idk if you've answered this one but do you have tips on how to write in character descriptions without it seeming unnatural?? whenever i describe a character it just seems like i've broken the storyline so the reader knows she's wearing a purple dress
Writing Character Descriptions.
Pausing the story to give a character description can often break the natural flow of the story and come across as static and forced. But there are a few tricks to help your character descriptions feel more fluid…
1. Descriptions should say something about who the character is.
Whenever you describe a character, it’s good to stop and think about what each piece of their appearance says about them. Why did they choose this outfit with these accessories? What impact has their physical features had on their self esteem? What parts of their personality come through in their posture and resting expression?
Vibrant colors can portray an outgoing or individualistic character.
Messy outfits and hair show stress, bad time management or sloppiness.
Broken noses, scars, and bruises show rebellion, a fighting spirit, or a rough life.
(The list keeps going; add your own!)
This doesn’t mean that everything you describe needs to convey a character trait to the reader – some things are worth including just to give your readers the ability to visualize the scene – but it’s still very useful to look through your character’s appearance and focus on those things that say the most.
2. Descriptions are more than just static visuals.
People aren’t just composed of the colors they wear and their prominent features. Remember that descriptions can (and should) also include things like:
The quality of their voice.
Nervous ticks and habits.
The way they interact with their own appearance. (E.g putting up their hair, adjusting their suit, twirling their scarf, digging through their purse, etc.)
When combined with well chosen appearance traits, active appearance aspects reveal a much fuller picture of who the character is.
A black-eyed character with their head held high, their arms swinging, and a pinched upper lip probably instigated (or won) the fight that earned them the black-eye, where as a black-eyed character who curls their arms around themselves and walks with their eyes down is actively avoiding any further attention.
3. Putting it all together: Work description into action.
By including both static visuals and active aspects into the actions the character is taking when they’re introduced, you end up with a much more fluid, natural description.
Static description looks like this…
She stood at the edge of the platform wearing a lacy, purple dress that went to her ankles. Her feet were bare and she wore a cheep iron ring on her right hand. She had pulled her dark hair into a bun, but a few locks had fallen loose. Her lips were full and her nose hooked.
After a moment of hesitation, she stepped off the platform. She let out a breath, smiled, and then continued forward.
Turning that into active description, we get…
The lace trim of her purple dress wavered around her ankles as she picked up her foot and hovered it at the edge of the platform. Her fingers trembled and she tugged at the cheep iron ring on her right hand. A soft gust of wind picked up the dark strands that had fallen from her bun, twirling them around her hooked nose.
With care, she stepped off the platform, flinching at the tiny stones that met her bare feet. She released a breath, her shoulders sinking. Her full lips pulled into a smile.
These kinds of descriptions have the bonus of eliminating passive voice. In the first description, we have four instances of passive voice (in this case, were and had), where as in the second we find only one instance, which blends into an otherwise active sentence.
Find more writing advice by Bryn here!
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