Character Development: Appearance
Your characterâs appearance is pretty useful for a reader. This doesnât just include hair and eye color, but accessories, how they view their own appearance, and body language. The characterâs appearance helps your reader to not only visualize the character theyâre reading about, but also to let them know something about the character. Hereâs a list of the different components in a characterâs appearance:
eyes (color, shape, emotion, etc.)
hair (color, style, wavy/curly/straight/etc., long/short)
skin (color, texture - like is it smooth, pockmarked, covered in spikes, etc.)
build (height, weight, muscle, type of body)
body language (how they stand/move)
clothing - normal (e.g. what theyâd wear while out and about in public or in general)
clothing - dressed up (e.g. when theyâre trying to be fancy)
clothing - comfortable (e.g. when they donât care about what they look like, only comfort)
footwear/accessories (shoes, bags, hairthings, jewelry, tattoos, etc.)
how do they feel about their appearance (e.g. are they proud of it, ashamed, or just donât care?)
how they see themselves vs how others see them (tied into the one above - like if they donât care about their appearance and see their appearance as perfectly fine, but other people think that they donât wear good clothes. In other words, how does your characterâs appearance influence their interactions with others?)
items/things that they carry around with them or that appear with them that donât really fit into the accessories category (e.g. Disney princesses and their animals, or the Log Lady and her log in Twin Peaks)Â
Of course, not all of this information will appear in your writing (unless youâre working with visuals, like film or comics), but itâs good to keep in mind as the author.
When you do describe your characterâs appearance in writing, remember:
I know, youâve heard it all before, but itâs pretty important.Â
For instance, if you have a tall character, instead of saying
He carried himself the way many tall people did - slightly bent down so that people could talk face-to-face with him.
He was always accidentally hitting his head on doorways that were too small for him, or on strings of lights at parties hung to accommodate people much shorter than him.
From these descriptions, the reader knows that not only is your character tall, but also how his height affects him and others around him - heâs courteous and tries not to loom over people, and his surroundings arenât built with his height in mind, indicating that there arenât many tall people where he lives.
By showing, not telling, youâll be giving the reader more information about your character and in a way that develops character/the story.
However, there are times when you shouldnât spend a lot of time on description. If itâs not important to your character or story, donât feel bad if you say something very simply. And if your character isnât the type to notice appearances that much, then it wouldnât make sense for them to suddenly notice appearances with no explanation.
We have two characters noticing the same guy. The first character is a girl who loves art and poetry; the second character is a girl who likes math and science.
Character 1:Â âThe stranger had deep blue eyes, like the depths of a still pond. I kept peeking at him all through second period, dying to pull my sketchbook out and start drawing.â
Character 2:Â âThe stranger was good-looking, I guess - all the other girls were cooing over him in first period English today. I wasnât really listening; problem number 87, part b, was a bit of a challenge.â
To the first character, description with colors and metaphors are important, and so it makes sense that she would describe the stranger this way. But to the second girl, who isnât very poetic, it wouldnât make sense, so all she would say is âheâs good-looking and the other girls like him,â and the reader can fill in the blanks.
not all of your characterâs appearance is going to make it into the story
stormborns
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
2087
kaledo-art
discoholicmusic
