Right now, I'm compiling the "bible" for my Channing Hayes series. (The first book, THE LAST LAFF, is complete, and I've started outlining the sequel.)
Here are a few examples:
Wispy hair swirled on the skinny guy’s head like a soft-serve ice cream cone, and the pupils of his eyes seemed to move independently of each other. Woody Allen had nothing on this guy in the nebbish department.
And:
Ty stood six-six and weighed two-seventy-five, with an androgynously beautiful face perched atop a body carved from a single slab of ebony granite. No seams or cracks anywhere. He looked like he’d started lifting weights when he was seven and hadn’t stopped.
And:
Dressed in a flowing red and silver caftan, with her sultry complexion and dark flowing hair, Erin reminded me of some exotic Persian princess. She invited me in, only to break the fairy tale illusion when she blew a pink bubble-gum bubble and popped it on her lips.
How about you? Are you a MORE or a LESS person when it comes to a character's physical description?
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10 comments:
Alan - I guess I'd say I'm more of a "less" person - at least at this point in my series. Not only am I still developing the characters, but I am hoping to have their backstories unfold. I don't know if that will work, but at least I have a semi-logical rationale : ).
I'm probably a "less" person. Dribble pieces of description here and there and let the reader develop their own vision.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Sadly, I'm more of a more. I see them so clearly in my head that I can't help describing them in too much detail. But at least I start out that way! A personal pet peeve is when I get to know a character in someone else's book, and I develop a picture of them, and then two books into the series, there's a description that doesn't match mine.
Put me in the less camp for sure. This, more-or-less question is always a tough one. How much paint to put on the canvas in descriptive text? I'm like you, I don't particularly like to read it, so, I do the minimum when I have to write it. Surprisingly, at least to me, I've had a few readers say they like lots of detail.
Best Wishes Galen.
Imagineering Fiction Blog
I like yours!
I don't write much description. In fact, that's a frequent editorial complaint...they mark spots in my manuscripts where they want more of it. I do better filling description in on demand, instead of providing it upfront.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen
Less! I only describe people when I feel it is absolutely necessary so I wouldn´t be able to describe any of my characters in detail. I prefer indicating what they are like in a few strokes, and the readers of my flash fiction seem to be able to relate to my characters.
Write the dossier for yourself. Put in way too much information. Some of it you'll use, some you won't but at least it's all there to refer to. It's very very useful for avoiding continuity errors.
Elspeth
Margot - Semi-logic is more logic than many people employ. Good luck!
Helen - I think "dribble" is a good way to think about it!
Jennie - You are the contrarian here! I know what you mean about getting a picture of someone in your head. I hate it when I go to a movie (or watch TV), and some character from a book looks completely unlike my mental picture. Throws me off.
Galen - Don't pay any attention to your readers. What do they know? (To MY readers: I'm just kidding.)
Elizabeth - That's a good strategy. Only write stuff on demand. I wish I could get away with that. I guess you have more pull :)
Dorte - I guess being descriptive in few words is a good skill to have when writing flash fiction!
Elspeth - That's a good tip, dossier-wise. Most of the jokes I write are for myself too. (At least someone thinks they're funny.)
I like as little description as possible and prefer to focus on the unusual bits. Like: "His small eyes peered over a huge moustache."
But I love your soft-serve ice cream hair! And a bible or dossier is a great idea. I need to do one for my current wip. I keep forgetting the secondary characters names let alone what they look like.
Definitely a "less" person. And I really don't like it when an author compares a character to a real person (usually an actor). With my 1 movie a year and hardly any TV, I'm not going to make the connection. And why let someone else do your work. Give me broad brushstrokes, and I'll be happy to fill in the rest.
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