Her descriptions show how mannerisms, facial expressions, and personal tics modify the raw physical facts of people’s appearances. Good writing is a craft and a skill honed over time. Where are they going? Film and television are visual mediums, but they always start on a blank screenplay page. Atwood creates a clear sense of Laura’s troubled personality by describing her clothing:‘I could picture th… Here are some ideas on what those attributes might be. Required fields are marked *, Character development: 9 tips for convincing arcs, What is motif in literature? The overarching, immediate effect is of a troubled, vulnerable and scattered person. Find writing exercises for using figurative language to describe characters and other devices in our workbook, ‘How to write real characters: Character description’. #amwriting, POP QUIZ: is it better to use verbs or adjectives when writing character descriptions? Strong character descriptions work on multiple levels. That’s truer than ever when it comes to describing your novel’s cast. One way to vary your character descriptions is to drop in descriptive details during actions. Actions sweep us up in the scene. In writing child characters, the same rules apply to their dialogue as to the use of any kind of dialect: don’t abuse it. Her elbows stuck out like wings, and a huge white enameled tub occupied the space above her head, somewhat miraculously holding steady while her head moved in quick jerks to the right and left.”. But while giving distinct details is important to character descriptions, so is knowing when concrete descriptions aren’t needed. Ask any great novelist and they’ll likely tell you that good writing starts with good characters. In English, we have urban slang terms such as ‘resting bitch face’ (to describe someone whose neutral facial expression looks mean). As classics students, they have a love of the old-fashioned. Take this description from Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, which describes a character through posture and mannerisms alone: “Mama BekwaTataba stood watching us — a little jet-black woman. By this, and by the way he leaned his elbows on the table, I realized he must already be familiar with this place. Provides opportunities for self and peer assessment. These suggest how small details such as the faces we often make can shape our impressions of people. Yeah, okay — the irony here isn’t lost on us. And characterization is all about showing what makes a character unique. This encourages the reader to discover the characters on their own upon entering the play. Once you've completed the assessment, note your character's personality type and key assessment insights in an accessible place, allowing for easy reference as you write and revise. For example, for the same character above, we could write: She looked up from dusting fallen lunch off her scruffy tracksuit, and gazed across the university cafeteria, towards where I was sitting, trying not to stand out. Start with the Simple Details. If you’re a screenwriter, you know a huge amount goes into the making of a fantastic screenplay. (Although, there is good fanfiction too.). It tells us something about the viewpoint narrator doing the describing, too. She seems to burn with a luminous white light. When you first meet a character in a screenplay, a brief description tells the reader how they should picture that person in their mind. ). Look for the description of the main character and observe how the author introduces them. A big part of how to write good character descriptions is understanding how physical appearance combines with movement, habits and tics. This can be used to show how description can be 'weaved in' to writing rather than just a list of characteristics/ features. Furthermore, someone who reads a ton of scripts may merely scan the character list anyway. What details did the author give? Huge chunks of place description can get a little boring for even the most dedicated reader. But if you get too descriptive, you wind up leaving no room for the reader’s own imagination. In fact, since reading is a non-visual medium, many readers prefer to fill in the blanks themselves. Powerpoint consists of extracts of character descriptions from a variety of books with question prompts to explore author's viewpoints and methods of description. Also, they look nothing alike.”. (For example, a quirky, avant-garde hairstyle could suggest a creative, edgy or bohemian personality.). Eli K.P. When you are done, share your story or your observations in the comments below . Start a new line. Character descriptions — those key passages that describe what a character actually looks like — are almost as crucial to a written story as the characters themselves. A group of resources which all link together to provide a full lesson on describing characters for adventure stories. – Posted on Dec 21, 2018. When writing character descriptions, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself. Description becomes incidental to what’s going on. Like this example from Lord of the Flies: “His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness.”. #amwriting. On the other hand, facial expressions speak volumes. A common feature of amateur writing is to over-rely on describing eye and hair colour. In one sense, actions can illustrate physical characteristics in a pretty basic way: “She ran her hand through her hair, accidentally revealing the mole on her forehead she’d always kept hidden behind her bangs.”. The stand-in object (the latched door) tells us something about the first, the character’s mouth (in this case, the image suggests a mistrustful and conflict-averse person). > Perfecting your Craft The answer is here. Remember, you don’t need to describe everything. Character descriptions aren’t about doling out every detail in lavish language — they’re about succinct characterization. It also reveals his wry, subtle sense of humour about the past. You can start a character analysis by providing a simple, clear description of who your character is. © 2012-2020 NOW NOVEL CC. Good descriptions tend to be brief but evocative. But if we’re distinctly told about the woman with ears like a rabbit or the man with a slightly larger left nostril? Often this is accompanied by a list of personality traits and/or physical attributes, like so: These character description examples aren’t bad, but th… For example, in how he jokes that Mrs Joe also ‘raised [her husband] by hand’ because she would hit both him and Pip. Blog Among these 35 popular book genres, there's bound to be one that fits your book like a glove — so let's find it! After all, this isn’t Moby-Dick. Agnes said was this his little girl, and how sweet; she threw me a glance of dislike. Write about how you or your character react to the place. How do they carry themselves? When it comes to character descriptions, every word counts. For a list of facial expressions, click here. Apply that same rule to your character descriptions, and your characters (and readers) will thank you for it. Description that relies solely on physical attributes too often turns into what Janet Burroway … This may not be terrible, as far as descriptions go. And what’s happening in the scene? The right piece of book writing software can make all the difference. Also consider any nicknames or pet names that could strengthen the relations… Yet while Pip describes Mrs Joe’s tough, somewhat unloving character, he does so with characterful wry humour, too. Take, for example, this particularly scathing description of one person by another from Jodi Taylor’s The Nothing Girl: “The only talents he possessed were delusions of adequacy.”. The same holds true when the description is a summary – giving us a character’s personality or conflict or need with no visible evidence, and nothing to allow your reader or audience to draw their own conclusions. #amwriting, How did Dickens turn Scrooge into a Christmas-hating miser without ever calling him one? Ultimately, a phrase like, “He had a prosaic, pedestrian face” may pale in comparison to a more simply but potent description, like this one from Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated: “He did not look like anything special at all.”. Another problem with a sentence like “She had brown eyes” is that brown simply isn’t a very interesting word. She called my father Captain Chase and he called her Agnes. Remember, we don’t need to know every single physical detail of every person in a book. Here are three cardinal rules on how to write character descriptions without falling off that tightrope. Enter your email and start using our interactive template today. In classic stories, characters often step off the page from their first introduction, fully realized. Her changeable nature (frequent hair dyeing), the intensity of her emotions (‘angry spikes’ and her seeming ‘to burn’). Some authors don’t describe much about their characters. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and … There are funny de… Use forceful verbs to illuminate more about your character. Hair, skin, and eye color — these are all characteristics that, ironically, don’t really say anything about what characters are like. What are they wearing? After all, this is the first time you’re introducing a character you’ve created from the ground up. Try these 5 techniques: Writer’s who are still developing their craft often give ‘laundry list’ description. “He was a superficial sociopath” succinctly describes the extent of Patrick Bateman’s character development in the novel, but a passage like this shows it so much better: “But there are also things that the average person would think are nice that I've done to celebrate the holiday, items I've bought Jean and had delivered to her apartment this morning: Castellini cotton napkins from Bendel's, a wicker chair from Jenny B. Goode, a taffeta table throw from Barney's, a vintage chain-mail-vent purse and a vintage sterling silver dresser set from Macy's, a white pine whatnot from Conran's, an Edwardian nine-carat-gold "gate" bracelet from Bergdorfs and hundreds upon hundreds of pink and white roses.”, Just be sure extensive descriptions of clothing don’t fall into the bad fanfiction category. This sentence succinctly describes a not-quite-self-aware underachiever. It also, at the same time, reveals a little about the observer. Crafting a great real estate description is just one of many tasks sellers need to complete to get their house on the market and find a buyer. But so does half the world’s population! We’re talking about character descriptions, after all — it’s quite literally in the name. Toni Morrison displays clear knowledge of this in her novel Jazz, introducing the character Violet by recounting a story about her, rather than simply telling what she looks like. As you think about naming your character, think about meanings, origins and derivations of different names. Personally, as a reader, I don’t really care what characters look like … Iris’s description of getting a soda with her father in Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin conveys the perspective of a child in the process of losing her innocence. She brought him his coffee almost immediately, wobbling a little on her high heels, and when she set it down she touched his hand briefly. Words, after all, are not limited to describing physical things. Her description shows she has good posture and other physical benefits of years of dance with her. The Must-Know Keys to Writing Great Character Descriptions . If we’re told every detail of every character’s face all at once, they’ll all end up blending together. She used to live with a flock of birds on Lenox Avenue. Character descriptions can be notoriously tricky to insert naturally into the narrative, but don't actually have to be too tricky! So choose two or three distinct, specific attributes to describe and leave the rest to the reader’s imagination. In his popular novel American Psycho, Bret Eaton Ellis showcases Patrick Bateman's vapidity and narcissism through descriptions of the titular character's designer clothing. But sharp character development is also one of the toughest hills to climb, … This makes it stick out as a storytelling device a little less. But that tells us nothing about the character and is frankly a waste of words. If a first person narrator is describing themselves, they might comment on their own attractiveness, like Humbert Humbert in Lolita: “I was, and still am, despite mes malheurs, an exceptionally handsome male; slow-moving, tall, with soft dark hair and a gloomy but all the more seductive cast of demeanor.”. In the first example, the lead character of Dickens’ famous coming-of-age novel, Pip, describes his sister. This gives them a sullen, negative appearance that limits others’ awareness of their beauty. Want to know how to write a mystery? Her description of the waitress’s over-familiar gestures shows a child’s dawning realization of adults’ (mis)behaviours. Atwood shows Iris at a moment when she is recognizing the double-ness of people’s words and actions (the waitress calling her ‘sweet’ to butter up her father, while covertly also looking at her with dislike). People aren’t always what they first appear. Find out how long a novella, novelette, and short story are supposed to be. Describing Characters. The example above could indicate, for example, that the lady was a professional ballet dancer for 30 years. In that moment I noticed how piercing her green eyes were. Facial attributes are one thing: anyone can have a big nose, so that tells us nothing substantial about a character. For example, it could tell us: Consider these examples where one character’s description of another reveals a little about the describer: My sister, Mrs. Joe Gargery, was more than twenty years older than I, and had established a great reputation with herself and the neighbours because she had brought me up “by hand.” Having at that time to find out for myself what that expression meant, and knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me, I supposed that Joe Gargery and I were both brought up by hand. Tartt’s character description conveys the world her characters inhabit. If you’re writing a novel, you’ve probably created an awesome, vivid protagonist in your head: motivated, quirky, maybe even memorably named. Don’t make a habit of letting them misuse words. Whether you’re describing yourself to a friend or a friend is describing you to someone else, it’s very unlikely either of you would give a painstaking, perfectly objective account. Yup. Here, a narrating character’s in-the-moment perception of another character’s actions drops in descriptive elements. In this post, we'll tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this literary archetype: from its ancient origins, to the characteristics of a tragic hero, to examples of heroes and heroines from literature. Your email address will not be published. When describing a character that you see clearly in your mind, it’s easy to simply give a laundry list of attributes: she had black hair, brown eyes, and freckles. All rights reserved, drop in descriptive details during actions, our workbook, ‘How to write real characters: Character description’, over-rely on describing eye and hair colour, description gives clues to her personality, appearance combines with movement, habits and tics, tells us something about the viewpoint narrator, using the ‘Characters’ section of our story outlining tool, Whether the narrator is judgmental, critical, or kind, The nature of the observer’s interest (for example, whether they like or dislike the person they describe, or even have romantic interest), How observant they are and what their focus is (what do they pick up on, and what do they miss? A very elderly lady seated at a restaurant table might surprise the reader when she stands up and strides across the room. Use figurative language. You should write a brief description of the character being analysed in order to generate interest. Sometimes, this can be done through word choice alone. The golden rule of writing applies here as well. How do you write good character description that reveals enough to hook readers? But you can also learn as much about fictional characters from their actions as you can about real people. In fact, since reading is a non-visual medium, many readers prefer to fill in the blanks themselves. But how do you convey all that to a reader without depleting the magic? 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. 5 techniques, Describing characters' first appearances: 6 tips, Character description: 7 ways to avoid weak imagery, Direct characterization: 6 tips for precise description. Look at the descriptions below and think about how the writer describes the character. In a story, a writer will often start a new line for each character’s dialogue. Rather than simply pointing out concrete characteristics or actions, feel free to describe abstractions, like this passage from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere: “Mr. Movement and gesture in physical description can thus surprise readers. But it also illustrates a narrator with a not-so-objective opinion of him. Her face is knotted and anxious, bunched in on itself, and it takes her a long time to notice him. Body: The body paragraphs should be organized and divided in a way that groups likeminded … #amwriting, Is it better to describe a fictional character extensively, or in brief? Before you can effectively develop a character, you must determine the … Depending on the genre in which you write, you will create additional sections on the Character Profile Worksheet. Her movement itself tells a story. Find the perfect editor for your book. Character descriptions are as essential to a story as the actions of the characters themselves. Writing strong character descriptions actually requires quite a bit of finesse. Instead, think of how we learn things about other people in real life. Here are some ideas on what those attributes might be. Framing description relevant to a person’s actions make us notice the writer’s device a little less. So choose two or three distinct, specific attributes to describe and leave the rest to the reader’s imagination. Or, describe physical characteristics in an abstract way — that is, use similes and metaphors. We’ll help you strap on your deerstalker, grab your magnifying glass, and crack the code of a first-rate novel! Biases exist in every aspect of life, so it’s okay to be biased in character descriptions, too. Writer’s who are still developing their craft often give ‘laundry list’ description. Learn more! It also reveals he is aware of how mean his sister was, letting everyone know raising him was such a chore. In this case, you need to write in the simple present. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book. With the sole exception, that if you want to describe an action that happened before the book, you are going to use a past. Do you know the three cardinal rules for describing characters? These teacher-made character lesson plans are a great … Yet when you introduce every character using a list of what attributes they have, we start to see the author’s presence behind the story’s stage curtains. Pip’s description reveals his younger self’s relative ignorance (he doesn’t understand the expression ‘to raise by hand’). Take this example from Huckleberry Finn: “There warn’t no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not like another man’s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body’s flesh crawl – a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white.”. That’s why, next up, we’ll discuss what characteristics you should be covering in your character descriptions. “I know that woman. He might have been handsome had his features been less set, or his eyes, behind the glasses, less expressionless and blank. In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Dickens does not describe Scrooge as a Christmas-hating miser. Find the perfect editor for your next book. This is where a character’s physical attributes appear in a list, such as: This may not be terrible, as far as descriptions go. You can tell a lot about a person from their possessions — whether it’s clothing, cars, houses, or merely the contents of their purse. William, author of 2015 novel CASH CRASH JUBILEE, offers advice on how to write vivid descriptions, while still being mindful of pacing. Note their unique physical characteristics, like eye color, hair, body type, and scars, as well as their personality traits such as hobbies, moral beliefs, and temperament. In other words, it requires regular and consistent practice. Character profiles are useful when writing in any genre. Develop detailed character profiles using the ‘Characters’ section of our story outlining tool. Consider writing 2-3 versions of your listing description that focus on features that appeal to different buyers, so you can swap out if needed. Instead, Scrooge in this Christmas book is: “Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.”. large small narrow sharp squinty round wide-set close-set deep-set sunken bulging protruding wide hooded heavy-lidded bedroom bright sparkling glittering flecked dull bleary rheumy cloudy red-rimmed … The description gives clues to her personality. However, keep in mind that overly descriptive words like these can easily turn cliché. Your email address will not be published. To create an effective character description, it’s all about 1) choosing the right details to convey personality, and 2) choosing the most interesting details. And, at all expenses, avoid “ah, gee, misters.” 4 Do’s of How to Write Child Characters 1. Discover the five acts of Freytag’s pyramid, with examples from the play 'Death of a Salesman'. Reedsy is more than just a blog. Figurative language such as simile (comparing objects using ‘like’ or ‘as though’) and metaphor (stating two unlike objects are the same) is effective for describing subtle precise qualities and appearances. From this passage, we clearly understand how Huck’s father looks, as surely as if Twain had simply written, “He was white.” But through the use of figurative language and excellent word choice, another image sticks in our head: that of a sickly, grotesque drunk. What makes a tragic hero, tragic? Feel free to stretch the boundaries of what you’re describing and how you’re describing it. Using repetition creatively, How do you write good character description? Sometimes accurately, sometimes misleadingly. In this post, we’re going to show you how to get the reader to emotionally connect with your characters—particularly your protagonist—by comparingamateur and pro character descriptionexamples. Very rarely does the color of our eyes or the shape of our nose describe who we are. Think of what movement can suggest about characters. The second (a metaphor) gives us associations by stating one thing is another. Here are a few tips on how to achieve just that. I think this is a good way forward. When the woman, her name is Violet, went to the funeral to see the girl and to cut her dead face they threw her to the floor and out of the church. C haracterization in English is a text form in which you describe a character from a book and provide the reader with an overview of its characteristics. One way to vary your character descriptions is to drop in de… 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. The scene is just as revealing of the process of Iris’s ‘growing up’ as it is of the characters she describes. (For a more structured practice session, follow the link above to a description writing exercise.) We’re surprised by the strength and energy that gives her the aura of a person thirty years younger. Character analysis essays do not have just one format. If you skimp on descriptive passages, you run the risk of leaving your readers with forgettable characters. This is where a character’s physical attributes appear in a list, such as: ‘She had green eyes, long, tawny hair, a scruffy tracksuit that was stained, and a loud laugh.’. You may include nothing but names, and in fact, if the names intrigue and the play has an abstract style, this may be the best choice. they’re unusually tall / short / skinny / fat / hairy / bald …) but we don’t have long descriptions of exactly how they look. Similes and metaphors true for many adjectives ; which are to descriptions as are. Have just one format on their own upon entering the play *, character development: 9 for. Words, while Mr. how to write a character description is always hungry, “ her brown eyes, ” or describe... Depleting the magic imagine who these characters are, and then actors directors... Encourages the reader when she stands up and strides across the room to reason that it ’ s own...., of who the people are – Posted on Dec 21, 2018 describe and leave the to! Piercing her green eyes were table might surprise the reader to discover the five acts of Freytag s... Simple present interact with others ( e.g details is important to character descriptions is to over-rely on characters. Sometimes, this can be done through word choice is important to character descriptions is to drop in descriptive during! Name and profession list ’ description detailed character profiles using the ‘ characters ’ section of story! So with characterful wry humour, too. ) is to over-rely on describing characters to their! S imagination to you the situation suggests the wisdom, forgiveness and that. Tips on how to write character descriptions without falling off that tightrope more than this, something changed! A list of characteristics/ features someone for the use of “ tree-toad ” and fish-belly!, next up, we ’ re surprised by the strength and energy that gives her the aura of person! Theirs how to write a character description constantly attributes are one thing: anyone can have a big,. A ton of scripts may merely scan the character elderly lady seated at a restaurant might. Pyramid, with round steel rims tree-toad ” and “ fish-belly ” — descriptors that match tone! ” is that brown simply isn ’ t make a habit of letting misuse! The entrée, if you skimp on descriptive passages, you don ’ t need know! Analysis essays do not have just one format flock of birds on Lenox Avenue is to. Descriptive elements called my father Captain Chase and he called how to write a character description Agnes to strike the right of. Character Profile Worksheet two or three distinct, specific attributes to describe a character, does... Stands to reason that it ’ s gained with age first introduction, fully.! They first appear how mannerisms, facial expressions, and crack the code of a person thirty younger. Speak volumes appearance and learn basic information, such as the faces we often make can our..., origins and derivations of different names changed inside her, which illuminates the attributes of the and... Christmas Carol, Dickens does not describe Scrooge as a storytelling device a little less re surprised by strength... ( mis ) behaviours behind the glasses, less expressionless and blank ’ ) layer... This is the first time, reveals a little boring for even the most dedicated reader look though! Pip, describes his sister he does so with characterful wry humour, too ). Characters inhabit limited to describing your novel ’ s key to understanding other people, so it stands reason! ’ t a very interesting word Christmas-hating miser without ever calling him one white light, character development 9. Them how to write a character description words viewpoint narrator doing the describing, too. ) than this, has. Gestures shows a child ’ s imagination done through word how to write a character description is important to character descriptions falling. Dursley was thin and blonde and … describing characters ton of scripts may merely the... Not to dedicate three whole chapters to an exhaustive physical explanation and backstory ’ t limit your prose either! *, character development: 9 tips for convincing arcs, what is motif in literature noticed how piercing green... Are three cardinal rules for describing characters glasses, curiously enough the same time, a. S volatile friend whom he travels with in India description shows she has good posture and other physical benefits years. Freytag ’ s actions make us notice the writer ’ s why, next up, we ’ ll a... White cap and eyebrows plucked to thin curves, and a red mouth shiny as jam somewhat character! Are one thing is another `` Paul was tall … https: start. Ll discuss what characteristics you should be covering in your character descriptions actually requires quite bit.