Best way to describe characters.

[anthorn]

OK i have got some character descriptions are they too much? too little how much is too much and how much is too little?


Nikita was of middling height and of average build, her skin rich and as dark as chocolate was marred only by little scars, her face was oval, eyes the colour of carmine and nose noble.A thin almost un noticable scar ran from above her left eye to bottom lip while dark hair lay flat on her shoulders,some would have called her beautiful if not for the look of melencoly on her face.

Anthorn removed his hood, blond hair that had matted to his head he ran his hands through, his eyes were a striking unnatural blue and his skin the colour of almonds. Stubble was evident on his chin. He was handsome, but in an odd way, a way Nikita could not put her finger on.

 

[Coolhand]

How much is too much is one of those often debated things about character description. Some people like lots of detail because it helps them picture the person, some like hardly any because then they can create thier own personal image of who that person is. Personally, I always like to know who I'm looking at, but not to the extent that the story grinds to a hault whilst every angle of thier face is described to me.

One thing you can sometimes do is drip feed descriptons to the reader. So you can perhaps introduce Nikita's scar during a conversation e.g

"Where did you get that scar?"
Nikita's hand wandered on reflex to the faint white line running from her left eye to bottom lip. Most people failed to notice it entirely. Obviously Anthorn was more observant than most.
"I'd rather not talk about it." she replied. "Not yet."

That way you can give us a basic visual picture to start with and gradualy add layers to it without making it seem like an info-dump.

 

[Marky Lazer]

I don't know if this is common thought, but it's mine at least. Descriptions need to be important to mention. The description needs to add to the character. For example, Nikita has little scars, probably to show she's a warrior woman of some kind who has been in quite a few fights. Her skin is dark, you need to tell that so we know she's part of race X, where in the story there are different kind of peoples. Also, Anthorn's eyes are different than normal, so that's a good thing to describe.

And Coolhand's suggestion is a good one as well.

 

[Paradox 99]

Yes, some good advice there. I usually try to drip feed descriptions as Coolhand has shown. The trick is to describe something or someone without the reader realising it's happening.

Marky shows that the info has to be useful to provide character or plot development.

I also try to describe things as part of the action of the story so that the flow isn't halted. If you're going to describe eyes, do it by showing us what they're looking at. If you desribe someone's muscle-bound physique, do it as part of a fight they're having.
You did just that when you described Anthorn's hair which made the description fall naturally into place with something that was actually happening. I try to allow actions to drive the descriptions, and I think that's essential for describing character too. If someone is evil, don't specifically say it - allow the reader to make that decision based on the actions that the character is doing.

 

[WriterDoug]

i agree, only describe certain things about a character that would truly stand out if you could see or know that character.

as a general rule of thumb, though there are exceptions, i prefer to describe the main character and a few of the other key players. minor characters will get a sentence or two on their physical or behavioral traits, but there is no need to overdo it, unless they end up being a key player in the story.

i am mostly into the psychological workings of the character, and I think an excess of physical description CAN come off as shallow. Great, you know what your character looks like, but could you really imagine how they would handle any given number of situations, both inside and outside the world you've placed them into?

i don't dare admit to having any kind of rule or pattern, but I typically find a brief description on facial expression, eyes, hair color or style, and usually stature/ posture to be enough. i rarely have a need to go much beyond that.

-WD

 

[Susan Boulton]

I agree with most of what has been said.

As for myself, I tend to discribe the characters in a way that colours the readers ideas about them.

Here are a couple as an example. The first I am not sure about,(one hell of a long sentence in there I am not happy with) but it is the only time I fully describe the uniform of the officers in the novel, and at this point in the story the character is musing on how he got to where he is in his life.

The second I wanted to say that the character was not what he seemed to be by his appearance.


The panes of glass in the double doors of the hotel shimmered in the late afternoon sun. As he placed his hand on the polished brass of the door handle, the glass made Pugh’s reflection twist and turn. Pugh, for a moment, studied his mirror image, seeing in that moment a stranger, a career officer dressed in a dark green jacket, with shiny brass buttons and gold rings round his cuffs, a thick polished leather belt, from which hung a sword and a small pistol, snug in its holster. Grey doeskin britches and black polished knee-high boots completed the uniform which encased the man; the man with the deep-set dark grey eyes that sought to recognise himself in the stern-faced reflection.

Lord Joshua Calvinward stood by the large, cold fireplace, his right arm resting on the length of the mantle. From the top of his well-groomed and sculptured light brown hair to his shiny black boots, Calvinward was the perfection of a gentleman. He was tall and trim and was considered by the ladies to have a well-turned leg. His clothes were cut to emphasise this feature, in fact, his entire manly frame. The man looked like he had no thought beyond his appearance and station. Pugh knew different; the man was clever and believed he knew best for the country and its people. A politician to the bone and considered the rising star of the Forum.