I learned at my critique group to avoid vague subjective labels, such as big, fat, tall, or ugly. Instead i mention something that will trigger a reaction in a reader, a tic, habit, scar, bald patch, dandruff, limp, speech pattern, etc. Something a character does can help, such as a chilling grin, fleck of saliva on the lip, piece of clothing or accessory, mode of dress or a pet phrase they use. Not every character needs one. The reaction of other characters can also trigger a reaction in the reader:
@possessedslig
10 жыл бұрын
I agree, be vague. Never underestimate your reader's imagination to fill in the gaps.
@danielmeans4954
3 жыл бұрын
I’m not really sure I agree. While I understand the point of “being vague” like don’t just list the physical attributes of your character as if it were a call coming out over a police radio, I get it I get it but I think everyone gets that and if you don’t then maybe pen and page isn’t your thing after all? I mean aren’t we making or view videos hoping they are geard towards someone who’s at least thought about this a couple times on their own? Isn’t saying “be vague and let the reader’s imagination work” kinda like saying “the light switch is on the wall”... anyone looking for the light switch knows it’s on the fucking wall... the question is not “what not to write?”.... but what to write?? a person’s appearance the way they look at you the way the they hold their jaw the natural or unnatural color of their hair, how they stand, speak, the tanness of their skin all say so much about who a person is and where they come from and if you aren’t gonna write about that then what are you gonna write about?
@danielmeans4954
3 жыл бұрын
John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces “A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs. In the shadow under the green visor of the cap Ignatius J. Reilly’s supercilious blue and yellow eyes looked down upon the other people waiting under the clock at the D.H. Holmes department store, studying the crowd of people for signs of bad taste in dress. Several of the outfits, Ignatius noticed, were new enough and expensive enough to be properly considered offenses against taste and decency. Possession of anything new or expensive only reflected a person’s lack of theology and geometry; it could even cast doubts upon one’s soul.”
@danielmeans4954
3 жыл бұрын
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby “He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced-or seemed to face-the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor.”
@danielmeans4954
3 жыл бұрын
Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Books “A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everybody knew Bagheera, and nobody cared to cross his path, for he was as cunning as Tabaqui, as bold as the wild buffalo, and as reckless as the wounded elephant. But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down.”
@EllenBrock
10 жыл бұрын
Learn how to physically describe your characters in a way that won't bore your readers.
@faith5584
10 жыл бұрын
Great video, very helpful.
@LuisDanielAcostaAlzamora
9 жыл бұрын
Ellen Brock what about an ilustration
@patrickm.8509
8 жыл бұрын
+Ellen Brock Thank you very much for the video How do you think I should describe a character that is't human, as a dragon?
@faith5584
8 жыл бұрын
Patrick McDougal That sounds really cool.
@patrickm.8509
8 жыл бұрын
+SheDragon thanks
@dragonchr15
10 жыл бұрын
I'm glad you mentioned the mirror cliche...I try to slip into subjective descriptions (ugly, attractive, fat, etc) into dialogue, while objective description go in the prose. The latter is hard because it is always tempting to just dump description into a sentence.
@KutWrite
5 жыл бұрын
I learned at my critique group to avoid vague subjective labels, such as big, fat, tall, or ugly. Instead i mention something that will trigger a reaction in a reader, a tic, habit, scar, bald patch, dandruff, limp, speech pattern, etc.
@storytellerjack22
10 жыл бұрын
+Matthew Hume I like the silent film analogy, but on the other hand a character's appearance, or rather specific details: a bruise, sunglasses, walking with a cane, it can say a lot about who they are, but are only worth mentioning if the details are important to the story, I agree with you that most details are needless.
@clairesinow789
10 жыл бұрын
So thankful for these videos. I've been writing a book recently and I was so hung up on the opening line. My novel used to open up with the main characters exact description…. thank god for this to smack some sense into me
@philcooper9225
Жыл бұрын
Speaking of physical descriptions I am super glad that you grew your hair back out!! ❤️
@WordsAndWhimsy
10 жыл бұрын
Excellent! I completely agree with everything said here, especially tying in description with action.
@TheCoffeeNut711
9 жыл бұрын
When i describe a character it must have something to with their personality. Hard mouth not made for smiling, narrow cold blue eyes, and things like that give you an impression this character is not friendly.
@BlindGardener
5 жыл бұрын
Stephen King would strongly advise against adverbs when describing persons
@SpiritedHeart94
4 жыл бұрын
“Alright that’s it.” She pulled her long auburn curls up into a half-bun before wrapping it with the hair tie on her wrist. “It’s too hot for this shit.”
@FEAROWNAGE
6 жыл бұрын
My problem is that I get stressed out and feel the need to cram in my character's description the moment they're introduced.
@SysterYster
5 жыл бұрын
Try and introduce what they look like through some other character seeing them, or something. That's what I do. An observer, friend, wife/husband seeing the main character and noting something different or new in the character's look, or just admiring them or something. It makes for a less intrusive description. And you don't need to give it all a very detailed description. Just give a hunch as to what they look like.
@xelloss031085
10 жыл бұрын
Hello. Nice video, thanks for sharing. I've been watching all your videos and found them to be very clear and useful. I'm not sure if this if the forum to ask, but if you are taking prompts for new videos, I could suggest one a little close to the one you uploaded here, but oriented towards the description of placers and settings. When and how to use them and how to make them recognizable without extending too much or making it boring. Thanks
@PhilKlay
10 жыл бұрын
I really enjoy your videos. Thank you very much for sharing such useful information. I'll keep you in mind when I'm looking for an editor.
@karate214000
9 жыл бұрын
great videos. I'm an amateur writer and I enjoy these videos. They have details and much information. I published a children's book last year and recently just finished a science-fiction which will be published next month. These videos have improved my character descriptions and it's always good to consider many opinions. Keep up the great work :)
@alexpiteo9825
4 жыл бұрын
Ellen, that video was super helpful-plus gave me some perspective for future writing. I will bear these tips in mind next time I write anything-including my current story. Thank you so much and have a terrific day.
@camotophat
6 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much for sharing this. A friend of mine says I didn't describe the look of my characters very well, but given what you've said here it sounds like people very easily go overboard with it.
@celticpridedrums
10 жыл бұрын
great! You answered my question about describing all the physical components of my character immediately or over time. The antagonist is older and doesn't change much throughout the story, the protagonist however is a little boy initially then grows into an adult throughout the story, and his appearance must change and be described (his descriptions I can deal with - but the antagonist needs to be fully described early.) Thanks.
@sunnisukumar
8 жыл бұрын
Such great advice. Thank you for this video, Ellen.
@comstocktheprophet9144
7 жыл бұрын
Nice Video Ellen, Btw you've got the name of my main character
@mr.vegeta8160
8 жыл бұрын
I think I have a problem with my main character. Basically before I actually show his full description I have written him a sort of a character who hides his appearance in public so it's hard to see his face but later on when he's fully introduce i describe his features but I guess the mistakes I made was describing his full appearance now I have to make it sound better.
@emotionalkryptonite1161
8 жыл бұрын
SERIOUSLY, EVERYONE SAYING THAT HARRY HAD HIS MOTHERS EYES WAS SO ANNOYING.
@shhimreading906
5 жыл бұрын
tell me about it.
@ArabKatib
10 жыл бұрын
Miss? YOU ARE *AMAZING!!!* :^o Liked, faved,and shared! And subbed! Greetings from Dubai! : )
@moonlitskylight5740
10 жыл бұрын
I find it amusing that Divergent did two cliches in the first chpater, and it's a best seller. From what I've heard at least. The author started it by looking in the mirror, and that's how Tris described herself. How did the editors get past that I have to wonder?
@hellothere5414
9 жыл бұрын
That was the question I was going to ask also. But I have no idea what so ever.
@BlindGardener
5 жыл бұрын
Because it's a cheap ya novel. I'm sure Bella looked at her reflection aswell.
@cate2728
10 жыл бұрын
I really appreciate your videos. Thank you!
@sweetpotatey
9 жыл бұрын
Great point about putting the descriptions in early…I've just been reading a book where details on the appearance of the main character was given in the 5th and 6th chapters and I had to change how I saw that character. Not fun.
@IamE0N
8 жыл бұрын
Thanks for all these videos. Very helpful.
@xTheBlackFoxx
9 жыл бұрын
You are so wonderful! Thank-you :)
@jacklabloom635
5 жыл бұрын
I agree it is better not to describe characters in too much detail. When reading a novel, I get an image in my mind as to what the character looks like physically. I don't like to get into a novel and the find out the character looks completely different than I had imagined from the opening scene. Let the reader decide what the characters look like from a minimal physical description.
@alysellin8730
5 жыл бұрын
I like a character to be fully described. I want to know the shade of their hair, the colour of their eyes, if they are tanned , dark or white skinned. I want it straight out described in an obvious way.
@NameNotAChannel
4 жыл бұрын
Absolutely, yes. This is much more important in High-fantasy /science-fantasy, where things are so different from our world, that every bit of them is important... the closer you get to "real life" situations, the less important looks are, because very little stands out, or is important. Personally, I'd rather have a crystal clear mind's eye vision of what the characters and places look like, even if they're not super important to the plot. The world is a character too, and characters' clothing can have a lot to say about that world. People who get bored with descriptions apparently don't care about the characters or world enough to take that in, IMO. That's OK... but I highly dislike it when it becomes a rule that writers have to start to follow... I'll never follow that rule.
@megweiss6305
9 жыл бұрын
One of the funniest book group experiences ever was a member describing the male romantic character--pre-burning.--in The English Patient as drunk, angry, overweight, buttons gaping across his belly--all of which was clearly described in a scene in the book. As one, all the book club members sighed "No-o-o" . Of course they were picturing Ralph Fiennes.
@scribble71891
7 жыл бұрын
I actually used a mirror to describe my character but only when the state of her appearance changed; it wasn't hinted at all that she was hiding her scars under makeup until she bathed, washing it away and pretty much setting herself up for mental breakdown when she made the mistake of looking at it with her face undone.
@mikemcardle7466
5 жыл бұрын
Great tips and advice.
@jimothyworldbuilding3664
5 жыл бұрын
Ellen Brock: "Don't have your characters describe themselves while looking in a mirror" Me, looking at my post it note that reminds me not to be scared of going back and correcting work: Ah, s***, here we go again. tbf tho minimalist descriptions have always been what I prefer. I've always just needed a small number of features (like: "oh yeah she's tall with brown skin, dark hair and yellow eyes"), particularly the abnormal/uncommon features ("yeah and she's also got a giant a** scar across her face") and always filled in gaps like clothing, most facial features and whatnot from there in that moment... somehow my brain forgot that this is literally what everyone else does as well and will now get to work on severely reducing the lengths of some passages where characters are introduced. Also thanks for the vid I just read the passages and they're actually awful. Without this they would've never been corrected and I can say the same about a lot of parts to my work thanks to you and other book-writing youtubers so thanks a lot.
@ethanthompson3198
8 жыл бұрын
how do you send to publishers? a digital copy or a hard copy? should I mail it to myself beforehand?
@Slaterybooker
5 жыл бұрын
What about drawing your characters and including it in the book. Either one per chapter or like an index?
@s.t.7169
8 жыл бұрын
This topic is so confusing for me, because I am an amateur with no formal writing education. I have listened to several different YT channels specifically discussing the "do's and don't's" of character physical descriptions, and everyone seems to have a different take on it. It's not surprising to hear an Editor say not to "over-describe" a character's physical appearance, but this doesn't seem quite right to me in the Fantasy/horror/sci-fi novel I am writing, because many of the characters I'm describing are so far out of the mundane, and unusual, that it feels like I'm ripping the Reader off if I don't give a good solid physical description.
@KayoYuuki
8 жыл бұрын
+S. T. ikr, but you could introduce all of that but try not to be boring or like she said having an entire paragraph about it with no content, besides no one will remember that doesn't matter how hard you try, lets just say that one of your characters is pink, you can try something like : "john was lost staring at lily, he is not used to the andorian race and their pink skin, besides she was too short to be a warrior caring so much weight from that armor" 'maybe they are also stronger than humans' he thought.
@4Tom4lepus4
8 жыл бұрын
That is different though, bc in a story with characters that are not mundane, their appearance is revelant, bc the main character either has never seen one of these species before or needs to use their looks to put them in a category. With most stories, it doesn't really matter what eye colour somebody has or something like that. If these are identifying for your species, then it IS relevant. Just don't over-do it and go more for the glorious "show don't tell" . At least that's my opinion :) amateur writer but professional reader :D
@MST3Killa
7 жыл бұрын
There are no "rules" that have to be followed, it's a matter of opinion. There's so much more than a simple Do and Don't list on youtube. Context, perspective, theme, genre, voice, style, relevance, etc... What Ellen talks about here is her opinion, what she thinks works and what doesn't. If you ask a different editor, they might not feel exactly the same way. Think of a movie script, writers don't go to only 1 producer. they go to as many as will entertain the idea. They'll get rejected or passed over for one reason or another time and time again until someone sees something they like. Books are the same way. Your reader is the one who will determine what is too long or too short, what is or isn't necessary.
@quartkneek3670
5 жыл бұрын
Can't help but think of the HP series as a contradiction. Maybe fantasy or Kid's books are like the Romance genre because Rowling picks out one or two descriptors and repeats them numerous times. Half-moon glasses = Dumbledore, Greasy curtain of hair = Snape, Frog references for the toady Umbridge, etc. I like this approach because with a larger cast it helps people associate the name with a face so to speak.
@djnewtonrudd7289
10 жыл бұрын
Forgive me for repeating if someone else has already asked this, but what about non-human characters? I'm working on a sci-fi about characters who are only vaguely humanISH, and I worry that without repeated reminders sprinkled throughout the text readers will forget that they're not reading about humans. Any suggestions?
@GnarledStaff
7 жыл бұрын
Use their actions to remind people of their alien nature. Leaning forward hungrily while the others are playing with a pet can subtly remind people that this character eats puppies. Perhaps they have never seen a specific object or encountered a social norm and can respond uncannily to it. I think if you have really alien characters and your readers are forgetting that they are not human you may need to revisit their alien nature. You can also slip in little reminders. Just a word here and there. Shifting his blue hoofed feet awkwardly, idly scratching with a tentacle. Just try not to make the sentence about being an alien but rather how they are reacting to the situation. Reinforce existing ideas rather than retelling things that readers should know.
@JasonThomas-bv2yw
8 жыл бұрын
You have some really great videos.
@sosazo
9 жыл бұрын
This is so on point. Thank you.
@hellojuneau8917
10 жыл бұрын
Great tips as usual!
@paulskertich9345
6 жыл бұрын
I use to describe to the pin-point of how every character appeared. I cut down on that a lot. Oddly enough, when I'm re-reading my manuscript of the main character's crack head biological mother. I picture something else than a skeletal walking corpse like human. After watching your video, I think I know how to fix that. The reader then can take it from there. Great video!
@SysterYster
5 жыл бұрын
I describe my characters fairly lightly. Maybe adding smaller details later. But in the current one I'm writing you get to know that he's got dark skin, long black hair and an odd eye colour. That's really all you need to know, because he stands out, and you need to know why. I think that's enough, at least at first. this way the reader won't imagine a blonde dude with short hair, and later get upset when he's not. XD That's happened to me in some books, and I hate that. When I have this character in my head, and then suddenly a description pops up, way late and it's not what I had imagined. :P
@tirecake1
10 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for your videos
@davidbridges870
4 жыл бұрын
Hi Ellen I'm curious, would having a scene, say from the perspective of a job interviewer be acceptable?? I'll have to introduce several aliens and have some descriptions of what these aliens look like, oh and there's no humans in the story.
@Odynn88
9 жыл бұрын
What if the character is growing up from childhood throughout the book aquiring different traits? for exemple grownig a long hair and cutting it in a few years. I have like a million question to you becouse I've just started writing a book about a week ago and already halfway through. And I have no one to ask. Thanks for the videos, they are already helping. Btw, I'm from hungary.
@sharathkumar8422
6 жыл бұрын
Odynn88 if your character is cutting his hair, work it into a scene. Like maybe the long hair is distracting the character from doing something or it's an annoying thing and the character doesn't want to spend time taking care of it or he wants to woo a girl and she seems to like guys with short hair. Work all the changes your character undergoes into a scene that furthers the plot. If you can't then that means that that detail is not important to the story and you can just leave it out. If you have anymore questions about this, ask here itself...
@abdelhalimmohamed2864
7 жыл бұрын
Could you make a video on how to pick a pen name, please?
@RobDeManc
10 жыл бұрын
Don't describe your character by having them look in the mirror EL James!
@WarriorsArchive
10 жыл бұрын
I'm kinda terrible at character description so far. Figured I'd leave a lot of that up to the reader or go back and give them some detail and personality after the first draft is complete.
@shhimreading906
5 жыл бұрын
i know im like 4 years late lol and you've probably had this question answered or figured it out yourself, but with my descriptions at least I like to compare their physical (or personality) appearance to things. Like saying her nose looks like a small round potato or her hair is the colour of marzipan, her laugh was like the sound of a hack cough. I wouldn't do this with every aspect of them thought, but do it once or twice, but don't have every different feature you describe compared to something. then it just becomes over dramatic and you sound like you're anne of green gables (not that there's anything wrong with her, but she goes over the top sometimes is what im saying). i just think it's better than going 'her hair was blonde or her eyes were blue' im not very good with personality tbh so like..... i can't help you with that because i struggle (i think) with making my protagonist's personality consistent.
@shhimreading906
5 жыл бұрын
but really, most of the time, your reader doesn't need more than a few lines of description to picture a whole character, so long as those few lines are distinctive and not generic like 'she had blonde hair and blue eyes'. you really wanna say something more like 'her lip curled up slightly and her hair stood on her hair like a haystack' that gives her uniqueness and it's far easier to picture it. i don't know why im still talking because it's been 4 years so you probably know all this already. im gonna disappear now. (:
@SerafiniAGaunt
8 жыл бұрын
My character's description stems from looking into a mirror, but part of the little scene where it happens is also to establish her fear of mirrors. Is this a justifiable reason to have her character description this way (it's a short paragraph that names some of her features, but doesn't go too in-depth), or do I really need to change it?
@MST3Killa
7 жыл бұрын
Without reading the excerpt, it's hard to say definitively. First question is do YOU feel it needs to be changed. Next would be asking others, have friends or family read your work, get their opinions on it. If you're close to a university, go pester the english majors to see if they'll read some of your work. They're usually bored enough with enough of a complex that having someone ask their opinion is a good ego stroke and at least they'll be objective.
@yevgrafvalkharan3174
7 жыл бұрын
Describe the features with concise adjectives when they are being interacted with, therefore the description will not detract from what is going on in the story.
@naomiklassen475
3 жыл бұрын
What if the character's appearance is important to the plot?
@belalhossam
7 жыл бұрын
Thank you
@FEAROWNAGE
6 жыл бұрын
One more thing -- I dump information excessively, which prohibits me from thoroughly describing the actual story. Considering that I'm a Space and Power Fantasy writer, I'm obsessed with somehow getting the point across as dramatically as possible.
@FEAROWNAGE
6 жыл бұрын
Roxanne G My opening description is more of an introduction to the world my story takes place in. In the likely case that the reader doesn't know what a "Cobaltion", "Azuranite", and/or "Viritian" is.
@WyliePhenix
8 жыл бұрын
I LOVE YOU!
@hawkssuns08
10 жыл бұрын
This has been my biggest issue! What if one of the main issues that the main character has with himself is his height? Should it be mentioned more often since he feels obsolete for being short?
@silentprophet777
10 жыл бұрын
You could do little gags now and then where maybe someone makes fun of his height and he takes huge offense at it, or suddenly a particular action is greatly obstructed by his short height, but it shouldn't be overdone. Once or twice, sprinkled in just to get the point across and keep it across.
@DatLeafyBoi
8 жыл бұрын
What if I put my own (MY) concept art on the cover, so they can look at the cover if they forget? Is this ok?
@BlindGardener
5 жыл бұрын
I allow it.
@jeffsparks532
10 жыл бұрын
How would you jibe this with "Show, don't Tell"?
@frida510
9 жыл бұрын
Loved it
@outragedamerican1149
9 жыл бұрын
I have a problem with clothing, I never know if I should describe the clothes for a new day or not. It's especially awkward in fantasy and historical because you can't just say a shirt or jeans. Listing off clothing can be tedious to write and no doubt even more tedious to read but clothing does set a mood e.g a high society dinner would require high society clothing but can that just be assumed rather than told?
@markersandtea
8 жыл бұрын
You could have the character who's POV it is briefly note/comment on the clothing of the other guests, either internally or in dialogue to another character. By that I mean remarks on how the woman still move gracefully while weighted down by pounds of fabric over wide hooped skirts, how the ladies sat perched on their chairs due to their corsets, how the men look like huddling emperor penguins as they stand together drinking and smoking etc. This way the reader is directed towards what clothing is being worn and is given details of the surroundings/atmosphere of the party instead of having a character look down and describe their entire wardrobe for the evening (of course them describing how the fabric/corset/shoes are annoying/impeding/surprising comfortable is alright to do in passing). Most people have a vague idea what type of clothing was worn during different periods and you'd hope that those reading historical fiction would have a pretty solid idea so describing clothing constantly is probably unnecessary, but I'd say read some historical fiction to see what other authors do. Hope this helped :)
@outragedamerican1149
8 жыл бұрын
markersandtea yeah that helps alot, thank you so much.
@markersandtea
8 жыл бұрын
Mick W No problem! Glad I could help :)
@tedricd5205
8 жыл бұрын
+Mick W you should imply a kind of style, so unless you specifically mention that they are wearing something out of the ordinary, your readers just assume what they are wearing. For example, I have an evil aristocrat. I describe him as wearing 3 peice suits and top hats, then you just assume he is always wearing something similar everyday. because again, you should not overly describe people.
@BrettCaton
5 жыл бұрын
Clearly, it is best to start with breast size.
@NeolithicMan23
8 жыл бұрын
I tend to describe very little and relevant details like only hair or eyes color or not describe anything at all, especially when it comes to the main character. As you said, readers will forget it and readers tend to imagine themselves or their preferences in the characters. I think it's a right of the reader, and I wouldn't take it from them lol
@monsterjazzlicks
7 жыл бұрын
+MST3Killa - Do you think its ok to write a couple of paragraphs worth of description shortly after you first introduce the character? And then not mention it again.
@MST3Killa
7 жыл бұрын
Generally, no. I wouldn't describe someone with more than 1 paragraph and honestly, don't use a paragraph to do explain descriptions in that kind of specific way. I agree with Ellen that descriptions should be done a bit more fluidly, through actions and reactions. Perspective, context, and relevance all determine what level of description you'll need. Your voice and style will also influence this. I don't go on and on with descriptions, but I will certainly describe someone's appearance if it's pertinent to the story and how I do so will depend on the kind of story i'm writing.
@monsterjazzlicks
7 жыл бұрын
+MST3Killa - Thanks! I have not read fiction for nearly 20 x years so I admit I am a bit out of touch! I can see what you mean but I am not on that level yet so I may need to plod on as I am for the time being until I get to grips with the basics . . .
@MST3Killa
7 жыл бұрын
Just remember Perspective. Ex: A man sees a woman and falls in love, well, through his eyes, he's going to have more description of her appearance and such than if he were meeting his old college friend for coffee, right? Context. Ex: a horror story like say, HP Lovecraft's work will have a lot of description because it's through that description and verbiage that much of the suspense and horror is derived. a more comedic story wouldn't need such descriptive detail. It depends on what you're writing. Relevance. Ex: If a person is a minor character, it's not worth the time for a reader unless it's something basic like. "Upon laying eyes on Brock McHugeson, I was struck by his broad frame and tiny head." Main characters require more, obviously, but understand that you can weave their physical attributes through a few different paragraphs when they're first introduced rather than a somewhat formulaic INTRODUCE CHARACTER.... DESCRIBE CHARACTER... NOW WE SPEAK... kind of thing. It's especially true if all your characters are introduced and described in the same way.
@monsterjazzlicks
7 жыл бұрын
Perspective - Ok, thanks. But is PERSPECTIVE the same as POV please? Context - I kinda see. So you mean it is 'genre specific'? Relevance - I think the rule of thumb (I may be wrong) is that you get the 'visual' description out of the way first of all. Then let the STORY take over. I am also concerned about things reading like a 'shopping list'. So I was thinking of adding a hit of physical/internal/external attribute every time the character speaks.
@MST3Killa
7 жыл бұрын
Perspective can be POV, yes. But, it's not just the literal point of view. Contextualize POV, each person views things differently, they'll notice different things, they'll feel differently. A battle hardened veteran who's lost an arm or a leg is going to have a much different perspective than someone fresh out of college worrying how they're going to pay off their student loans. Context is the same way, it is in part genre specific (science fiction and horror tend to have a lot of descriptive words since they're world building and such where as love stories might not) but it's also context of the story. It's who is meeting who, through what lens do they see? Where are they meeting? Is it just on a street corner or are they in a fancy ballroom? Context is the broader scope of the interaction. Relevance is just what's pertinent. "Johnny was a large man, six foot seven by my meager estimates. His thick frame stretched the fabric of his undersized suit and I couldn't help but laugh over how his wide, melon-shaped head made his thin wire glasses look puny by comparison." This would describe that he's a big guy and dressed comically... right? I don't have to go into his hair color or eye color or what exact type of suit he was wearing or even the color of the suit. If I wanted to write that as being more menacing, I'd change how my character perceives Johnny's appearance. It would come from a place of fear, maybe. The relevant characteristics I describe would be different. The feeling that character perceives another would change. That said, relevance is also about character importance, more integral characters should be described, but being bogged down in a paragraph (or two) where that's all that's happening isn't a good thing for a reader.
@sverrearnes7769
10 жыл бұрын
Wise words here, but she is a liittle wrong when she says that readers forget the looks of characters. They remember too well if the hero is a blonde in p. 7, and redhaired in p. 104. YOU forget it - they don't :-)
@011mph
9 жыл бұрын
I agree so much LOL. That has happened in a number of books I've read. The author would just forget what a character was supposed to look like. Recently I read a series where in the earlier books, a character had been described as having dark brown hair but later in the last book, suddenly the character was descriebed as being blonde without any explanation. I think it happened due to the fact that the author took forever to even release the final book because they were so distracted with a new series they were writing. It's really frustrating as a fan XD
@Grifiki
10 жыл бұрын
"I find that Characters are quite easy to explain to a Reader!! "Who is that John Wayne looking guy who lives next door to you?' said Doris."
@BlindGardener
5 жыл бұрын
Ok
@lilypond5158
3 жыл бұрын
I always imagine carismatic characters to be attractive even if the discription says1they look average. Also the opposite, no matter how many times you say your main character is the most beautiful creature on earth if they are boring I'll imagine a boring was face.
@n7275
10 жыл бұрын
Describing how a character looks in a book is like describing how they sound in a silent film.
@XellDincht
8 жыл бұрын
mirror cliche: I don't think it's that bad, it depends on the character. Imagine the protagonist was obsessed with beauty and something bad happened to him/her that made him/her ugly (scars for example) It would be natural for them to look at the mirror and pity herself/himself
@minch333
8 жыл бұрын
That's tying physical description to character development though, so yes it's definitely better, but you could achieve the same thing by having him/her just touching their scar, being scared of the mirror and believing themselves to look worse than they actually do or something. The last part of that was kind of armchair writing, but the touching of the scar would still work.
@XellDincht
8 жыл бұрын
i think it would be an good way to spark the interest of the reader like the question: What happened to him/her
@XellDincht
8 жыл бұрын
i think it would be an good way to spark the interest of the reader like the question: What happened to him/her
@minch333
8 жыл бұрын
XellDincht And touching wouldn't do the same thing?
@XellDincht
8 жыл бұрын
minch333 You can do both: he first looks in the mirror and then touches the scar. You don't have to describe his whole appearance, just the face
@neasahayes6044
4 ай бұрын
I have read books by very successful writers who are household names who continously describe the character's appearance especially if they are sexy, it's very irritating to read, like yeah I got the message already 😂
@KoshPilot
5 жыл бұрын
Joffery Bareathon's blond hair in Game of Thrones..........
@warangelcloud
10 жыл бұрын
What if your writing from a comic book style? I mean everybody knows what Gambit, Wolverine, and Storm looks like from X-men. What I mean is that I don't want my novel to become a real life movie. I'd rather it to become animated. I want my audience to be mostly manga and comic book readers.
@wilcoxmf
10 жыл бұрын
O0
@warangelcloud
10 жыл бұрын
Martin Wilcox Huh?...
@warangelcloud
9 жыл бұрын
Kenji Hyuga It's a novel written with the image of a graphic novel/Japanese Manga. But it's more manga based.
@Joeyal123
9 жыл бұрын
Basically if you chracter is a special forces operative their obviously not going to picture him or her as obese or sickly skinny LOL
@katewarner1623
Жыл бұрын
Whatever you do, don't describe your character by saying they look like a certain celebrity. I've seen this in a few romances and it comes across as so lazy. You can envision your character as Chris Evans, but don't say, "He looked like Chris Evans."
@mayuarijo
2 жыл бұрын
💙💙💙💙💙
@cosmicwarriorz
10 жыл бұрын
How do you describe members of minority groups? I do not want to offend anyone.
@DoctorInstrument
9 жыл бұрын
Ping Pong was a crippled Vietnamese immigrant with dark hair and a distracting accent.
@shhimreading906
5 жыл бұрын
no matter what you do you're going to offend someone tbh
@alysellin8730
5 жыл бұрын
DoctorInstrument OMG LMAOOO
@Chad01234
9 жыл бұрын
George R.R. Martin does the complete opposite of this ;)
@Joeyal123
9 жыл бұрын
George RR Martin must be the king of cliches then
@Chad01234
9 жыл бұрын
He's the king of prose, certainly a master story teller. My guess is the rest of us have to write carefully...while those who have grown their writing skills to his level, are well enough writers that they can bend the rules.
@Joeyal123
9 жыл бұрын
Martin is a talented story tell its just not my cup of tea. However I believe I described my assassin chracter in a way that does not make her seem self absorbed
@JMLCK78
9 жыл бұрын
Flavius Quintori "He's the king of prose" Yeah, no.
@Chad01234
9 жыл бұрын
Jamie Khan It's a bit more cerebral to state why you believe Mr. Martin is not the king of prose. Are you an avid fantasy and or historical fiction writer? Have you read Frank Herbert or and of Sharon K. Penman's work? Would you have written A Song of Ice and Fire differently? Is there some way the man can improve? I ask these questions not to be argumentative, but to learn from you if you indeed have something viable to state. But just a denial of the man's talent either expresses a personal issue, or (in my hope), something powerful to say.
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