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Describing Characters



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Sun May 25, 2014 6:48 pm
TaliaSankEden says...



I'm writing a novel right now and haven't yet described the protagonist, mostly because I don't know how to go about it. I'm writing from a first person POV, but I want to avoid the most cliche ways of describing the narrator. How do I do so?

Thanks!!!
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Sun May 25, 2014 10:38 pm
Prokaryote says...



The same way you avoid cliches elsewhere: You do something different. Don't rely on stock imagery or easy-but-idiotic phrasing.

If you're using first-person, remember that any description of the narrator tells us less about her appearance and more about how she views herself. Is she insecure? Is she vain? Maybe she's brutally realistic. Some protagonists may not deign to describe themselves at all. Perhaps -- and this is fun; a bit more subtle -- you could use other characters' comments or reactions to the protagonist to shape the reader's perception of her. Maybe they avoid her; do they see her as haughty? Maybe boys kiss her butt; is she beautiful, or just really nice?

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Mon May 26, 2014 5:09 am
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Rosendorn says...



Cliche #1: Avoid the mirror scene

Past that.

As Pork said, how she describes herself will be a huge influence on the words you use. It'll even influence what body parts are described. Somebody who never pays attention to their lips will never describe them. But somebody who obsesses over their hair will describe every single little thing about it.

I personally have barely described anything about my protagonist and it's first person narration, because my character really doesn't care about her appearance unless it's something she currently dislikes about herself, or is new (like new scars or a haircut).

It really depends on who this person is. You don't have to describe everything about them, and if it'd be out of character for your protagonist to describe themselves, then don't do it at all. Despite hardly any description (and no facial description), readers' perception of my characters match with the reference I provide pretty much 100% of the time.
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Sat May 31, 2014 6:53 pm
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Tenyo says...



The mirror scene XD Yes, they tend to be awful. Try not to do that.

Reflecting, not reflections
It's natural for people to think about their appearance, and what they think is different depending on their age. A young girl might be standing back looking at herself irritated that she's the only flat-chested girl in her class, where an older man would be leaning forward wondering when those new wrinkles appeared. It's a great way of highlighting the more distinctive features.

Mental insight
What we think of ourselves says a lot about who we are, so whether your character likes or dislikes themselves and how they talk about their own appearance is a great way to develop their personality. Just make sure you don't sound too boastful or whiney. Things like 'as a kid I got teased for my bright red curls, but my mother adored them and because of that, so did I' or 'I sometimes wondered if people were only nice to me because I was pretty.'

When in doubt...
Try it out! Think of a situation in which you would be forced to think about your appearance- school photo, party, day out shopping- and scribble down your thoughts. Keep scribbling until you get past the slush and to the really personal stuff, then you'll see what it sounds like to naturally describe yourself and you can use that as a kind of template for your characters.

Hope this helps!
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Sun Jun 01, 2014 6:28 pm
KaiTheGreater says...



The people above me have said you shouldn't use the mirror scene, and I think they're generally right. Mirror scenes are very cliche, and I often find myself groaning in despair when I come across one. However, it is possible to write a decent one. You just have to know what you're doing, or it'll quickly turn into an unwanted info dump.
Use the mirror to reflect not only appearance, but the character's opinion of them self, also. If the person is insecure and self-loathing, have them glaring resentfully at their square chin and hating the way their hair curls in wavy masses. Or if they feel really good about their body, have them admire the way their hair falls in perfect little ringlets around their shoulders, and lovingly fingering their perfectly curved lips (or whatever).
But the way I usually do it is to write the prologue in third person, and then have the rest be in first. That also helps to give the reader a detailed description of settings or objects that would be perfectly normal in the main character's eyes, because in reality the details of life start to fade once we become accustomed to them.
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Sun Jun 01, 2014 9:34 pm
Rosendorn says...



Why do readers have to know the scene, or what the protagonist looks like?

I'm asking that seriously. Readers come up with their own mental pictures of the surroundings all the time. Character features change slightly from the description. If you're doing it for the reader's benefit, then know the reader will probably throw out 90% of the details and make up their own thing! Some might even get annoyed at the info dump because no, they really do not absolutely need to know that information.

Also, a mirror scene needs a reason why it goes into that much detail. Why is the person going over their appearance that particular day? What's so special about that day that they have to go over everything? Even if it's important, they probably won't go over everything. They're more likely to go over things that are immediately relevant to the situation, and their monologue will reflect this. Somebody trying to do their hair will probably only describe what their hair is doing wrong or right, not give a full case history of its texture, colour, highlights, and how it compares to other people's. (I personally never think of my hair colour when I'm actually doing my hair)
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  








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