Some people may consider stories like amusement park rides that thrill and excite. Many stories having those qualities doesn't mean they aren't also much more. Stories are always about people, so stories really are about getting to know people. Stories mean nothing if they didn't happen to someone.

With the idea in mind that stories are about getting to know people, we can see that the more stories we tell the better we get to know them. This is how we get to know friends but in reverse. Usually we see entire events and formulate a story in our head. With storytelling we see the synthesized, formulated narrative of the events instead of the raw events and get to know characters that way.

What are the things that a story can tell us about a character?

Personality

Personality is the totality of a person. Though you can get a good idea of a person just from the internal life as portrayed in a novel it's only a portion of them as a character. Each medium has different parts of personality that they can best portray. The more media you tell stories in the more likely your character will be better understood by people.

Things They Quit

It's telling what someone does and also what he or she doesn’t do. This isn't something you'd want to make a feature-length movie about but it would be interesting to see a character dabble in something. Short form seems to be the best medium for stories about things like this that add nuance. What someone doesn't do won't define them but it adds dimension and depth.

Things They Pursue

One of the main things we use to judge people is what they do with their time. We may have bad days here and there where we try to hurt people but it's what we do on a daily basis week in week out that matters. If your character is ambitious and spends a lot of time at the office, this says a lot. If your character is a free spirit that just spends days wandering about for something exciting, I know something important about them now.

Casual Behavior

Another thing that can add some color to who your character is are all the ways they do what they do. It's important what they want, yes, but it's also important how do they do it. How do they walk and talk? Are they regularly polite or are they rude? Are they the type of character that is quiet or a loudmouth? These little mannerisms and quirks can give a reader a sharper picture of who a character is.

Behavior Under Pressure

It's simple to get a glimpse at personality but much harder to see deep character. It's not often that people are put to the test where their abilities are flexed to the maximum, but when it happens it speaks volumes. When faced with dilemmas of huge import how do they act? When faced with the possibility of saving a child about to be hit by a bus and the risk of bodily harm to save them, what do they choose? The nicest people can turn out to be cold-hearted when put in these situations. They may have good reasons why, but the way they behave at times like this is still indicative of something important about them.

Thoughts, Beliefs

What do they think about all day? The thoughts a character has in their head may indicate deeper things about them than their actions. Some characters don't do anything but the minimum physical actions but are a veritable cornucopia of thinking. A peak into their thoughts would let you into a part of their life just seeing their actions wouldn't.

Decision-Making Process

Before characters do anything they have to decide to do so. It's interesting what they do but also what they almost did. The way they come to justify their actions in their heads and what they thought their actions would reap are telling, as well. There are lots of layers and levels that we can come to comprehend when we are privy to the decision-making of a character.

These are just a few of the things we can learn about characters from stories. There are subtle things we may never even consciously become aware of that still affect the way we perceive the character. We may not know a fact or even have an opinion but still feel a certain way about them. Stories are there to help us get to know characters like we never get to know real people but wish we could.