Link to my SYW thread

SinkFulloDishes · Sep 11, 2007

Hello all,

I've just posted a couple of scenes from my current WIP:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76944

I'm looking for some rather specific help - trying to figure out where to work in my characters' physical descriptions. It was something that a couple of people asked after reading through what I've got done of my first draft. I knew I needed to get them in there, but I keep stalling because every time I read back over it, I end up all the way up to chapter 3 again without having come up with an earlier place to put them. Gah! My other two stories were easier in this regard, for some reason.

If you have a chance, please check it out!

Thanks,
Liz

writermom · Sep 11, 2007

(this is said without reading your piece yet)

That leads me to the question, is it necessary to provide your character's physical description? I vote no. What’s everyone else’s opinions?

Chicken Warrior · Sep 11, 2007

I would guess no, but I'll have to read it. If you absolutely must, I would try the begining (possibly like a prologue that readers could or could not skip). I know this is generally a no-no, but if you mix it with some stuff about character and can make it funny/interesting, I've seen it work very well. Good luck.

Harper K · Sep 11, 2007

writermom said:
That leads me to the question, is it necessary to provide your character's physical description? I vote no. What’s everyone else’s opinions?

I think whether it's necessary is dictated by the story and all that it encompasses -- the POV, the voice, the character. If you're writing from the 1st person POV of a very appearance-focused character, your readers would expect to find out how the character and everyone around him or her looks. Same thing if the character is, say, really gossipy or judgmental. Or is an amateur artist / fashion designer / hairstylist and habitually looks at people's faces and figures.

But if you're writing a sci-fi story that centers on a character's attempt to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, there probably won't need to be too many appearance descriptors.

My personal preference as a reader and a writer is to have just a few telling details about a character's appearance -- a facial scar or an awful two-tone hair dye job or oddly shaped eyebrows or abnormally long toes. I like it when those details signify something about the character's personality, too. And the best writers are able to weave those details in with the story in a meaningful way.

(...And I just added my thoughts to your SYW thread, Sink!)

SinkFulloDishes · Sep 11, 2007

Hm, these are all good points. I prefer to work this kind of thing into the story without making it stand out, but that's where I was having trouble - I can't seem to find the right place early on.

The person who asked me about it said she found it frustrating to get through several chapters without feeling like she had any image at all of the characters in her head. She had just finished reading a published novel where she had the same issue - there was never a description of what the MC looked like.

I'm thinking along the lines of getting across to the reader that the MC has dark hair and dark eyes, and that other than those traits, he most resembles his oldest brother, who has the same features and build, but with light brown hair. Just enough to give the reader something to work with.

JLCwrites · Sep 11, 2007

Well, I read your WIP, and I really had no problem picturing them. I know that you didn't give any physical descriptions, but you added a lot of action, and scene descriptions. I'd say, get some more opinions. (which you are doing by posting your work) and go from there.

If you can picture your characters vividly in your mind, then your reader should be able to follow suit. With the character's image set in your mind, you will eventually add little snippets of information as time goes on.

"He ran his hand through his matted hair in frustration"
"The cigarette barely dangled from the end of his swollen and bloodied lip"
"Those brown eyes seem to turn black with anger."
"He couldn't stop staring at her freckles while she yelled at him."

Stuff like that.

I don't think you should commit a paragraph to describing your character. (It takes the reader out of the action to listen to your narration.) But little hints should be enough.

Readers need to use their imagination! (This is why I ALWAYS read the book before seeing it's movie. I want to have my own visual perspective before being influenced by someone else's representation.)

Hope this helps!
Have fun!
-TL

bethany · Sep 11, 2007

I'll head over and read what you have. I think maybe the key is putting it in in small increments and having it mean something, like your character's sister has gorgeous blonde hair and she finds her brown hair dull in comparison of something.

I have found that some readers/writers of genre romance seem to want physical description right away. May just be a preference thing. Who knows?

SinkFulloDishes · Sep 11, 2007

Thanks very much, Turkey Lurkey!

I like to slip in my descriptions as you suggested, but as I'm sure you know, it's hard to figure out if the reader is getting enough out of it, or if I just think they are because I have it all so clearly in my head. I started having doubts after my one reader's comment, so it's good to hear that you could see it all. Thanks again!

bethany - thank you! I'm thinking that may be one of the problems (personal preference), because the one other person who read it didn't mention descriptions as a concern. Once I get more than one person independently commenting on the same thing, I tend to go into uh-oh mode

.

Liz

Link to my SYW thread

SinkFulloDishes

writermom

Avada Kedavra

Chicken Warrior

Ahead of Your Time

Harper K

here's to the girl on the go

SinkFulloDishes

JLCwrites

bethany

:)

SinkFulloDishes