Character Description

abraves247

abraves247

Are you my mummy
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Jul 24, 2013
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How much detail does everyone use when describing their MC physically?

I have a hard time putting in a lot of description. Usually I put things like hair color and general build (Tall, short, thin ect.)

For you is it better when the writer gives a good detailed description, or when they leave it up to you?

If you do like more description then how would you go about it? I hate doing things like, the MC looked in the mirror and describe what he sees.
 
I'm not a big fan of a character describing themselves, so the mirror prop is not a good idea. I usually wait for a POV shift to finally describe a character, but only after lots of clues. Chubby tummies, bald patches (none here, but I know this worries us guys), aches and pains when old and many other clues. So when a character is finally described by another, there are no real surprises.

Although, we might worry about our looks going on a date, or for interview, an important meeting, so context plays a part too in when we think about our looks. But generally, we're thinking about people around us first. Or so I think.

Sorry, missed the main bit. Give a good description, but leave lots of blanks for the reader to fill in. The reader will always have a different image to what you have, no matter what you do, so don't over do it. Leave room for the reader to join you.
 
Pretty much don't bother. Your readers will picture them how they like anyway.
 
I cheated and had one of my MC look like their dad. For the others: hints eg they play rugby so well made, ran their hand through their thinning hair... You only need tiny bits and then, like Mouse says, the reader will fill in the blanks!
 
Give a good description, but leave lots of blanks for the reader to fill in. The reader will always have a different image to what you have, no matter what you do, so don't over do it. Leave room for the reader to join you.[/QUOTE]


As Bowler says, exactly this! The trick is to make the reader care about the character and they will then create their own vision of them around what you have given. Lots of physical description often means less of the more interesting detail that creates connection to the character. :)
 
Thanks for the responses. I like just adding little clues here and there and letting the reader come up with their own image.
 
springs said:
like Mouse says, the reader will fill in the blanks!
Click to expand...

Yup. As much as I tell people a certain character of mine does not look like Jason Statham, they do not agree.

Also, sometimes I'll be reading a book and will have a picture of a character in my head only for the author to drop in the colour of their hair and I'll be like, eh? No! They're blond in my head!
 
Even with a lot of description in a book, I frequently miss it somehow. I was shocked when the first Harry Potter movie came out and Draco Malfoy was blond. I was so mad, until I went back and looked in the book to prove he should have black hair, and it turned out he'd been blond all along.

I don't pay much attention in real life, either, so my character descriptions are pretty minimal.
 
Try describing aliens and ask your Beta readers what they thought they looked like. I got some funny results back, and none close to what I had in mind, but there ya go.
 
Jester85 said:
I mention the basics but not super detailed.
Click to expand...

Same here. I can't stand reading about the shape of someone's nose unless it's particularly relevant. It's good to give your characters something distinctive, though, to separate them from the others in the reader's mind; even if it's hair colour, a scar, piercing etc
 
Sorry for the second post, but I once did think of setting up an exercise where we described our aliens and people drew what they thought they looked like. Might still do it...


Bowler1 said:
Try describing aliens and ask your Beta readers what they thought they looked like. I got some funny results back, and none close to what I had in mind, but there ya go.
Click to expand...
 
I have a problem with this; so far, all my MCs have been improbably extreme, usually on the side of beauty. I suppose I'm going to have to cure myself of that. although so far there's usually been a good reason for it.

One thing I think worth mentioning is that what the character looks like is only the start of it. The way he/she moves, odd habits of speech and/or odd accents...
 
I tend to describe clothes more. After discovering beta readers didn't think my first MC was ugly and five of them decided another MC was black.

My current one has glasses which he keeps shoving back up his nose. Think it's the only physical description of him.
 
It's good to know that you don't need a lot of description for your characters since the reader will probably picture them different than I did anyway.

I guess I can leave my MC as just being thin and nerdy.
 
Hi,

Actually I read an article about Twilight's success and one of the things it specifically mentioned as part of it was that the descriptions of the girl are vague at best. It means every reader can picture their own version of her - usually their own idealised version of themselves - in her place. Too much description may actually handicap the writer.

For myself though I'm handicapped when writing descriptions by the simple fact that I don't notice a hell of a lot about people. (Hey I'm a guy!) So my girlfriends have been able to tell me about eye colour and hairstyle, and I'll sit there and go - they had eyes? Hair? I dread the day I'm a witness to something and have to give the police a description!

Cheers, Greg.
 
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