I'm a bit of a description Nazi as some members of YWS are fond of pointing out and I thought it was about time I started an article. I'll probably add to this over time and people can feel free to throw the link at anyone who needs a little nudge. That or just tell them to ask me to take a look at their work or even pm me and suggest I critique it. Anyway, on to the article...
The Basics
You need to describe your characters. Some people tell their readers the eye and hair colour and that's fine but don't stop there. You need to make these characters so real that your reader can see them too, can hear them and even smell them. A reader can't relate to a character if they have no idea what that character looks like. So first, decide on the details. What face shape, body shape, height, weight, size of nose, clothes, skin colour etc. Are there any particular features that distinguish your character from the average person? A nose piercing perhaps or a scar?
Next, you need to slot these details into the story. Don't just list them in one blocky paragraph. That's what we writers like to call an info dump. Instead, add a sentence here and there. Tag it on to the end of dialogue or a little when you first introduce them. Add it when you give body actions and movements. Here's a few example sentences:
"Paul, can you lend me a hand?" Alice tucked a stray lock of tangled, brown hair behind her ear and smiled beseechingly. Her plump, full lips parted to show a row of crooked, yellow-white teeth and a scattering of uneven, black fillings.
"Daniel? Where are you?" Max pushed the door open with an ear-splitting creak and stepped through into a small, dark room. His deep green eyes squinted through the dim, foggy light that cast his plump, freckled face into shadow. He brushed a chubby hand against the dusty wall and wrinkled his nose at the fowl smell. "Hello?"
Setting
The next piece of essential description is setting. If you don't tell your reader what the room looks like or at least where they are, it's dull. They have nothing to visualise and your words are just that: words. Think about lighting: is the room dark or is it light? Artificial light or natural and if artificial what colour? Then, is it cold or warm? Is it stuffy? And of course, small or big? Narrow or wide, high ceiling or low? What's in the room? And describe the objects rather than just state them. An old, chipped china vase sounds much more interesting than simply a vase.
Next, think about the decorations in the room: curtains, carpet/ wood flooring, wallpaper. You don't have to mention every detail and too many could bore your readers but add at least a little description. And setting is slightly different to character description. It's best to describe the room at the beginning of the piece or upon entry. You can add more details as you go along but it makes for an excellent introductory paragraph. Here's an example:
The library was dark, lit only by the feeble shafts of moonlight that spilled through the cracks in boarded up windows. It was damp. It was cold. The sort of cold that seeped through clothes, clutching flesh with a skeletal hand. The ceiling was out of sight, somewhere high up, beyond the shadowed depths and as Charlotte approached the rows of old, crumbling bookcases, her footsteps echoed: thud thud thud. She shuffled more quietly, scared to disturb the cobwebs of the past. There were many books to search and her eyes began to feel sore as she strained to read each spine.
Characterization
But wait, I've already covered characters haven't I? No, not quite. Characters have to be deeper than their surface appearances. A character's personality and emotions can be shown through the way they speak, through the way they move and through many little, imperceivable actions. When they're nervous, they might bite their lip. When they're happy they might smile or laugh. If they're a neat person, it might be seen through their clothes or they might brush a little dust from their clothes. If they're vain, they might pause at a mirror to smile at themselves. Think about who your character is and show your reader.
More than one sense!
This is the point I iterate most often and it is a common mistake I see. When writing, people seem to forget just how many senses there are to be taken into consideration. I'll tell you now: there are five.
Sight: What can your narrator see? I don't think there's any need for me to go into more detail for this one.
Sound: What can they hear? Is there music in the distance? The sound of a tap dripping or a stream flowing? Does the person they're talking with have an interesting accent? Is a fly buzzing around the room, the echo of footsteps, the tap tap tapping of keys?
Smell: Is something burning? Is there the smell of sweat or sweet perfume? The smell of sewage or fresh air? Can flowers be smelled or oil or alcohol?
Touch: When your person picks an object up, how does it feel? If they brush against another person, can they feel the heat of that person's body. Is the object smooth or rough? What material is it? Is it squidgy or hard? Cold or warm?
Taste: This is the hardest to include but remember you can be metaphorical: is there the taste of tension in the air? Does the air taste of pollution or the ocean? If your character eats or drinks, how does the food taste? Is the water refreshing or is it warm; revolting.
*thumbs up*
Gender: