraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padraig/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) [Browse all 1,971 Accidents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Characterization is an accident that flows out of action and dialogue.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Woodford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/characterization-is-an-accident-that-flows-out-of-action-and-dialogue/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accidents" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/characterization-is-an-accident-that-flows-out-of-action-and-dialogue/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/jack-woodford-48835_accidents_characterization-is-an-accident-that-flo_1079002.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Characterization is an accident that flows out of action and dialogue.” — Jack Woodford", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jack Woodford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-woodford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Characterization is an accident that flows...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/characterization-is-an-accident-that-flows-out-of-action-and-dialogue/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-woodford/characterization-is-an-accident-that-flows-out-of-action-and-dialogue/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```