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Feb 15, 2024 · Learn what character description is and how to describe a character. Jump into OC description writing with one of the iconic character description examples from our list.
Jun 5, 2024 · Our characters aren’t just what we imagine or plan in our character profiles, but also what we depict in the story and reveal to the readers. In this post, we’ll discuss some essential questions about effectively describing our characters and some examples of impactful character descriptions.
- The Worst Way to Describe A Character Is to Tell Readers What They Look like.
- What Do Readers Need to Know About The Character When They First Meet them?
- Drip-Feed Information to Gradually Build Up A Picture.
- Relate The Character’S Exterior and Interior Lives.
- Focus on Specific Details and What They Tell Us About The character.
- Create Images That Leave An Impression of The character.
- How Do They Express Themselves physically?
- What Revealing Quirks Or Mannerisms Do They have?
- Don’T Describe – Demonstrate.
- Action Reveals character.
The obvious temptation for new writers is to give readers a physical description of their characters. Jem was tall and broad with brown eyes and short dark hair. The new writer wants to create an impression of their character and is using physical appearance to do so. But what does this tell us about Jem? Nothing at all. We are offered no insight i...
Now that we’ve been introduced to Jem, what do we need to know about him? Think about it in the context of your story. Let’s imagine that Jem is a retired policeman who is married to Myriam, and keeps fit and active on a golf course where (in the early pages of your crime novel) he discovers a mangled corpse. These are the things your readers need ...
Info-dumping is always to be avoided in fiction writing, and that goes for character creation as well. Your reader does not need to know everything about Jem all at once. It’s much more effective for the reader to be progressively fed scraps of information about Jem to build up an intricate picture of his character. As none of the characters in you...
Physical description can only go so far in giving readers an insight into your characters. The way to really spark readers’ interest is to reveal something of your character’s interior life. But how to do this? What a person does can be very telling, and imply the reasons for them doing it. Jem slopped two fingers into a tumbler. He was never much ...
Everything you say about your character should be there for a purpose. Any detail that you reveal about your character needs to add to what the reader knows about them in the context of the story. So if you tell a reader that Jem was wearing the same shirt two days running, it’s a tiny detail that tells the reader something about him, his life and ...
Even though it’s a mistake to focus on physical description as a way of revealing character, there will be times when it’s necessary to describe something about their appearance. But rather than baldly stating what they looked like, use carefully chosen words – an appropriate adjective, a persuasive verb, perhaps metaphor or simile – to create a pi...
How does your character move around in the world you have created for them, and what does it say about them? Do they walk slowly? Talk quickly? Are they argumentative? Sociable? Friendly? Reserved? Introverted? The life and soul of the party? Respectful of other characters? The way people move physically and interact with others can be very reveali...
Taking this a step further, does your character have any identifying behavioural quirks? For instance, a person with a beard might stroke it when they’re thinking. Someone might wave their hands around to express themselves. Or pull their lips back from their teeth like an angry dog to show displeasure. It can be telling for characters to have a ma...
The best way to bore a reader is making them plough through a lengthy passage of description, and this is just as true when it comes to characters as to anything else in your novel. Your skill as a writer is in showing the reader without spelling it out in screeds of description. If you need to show what someone looks like, find a way of showing it...
Another aspect of demonstrating rather than using description is that showing your character in action is the best way to show what the person you are writing about is like. Readers are more likely to be involved with writing that moves the storyline along at the same time as increasing their understanding of the character. Jem wasn’t going to let ...
Dec 21, 2018 · What is the best way to describe a character to your readers? We explore how to write character descriptions through three rules and many more examples.
Jan 20, 2023 · When you describe a character, you can choose whether your description reinforces stereotypes or works against them. Consider: Does every white woman have caring eyes and a gentle smile?
Read examples of character description that build character and persona, plus takeaways from each excerpt. These pointers will breathe life into your fictional characters. Before you start however, consider creating a character profile, and include tons of details about them in it.
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What Are Six Ways To Describe A Character? There are six key ways to describe a character: Physical appearance; How they speak; How they move; How they treat others; Unique tics and character traits; How they interact with their surroundings; Great Character Description Matters. Good character description matters.
