But doing so has now become so ubiquitous that it often feels tacky. Unforgiving For example, one may find a character's dimples to be endearing, while the character themselves may feel their dimples lend a youthful look that often sees them treated as a child. strong, tough, hardy, mature, independent; weak, immature; strong-minded, strong-willed, hard-headed, determined, resolute; honest, sincere, truthful, decent, scrupulous; dishonest, insincere; cunning, deceitful, crafty, sly, treacherous; unscrupulous; dependable, reliable, trustworthy; faithful, loyal, devoted; true; unreliable, untrustworthy; unfaithful, disloyal; irresponsible; hardworking, diligent, conscientious; responsible; persevering; ambitious; disciplined, organized, accurate, methodical, careful; thorough; undisciplined, disorganized, inaccurate, careless; forgetful; shallow, superficial; reasonable, sensible, rational, prudent, level-headed, practical; just, fair, objective, impartial, unbiased; unjust, unfair; opinionated; unreasonable, irrational; unpredictable; impractical; naive; superstitious; active, energetic, vigorous, quick, fast; lazy, idle, slow, inert, passive, sluggish; attentive, alert, perceptive, observant, insightful, shrewd; inattentive; brave, bold, courageous, fearless; reckless; cautious; timid, cowardly. Appearance is a related term of character. Strong character descriptions work on multiple levels. The hero could be the warrior, proto-female, scapegoat, etc. And sometimes it makes sense to have other characters say things to or about the main character that imply aspects of the main character's appearance. Offering brief descriptors that pull motion or setting into the mix is often a great trick. Tan 10. They may strive for a better look because they are affected by attractive celebrities. Note: Some of the words below are informal or slang words; some of them may be perceived as offensive. Reflect your character’s personality or lifestyle through their clothing choices. She is average height, dark-haired, quite thin, and wears glasses. Approachable. Similarly, when you are developing your characters, physical appearance, name, where they're from and what they do are some of the first details to select. In other words, your character's sex, age, general height and weight, skin tone, hair color, build, and any other common identifying features... One's lifestyle can greatly impact their appearance. He takes after his father in appearance, but he is like his mother in character. And just how can we capture the clearest versions of our characters on the page? (eighty-eight pounds). Admittedly, taking such care when crafting external perceptions is hard work. It is especially important that you ask them to include examples. young, middle-aged, elderly, old; grown-up, adult; he is twenty years old; she is in her thirties; he is about forty; a child; a kid; a little boy; a little girl; a five-year-old girl; she is five years old; a teenager; a teenage boy; a teenage girl; a young boy; a young girl; a young man; a young woman; a middle-aged man; an old man. So, breathe realism into your character's appearance instead by defining what features society as a whole would find less than perfectly attractive. He is old, short, medium-build, with gray hair and a beard. Let's tackle the process together, shall we? Telling: The author tells us who the character is, and what she does. Showing: The author allows the character to act and to speak to show who she is. Disrespectfulness 7. Doing so adds purpose to your physical descriptors, ensuring you'll never weigh down your story with too much detail. Here, we are providing you with a reference template for Character Letter for Court.You can also look at some of the Sample Character Reference Letter for Court formats and examples. Such clothing can indicate culture, lifestyle, profession, interests, self-esteem, and other key characterization factors. His character is terrible. She has the same chestnut hair and green eyes. She takes after her mother. He is smart and honest. She is interested in history. He is friendly and dependable. Rosy 5. Bold. Personality. © 2015 — 2020 Kristen Kieffer | All rights reserved. There are funny descriptions, sad ones, and even action-packe… You look good. They aren't looking for your character's exact height or weight either. Does this mean defining our characters' looks is unimportant? Greed 9. As we discussed above, how your character views themselves will likely differ from how other characters view them. I'm interested in medicine. He weighs 170 pounds. She is young and good-looking, with dark eyes and long red hair. Even the character being described may think of themselves quite differently from how others view them. Freckles 12. He is tall and thin, with brown hair. Even past lifestyle choices can continue to manifest themselves in your character's current life, so take the time to consider their history as well as their present story. “I … easily spotted her blond hair like a white flame… The edge of her white … A. Mannerisms. He likes to play with his dog. A general recommendation 4. To clarify, “quirk” doesn’t just mean any descriptive quality — for example, having brown hair does nothing to make your character special. At Well-Storied, she helps writers craft sensational novels and develop writing lives they love. What would catch your point-of-view character's eye when looking at another character? My best advice instead is to lay out a few key details when a character is first introduced — just enough to give readers a basic understanding of their appearance — then weave in any further descriptors slowly throughout the story, and only if truly necessary. When you describe how a character looks, think about how appearance illuminates personality.In Margaret Atwood’s Booker-winning novel The Blind Assassin, for example, Atwood’s narrator Iris opens the story remembering her sister Laura’s death. What does each of these elements indicate about their personality, mindset, and aims? With that in mind, use the steps below to begin building out your characters' perceptions: Describing a character's physical description when they are the only point-of-view character can be tough. Film and television are visual mediums, but they always start on a blank screenplay page. But another fantastic trick is to reveal your character's physical self-perception directly in their narrative, even tying their appearance into plot events when possible. Why so? She is knowledgeable and broad-minded, and she likes to help young people. Would they see the person's physical flaws before that which makes them beautiful? Assertive. The perception of a character can also vary between beholders, as well. Height - are they tall, short, average? Light 3. (sixty kilograms), 1 foot (ft.) = 12 in. He pops pills before going on stage, drinks deeply from a bottle of gin—s… As nouns the difference between appearance and character is that appearance is the act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye while character … The following vocabulary may be helpful in describing character. He famous enough to draw a large crowd and have roadies. Consider as well what your point-of-view character's first impressions reveal about the other character or society as a whole. Last updated: Sunday 5th January, 2020. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which Remember, perception is important because it helps readers better understand the beholder. That’s the goal of this section, which covers the “skin” of your character: everything from their outer appearance to the way that they speak. Pettiness 17. Example: Julia always wore certain clothes on different days of the week. Reference Menu. Thanks to society's uncaring standards, some people will have features that are generally seen as physical flaws. Let's dive into today's breakdown, writers! NOTE: Check out our article for a sample character reference letter you can model. * Follow the podcast. Audacious. A person's mannerisms and expressions may make an even larger impact than their clothing and general appearance. Use contextual character description. good-natured, good-tempered, easygoing; bad-tempered; ill-natured; malevolent; mean; friendly, amiable, amicable, sociable, outgoing; unfriendly, hostile, unsociable; generous, noble; kind, kind-hearted, soft-hearted, unselfish; helpful; gentle; firm, strict, stern, severe; cruel, harsh, hard-hearted; merciless, ruthless; thoughtful, considerate; compassionate, sympathetic; tolerant; intolerant; polite, civil, urbane, tactful; impolite, rude, tactless; well-mannered; bad-mannered; haughty, arrogant, impudent; aggressive, pushy; stubborn, obstinate; confident, self-confident; shy, diffident, timid, modest, humble; unassuming; serious, calm, quiet, placid; patient; self-possessed; impatient; impulsive; formal, official; informal, relaxed, casual, simple; sophisticated; unsophisticated; humorous, amusing, funny, interesting; creative; inventive; dull, boring, uninteresting, tedious; cheerful, happy, carefree; optimistic; moody, melancholic; gloomy, morose; pessimistic; temperamental, emotional, nervous; self-conscious, sensitive, touchy; selfish, egoistical, self-centered; inconsiderate; jealous, envious, possessive. Weight - are they overweight, underweight, average? There's a reason why many authors have defaulted to describing their character's reflection in a mirror, after all. Now we’rehit in the gutwith a character description that shows rather than tells us so much more about him. She is of medium height, with straight black hair and brown eyes. pretentious, self-important, vain, pompous; domineering, oppressive; unpretentious; capricious, wayward, whimsical; mischievous; argumentative, irritable, quarrelsome; critical, exacting, fault-finding; pedantic; docile, dutiful, obedient; disobedient; talkative; glib; noisy; reserved, reticent; laconic; taciturn; silent; secretive; economical, thrifty, frugal, tight, stingy, miserly, greedy; wasteful, prodigal, extravagant; strange, odd, weird, eccentric, crazy; normal, ordinary, regular. Do they respect this or is it something they look upon with disdain? He is tall and thin, with brown hair. Sample Character Descriptions From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1998) • He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. (Read as "fifty-nine point nine kilograms". There’s a lot that goes into it, and to make matters worse, you only have one chance to give readers a good (and memorable) first impression of that character. And no matter how screwed that idea may be, creating characters that lack such "flaws" altogether will only leave you with characters that seem too physically perfect to be real. Would they notice first their clothing or the expression on their face? She is young and good-looking, with dark eyes and long red hair. She is five feet three inches tall. It was previously called The Essential Guide to Nailing Your Character's Appearance. a bookworm; a history buff; a sports fan; a music fan; a movie fan; a TV addict; a computer whiz kid; a computer freak; a number-cruncher; a fashion plate; a dandy; a fashionmonger; a warmonger; a newsmonger; a scaremonger; a junk collector; a pack rat; a miser; a squanderer; a spendthrift; a spender; a homebody; a couch potato; lazybones; a workaholic; a Jack of all trades; an adventurer; a thrill seeker; an oddball; a weirdo; a chatterbox; a scatterbrain; a teaser; a prude; a hypocrite; a chronic liar; a gambler; a smooth operator; a city slicker; a simpleton; a superachiever; an underachiever; a winner; a loser; a tough guy; a softy; a woman-chaser; a womanizer; a ladies' man (a lady's man); a black sheep; a scapegoat; a scarecrow; a white crow; a night owl. More interesting than that, and I 'd love for your characters to be working on their face,. 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