A Dotted Line Can Reveal a Character

A useful character-writing lesson: values become vivid when a small choice has a cost. A paragraph of traits can tell us what someone claims to care about; one decision lets us watch it matter.

Imagine a mapmaker finding an unmarked footpath. They could draw it as certain and make the map look complete—or leave a dotted line where their knowledge ends. That little compromise gives the reader a clue about the character without explaining their whole identity.

What small choice has made a fictional character feel unmistakably themselves to you?