(Intro)

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This old adage is nowhere more true than in fiction. Within the first few paragraphs of meeting a new character, a reader makes a crucial decision: to invest, or to skim ahead.

A weak introduction can doom a fascinating character to obscurity. A strong one can instantly forge a bond that lasts for an entire series.

So, how do you nail a character's entrance? By mastering the Introduction Trinity. Every major character, in their first scene, needs to do these three things:

1. Say Something
2. Do Something
3. Show Their Problem

Let's break down this powerful trifecta and see how the masters use it to create icons from the very first page.

The first words out of a character's mouth are a direct line into their personality, attitude, and worldview. Don't waste this precious real estate on "Hello" or "What's going on?" Use it to characterize.

1. The Goal: Give us a snapshot of their intellect, their humor, their cynicism, or their confidence.
2. The Classic Example: The very first thing Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson in A Study in Scarlet is, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive." This isn't a greeting; it's a deduction. In one line, Arthur Conan Doyle establishes Holmes as brilliant, observant, and somewhat socially abrupt.

Your Turn: When introducing your character, ask: What can they say that immediately tells the reader something fundamental about who they are?

A character is defined not by what they think, but by what they do. Their first action should be a microcosm of their larger personality or struggle.

1. The Goal: Show us their proactivity, their passivity, their kindness, or their selfishness through a specific, revealing action.
2. The Classic Example: In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent's introduction involves him lying down in front of a bulldozer to prevent his house from being demolished. This single, absurdly defiant act perfectly captures his bewildered, yet stubborn, nature. He's a man completely out of his depth, but he won't go down without a (pathetic) fight.

Your Turn: What small, telling action can your character perform? Are they organizing a messy desk? Nervously checking their phone? Helping a stranger? The action doesn't have to be grand, but it must be telling.

A character without a problem is a portrait, not a person. To make a reader care, you must quickly reveal what this character struggles with. This is the engine that will drive their arc and the reader's interest.

1. The Goal: Establish their internal flaw, external circumstance, or core conflict. A character with a problem is instantly human and relatable.
2. The Classic Example: John Green's The Fault in Our Stars opens with this from Hazel: "Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death." In one paragraph, we know her problem: she is dying. Green doesn't delay; he starts with the conflict.

Your Turn: What is your character's central struggle at this moment? Is it loneliness? A financial crisis? A terrible secret? A lack of purpose? Don't hide it—feature it.

Let's introduce a character, Maya, using the trinity.

1. Scene: A crowded, noisy coffee shop.
2. Say Something: Maya looks at the flustered barista and says, "Your espresso machine's pressure gauge is reading two bars too high. You'll scorch the beans and burn out the pump." (This shows she's observant, knowledgeable, and blunt.)
3. Do Something: As she speaks, she's precisely arranging three different colored pens and a notepad on the table, aligning them perfectly with the edge. (This shows she's orderly, controlled, and perhaps obsessive.)
4. Show Her Problem: She keeps glancing at the door, and when a man enters, she looks down quickly, her shoulders tightening. She's written "I HAVE TO TELL HIM" at the top of her notepad, then scribbled it out so violently the paper tore. (This shows she's grappling with a secret and is deeply anxious about a confrontation.)

In under 100 words, we have a vivid, complex character we want to know more about.

(Conclusion)

In today's fast-paced world, readers won't wait chapters for a character to become interesting. The Introduction Trinity—Say Something, Do Something, Show Their Problem—is your formula for making a powerful first impression from page one.

Before you write another character entrance, put it to the test. Does your hero pass? If you can master this trinity, you'll ensure that your readers are invested from the very first "Hello."