We've all been taught not to do it, but, let's face it, many of us do it. So why not use it to your advantage? You can share quite a bit of character information to your readers by having other characters talk about them behind their backs.
I submit Kimberly Whitney and Lauren Cooper.
Kimberly Whitney from Bryony:
“Tell us about your famous musician,” Kimberly Whitney had said, her blue
eyes glinting with uncharacteristic interest. She claimed not to wear contacts,
but Melissa knew she was lying. Nobody’s eyes had color that clear. (Bryony, Chapter 2: There's No Such Thing as a Ghost)
“What does Kimberly look like?” he asked.
“Like us, I guess, except she has straight blonde hair and blue eyes.”
“Long lashes, too,” Laura added. “She’s really pretty.”
Officer Will quickly looked down, but Melissa swore she first saw a
glimmer of recognition in his eyes. “She’s only seventeen?” His voice shook,
but he cleared his throat twice and added, “Was she down on Main Street with
you tonight?”
“Yes,” Laura said. “Is that important?”
His cheeks turned bright pink, but he only said, “When did you last see
her?” (Bryony, Chapter 8: the Night is Darkest)
That night, on her way to bed, Melissa heard Steve say, “The poor kid,”
so she tiptoed to the door.
“I hate to be callous, Steve, but Kimberly’s pulled other stunts like
this.”
“She has? And Melissa associates with her? That doesn’t sound like you.”
Kimberly had often boasted how hitchhiking was easy, if you swindled the
right sucker. Could Kimberly have outwitted the wrong person?
Her mother sighed. “They’d been friends since kindergarten, so Frank saw
no harm if they stayed in a group. I guess we were wrong.” (Bryony, Chapter 8: The Night is Darkest)
Lauren Cooper from Staked!
Before heading toward the nursing home, Melissa
stopped at Taylor’s for John-Peter’s school supplies and replacements for the
clothes he’d outgrown, but this last was the easiest part of the day, since all
he required was jeans and plain T-shirts: green, brown, red, orange, or
yellow.
“Well,”
Melissa said as they waited to check-out.
“When Ann calls to complain, I won’t be able to relate.”
“Lauren
is the little fashion princess, is she not?”
Melissa
grinned as the cashier moved the items down the belt. “Trenton’s demands are
not far off either, from what I hear.”
“Trenton’s
style suits the future neurosurgeon. Lauren copies the pseudo-trendy.” (Staked! Chapter 5: The School Physical)
The
bell rang. Trenton
“Hey, John-Peter,” Trenton said, deftly catching
the apple without looking up, “did you know acoustic neuromas grow on the
eighth cranial nerve in the inner ear?”
“I
do now.”
“You’ve
got to be careful removing them, too, or you can damage the seventh cranial
nerve, maybe even cause hearing loss. Boy, I wish I had that now.”
“An
acoustic neuroma?”
“No,
hearing loss. I’m tired of listening to Lauren’s obsession with Curtis
Chandler. She hangs on the phone all night yakking about him.” (Staked! Chapter 10: Teacher's Pet)
“John-Peter, I can hear the weeping now. I’m going
to have a bad night.”
“You
broke your forceps?”
“No, Curtis Chandler broke Lauren’s heart.
Haven’t you noticed him hanging all over Karla?” (Staked! Chapter 11: A New Friend)
“Too bad you’re not going, John-Peter,” Karla said.
“You should see my dress. It’s lavender with..."
“Listen
to yourself. You sound like Lauren Cooper.”
Karla
giggled. “Lauren Cooper is hopping mad. She got invited to the dance more than
anyone else—a couple of guys from Jenson High even called her—but she turned
them all down, because she was convinced Curtis was going to change his mind
about taking me and ask her instead.” (Staked! Chapter 12: Last Choice)
Karla pushed in and tugged the boy's ear.
“John-Peter,
you listen to me. Lauren Cooper coaxed Curtis into coming home with her after
the picnic. One thing led to another and…well…she threatened to tell the whole
school what happened if he took me to the dance.” (Staked! Chapter 13: The Mad Scientist)
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