creative writing describing characters

How To Write A Character Description (101 Examples)

February 15, 2024

Learn what character description is and how to describe a character. Jump into OC description writing with one of the iconic character description examples from our list.

Developing a description of a character can be a challenge for OC creators. How much do you give away as someone who knows the character innately versus trying to generate interest and get an audience to invest in the character’s journey? We’re going to dive into writing character descriptions that stand out.

Why Character Descriptions Matter

Character descriptions, at heart, serve as a marker for the reader to determine if they wish to know more about the character. They are creators' attempts to signal that an individual they are writing about is worth becoming invested in. This is why a boring character description can be fatal to first impressions - why bother exploring a project if the character's description generates no spark?

Character descriptions are also influenced by purpose. A character description in a screenplay occupies a different purpose than a character description on a profile page. A description in a screenplay is lean, whereas a profile has more room to explore. These descriptions we’re talking about are too large for a character reference sheet .

While focusing on writing character descriptions for profiles, we will look at examples from literature, screenplays, and existing character profiles on CharacterHub. 

The Five Key Questions

When it comes to description in a general sense, there are five questions to consider: Who, What, Where, Why, and When? These questions are also beneficial in writing original character descriptions because you can use as many as you wish or even omit some to generate interest.

It is rather complicated to omit the who in a description, as a description is usually tied to an identifiable figure. Even if you may not want to give away a character’s identity, there is usually some marker that identifies them. For example, in the script for the horror classic Halloween (1978) by John Carpenter and Deborah Hill, the lurking presence of Michael Myers is simply referred to as “The Shape.” It is a name as evocative as it is practical. In most cases, a creator will probably just include the OC’s name.

The what in a character description can be interpreted as a marker for their identity. This could be their ethnicity, role, or species, for example. It is, again, reasonably complex to avoid this when developing a description, as a character without a perceived role may not feel like a character. A great example of “the what” in a character description comes from the character Tiberius Skärvas IV from the webcomic The Fourth . 

From the character's description on the cast page: “Ever since the First and his rather unethical business practices, the Tiberius Skärvas have been accursed by the gods. While technically still human, they possess the appearance and certain traits of sharks.” A cursed human with shark-like traits is undoubtedly a bold answer for “the what.”

When it comes to where , you are likely answering who the character is to their setting. It is less about a physical location and how that character connects to or runs counter to a location or society. Essentially, you are positioning them against civilization in whatever form that takes. A great example of this can be found in the codex entry of Agrippa Varus from the webcomic Terra Incognita . 

Case in point: “Agrippa Varus was raised in a well respected family in the Asurian capital of Sokai. His father Argo Varus, served as a consul and the main liaison between Asura and other sentient worlds. Due to his exposure to other species from a young age, Agrippa has an open mind and is much less prejudiced than the average Asurian citizen.” 

As we can see in this description, Agrippa is given a physical “where” regarding a space civilization while also being described of their societal “where” - as a figure that runs outside their culture.

The when of a character in their description is all about position. Whether the setting is based on natural history or set in an entirely fictional timeline, a character occupies temporal space, which can factor into how they are seen. Are they of their time, or do they feel apart from it? Descriptions that hint at such things are great at generating interest.

A great example of this can be found in the script of Warm Bodies (2013), in a description of the character R. “Blank face, sunken eyes. Blueish lips. If we didn’t know any better we’d think he was a junkie, a runaway from the set of My Own Private Idaho . Then we might notice a few thin gashes cutting across his cheeks. And then we might hear a soft groan humming from his frozen lips. And then we might start to wonder…

In this example, we see the deliberate usage of a contemporary reference to another film, positioning R and their relationship to a contemporary setting. The reference also does double duty, saying a lot about how R can be perceived by those familiar with the reference.

The why of a character description is most easily omitted to generate interest and intrigue. However, it can also be incredibly influential in generating interest in an original character. Knowing what drives a character can be a descriptive hook.

A great example of the “why” in a character description comes from Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s Don Quixote in this rather brilliant moment: “In short, his wits being quite gone, he hit upon the strangest notion that ever madman in this world hit upon, and that was that he fancied it was right and requisite, as well for the support of his own honour as for the service of his country, that he should make a knight-errant of himself, roaming the world over in full armour and on horseback in quest of adventures, and putting in practice himself all that he had read of as being the usual practices of knights-errant[...]”

Don Quixote’s mad notion of being a knight proves a compelling hook to the character, especially in how that motivation is presented. A reader can’t help but be intrigued by the description of the thin, elderly man who wants to be a knight.

Other Descriptive Traits and Tips

Much descriptive writing can come from things you probably already learned in school but are worth repeating. For example, utilizing sensory details in a character description can be particularly useful. Writing about how a character may smell like motor oil or freshly baked bread can suggest different things.

Contrast is another powerful tool in the character description, as when we are introduced to someone, we cannot help but size them up compared to people we know. This is especially true of original characters. How does one protagonist compare to another? How might you set a character apart from others? Using contrast is especially helpful here. For example, describing how a lead character differs from others in a similar position of their setting.

Of course, there are also things to avoid when developing character descriptions. Writing a description that is a laundry list of traits is something you may want to avoid. It can lack personality and feel a little boring. A solid character organizer can help you visually track if you rely on listing too often.

In any case, referring to some classic descriptive writing techniques can be helpful, especially when punching up a first draft of a character description.

Ways of Establishing Character Through Description

Well-written, informative descriptions greatly help establish interest in an original character. Consider them a teaser to what you hope to be a more significant journey you want to take readers on. Your goal is to connect an audience and a character through intrigue an interest - your aim can be to use description as a hook. Here are some different ways to use description to create that hook.

Using Description to Create a Presence

One of the most essential uses of description is to establish the presence of a character in their respective story. How about who is heroic or villainous? Who merits us following their story and becoming invested in them? This is particularly useful in writing an OC profile because you want to establish how we should feel about them without the burden of a ton of backstory to provide context.

Consider this like trying to convey everything about a person possible at a glance. How can you give us what we need about an OC in a descriptive passage? Well, let’s look at some examples.

In this sample from Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin , we see presence established by tying description to color and costuming details. Note that the presence established here is not a flattering one.

I could picture the smooth oval of Laura’s face, her neatly pinned chignon, the dress she would have been wearing: a shirtwaist with a small rounded collar, in a sober colour – navy blue or steel grey or hospital-corridor green. Penitential colours – less like something she’d chosen to put on than like something she’d been locked up in.

• Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin (2000)

Another great way to establish a character’s presence through description is to tie it to a metaphor. Let’s look at an example of Arudhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, where we have a character consumed by quietude.

Once the quietness arrived, it stayed and spread in Estha. It reached out of his head and enfolded him in its swampy arms…sent its stealthy, suckered tentacles inching along the insides of his skull, hoovering the knolls and dells of his memory, dislodging old sentences, whisking them off the tip of his tongue.

• Arudhati Roy, The God of Small Things (1997)

In these examples, we see how descriptive language can imply something about the character's presence, such as their authority or lack of authority. In the Atwood example, the character is effectively rendered blank or meek. Meanwhile, in the Roy example, the description paints a picture of a character consumed by their awkwardness and silence. Noting and working with such traits is key to building a good character profile.

Let’s look at how the presence of Gandalf is established through description in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring .

“Gandalf was shorter in stature than the other two; but his long white hair, his sweeping beard, and his broad shoulders, made him look like some wise king of ancient legend. In his aged face under great snowy brows his eyes were set like coals that could suddenly burst into fire.”

• J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)

Gandalf’s physical presence is a fun juxtaposition with him appearing larger than life. He may be shorter, but he has an aura about him - something noticeably distinguished. I recommend reading Tolkien for character description, not just because I am a fan. 

Using a History to Create Significance

Character description that depicts an established history can go a long way to informing a reader about what makes the character tick. A character can sometimes be seen as a record of their experiences, and knowing those experiences can tell us a lot about a character, how they view the world, and how the author wishes for us to view them. There is no shortage of character ideas , but a character is more than an idea: they are a story.

In Charles Dickens’ Hard Times , the character of Bounderby is pernicious and self-centered, motivated by the pursuit of their wants and desires having come up from poverty. We can see Dickens establish much of that in his description of Bounderby by including history in the character’s description.

“A big, loud man, with a stare, and a metallic laugh. A man made out of coarse material, which seemed to have been stretched to make so much of him […] always proclaiming, through that brassy speaking-trumpet of a voice of his, his old ignorance and his old poverty.”

• Charles Dickens, Hard Times (1854)

Let’s look at a character with an established history and how that history plays into their description in the present. If you are a fan of Star Trek , then the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan should be pretty familiar. The film was a culmination of a storyline that began in the 1960s featuring characters who have aged decades for the 1980s film. In particular, let’s look at a description of Captain Kirk from the script.

“Kirk reads the novel, trying to focus. His flat befits an Admiral and a loner with few possessions, except a collection of antiques.”

• Harve Bennett, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

In this example, we have a little bit of environmental storytelling that plays against what audiences would know of Captain James T. Kirk. Kirk, from the original series, was quite the heroic figure, not mainly seen as an elder statesman. However, the depiction of his apartment, filled with antiques belonging to a man who is alone, shows that much time has passed for the figure. He is different in many ways - almost startlingly so.

So, what can we draw from these examples when developing descriptions of our original characters? A character with a lot of history is undoubtedly colored by it, so if your description can evoke a journey, you’ve gone a long way to informing us about what makes them tick. This is seen in the example from Hard Times, where the character’s journey through the classes of 19th-century London colors how we see their outward-facing personality.

Further, if you are playing with time, descriptions of a character at different stages in their life or respective journey can highlight their growth, such as in the example from Star Trek . Contrast through history is a particularly effective strategy when writing a character description.

Using Perspective to Create Interpretation

In some cases, describing a character from another person's perspective can yield beautiful results. First impressions can say a lot, and stepping away from an omniscient narrator’s view of a character, filled with insight about them and their past, can be a valuable technique. It also can create a narrative journey for an OC later on, as our initial impressions, through a more limited outsider perspective, do not usually represent the whole character.

Here is an example of Virginia Woolf establishing a character’s description from another character's perspective.

“He was such a miserable specimen, the children said, all humps and hollows. He couldn’t play cricket; he poked; he shuffled. He was a sarcastic brute, Andrew said. They knew what he liked best – to be for ever walking up and down, up and down, with Mr. Ramsay, saying who had won this, who had won that …”

• Virginia Woolf, To The Lighthouse (1927)

Here is an example of a character description written from another character's perspective. In this case, we have Ripley from Aliens , who first encounters Burke as she recovers in a hospital room. Notice the usage of traits in the following passage. This is taken from the film's shooting script.

“The visitor sits beside the bed and Ripley finally notices him.  He is thirtyish and handsome, in a suit that looks executive or legal, the tie loosened with studied casualness.  A smile referred to as ‘winning.’”

• James Cameron, Aliens (1985)

Specifically, this is a friendly, somewhat charming face for a recovering from intensive trauma. However, we also get a sense of Burke's nature through the description, such as emphasizing the fakery of a “winning” smile.

If we want another great example of perspective coloring the description of a character, we can look toward another sci-fi franchise with Star Wars . In particular, the 4th draft script from A New Hope introduces Darth Vader in a fantastic way that tells us everything we need to know about the character from the perspective of the terrified Rebels.

“The awesome, seven-foot-tall Dark Lord of the Sith makes his way into the blinding light of the main passageway. This is Darth Vader, right hand of the Emperor. His face is obscured by his flowing black robes and grotesque breath mask, which stands out next to the fascist white armored suits of the Imperial stormtroopers. Everyone instinctively backs away from the imposing warrior and a deathly quiet sweeps through the Rebel troops. Several of the Rebel troops break and run in a frenzied panic.”

• George Lucas, Star Wars: A New Hope (1976)

That Darth Vader cuts an imposing presence in this description is an understatement. The key here is that we are seeing him through the eyes of those terrified Rebel troops.

Character Descriptions from Some Friends of Mine

There are many great examples of strong character descriptions out there. I turned to a few writer friends who are particularly good at creating characters, and I want to look at examples from two of them.

Robert Livingston: Tom n’ Artie and Kaiju Dayz

First up, we have my friend Robert Livingston, who was gracious enough to provide some examples from his in-depth pitch documents for two of his projects. First, look at some examples featuring the two leads of his comic Tom n’ Artie .

Tommy ‘Tom’ Sunshine Bliss

“Our stoic, disciplined Unicorn with the sparkly hair! Tom is the straight man of the duo usually doing the talking when they're with clients or when a deal needs to be made. Straight-laced with a dry sense of humor, he approaches situations with a strategic mindset preferring to have all the information before diving in. Due to his friendship with Artie, he commonly has to just 'wing it' with his little wildcard friend as he changes strategies on the fly.”

As we can see, Tom is the comedic straight man of the pair, but given the nature of the project, he still has his quirks. In particular, I want to note the contrast between his character and the description of his appearance. It does a lot to sell the inherent comedy of the character.

Artie Artillery

“The cartoon wildcard! Artie is zany and a rabbit/cat of action preferring to let his fists, teeth, legs, bats, guns, bombs and whatever he's got do the talking for him. He's spontaneous with a short fuse willing to crack jokes then skulls seconds apart from each other. Tom usually is the one who has to hold him back but during the events of the arc, he's more willing to let his little toon buddy cut loose more.”

Because the project revolves around a comedic pairing, we can see how essential contrasting the two leads can be in establishing their characters. There is some great description here, especially the emphasis on Artie’s improvised armory. Artie has enough of a hook from his description, but the depth is substantial when paired with his co-lead, Tom.

Next, we have an example from Robert’s other series, Kaiju Dayz . This project is like a sitcom set on an island of giant monsters. Let’s look at the series lead, Big Mama.

“A well-known Kaiju on Monster Island for her several successful attacks on human cities and other locations for many years. She’s gained a large reputation that gives her a lot of respect from others. It’s also forced her to put up a constant face of intimidation to keep that respect, she feels force is the only way to keep others in line. The only ones she’s softer on are her own children, Junior and Pestania, but now seeing that she’s growing estranged from them she’s trying to change that. She isn’t of this world (or possibly reality) and has no love for it but wants to keep anything she does love (her children and late husband) as close to her as possible.”

This character description does a great job of pitching the whole character. While I only used some segments for Tom and Artie earlier, I wanted to share the entire character description for Big Mama because it is so thorough without being overly long. This is an excellent example of a character description meant to sell the original character to an audience. This is what you’d want to see on a character profile .

Ben Paddon: Jump Leads

Ben Paddon sent me pitch documents for their audio drama, Jump Leads . You should give it a listen. Let’s look at the character descriptions for Meaney and Llewellyn, the dual protagonists of the story.

Thomas Meaney

The following is transcribed from the Jump Leads character breakdown about the character of Thomas Meaney.

• Meaney is excitable, enthusiastic, and young. She has wanted to be a Lead her entire life, and now she’s finally in training. This is her dream come true. Such a pity it’s about to be absolutely derailed by Misadventure.
• Meaney is a hopeful idealist. She always wants to see the best in people, and always tries to do good, even when the odds - and, indeed, her own skill set - are not in her favor. She’s also driven by a desire to get back home to complete her Lead training, though her adventurous, helpful nature, coupled with a desire to explore, often get the better of her.
• Meaney is excitable, in every sense of the word - her enthusiasm runs just as deeply as her fear, though she tries not to let being scared of a situation prevent the right decision from being made.
• Meaney is a brilliant problem-solver. She doesn't quite know this yet. She’ll discover that soon enough.

This is a wonderfully written character description that gives us everything we wish to know about a character while giving us the suggestion of a larger arc. When you think about this profile in terms of the questions who, what, where, why, and when, you’ll see they are all there.

Richard Llewellyn

• Llewellyn is in his mid-to-late 20s - still young enough to be bitter and cynical without having any of the real-world experience to justify it. He’s indifferent, snide, at times cruel, and he keeps people at an arm's length. Unfortunately, he’s been utterly unsuccessful in doing this with Meaney, in part because the alphabetical arrangement of the training classes has stuck them together.
• Llewellyn is smart, but lazy; brilliant, but apathetic. He joined the Lead Service because the alternative involved being in the real world, and that isn't something he's willing to do just yet. Of course, he'd never admit this.
• Underneath it all, there's something else. Maybe he's ready to let someone in. Or maybe he's hiding something else entirely…

Again, we have a dual protagonist situation; contrast is essential to define each. Each character can stand independently, but their descriptions are tailored to work best when read together. Yes, we get a fully rounded character in Llewellyn thanks to the description, but we also get a further hook because of the emphasis on personality clash. How might their journey go down, given their radically different perspectives?

Character Description from CharacterHub

While writing this article, I wanted to look at examples of character descriptions written by CharacterHub users. I’ve found some great examples to share, so why don’t we dive in and see what OC creators have been sharing with the community?

I’ve taken snippets from each profile of something I found to be particularly evocative or inspirational. Be sure to visit the complete profiles for even more great examples.

• Euronym by genderkiller - “driven to be the least evil thing around her, euronym chooses to use her manipulation and intelligence for what she believes is the betterment of others. but does it really know what's best for others, so blinded by its own trauma?”
• Valentine Adelaide by DEADRKGK - “Personality wise, Valentine is a man with many facets to him, and all are generally expressed and felt in extremes. To call him unpredictable would be both correct and incorrect. For those around him often, he can be much more easily predictable of a person. He’s open with his thoughts and feelings and expresses them freely with a poor social filter– good or bad, he’ll speak his mind regardless of if people want to hear it or not.”
• Tessa Verisey by LuminaLyric - “Standing at 5'8" with chestnut brown hair cascading in loose waves to her shoulders, her hazel eyes conceal a depth of intelligence and charisma.”
• Seth Salem by Paracosmic - “If looks could kill, Seth's would be the firing squad.”
• Aries by AFishWithAGun - “Aries is not a good person. At least, not anymore. Greif is a funny thing, pushed by a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, regret, betrayal. It spins its way into a palpable rage. His jagged psyche knows how best it can ruin a man.”
• Sidney Ignacio by soupysoupster - “Throughout his days, Sidney can’t seem to get past his own thoughts and anxieties. As a result, he comes off as withdrawn and uninterested to most. Despite what people may think though, Sidney is nothing short of a caring and compassionate person and will do anything he can do to help others. He’s a great listener, and will often catch onto things others don’t. ‘The devil is in the details’ as their father would say.”
• Adem Petrovic by lysesander - “Athletic enough to make a quick escape over a side wall if the situation calls for it. Face is unmemorable, and hard to spot in the crowd.”
• The Depths by celestrian - “A mysterious and enigmatic traveling merchant of the depths, a man whose past is shrouded in secrecy and his appearance completely hidden beneath a strange fox mask as well as a hooded cloak, wrapped in layers of cloth that cover his entire body. He claims to have knowledge of the entire kingdom and forbidden secrets, despite seeming quite young.”
• Clawfoot by Sunckeys - “Naivete is not a word known to poor Clawfoot, yet it may just be the best word to describe him. Unknown to him are the ways of man, of conversing with another and sharing pleasantries. No, for Clawfoot's expertise lies in savagry, ravaging, of ripping and tearing. Yet he hungers not for prey- though he much enjoys a meal or four- but for connection.”
• Soffice Pluvia by bunnymacaron - “Recently, he's found himself in an...unusual situation. Almost as soon as he entered the country he went through the Magical Girl transformation process. Immediately after, he got roped into the schemes of a sadistic Magical Girl and is stuck unraveling the tangled web of Kannazen City's Magical Girls to hopefully finally have some peace and quiet...or die trying.”
• Joshua Vox by ThaLizardWizard - “In terms of appearance, he is very skinny, pale, and sickly looking, with wild black hair that stands on end, and freckles all over his body and face. He has intense eye bags under enormous pale gray eyes, and to be completely honest, has frequently been mistaken for a ghost.”

Further fantastic examples of evocative character descriptions can be found all over CharacterHub . Browsing the thousands of existing character descriptions will inspire anyone to create character descriptions for their OCs. In particular, searching tags to find the kind of characters that inspire you most is super easy.

Further Examples of Character Descriptions

We’ll leave you here now with the following massive list. This list features different examples of character descriptions from various stories. Try to match the selections to some of our established principles. The descriptions here are very inspiring for any OC creator.

• Denis Lehane’s A Drink Before the War : “He had a shock of stiff white hair you could land a DC-10 on and a handshake that stopped just short of inducing paralysis.”
• Amber Dawn’s Sub Rosa : “When he did appear his eyes were as brown as I remembered, pupils flecked with gold like beach pebbles.”
• Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven : “I thought she was so beautiful. I figured she was the kind of woman who could make buffalo walk on up to her and give up their lives.”
• Louisa M. Alcott’s Little Women : “Amy, though the youngest, was a most important person,—in her own opinion at least. A regular snow-maiden, with blue eyes, and yellow hair, curling on her shoulders, pale and slender, and always carrying herself like a young lady mindful of her manners.”
• Frank Herbert’s Dune : "Through the door came two Sardukar herding a girl-child who appeared to be about four years old. She wore a black aba, the hood thrown back to reveal the attachments of a stillsuit hanging free at her throat. Her eyes were Fremen blue, staring out of a soft, round face. She appeared completely unafraid and there was a look to her stare that made the Baron feel uneasy for no reason he could explain."
• Kury Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five : "He was a funny-looking child who became a funny-looking youth — tall and weak, and shaped like a bottle of Coca-Cola."
• Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? : "Black-haired and slender, wearing the huge new dust-filtering glasses, she approached his car, her hands deep in the pockets of her brightly striped long coat. She had, on her sharply defined small face, an expression of sullen distaste."
• John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces : “Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs.”
• Ralph Ellson’s Invisible Man : “I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids — and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, simply because people refuse to see me.”
• George Eliot’s Middlemarch : “The rural opinion about the new young ladies, even among the cottagers, was generally in favour of Celia, as being so amiable and innocent-looking, while Miss Brooke’s large eyes seemed, like her religion, too unusual and striking. Poor Dorothea! Compared with her, the innocent-looking Celia was knowing and worldly-wise.”
• Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness : “He was commonplace in complexion, in feature, in manners, and in voice. He was of middle size and of ordinary build. His eyes, of the usual blue, were perhaps remarkably cold, and he certainly could make his glance fall on one as trenchant and heavy as an axe…”
• Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Books : “But he had a voice as soft as wild honey dripping from a tree, and a skin softer than down.”
• Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice : “…your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”
• Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn : “He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines.”
• Lindsay Faye’s Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson : “The door flew open, revealing a wrinkled, forward-thrusting face wreathed with a nimbus of wispy white hair, a face resembling nothing so much as a mole emerging from its burrow. Her spectacles were so dirty that I could hardly see the use of them.”
• Adlous Huxley’s Brave New World : "Tall and rather thin but upright, the Director advanced into the room. He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say."
• F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 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.”
• J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring : "The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars."
• Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight : “I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he glared at me – the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone.”
• Joan Johnston’s No Longer A Stranger : “Her straight, boyishly cut hair fell onto her brow haphazardly and hid beautiful arched brows that framed her large, expressive eyes.”
• Anne Rice’s The Vampire Armand : “I saw my Master had adorned himself in a thick tunic and beautiful dark blue doublet which I’d hardly noticed before. He wore soft sleek dark blue gloves over his hands, gloves which perfectly cleaved to his fingers, and legs were covered by thick soft cashmere stockings all the way to his beautiful pointed shoes.”
• Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations : “Though every vestige of her dress was burnt, as they told me, she still had something of her old ghastly bridal appearance; for, they had covered her to the throat with white cotton-wool, and as she lay with a white sheet loosely overlying that, the phantom air of something that had been and was changed, was still upon her.”
• Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn : “He was sunshine most always-I mean he made it seem like good weather.”
• N. K. Jemisin’s The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms : “His long, long hair wafted around him like black smoke, its tendrils curling and moving of their own volition. His cloak — or perhaps that was his hair too — shifted as if in an unfelt wind.”
• Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings : “Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin. She didn’t encourage familiarity.”
• China Miéville’s The Census-Taker : “His hand was over his eyes. He looked like a failed soldier. Dirt seemed so worked into him that the lines of his face were like writing.”
• Louisa M. Alcott’s Little Women : “Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt; for she never seemed to know what to do with her long limbs, which were very much in her way. She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp, gray eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful.”
• Henry James’ The Aspern Papers : “Her face was not young, but it was simple; it was not fresh, but it was mild. She had large eyes which were not bright, and a great deal of hair which was not ‘dressed,’ and long fine hands which were–possibly–not clean.”
• Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”: “The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not.”
• Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush : “He was abominable…and the most alluring, tortured soul I’d ever met.”
• William Golding’s Lord of the Flies : “Inside the floating cloak he was tall, thin, and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness.”
• Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys : “As always, there was an all-American war hero look to him, coded in his tousled brown hair, his summer-narrowed hazel eyes, the straight nose that ancient Anglo-Saxons had graciously passed on to him. Everything about him suggested valor and power and a firm handshake.”
• John Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated : “He did not look like anything special at all.”
•  J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring : “He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf.  He had a long white beard and bushy  eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat.”
• Andrew Lang’s The Crimson Fairy Book : “When the old king saw this he foamed with rage, stared wildly about, flung himself on the ground and died.”
• Rudyard Kipling’s Many Inventions : “He wrapped himself in quotations – as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.”
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula : “The Count smiled, and as his lips ran back over his gums, the long, sharp, canine teeth showed out strangely.”
• Hugh Lofting’s The Story of Doctor Dolittle : “For a long time he said nothing. He kept as still as a stone. He hardly seemed to be breathing at all. When at last he began to speak, it sounded almost as though he were singing, sadly, in a dream.”
• M.L Legette’s The Orphan and the Thief : “Its gray, slippery skin was stretched taut upon its face. Its mouth was wide and full of needle teeth.”
• Julia Stuart’s The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise : “Blooms of acne highlighted his vampire-white skin.
• James Lee Burke’s The Neon Rain : “His khaki sleeves were rolled over his sunburned arms, and he had the flat green eyes and heavy facial features of north Louisiana hill people. He smelled faintly of dried sweat, Red Man, and talcum powder.”
• Becca Fitzpatrick’s Black Ice : “His brown hair was cropped, and it showed off the striking symmetry of his face. With the sun at his back, shadows marked the depressions beneath his cheekbones.”
• Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein : “His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.”
• Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”: “He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.”
• E.C. Sheedy’s Killing Bliss : “He stood, which put him eye to eye with the dark-haired woman whose brilliant, burning gaze poured into his worthless soul like boiling tar, whose mouth frothed with fury–and whose hand now curled, knuckles white, around a steak knife.”
• Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games : “She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin and stands tilted up on her toes with arms slightly extended to her sides, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound.”
• J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone : “A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.”
• Louisa M. Alcott’s Little Women : “Elizabeth—or Beth, as every one called her—was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen, with a shy manner, a timid voice, and a peaceful expression, which was seldom disturbed.”
• Anne Rice’s Violin : “What a well-formed mouth he had, and how the narrow eyes, the detailed deepened lids gave him such a range of expression, to open his gaze wide, or sink in cunning street.”
• Kevin Brooks’ Lucas : “An easygoing lope. Nice and steady. Not too fast and not too slow, Fast enough to get somewhere, but not too fast to miss anything.”
• Iris Johansen’s The Face of Deception : “Kinky tousled curls, only a minimum of makeup, large brown eyes behind round wire-rimmed glasses. There was a world of character in that face, more than enough to make her fascinating-looking instead of just attractive.”
• Herman Meilville’s Moby Dick : “There seemed no sign of common bodily illness about him, nor of the recovery from any. He looked like a man cut away from the stake, when the fire has overrunningly wasted all the limbs without consuming them, or taking away one particle from their compacted aged robustness. His whole high, broad form, seemed made of solid bronze, and shaped in an unalterable mould, like Cellini’s cast Perseus.”
• Gena Showalter’s The Darkest Night : “Pale hair fell in waves to his shoulders, framing a face mortal females considered a sensual feast. They didn’t know the man was actually a devil in angel’s skin.”
• Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game : “Ender did not see Peter as the beautiful ten-year-old boy that grown-ups saw, with dark, tousled hair and a face that could have belonged to Alexander the Great. Ender looked at Peter only to detect anger or boredom, the dangerous moods that almost always led to pain.”
• Caitlin Moran’s How To Build A Girl : “He had his head in his hands, and his tie looked like it had been put on by an enemy, and was strangling him.”
• Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass : “Lord Asriel was a tall man with powerful shoulders, a fierce dark face, and eyes that seemed to flash and glitter with savage laughter. It was a face to be dominated by, or to fight: never a face to patronize or pity.”
• J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey : “She found herself looking at Lane as if he were a stranger, or a poster advertising a brand of linoleum, across the aisle of a subway car.”
• L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz : “They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. The hats of the men were blue; the little woman’s hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds.”
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula : “Within, stood a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere.”
• Algernon Blackwood’s Ten Minute Stories : “Then, by a green field that shone like a thought of daylight amid the darkness of the moor, he saw a figure lying in the grass. It was a blot upon the landscape, a mere huddled patch of dirty rags, yet with a certain horrid picturesqueness too; and his mind—though his German was of the schoolroom order—at once picked out the German equivalents as against the English. Lump and Lumpen flashed across his brain most oddly.”
• John Rhode’s The Murders in Praed Street : “He was tall and thin, with a pronounced stoop and a deep but not unpleasant voice. But it was his head that you looked at instinctively. Above the massive forehead and powerfully-chiselled features was a wealth of long, snow-white hair, balanced by a flowing beard of the same colour.”
• Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Telltale Heart”: “He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold.”
• Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein : “His limbs were nearly frozen, and his body dreadfully emaciated by fatigue and suffering. I never saw a man in so wretched a condition.”
• Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow : “He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together.”
• Louisa M. Alcott’s Little Women : “Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen, and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft, brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain.”
• Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland : “It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to himself as he came…”
• J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan : “He was a lovely boy, clad in skeleton leaves and the juices that ooze out of trees but the most entrancing thing about him was that he had all his first teeth.”
• Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis : “He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.”
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper : “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.”
• L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz : “When Aunt Em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. The sun and wind had changed her, too. They had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were gray also. She was thin and gaunt, and never smiled now.”
• Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment : “This was not because he was cowardly and abject, quite the contrary; but for some time past he had been in an overstrained irritable condition, verging on hypochondria. He had become so completely absorbed in himself, and isolated from his fellows that he dreaded meeting, not only his landlady, but anyone at all. He was crushed by poverty, but the anxieties of his position had of late ceased to weigh upon him. He had given up attending to matters of practical importance; he had lost all desire to do so.”
• Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter : “The young woman was tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale. She had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam, and a face which, besides being beautiful from regularity of feature and richness of complexion, had the impressiveness belonging to a marked brow and deep black eyes.”
• Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : “This was a hearty, healthy, dapper, red-faced gentleman, with a shock of hair prematurely white, and a boisterous and decided manner.”
• Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde : “Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice; all these were points against him, but not all of these together could explain the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him.”
• Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol : “Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.”
• Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace : “Anna Pávlovna Schérer on the contrary, despite her forty years, overflowed with animation and impulsiveness. To be an enthusiast had become her social vocation and, sometimes even when she did not feel like it, she became enthusiastic in order not to disappoint the expectations of those who knew her. The subdued smile which, though it did not suit her faded features, always played round her lips expressed, as in a spoiled child, a continual consciousness of her charming defect, which she neither wished, nor could, nor considered it necessary, to correct.”
• Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia”: “His rooms were brilliantly lit, and, even as I looked up, I saw his tall, spare figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against the blind. He was pacing the room swiftly, eagerly, with his head sunk upon his chest and his hands clasped behind him. To me, who knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their own story. He was at work again.”
• J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan : “In person he was cadaverous and blackavized, and his hair was dressed in long curls, which at a little distance looked like black candles, and gave a singularly threatening expression to his handsome countenance. His eyes were of the blue of the forget-me-not, and of a profound melancholy, save when he was plunging his hook into you, at which time two red spots appeared in them and lit them up horribly.”

Looking for more tips and tricks regarding character creation? Check out the CharacterHub blog !

David Davis

David Davis is a cartoonist with around twenty years of experience in comics, including independent work and established IPs such as SpongeBob Squarepants. He also works as a college composition instructor and records weekly podcasts. Find out more about him at his website!

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Home / Book Writing / How to Write Amazing Character Descriptions (with Examples)

How to Write Amazing Character Descriptions (with Examples)

A good character description is walking a fine line between too much and too little information. Not only that, it's how you deliver the information to the reader that can make or break a good description. So whether you already have a vivid picture of your characters in mind or you don't know where to start, you've come to the right place. Read on to explore character description.

• What is a Good Character Description?
• Descriptions for Character Profiles
• Descriptions in Prose
• Character Description Examples
• Tips for Writing Character Descriptions for Profiles

Table of contents

• Description in Prose
• 1. Start With a List
• 2. Edit it Down
• 3. Get Creative With Surroundings and Movement
• 4. What Is and What Isn't
• 5. Adjectives Can Help or Hinder
• 6. Practice Makes Perfect
• 7. Description Can Help Reveal the Narrator

A good character description isn't just about describing how a given character looks. It's also about describing the character through the world around them and through their actions. When these factors come together, you can create a vivid description that not only tells the reader a lot about your character's personality but also sparks the reader's imagination. That, after all, is what reading is all about.

And while we'll mostly be discussing character description in prose, we'll also be discussing how character description is important when writing your character profiles. Since character profiles are best utilized before you write your novel, we'll start there.

Creating a character profile can help you when it comes time to write. It can ensure that you know your major characters intimately before you start writing. These profiles are about more than just character description, but for the purposes of this article, we'll focus on the physical attributes, as they're the building blocks for writing descriptive prose.

Think of a profile as a character sketch. You're not trying to get every single detail down, as it's always good to leave room for spontaneity when you're writing your novel . But when it comes to the basics of how the character looks, it can help to nail down the details.

This includes things like eye color, facial expression, height, weight, build, hair color, skin color, any disfigurements or scars, and things like tattoos or birthmarks. This should also include clothing and any other accessories, such as hats, watches, necklaces, and piercings.

You don't have to get fancy with the profile. Just get the information down so you can refer to it later. If you want to go the extra mile, you can write down some varying descriptions of your character as if you're writing the novel. It's often easiest to focus on one physical attribute at a time until you're comfortable. These practice descriptions can lend inspiration when you start writing in earnest.

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Description in your book is a bit different than in your profile. A good description can give the reader a glimpse at the character's personality traits as well as their appearance. There are many different ways to write a great character description, but they all have one thing in common: they're creative and anything but boilerplate.

Many new writers opt for the list-style of description, thinking that less is more. They often look like this:

“He had piercing green eyes, sandy blond hair, and stood a stocky and solid six-foot-two. He had a slight limp and the musculature of a man who works hard for his living.”

While this may be fine for a minor character, it falls a little flat for a major character that you want the audience to know intimately. So for ideas on how to write character descriptions, let's look at some examples from some masters of the craft.

“His present dog was a huge white brute, a mountain dog from the South. He had named it Halina, after his second wife, with whom it shared some personality traits. . . It weighed almost as much as he did and its coat was matted and filthy; it lifted its massive head and watched him with lunatic eyes.”

This description, from Dave Hutchinson's Europe in Autumn , is a great example of how to describe physical appearance. Neither the man nor his dog is a major character in the story, but the description tells you a little about the K9 and its owner in a few concise sentences.

“He did not look like anything special at all.”

This one-sentence description in Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated is an excellent example of “less is more.”

“When he did appear his eyes were as brown as I remembered, pupils flecked with gold like beach pebbles.”

This description is from Sub Rosa by Amber Dawn. It's a compelling use of simile to create a picture of a character's appearance in the reader's mind. Note that she doesn't use tired and worn-out similes such as “eyes as blue as the summer sky” or “hair as red as autumn leaves. Getting creative with figurative language can work out very well.

“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.”

This description, from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, focuses on the character's actions to tell the reader about him. Or, rather, on a single action: a smile. At the same time, the writer is telling the reader something about the POV character, giving insights into how the narrator sees the character while describing him.

Tips for Writing Character Descriptions in Prose

Most writing teachers and authors will tell you that if you want to write, you need to read. And the descriptions above should be shining examples of why that is sage advice. Reading how the authors you love write character description is key. But I've included some tips you can use when it comes time to write your own masterpiece!

This is where the character profile comes in handy. Not only does it keep you on track (there's nothing worse than realizing you switched a character's eye color halfway through a book) but it also allows you to keep a picture of your character fresh in your mind's eye.

So keep a list handy. Even if it's just the basics, like “black hair” or “brown eyes” and the like, it helps.

One of the most oft-quoted pieces of advice from Strunk & White's The Elements of Style is “Omit needless words.” For writers old and new, this advice is sound indeed for writing character descriptions. We've all read a book where the description of a character goes on for pages and pages and we find ourselves asking, “When will we get back to the story?”

This is something to avoid at all costs. So edit your descriptions down as much as possible. Don't use flowery language for its own sake. Instead, try to get your point across to the reader in as concise a manner as possible. You don't have to get into a character's backstory with the description if it will interrupt the flow of the story.

Remember that you want to create a vivid character in the reader's mind, but that doesn't mean that you want to take all of their imagination out of it. Leave something for the reader to interpret, if at all possible.

Description isn't all about a character's physicality. It's also about how the character interacts with the world around them. The way a man sits on a couch or a woman drives a car or a child eats an ice cream cone can all add to the character's description. A sentence about what a couple does while waiting in line at the movies can tell the reader more than a paragraph of straight description.

The way a character walks, the way they gesture when they talk, the way they squint when they're thinking. These are all great ways to add to a character's vividness and depth through description.

Describing a person, fictional or otherwise, can be done by looking at what is there and what isn't there. In fact, sharing what isn't there — what's missing — can be a great way of describing a person. As a writer, this can also help you develop your craft and keep your prose fresh. Whether this is a missing limb, a shirt pocket that has been torn off, or the lack of seeming intelligence on a vacant face, the absence of things can say a lot about a character.

As a rule in fiction, it's best to limit your use of adverbs. And the use of adjectives in character descriptions is no exception. Like adverbs, adjectives can become a crutch that holds back more concise and creative writing. This is not to say that you shouldn't use them on occasion. Sometimes an adjective is just the right kind of word for character description. Just keep in mind that overusing them can lead to reader fatigue and overly flowery language.

This should go without saying, but practicing your description will go a long way to becoming a better writer. When you consciously sit down to write a compelling character description, you can really think about what you want to say and how best to say it.

To do this, choose a character archetype and flesh that archetype out into a full-fledged person through descriptive language. Try writing several descriptions of the same character type, focusing on a few different tributes each time. You can try writing one where you focus on appearance. One on movement. One on how she/he interacts with the world around them. One on clothing. And one on what's missing (if anything). These practices can help you get your head around how best to describe a character in any given situation.

Description can also tell the reader about the POV character or narrator. And if your narrator is also your protagonist, this can be very important. This is because, short of having your character stand in front of a mirror and describe herself, there aren't many easy ways to describe your POV character without taking the reader out of the story. So, a great way to enlighten the reader is to use the way your narrator sees other characters. This can often be in the form of physical comparisons that the narrator makes or insights that they glean from watching/interacting with another character.

Not only does this add to the main character's believability, but it also provides an opportunity for character development as the story progresses. Perhaps your POV character has a bad habit of comparing himself to others he learns to break. Or perhaps he focuses too much on physical attributes to the detriment of seeing who other characters really are.

Whether you're writing a short story , novella, or a 1,000-page tome, you'll want to get familiar with character descriptions. The best way to start this is with a character profile. This will help you with your character analysis, which is great for fleshing out your main character, villain, and even secondary characters that need brief but compelling descriptions.

Once you have the basics of your character down, you can start experimenting with description. By focusing on one major character trait at first, you can develop your own style of description. Then you can incorporate more attributes, sharing only a couple at a time as your novel progresses.

Be concise, creative, and don't forget to look for what is and what isn't there. Use movement, interactions, and gestures to make vivid and crisp character descriptions. 

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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The Gigantic List of Character Descriptions (70+ examples)

The vast majority of character descriptions are simply lazy.

They recycle typical ideas about hair, eye color, and build, giving you more information about the character’s fitting for a dress or suit than the type of information you need to know them intimately.

The first thing you should do when describing a character is to pick a category that isn’t so overused. Such as trying to describe: 

Describing your character in an innovative way will help retain the reader’s interest. You want your reader to be asking questions about this character, to not only learn something about them but to create mystery. What made them like this? How long have they been this way? Is there someone currently after them or is this paranoia because of a past experience?  Questions like these are what keeps the reader reading. 

Not only physical descriptions are needed. Consider: “How is this person viewed by another character?” Do they seem dangerous, alluring, secretive, suspicious? The way another character views someone else gives insight about them as well. Are they attracted? Repulsed? Curious? 

Another thing to take notice of is the type of person they are, despite their appearance.

• How do they think?
• What do they feel?
• How do they view/react to certain situations compared to how others would?
• What is their mental state?

Here is a list of examples of brilliant character descriptions to give you an idea and help you come up with your own:

3 Categories: Modern Literary, Literature, Popular

Modern Literary

1. vladimir nabokov, lolita.

” … Her skin glistening in the neon light coming from the paved court through the slits in the blind, her soot-black lashes matted, her grave gray eyes more vacant than ever.”

2. Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping

” … in the last years she continued to settle and began to shrink. Her mouth bowed forward and her brow sloped back, and her skull shone pink and speckled within a mere haze of hair, which hovered about her head like the remembered shape of an altered thing. She looked as if the nimbus of humanity were fading away and she were turning monkey. Tendrils grew from her eyebrows and coarse white hairs sprouted on her lip and chin. When she put on an old dress the bosom hung empty and the hem swept the floor. Old hats fell down over her eyes. Sometimes she put her hand over her mouth and laughed, her eyes closed and her shoulder shaking.” 

3. Jeffrey Eugenides, The Marriage Plot

“Phyllida’s hair was where her power resided. It was expensively set into a smooth dome, like a band shell for the presentation of that long-running act, her face.”

4. China Miéville, This Census-Taker

“His hand was over his eyes. He looked like a failed soldier. Dirt seemed so worked into him that the lines of his face were like writing.”

5. Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

“And then the hot air congealed in front of him, and out of it materialized a transparent man of most bizarre appearance. A small head with a jockey cap, a skimpy little checked jacket that was made out of air … The man was seven feet tall, but very narrow in the shoulders, incredibly thin, and his face, please note, had a jeering look about it.”

6. Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible

“Mama BekwaTataba stood watching us—a little jet-black woman. Her elbows stuck out like wings, and a huge white enameled tub occupied the space above her head, somewhat miraculously holding steady while her head moved in quick jerks to the right and left.”

7. 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.”

8. A.S. Byatt, Possession

“He was a compact, clearcut man, with precise features, a lot of very soft black hair, and thoughtful dark brown eyes. He had a look of wariness, which could change when he felt relaxed or happy, which was not often in these difficult days, into a smile of amused friendliness and pleasure which aroused feelings of warmth, and something more, in many women.”

9. Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated

“He did not look like anything special at all.”

PAY ATTENTION:

If you’re looking for guidance on writing your novel, I’d suggest my post, “ 12 Steps to Write a Bestselling Novel in 6 Months .”

10. Henry Lawson, The Bush Girl

“ Grey eyes that grow sadder than sunset or rain, f ond heart that is ever more true F irm faith that grows firmer for watching in vain —  She’ll wait by the sliprails for you.”

11. Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

“I am an invisible man. 
No I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allen Poe: 
Nor am I one of your Hollywood movie ectoplasms.
 I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids -
- and I might even be said to possess a mind. 
I am invisible, simply because people refuse to see me.”

12. 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.”

13. Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel

“My brother Ben’s face, thought Eugene, is like a piece of slightly yellow ivory; his high white head is knotted fiercely by his old man’s scowl; his mouth is like a knife, his smile the flicker of light across a blade. His face is like a blade, and a knife, and a flicker of light: it is delicate and fierce, and scowls beautifully forever, and when he fastens his hard white fingers and his scowling eyes upon a thing he wants to fix, he sniffs with sharp and private concentration through his long, pointed nose…his hair shines like that of a young boy—it is crinkled and crisp as lettuce.”

14. 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.”

15. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

“[Miss Havisham] had shut out infinitely more; that, in seclusion, she had secluded herself from a thousand natural and healing influences; that, her mind, brooding solitary, had grown diseased, as all minds do and must and will that reverse the appointed order of their Maker…”

16. John Knowles, A Separate Peace

“For such and extraordinary athlete—even as a Lower Middler Phineas had been the best athlete in the school—he was not spectacularly built. He was my height—five feet eight and a half inches…He weighed a hundred and fifty pounds, a galling ten pounds more than I did, which flowed from his legs to torso around shoulders to arms and full strong neck in an uninterrupted, unemphatic unity of strength.”

17. Ambrose Bierce, Chickamauga

“-the dead body of a woman—the white face turned upward, the hands thrown out and clutched full of grass, the clothing deranged, the long dark hair in tangles and full of clotted blood. The greater part of the forehead was torn away, and from the jagged hole the brain protruded, overflowing the temple, a frothy mass of gray, crowned with clusters of crimson bubbles—the work of a shell.”

18. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“…your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”

19. Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“He was most fifty, and he looked it. His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining through like he was behind vines. It was all black, no gray; so was his long, mixed-up whiskers. There warn’t no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not like another man’s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body’s flesh crawl – a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white. As for his clothes – just rags, that was all. He had one ankle resting on t’other knee; the boot on that foot was busted, and two of his toes stuck through, and he worked them now and then. His hat was laying on the floor – an old black slouch with the top caved in, like a lid.”  

20. William Golding, Lord of the Flies

“Inside the floating cloak he was tall, thin, and bony; and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness.”

21. Jane Austen, Persuasion

“Vanity was the beginning and end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character: vanity of person and of situation. He had been remarkably handsome in his youth, and at fifty-four was still a very fine man. . . .”

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22. Andrew Lang, The Crimson Fairy Book

“When the old king saw this he foamed with rage, stared wildly about, flung himself on the ground and died.”

23. Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

“He was commonplace in complexion, in feature, in manners, and in voice. He was of middle size and of ordinary build. His eyes, of the usual blue, were perhaps remarkably cold, and he certainly could make his glance fall on one as trenchant and heavy as an axe… Otherwise there was only an indefinable, faint expression of his lips, something stealthy — a smile — not a smile — I remember it, but I can’t explain.” 

24. Anne Bronte, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

“His heart was like a sensitive plant, that opens for a moment in the sunshine, but curls up and shrinks into itself at the slightest touch of the finger, or the lightest breath of wind.”

25. Max Beerbohm, Zuleika Dobson

“He followed with his eyes her long slender figure as she threaded her way in and out of the crowd, sinuously, confidingly, producing a penny from one lad’s elbow, a threepenny-bit from between another’s neck and collar, half a crown from another’s hair, and always repeating in that flute-like voice of hers: “Well, this is rather queer!””

26. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

“He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say.”  

27. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

“Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but then no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin. She didn’t encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too.  I don’t think I ever saw Mrs. Flowers laugh, but she smiled often. A slow widening of her thin black lips to show even, small white teeth, then the slow effortless closing. When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her.”

28. D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover

“But her will had left her. A strange weight was on her limbs. She was giving way. She was giving up…”

29. Henry James, The Aspern Papers

“Her face was not young, but it was simple; it was not fresh, but it was mild. She had large eyes which were not bright, and a great deal of hair which was not ‘dressed,’ and long fine hands which were–possibly–not clean.”   

30. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Zanoni Book One: The Musician

“She is the spoiled sultana of the boards. To spoil her acting may be easy enough,—shall they spoil her nature? No, I think not. There, at home, she is still good and simple; and there, under the awning by the doorway,—there she still sits, divinely musing. How often, crook-trunked tree, she looks to thy green boughs; how often, like thee, in her dreams, and fancies, does she struggle for the light,—not the light of the stage-lamps.”

31. Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

“Living among those white-faced women with their rosaries and copper crosses…” 

32. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

“Though every vestige of her dress was burnt, as they told me, she still had something of her old ghastly bridal appearance; for, they had covered her to the throat with white cotton-wool, and as she lay with a white sheet loosely overlying that, the phantom air of something that had been and was changed, was still upon her.” 

33. Rudyard Kipling, Many Inventions

“He wrapped himself in quotations – as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.”

34. Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“He was sunshine most always-I mean he made it seem like good weather.” 

35. Hugh Lofting, The Story of Doctor Dolittle

“For a long time he said nothing. He kept as still as a stone. He hardly seemed to be breathing at all. When at last he began to speak, it sounded almost as though he were singing, sadly, in a dream.”

36. Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

“I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be.”

37. Edwin A. Abbott, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

“He is himself his own World, his own Universe; of any other than himself he can form no conception; he knows not Length, nor Breadth, nor Height, for he has had no experience of them; he has no cognizance even of the number Two; nor has he a thought of Plurality, for he is himself his One and All, being really Nothing.”

38. Jamie McGuire, Beautiful Oblivion

“Her long platinum blond hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, with a few black peekaboo strands. She wore a black minidress and combat boots.”

39. N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

“His long, long hair wafted around him like black smoke, its tendrils curling and moving of their own volition. His cloak — or perhaps that was his hair too — shifted as if in an unfelt wind.” 

40. M.L. LeGette, The Orphan and the Thief

“A creature–a frightfully, awful creature–was mere feet from her. Its eyes were enormous, the size of goose eggs and milky white. Its gray, slippery skin was stretched taut upon its face. Its mouth was wide and full of needle teeth. Its hands rested on the rock, hands that were webbed and huge with each finger ending in a sharp, curved nail. It was as tall as a human man, yet oddly shrunken and hunched.”  

 41. Amber Dawn, Sub Rosa

“When he did appear his eyes were as brown as I remembered, pupils flecked with gold like beach pebbles.” 

 42. Julia Stuart, The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise

“His hair had been grown to counteract its unequivocal retreat from the top of his head, and was fashioned into a mean, frail ponytail that hung limply down his back. Blooms of acne highlighted his vampire-white skin.” 

43. James Lee Burke, The Neon Rain

“His khaki sleeves were rolled over his sunburned arms, and he had the flat green eyes and heavy facial features of north Louisiana hill people. He smelled faintly of dried sweat, Red Man, and talcum powder.” 

44. Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

“I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he glared at me – the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone.” 

45. Brian Malloy, Twelve Long Months 

“Whith her hair dyed bright red, she looks like Ronald McDonald’s post-menopausal sister. Who has let herself go.”     (This is one of my favorites, because I find it ridiculously funny)

46. Joan Johnston, No Longer A Stranger

“Actually, Reb had the same flawless complexion as her sister– except for the freckles. Her straight, boyishly cut hair fell onto her brow haphazardly and hid beautiful arched brows that framed her large, expressive eyes. She had a delicate, aquiline nose, but a stubborn mouth and chin.” 

47. Brian Morton, Breakable You

“Without her glasses Vivian did look a little frightening. She had tight sinewy strappy muscles and a face that was hardened and almost brutal – a face that might have been chiseled by a sculptor who had fallen out of love with the idea of beauty.”

48. Anne Rice, The Vampire Armand

“I saw my Master had adorned himself in a thick tunic and beautiful dark blue doublet which I’d hardly noticed before. He wore soft sleek dark blue gloves over his hands, gloves which perfectly cleaved to his fingers, and legs were covered by thick soft cashmere stockings all the way to his beautiful pointed shoes.” 

49. Becca Fitzpatrick, Black Ice

“His brown hair was cropped, and it showed off the striking s ymmetry of his face. With the sun at his back, shadows marked the depressions beneath his cheekbones. I couldn’t tell the color of his eyes, but I hoped they were brown…The guy had straight, sculptured shoulders that made me think swimmer …” 

50. E.C. Sheedy, Killing Bliss

“He stood, which put him eye to eye with the dark-haired woman whose brilliant, burning gaze poured into his worthless soul like boiling tar, whose mouth frothed with fury–and whose hand now curled, knuckles white, around a steak knife.”  (The author gives a lot of details about the characters emotions, but there is not one specific detail about neither of their appearances. Use this as an example of how physical appearances aren’t always the most important thing.)

51. James Lee Burke, The Neon Rain

“His wiry gray and black hair was dripping with sweat, and his face was the color and texture of old paper. He looked up at me from where he was seated on his bunk, and his eyes were hot and bright and moisture was beaded across his upper lip. He held a Camel cigarette between his yellowed fingers, and the floor around his feet was covered with cigarette butts.”  

52. Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

“She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin and stands tilted up on her toes with arms slightly extended to her sides, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound.”

53. Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

“He was abominable…and the most alluring, tortured soul I’d ever met.”   (This isn’t describing him physically, but it is giving insight to how the main character views him)

54. J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by  a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes,  glinting like black beetles under all the hair.” 

55. Anne Rice, Violin

“I deliberately thought of him, my violinist, point by point, that with his long narrow nose and such deep-set eyes he might have been less seductive to someone else–perhaps. But then perhaps to no one. What a well-formed mouth he had, and how the narrow eyes, the detailed deepened lids gave him such a range of expression, to open his gaze wide, or sink in cunning street.”

56. Kevin Brooks, Lucas

“As I’ve already said, the memory of Lucas’s walk brings a smile to my face. It’s an incredibly vivid memory, and if I close my eyes I can see it now. An easygoing lope. Nice and steady. Not too fast and not too slow, Fast enough to get somewhere, but not too fast to miss anything. Bouncy, alert, resolute, without any concern and without vanity. A walk that both belonged to and was remote from everything around it.” 

57. Anne Rice, Violin

“And she looked the way he had always hated her–dreamy and sloppy, and sweet, with glasses falling down, smoking a cigarette, with ashes on her coat, but full of love, her body heavy and shapeless with age.” 

58. Kevin Brooks, Lucas

“As we drew closer, the figure became clearer, It was a young man, or a boy, dressed loosely in a drab green T-shirt and baggy green trousers. He had a green army jacket tied around his waist and a green canvas bag slung over his shoulder. The only non-green thing about him was the pair of scruffy black walking boots on his feet. Although he was on the small side, he wasn’t as slight as I first thought. He wasn’t exactly muscular, but he wasn’t weedy-looking either…there was an air of hidden strength about him, a graceful strength that showed in his balance, the way he held himself, the way he walked….” 

59. Iris Johansen, The Face of Deception

“Kinky tousled curls, only a minimum of makeup, large brown eyes behind round wire-rimmed glasses. There was a world of character in that face, more than enough to make her fascinating-looking instead of just attractive.” 

60. Dennis Lehane, A Drink Before the War

“Brian Paulson was rake thin, with smooth hair the color of tin and a wet fleshy handshake…. His greeting was a nod and a blink, befitting someone who’d stepped out of the shadows only momentarily.” 

61. Gena Showalter, The Darkest Night

“Pale hair fell in waves to his shoulders, framing a face mortal females considered a sensual feast. They didn’t know the man was actually a devil in angel’s skin. They should have, though. He practically glowed with irreverence, and there was an unholy gleam in his green eyes that proclaimed he would laugh in your face while cutting out your heat. Or laugh in your face while you cut out his heart.”

62. Sam Byers, Idiopathy 

“Now here he was: sartorially, facially and interpersonally sharpened; every inch the beatific boffin.”

63. Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

“As always, there was an all-American war hero look to him, coded in his tousled brown hair, his summer-narrowed hazel eyes, the straight nose that ancient Anglo-Saxons had graciously passed on to him. Everything about him suggested valor and power and a firm handshake.” 

64. J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

“The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver; his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars.” 

65. Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove

“People said Ove saw the world in black and white. But she was color. All the color he had.”  

66. Frank Herbert, Dune

“…a girl-child who appeared to be about four years old. She wore a black aba, the hood thrown back to reveal the attachments of a stillsuit hanging free at her throat. Her eyes were Fremen blue, staring out of a soft, round face. She appeared completely unafraid and there was a look to her stare that made the Baron feel uneasy for no reason he could explain.” 

67. Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game

“Ender did not see Peter as the beautiful ten-year-old boy that grown-ups saw, with dark, tousled hair and a face that could have belonged to Alexander the Great. Ender looked at Peter only to detect anger or boredom, the dangerous moods that almost always led to pain.”

68. Caitlin Moran, How to Build a Girl

“He had his head in his hands, and his tie looked like it had been put on by an enemy, and was strangling him.”

69. Graham Joyce, Some Kind of Fairy Tale

“Peter was a gentle, red-haired bear of a man. Standing at six-four in his socks, he moved everywhere with a slight and nautical sway, but even though he was broad across the chest there was something centered and reassuring about him, like an old ship’s mast cut from a single timber.”

70. Brad Parks, The Girl Next Door

“…in addition to being fun, smart, and quick-witted—in a feisty way that always kept me honest—she’s quite easy to look at, with never-ending legs, toned arms, curly brown hair, and eyes that tease and smile and glint all at the same time.” 

71. Dennis Lehane, A Drink Before the War

“Sterling Mulkern was a florid, beefy man, the kind who carried weight like a weapon, not a liability. He had a shock of stiff white hair you could land a DC-10 on and a handshake that stopped just short of inducing paralysis.”

72. Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass

“Lord Asriel was a tall man with powerful shoulders, a fierce dark face, and eyes that seemed to flash and glitter with savage laughter. It was a face to be dominated by, or to fight: never a face to patronize or pity. All his movements were large and perfectly balanced, like those of a wild animal, and when he appeared in a room like this, he seemed a wild animal held in a cage too small for it.”

73. Sherman Alexie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

“I thought she was so beautiful. I figured she was the kind of woman who could make buffalo walk on up to her and give up their lives. She wouldn’t have needed to hunt. Every time we went walking, birds would follow us around. Hell, tumbleweeds would follow us around.”

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29 comments

woowwwwwwwwie

Love the compilation. Thank you for doing this

This is a great compilation! My students are working on writing characters right now, so I’m having them look through your list to see examples of a job well done 🙂 Thanks!

Thanks I’m using these for students to make character drawings from

This is really helpful ! Love it !

Do you have a way, where you could put the characters physical traits in this website?

Thank you for the awesome list. You should add this one; it’s from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: “Mr. Utterson, the lawyer, was a man of rugged countenance, that was never lightened by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.” There’s more after, but I thought this was a good description.

And this one: “Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfish, he gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation, he had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering, and somewhat broken voice: all these were points against him, but all of them together could not describe the hitherto unknown disgust, loathing, and fear with which Mr. Utterson regarded him.”

The quote that stood out to me the most was the quote from ‘The Census Taker’. That quote captured the characters feelings so well. The author was able to compare in self worth by saying it was as dirt, so much so that the dirt was written in his skin. I have never seen self worth and failure described as part of a person’s face.

Thank you. I echo Chris’s comment Wowwwwww and add a few!!!!

Wonderful! Reading these enabled me to rewrite the descriptions for my two leading characters.

Thank you for this, very helpful! I don’t know if this is really related, but I’m writing a story including a mean girl who bullies the main character (also a girl). I’m struggling to write what the mean girl uses to bully the main character – what I end up coming up with is way too mean or unreal, etc.

Blinded by tears, she could hear the haze of pink shout, “See, poor baby cries. Great actress, dear. Why do you waste your talent on us, here?”

great great any book for description of physical appearance in narrative

Great list. And I have one to add. It’s from Michael Moorcock, riding the new wave of British sci-fi back in the 1960s. He’s been a favorite of mine for decades. The passage is from “Elric of Melniboné:”

“It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody, and from the loose sleeves of his yellow gown emerge two slender hands, also the colour of bone, resting on each arm of a seat which has been carved from a single, massive ruby.”

Thanks for this – very useful compilation for teaching – makes life so much easier! And helps in my writing, to look at expressions and word arrangements… I notice how some writers seem so good in visual description, and some others seem to be much better at character expressions..

wowzers!!! this is so cool!

I planned to just read a few, but I couldn’t stop reading. These are awesome! Thank you.

“Character Description” on The John Fox’s blog is a treasure trove of valuable tips and techniques for crafting compelling characters. The blog explores the art of painting vivid and multi-dimensional personas, adding depth to storytelling. Aspiring writers will find this guide indispensable for creating memorable characters that resonate with readers.

holy MOLY, thank you!

I liked them

wow thanks you have really helped me but can you put something to describe a character that is a tyrant please? that would really help

Absolutely remarkable. So very helpful in every since of the word.

OH HELLL YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A killer set of fine examples! Thanks for compiling it!

Please, add sentences that can apply to more characters.

Love it but should be more single sentences

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Posted on Dec 21, 2018

Character Descriptions: How To Write Them (in 3 Steps)

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Savannah Cordova

Savannah is a senior editor with Reedsy and a published writer whose work has appeared on Slate, Kirkus, and BookTrib. Her short fiction has appeared in the Owl Canyon Press anthology, "No Bars and a Dead Battery". 

Character descriptions — those key passages that describe what a character actually looks like — are almost as crucial to a written story as the characters themselves. If you’re writing a novel, you’ve probably created an awesome, vivid protagonist in your head: complex , idiosyncratic , maybe even memorably named . But how do you convey all that to a reader without depleting the magic?

Writing strong character descriptions actually requires quite a bit of finesse . If you skimp on descriptive passages, you run the risk of leaving your readers with forgettable characters. But if you get too descriptive, you wind up leaving no room for the reader’s own imagination.

So what does it take to strike the right balance? We’ll tell you! Here are three cardinal rules on how to write character descriptions without falling off that tightrope.

1. Choose your words carefully

When writing character descriptions, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself. After all, this is the first time you’re introducing a character you’ve created from the ground up .

But just because you know everything about them, doesn’t mean the reader needs to. Character descriptions aren’t about doling out every detail in lavish language — they’re about succinct characterization. Here are a few tips on how to achieve just that.

Be descriptive in your language

We’re talking about character descriptions, after all — it’s quite literally in the name. When describing a character that you see clearly in your mind, it’s easy to simply give a laundry list of attributes: she had black hair, brown eyes, and freckles. But that tells us nothing about the character and is frankly a waste of words.

Sure, your protagonist might have brown eyes. But so does half the world’s population! And characterization is all about showing what makes a character unique.

Sometimes, this can be done through word choice alone. Take this example from Huckleberry Finn :

“There warn’t no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not like another man’s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body’s flesh crawl – a tree-toad white, a fish-belly white.”

From this passage, we clearly understand how Huck’s father looks, as surely as if Twain had simply written, “He was white.” But through the use of figurative language and excellent word choice, another image sticks in our head: that of a sickly, grotesque drunk. Bonus points for the use of “tree-toad” and “fish-belly” — descriptors that match the tone of the adventure novel.

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Use adjectives sparingly

Another problem with a sentence like “She had brown eyes” is that brown simply isn’t a very interesting word. When it comes to describing something, the same is true for many adjectives; which are to descriptions as adverbs are to verbs . In other words, they may appear to be more descriptive, but they often just bog down your sentences.

Same goes for verbs. Much has been made about the banality of the verb “to be” in literature. Which would you prefer: “She had brown eyes,” or, “Her brown eyes pierced through my own”? Use forceful verbs (examples here ) to illuminate more about your character. When it comes to character descriptions, every word counts.

However, keep in mind that overly descriptive words like these can easily turn cliché. Ultimately, a phrase like, “He had a prosaic, pedestrian face” may pale in comparison to a more simply but potent description, like this one from Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated :

“He did not look like anything special at all.”

Use descriptions themselves sparingly

When introducing a character, it’s best not to dedicate three whole chapters to an exhaustive physical explanation and backstory. After all, this isn’t Moby-Dick .

So as you’re painting a picture of your character, do two important things: 1) focus on a few key characteristics at a time , and 2) make sure to spread your descriptions out across the book . If we’re told every detail of every character’s face all at once, they’ll all end up blending together. But if we’re distinctly told about the woman with ears like a rabbit or the man with a slightly larger left nostril? We’ll remember them for the whole novel.

Also keep in mind that word choice is important, but so are the things you’re describing with those words. Hair, skin, and eye color — these are all characteristics that, ironically, don’t really say anything about what characters are like. That’s why, next up, we’ll discuss what characteristics you should be covering in your character descriptions.

2. Be specific

Remember, we don’t need to know every single physical detail of every person in a book. In fact, since reading is a non-visual medium, many readers prefer to fill in the blanks themselves.

Good descriptions tend to be brief but evocative. So choose two or three distinct, specific attributes to describe and leave the rest to the reader’s imagination. Here are some ideas on what those attributes might be.

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Facial expressions

Facial attributes are one thing: anyone can have a big nose, so that tells us nothing substantial about a character. On the other hand, facial expressions speak volumes. Like this example from Lord of the Flies :

“His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness.”

The way they carry themselves

Body language is key to understanding other people, so it stands to reason that it’s key to understanding characters, too. Take this description from Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible , which describes a character through posture and mannerisms alone:

“Mama BekwaTataba stood watching us — a little jet-black woman. Her elbows stuck out like wings, and a huge white enameled tub occupied the space above her head, somewhat miraculously holding steady while her head moved in quick jerks to the right and left.”

Their stuff

In his popular novel American Psycho , Bret Eaton Ellis showcases Patrick Bateman's vapidity and narcissism through descriptions of the titular character's designer clothing. You can tell a lot about a person from their possessions — whether it’s clothing, cars, houses, or merely the contents of their purse. “He was a superficial sociopath” succinctly describes Patrick Bateman’s  defining personality traits in the novel, but a passage like this shows it so much better:

“But there are also things that the average person would think are nice that I've done to celebrate the holiday, items I've bought Jean and had delivered to her apartment this morning: Castellini cotton napkins from Bendel's, a wicker chair from Jenny B. Goode, a taffeta table throw from Barney's, a vintage chain-mail-vent purse and a vintage sterling silver dresser set from Macy's, a white pine whatnot from Conran's, an Edwardian nine-carat-gold "gate" bracelet from Bergdorfs and hundreds upon hundreds of pink and white roses.”

Just be sure extensive descriptions of clothing don’t fall into the bad fanfiction category . (Although, there is good fanfiction too.)

Their actions

You know how actions speak louder than words? That’s truer than ever when it comes to describing your novel’s cast.

In one sense, actions can illustrate physical characteristics in a pretty basic way: “She ran her hand through her hair, accidentally revealing the mole on her forehead she’d always kept hidden behind her bangs.”

But you can also learn as much about fictional characters from their actions as you can about real people. Toni Morrison displays clear knowledge of this in her novel Jazz , introducing the character Violet by recounting a story about her, rather than simply telling what she looks like.

“I know that woman. She used to live with a flock of birds on Lenox Avenue. Know her husband, too. He fell for an eighteen-year-old girl with one of those deepdown, spooky loves that made him so sad and happy he shot her just to keep the feeling going. When the woman, her name is Violet, went to the funeral to see the girl and to cut her dead face they threw her to the floor and out of the church. She ran, then, through all that snow, and when she got back to her apartment she took the birds from their cages and set them out the windows to freeze or fly, including the parrot that said, ‘I love you.’”

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3. Don’t always be specific

Yeah, okay — the irony here isn’t lost on us . But while giving distinct details is important to character descriptions, so is knowing when concrete descriptions aren’t needed. Words, after all, are not limited to describing physical things. So don’t limit your prose, either.

Be abstract

Feel free to stretch the boundaries of what you’re describing and how you’re describing it. Rather than simply pointing out concrete characteristics or actions, feel free to describe abstractions, like this passage from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere :

“Mr. Croup likes words, while Mr. Vandemar is always hungry. Also, they look nothing alike.”

Or, describe physical characteristics in an abstract way — that is, use similes and metaphors. In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol , Dickens does not describe Scrooge as a Christmas-hating miser. Instead, Scrooge is:

“Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.”

Whether you’re describing yourself to a friend or a friend is describing you to someone else, it’s very unlikely either of you would give a painstaking, perfectly objective account. Biases exist in every aspect of life, so it’s okay to be biased in character descriptions, too.

If a first person  narrator is describing themselves, they might comment on their own attractiveness, like Humbert Humbert in Lolita :

“I was, and still am, despite mes malheurs, an exceptionally handsome male; slow-moving, tall, with soft dark hair and a gloomy but all the more seductive cast of demeanor.”

Or you could have one character describe another, which illuminates the attributes of the latter and the perception of the former. Take, for example, this particularly scathing description of one person by another from Jodi Taylor’s The Nothing Girl :

“The only talents he possessed were delusions of adequacy.”

This sentence succinctly describes a not-quite-self-aware underachiever. But it also illustrates a narrator with a not-so-objective opinion of him.

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Show, don’t tell

Yup. The golden rule of writing applies here as well. At the end of the day, no matter what you decide to reveal to your audience, the most important aspect of character descriptions is how you reveal it. Regardless of how special, unique, or honest-to-god awesome your protagonist is, a reader forced to trudge through page after page of intensive description will find any character boring.

Instead, think of how we learn things about other people in real life. Very rarely does the color of our eyes or the shape of our nose describe who we are. We don’t tell everything there is to know about each other — we show it, through our expressions, perceptions, actions, preferences, and even our stuff. Apply that same rule to your character descriptions, and your characters (and readers) will thank you for it.

Are there any character descriptions that stand out to you? Leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

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Character description: 14 ways to get it right

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Poetry competition: The Straid Collection Awards 2024

27 september 2024.

Jem was tall and broad with brown eyes and short dark hair .

The new writer wants to create an impression of their character and is using physical appearance to do so. But what does this tell us about Jem? Nothing at all. We are offered no insight into his character, personality, dreams, flaws, motivations, needs, wants or desires. It is the same as in real life: it is what is revealed of someone’s personality that creates an impression, not what colour hair or eyes they’ve got. This bland introduction to Jem means that the only thing we initially know about him is the least important thing: what he looks like. Unless this has some bearing on his character development and the story’s plot progression, it’s just not very interesting. Instead, why not introduce Jem in a way that reveals something significant about him? It might only take a tiny tweak. Jem had kept the sportman’s posture of his youth tells us much more about him: in nine words, we’ve been shown that he’s an older man, used to play sports and has taken care of himself. Already we’re starting to get to know him.

2. What do readers need to know about the character when they first meet them?

Now that we’ve been introduced to Jem, what do we need to know about him? Think about it in the context of your story. Let’s imagine that Jem is a retired policeman who is married to Myriam, and keeps fit and active on a golf course where (in the early pages of your crime novel) he discovers a mangled corpse. These are the things your readers need to know about him early on in the novel. You could just write that description but it’s boring. Try to incorporate these essential pieces of information into writing that builds up a picture :

Jem was just about to text Myriam and let her know he’d be popping into the clubhouse for a drink with the Friday regulars when he spotted a ball in the long grass. He jogged over to retrieve it and took a step backwards. In all his years with the Force he’d never seen a body so deliberately mutilated.

Everything we learn about Jem in these sentences helps to build a picture where all the elements are connected to the unfolding narrative.’

3. Drip-feed information to gradually build up a picture.

Info-dumping is always to be avoided in fiction writing, and that goes for character creation as well. Your reader does not need to know everything about Jem all at once. It’s much more effective for the reader to be progressively fed scraps of information about Jem to build up an intricate picture of his character. As none of the characters in your fiction should be two-dimensional, a novel-length manuscript gives its writer the opportunity to assemble complex characters over a lengthy period.

You might introduce a section about Jem’s former police career to reveal that he made an error of judgement that impacted on his confidence, giving the reader a whole new understanding that solving this case in retirement will heal a twenty-year wound.

Perhaps you could show different sides of him, at home, at work and with his golf mates, to give readers an insight into how he interacts in particular contexts. Rather than bombarding your reader with a barrage of information about Jem that they won’t take in all at once, and don’t yet care about because they don’t know him, introduce him carefully and let them get to know him gradually and they will be fascinated to find out more about him.

4. Relate the character’s exterior and interior lives.

Jem slopped two fingers into a tumbler. He was never much of a drinker before the business with Siddy Cohen, but these days he had to smuggle the Jameson bottles out of the house .

Look at the verbs : slopped and smuggle . These have been chosen to show an aspect of Jim that’s messy, and something furtive about his drinking. Your verb choices will do a lot of the work for you in relating character to action. The rest of the description relies on the precision of the nouns that have been selected. The tumbler shows there’s a value for him in using the right glass, not just any old receptacle. Same with the whiskey: Jameson is a choice brand. The tense phrase the business with Siddy Cohen suggests the lingering effect of whatever it was that happened.

And throughout this description there is, vitally, a space for the reader to come in and interpret what has been written. Piecing together clues to build up a picture is one of the joys of reading, and a good writer never forgets this.

5. Focus on specific details and what they tell us about the character.

Everything you say about your character should be there for a purpose. Any detail that you reveal about your character needs to add to what the reader knows about them in the context of the story . So if you tell a reader that Jem was wearing the same shirt two days running , it’s a tiny detail that tells the reader something about him, his life and the circumstances he’s in. If you said he changed his shirt for the second time that day , would that create a different impression? If his fingernails are black with dirt , we’d see him differently from if he’d had a manicure.

Using specific details rather than vague ones reinforces believability. If Jem eats baked beans, scrambled eggs and four slices of bread every morning , it’s more revealing about his character than if you told readers he liked a hearty breakfast.

6. Create images that leave an impression of the character.

Even though it’s a mistake to focus on physical description as a way of revealing character, there will be times when it’s necessary to describe something about their appearance. But rather than baldly stating what they looked like, use carefully chosen words – an appropriate adjective, a persuasive verb, perhaps metaphor or simile – to create a picture or impression of the character.

Jem’s sturdy tweed coat felt like a barrier between him and whatever it was that was waiting for him on the fairway tells the reader not just what Jem was wearing, but how it made him feel in the face of danger. He pushed his thinning hair away from his forehead and sighed when he remembered how the lads on his division used to call him Curly reveals character and backstory as well as appearance.

7. How do they express themselves physically?

How does your character move around in the world you have created for them, and what does it say about them? Do they walk slowly? Talk quickly? Are they argumentative? Sociable? Friendly? Reserved? Introverted? The life and soul of the party? Respectful of other characters? The way people move physically and interact with others can be very revealing of what they’re like as individuals.

Think how you can show this to readers. Jem was the first to stretch out his hand in greeting demonstrates a character being proactive and sociable. If his fingers tap on the table this might convey restlessness or fidgeting. If he always sits in the quiet corner we can assume he prefers to be left alone. Everything that your character does will demonstrate something about them to the reader.

An added gift for the writers is that it is quite usual for people not to be conscious of how they express themselves physically. Showing this to the reader gives the writer a chance to reveal elements of the character that the character themselves may not be aware of.

8. What revealing quirks or mannerisms do they have?

Don’t overdo references to it – if the character snarls or sneezes or twitches or whatever it is every time they put in an appearance, it will quickly become irksome for the reader. For instance, Myriam’s ability to solve clues might be signalled be her fondness for cryptic crosswords. But if she is doing the crossword every time we meet her, it becomes a cliché.

Always remember, too, that any character in your fiction should not be signalled by the kind of shorthand that a quirk can represent. It can add to your portrayal of a character but a good, rounded character can never be reduced to a quirk of behaviour.

9. Don’t describe – demonstrate.

The best way to bore a reader is making them plough through a lengthy passage of description, and this is just as true when it comes to characters as to anything else in your novel. Your skill as a writer is in showing the reader without spelling it out in screeds of description. If you need to show what someone looks like, find a way of showing it. The blue coat was warmer but Myriam preferred the green one for the way it set off her eyes not only informs us that Myriam has green eyes and is wearing a coat to match, but that she’s slightly vain about her appearance.

10. Action reveals character.

Another aspect of demonstrating rather than using description is that showing your character in action is the best way to show what the person you are writing about is like. Readers are more likely to be involved with writing that moves the storyline along at the same time as increasing their understanding of the character.

Jem wasn’t going to let the odd twinge of arthritis get in the way of completing 18 holes does the work of telling your readers about Jem’s stubbornness and refusal to give up his golf despite the fact that he’s getting a bit creaky with old age. His joints snapped as he bent over the corpse but he ignored the pain. There was a job to be getting on with makes even more of an impression of a person who carries on despite physical limitations.

11. Put them in a setting that says something about them.

Your characters’ surroundings will give readers clues about who they are. What kind of house or flat do they live in? In what kind of area? What are their furnishings like? Do they socialise in a pub, club or café? All these lifestyle options can be used to reveal something about the way your characters live, which in turn shows something about who they are.

If Jem and Myriam have the same furniture they bought when they first got married, it says something different than if they upgrade their living room furniture every few years. If they live in a suburban semi their lifestyle will reflect a different picture than if they live in a gated retirement complex.

12. What about their inner life?

Just as it’s interesting to explore who your characters are in relation to the world around them, it’s important to give them an inner life: thoughts, emotions, viewpoints, interests. A character’s inner life can be a way of connecting them to their backstory, and it will emphasise or throw into relief the qualities that make them who they are.

A lot of authors reflect their characters’ inner lives through their relationship to the arts: what books, music, art or films they love – because this is a way of showing the richness of their inner life and inner resources. Human beings have many facets to their lives and characters, including layered inner lives, and your fictional characters should have a similar multi-dimensional quality in order to make them truly satisfying for a reader.

13. How do they interact with other characters and what does it show about them?

As a writer you can use the way secondary characters in your novel view your lead character to enhance readers’ insights into what they’re like. You might use this device to contrast how someone sees themselves with how they really are (ie, life and soul of the party/unfunny loudmouth) or to foreground something about them that will later be significant.

14. What impression do they create?

Be aware, as a writer, that everything you put in words about your character will generate an impression for the reader – and that impression will build up over pages and chapters. It is up to you how your readers see your character at any point in your narrative. Readers can only see your character through the images you furnish them with. So it’s your job to provide them.

You might, at the beginning of your story, want readers to have a strong impression of your character – if so, show them in action in a way that reveals the side of their character you’re aiming to get across. Perhaps later, you might want to reveal their hidden depths. This might be the time for them to reflect on something in their past, or listen to music that reveals a hitherto unseen facet of their personality. You can time your revelations of different aspects of your character or insights into their backgrounds and motivation to occur at pivotal points in the narrative. This acts as a way of controlling the impression your character creates for your reader.

There isn’t – or should not be – anything random about the act of creating a character for your reader. But there will be, inevitably, the issue that your writer’s knowledge of your character will deepen as you become more involved in writing their story, and get to know them better. Being aware of the extent to which your reader’s appreciation of your story will depend on your understanding of your characters and how you get it across will help you not just with character creation but also with plotting and structure. Why not try the following exercise?

First, create an outline or breakdown of your novel. It might be a list of chapters, or perhaps you might see your manuscript as a three-act structure. Whatever works best for you. By each chapter or act, make a note of each character that needs to appear, what you need them to do and what impression you want the reader to have of them. Now make notes on how you might convey these impressions in words. Develop your creative writing skills with guidance from one of our expert tutors with a Writing Magazine Creative Writing course . BRYN DONOVAN tell your stories, love your life Writing Inspiration Semi-Charmed Life Reading & Research Works In Progress. Master List of Physical Description for Writers I created this list of ways to describe people because physical description, when done well, helps the readers see characters in their minds. But sometimes when you’re in the middle of writing, it can be hard to think of physical adjectives and distinguishing features for characters. I find that describing facial features can be especially tricky! This long list of physical characteristics is kind of like a character description generator, and it’ll help you when you’re trying to think of how to describe a character’s appearance. Eyes – General  For all the words about describing facial features, I’m focusing more on physical descriptions rather than emotional expressions, though there’s a little crossover! You can also check out my long list of facial expressions. heavy-lidded fringed with long lashes with sweeping eyelashes with thick eyelashes By the way, this post on how to describe (and not describe) the eyes of an Asian character  is really great. Check it out. Eyes – Color Brown is the most common eye color by far. Green is quite rare. chocolate brown cocoa brown coffee brown sienna brown Support My Site If you like what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! cornflower blue Arctic blue glacial blue crystal blue electric blue slate blue / slate gray storm blue / storm gray silver / silver gray concrete gray gunmetal gray Skin – Color Josh Roby made a great chart of skin tones and descriptor words, and I got a lot of these words from him. You can get that here . The quote from N.K. Jemisin interested me: “I get really tired of seeing African-descended characters described in terms of the goods that drove, and still drive, the slave trade—coffee, chocolate, brown sugar. There’s some weird psychosocial baggage attached to that.”  cream / creamy rose / rosy Skin – General Some of these are better for the face, and some are better for other parts of the body. translucent luminescent with large pores weather-beaten Face – Structure heart-shaped high forehead broad forehead prominent brow ridge protruding brow bone sharp cheekbones high cheekbones angular cheekbones hollow cheeks jutting chin pointed chin receding chin double chin dimple in chin visible Adam’s apple People don’t write much about noses, but they can be distinguishing features for characters! Cupid’s bow straight teeth gap between teeth gleaming white teeth Facial Hair (or lack thereof) clean-shaven smooth-shaven mutton-chop sideburns a few days’ growth of beard five o’ clock shadow Hair – General I threw a few hairstyles in here, though not many. shoulder-length neatly combed slicked down / slicked back buzzed / buzz cut widow’s peak Hair – Color There are some repeats here from the eye color section! salt and pepper charcoal gray brown sugar tawny brown toffee brown Titian-haired strawberry blonde butterscotch sandy blond fair-haired Body Type – General average height barrel-chested heavy / heavy-set pot-bellied full-figured leggy / long-legged broad-shouldered sloping shoulders stubby fingers long fingers ragged nails grimy fingernails ink-stained This list and many more are in my book Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plot Ideas, Character Traits, Names, and More . Check it out if you’re interested! And if you don’t want to miss future writing posts, follow the blog, if you aren’t already — there’s a place to sign up on the lefthand side of the blog. Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing! Related Posts Share this: 127 thoughts on “ master list of physical description for writers ”. Thanks, Bryn! This list has sparked a spark in my brain. I haven’t seen one of those for a while. I was getting worried I’d lost my flint! I’m so glad you like it! I love this, do you mind if we share on our blog WritersLife.org ? Thanks for the positive feedback! You can’t reproduce it on your blog, but you can share an excerpt of 200 words or less plus a link to my site. As a new novel writer all I can say is thank very much for sharing with us this wonderful list. Ah you’re welcome! Thanks for visiting! This is amazing! Thank you very much! Thanks for the kind words–glad it seems helpful! Reblogged this on looselyjournalying. Reblogged this on Of Fancy & Creativity . Pingback: Bryn Donovan | Shadows Publishing Aw thank you for this it helped so much! I’m 15 and I’m trying to write a novel and this was sooooo helpful so thank you a billion 🙂 Best wishes. Ah you’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Good for you for working on a novel, and good luck–I bet it will go great! Hi, Bryn Thank you for doing these lists. They helped me a lot. Can you make a list on how to describe emotions like sadness or anger. It’s funny you should ask 🙂 There’s a list like that in my book MASTER LISTS FOR WRITERS coming out this fall! I haven’t officially announced it yet, but hey 🙂 You can get a free copy when it comes out if you agree to give it an honest review. SIgn up for my newsletter if you’re interested! Reblogged this on Kalynn Bayron and commented: Yes! This is great! Was just looking for this type of lists.Great work. This is so helpful. I love your blog, btw. Your posts are informative and/or inspirational. Are you on any social medial where I can follow you? Oh, thank you so much! I just checked out your blog — I love the dream casting post! http://sbhadleywilson.com/blog/pull-ideal-cast-2/ I’m @BrynDonovan on Twitter, just followed you! VERY helpful. I need to get basic descriptions of people done and out of the way to move on with plot. This quickens any details that might have taken me a long time to think through, or strain a sentence. Yuck. I know my females characters would pay attention to lots of physical details. not so with the males. Thanks! Oh, so glad it’s helpful! That’s always what I’m trying to do with my lists — speed things up. I hate getting stuck on a detail and losing my momentum 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! godsent list! Bryn, I wish you more brains. Reblogged this on Jessica Louis and commented: This list is beyond helpful. Who knew there were so many eye colors!? Thanks Bryn your list was amazing. I’m an aspiring writer and it really helped me a lot. When I can I’m going to get a copy of your book. I think it would help me become a better writer. My genre of choice is erotic, but it is so hard to get out there, but I’m hopeful one day I will. It’s what I love to do and I’m going to keep trying. Hi Beth! Thank you so much for the kind words. If you do get the book, I hope you like it! And good luck on writing erotica — I’m doing a “WIP Wednesday” this Wednesday where you can share a bit of your work in progress, if you like 🙂 That would be great. I have some short stories publish on a site called Literotica. I have some editing issues that I’m trying to work out, nothing a few classes wouldn’t help. How do I share my work. I am so sorry! I missed this comment before. The next WIP Wednesday on the blog is Dec. 2… if you’re following the blog you’ll see the post! (The follow button is on the righthand side of this page.) Hope your writing’s going well 🙂 Pingback: A Great Resource for Writers | I Read Encyclopedias for Fun Pingback: MASTER LIST: Physical Descriptions | Reblogged this on PRINCE CHARMING ISN'T HERE and commented: what an amazing list! I always have a hard time describing features! words sometimes fail me! i loved this list! thank you so much for making it! 🙂 So glad it was helpful! Pingback: Describing People « Chestnut ESL/EFL Thank you! This is so helpful to have for reference. Occasionally I’ll have a particular word in mind and can’t think of it, and I can usually pop over here and find it right away! I absolutely love your master lists. They have helped me so much in diversifying the words I use when I’m writing. 🙂 Ohhh thank you! That is so great to hear. 🙂 Hope your writing projects are going great! Thank you, and they are. I’m just about to publish a works I’ve been working on for the past couple of months, which is so exciting. XD Hope all your writing projects are going great as well. 🙂 What a wonderful and thorough list Bryn. Thanks for sharing it! I will at some point ‘link back’ to this fabulous article (I’ll let you know when I do.) I’m new to your site, but will certainly be back for more! I’m fascinated to learn that you’re also a home-grown KC girl. =0) Although, I remarried and moved to California 9 years ago, KC still tugs my heart-strings. Hey, so glad you like it! Yeah, Kansas City is a special place. Come visit anytime 🙂 And thanks for visiting my blog! — I LOVE your username, by the way. Made me smile. thanks for following my blog! Reblogged this on A Bundle of Cute. Reblogged this on A Blissful Garden and commented: I find this very important! Pingback: List of Physical Descriptions » Mary M Cushnie-Mansour Pingback: The Perfect Character | Simply frannie Reblogged this on Insideamoronsbrain and commented: Wow!! Pingback: Writing Links Round Up 2/15-2/20 – B. Shaun Smith Thanks for sharing this list! It is amazing and so helpful ! I’m going to save this as a favorite. You always provide great information Bryn. Continue with your success. Oh, thank you so much, Christopher! I really appreciate the kind words. So glad you like this! This list is so complete! I haven’t worked on fiction in a long while, but lately I’ve been wanting to get back into it. I know this is going to be a great help when i sit down to create my characters! Pingback: 25 Holy Grail Resources For Writers! - NATASHA SOLAE Pingback: How Do You Describe a Character’s Looks In His or Her Point of View? – Bryn Donovan This is absolutely perfect for aspiring writers so that we don’t have to use Microsoft Word synonyms that tend to nit have what we’re searching for. Your introductory paragraph about readers falling in love with characters’ personalities and not theit physical attributes was spot on. Thank you thank you, thank you! Chunny! Thank you so very much for the kind words. I’m so glad you found it helpful!! Pingback: Sick of the same old descriptive words? | myislandofbooks Pingback: Character Details: Face – BUCK OFF BLOG This is amazing! Thank you! I hope it’s alright if I use this as a reference in a blog post for character development. Hi Jacquelyn! So glad you like it. That’s fine, just please link to the post! I read this over and over, thank you for creating this! Can I just ask, when thinking of clothing and how to describe it, what are some things you would put? (I’m making a book draft and have never needed clothing described to me as much as now) Thank you! It’s so important that we don’t reuse the same words too often, so this will help a lot with that problem. Pingback: Writing The Best Characters – LJBNovels Thanks for helping me. It really made a big difference of helping me come up with something. Hi Joseph! Sorry for the delayed reply! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for the kind words! Pingback: Prepping for Camp NaNoWriMo [2 days left] – Cayleigh Stickler Your book “Master Lists for Writers” has helped me incredibly. I’ve always wanted to be a romance writer but didn’t have the nerve until now. I am currently working on a short story about a college girl who is assaulted by a classmate. It was based on a dream I had a few nights ago. I haven’t developed how she gets her revenge on him. I know the story line seems dark but the dream stuck with me so much, I felt the urge to turn it into a story. Thank you again for your awesome book. What a great resource Rhonda! Thank you so much for the kind words. I am so happy that the book is helpful, and even gladder that you’re going for it and writing! Sending you best wishes on your story! Pingback: MASTER LIST of Physical Descriptions! | Written By Gigi Great advice in this post, Bryn! Thank you. Used this for school! It was really helpful! Oh yay! So glad it was helpful! Pingback: Best Writing Websites of 2017 – lmnelsonscorner This is a great list! So comprehensive, and just what I was looking for. I struggle with physical descriptions of people and have a tendency to write the same kins of attributes. So this list is fab! This is great! Pingback: Character Descriptions – Queer Sci Fi keep up the good work Hey thanks 🙂 This is so helpful!!!!! Pingback: Thursday Thoughts: On Writing – Bookish Book Nerd Tiptoeing out there to publish my first book (I’ve been writing a long time). This post helped so much. Thanks! oh my gosh, thank you! You have put a lot of effort in this list. I def appreciate it 🙂 Thank you I´m always using this when I´m creating new characters. Pingback: Listing Characteristics for Character – Newcomers Pingback: Characteristics of Character – ESOL II Incredibly helpful! Thanks a lot :3 Thank you for sharing this! Pingback: How do you introduce your character's appearance? Pingback: ? Writing Links Round Up 11/5-11/9 – B. Shaun Smith More extensive than my general list. My wizened goatee and elder Fu Manchu thank you for sharing your time and devotion to the craft. Pingback: NaNoWriMo Prep Resources – Quinn M. Nichols Very useful for ready reference. Thank you very much. Thanks, Mohan! So glad you liked it! Pingback: Clear-Cut Advice For Latinbridesworld – Where To Go | Bart De Clercq Pingback: Vital Aspects Of Latinbrides World – The Options – Construtora Colombo Pingback: Clarifying Programs Of Latinbrides world — SunHouseDOO Pingback: Selecting Painless Products In Latin brides world site – Bie-Usha (WA) Limited I’ve been writing for a while, mostly for fun, but this was the one thing I could never get down, but this list is great! all around solid, and incredibly useful, I see myself using it every time I need to make a new character, good job! You’re a legend! This is fantastic, thank you! Hahaha, thanks for the kind words! 🙂 Glad it’s helpful! I am following your prompts and valuable advice for writing a fantasy teen fiction novel. I think you are amazing. You might not know it but I was able to clear hundreds of my doubts through your help. Please keep up the good work and providing your valuable support to all of us upcoming writers. Hey, thank you so much for the kind words—you made my day! It’s wonderful to hear that you’re working on YA fantasy. I’m so glad I could help, and I wish you every success! I honestly would not recommend this as good writing advice. The focus is too much on describing someone’s physical features using analogies for food. That is not a good thing, it becomes trite and overdone. If used sparsely it’s okay but almost every word in this list is food related. Hi, Larissa! Thanks for taking your valuable time to share your opinion. You have done a great job preparing this Master List. Those who think such precise words for describing someone hurt their sensibilities, move on to another URL. I appreciate every bit of your effort. Hi, Pradeep! I am so glad you like the list. Thanks so much for commenting! Bryn, I love your master list book and use it all the time! Ohh, thank you so much! I’m so glad it’s helpful! Pingback: The Latest On No-Hassle Methods For latin brides world - Delta Hijau Abadi Pingback: Deciding Upon Quick Systems In latin brides world – Rasa estampación Pingback: Word Lists – Skymark Streets This is a godsend. I owe you my soul. I work 20 hours per day, (regular business and writing the memoir). Just ordered the Master List–seems like having my own research assistant. I may be able to get 5 hours sleep now. Thanks Pingback: Character Bio Template: 200+ Character Development Questions - SEO News Media Pingback: Character creator | Doug Weller Writer No jaw descriptions? ;( You saved my day with your wonderful, descriptive words! Now I’ve found the perfect features for my handsome male character. Thank you! That is a lot of hours for books but I guess if you keep pushing it will happen. Survêtement OM 2020, Survêtement PSG 2020 ou Survêtement France 2020, fais ton choix parmi la plus grande gamme de survêtement de football disponible sur internet et c’est seulement chez Foot Dealer, ta boutique 100% football ! writing cause and effect essays english language essay writing college essay requirements Pingback: 5 Mistakes Men Make Writing Women Characters - Richie Billing Hi Bryn, thanks so much for this information! I always appreciate your lists because I like comprehensive material all in one location as a reference (then if I decide to break the rules, at least I know what the rules are “supposed to be” first!). Have you considered making comprehensive lists of creative writing genre conventions (tropes, archetypes, settings, devices, etc.)? Hello, and thank you for the valuable and useful information. I agree with Eleanore regarding the list of genre conventions. I’m more than pleased I found you website. Thank u so much ❤️ that was so helpful Pingback: Appearance in English – wygląd zewnętrzny po angielsku - kapitanenglish.com Pingback: Ukraina a nie Rosja powinna gościć Euro 2028 - kapitanenglish.com Pingback: How to create a memorable non-player character - Skull RPG Pingback: Master Lists of Character’s Physical Description – Verbum Amoris Leave a Reply Cancel reply This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed . Discover more from BRYN DONOVAN Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive. Type your email… Continue reading Tricks for Describing a Character’s Appearance (With Examples) Introducing a new character to your story can be difficult. There’s a lot that goes into it, and to make matters worse, you only have one chance to give readers a good (and memorable) first impression of that character. One of the ways you can do this is by giving them a distinct appearance, but many writers tend to fall short of describing appearance well.  We’ve all heard the same cookie-cutter descriptions for characters a million times before. Golden hair, a heart-shaped face, a chiseled body, piercing eyes, yadda yadda… The problem with these descriptions is that they’re bland, they’re cliché, and they don’t really help your characters stand out.  However, if you break from clichés, you can create uniquely vivid descriptions that will give your characters life. There are endless ways you can describe characters, and I’m not going to walk you through how I would describe every single possible human feature (or humanoid, animal, alien, etc). For one thing, that would take too long, but for another thing, descriptions are based on more than just the character’s physical appearance—their personality plays a part too.  Tips for Describing a Character’s Appearance in a Story There are a number of things to keep in mind when describing a character’s appearance. Here are just a few general tips before we dive into some more specific techniques for describing different parts of a character’s appearance.  Don’t Make Everyone a Supermodel This is probably one of the most (if not the most) important things to remember when describing a character. You should never objectively describe your characters as flawless. Humans aren’t perfect, so if you describe your characters like perfect little supermodels, they just won’t feel authentic. Worse still, they won’t stand out from the protagonists of every single young adult novel out there. You need to make them distinct, and to do that, you need to give your characters flaws . And I mean real flaws, not fake flaws that are actually just endearing traits packaged like flaws.  Don’t Dump Everything Out at Once Describing your characters is important, but you need to be able to keep it concise. No one wants to read a 7-page summary of every detail of a character’s appearance. You can go in-depth, sure, but don’t put your readers through a word-avalanche just for them to figure out what the character looks like.  Remember, you can reveal more about the characters over time. When you introduce a character for the first time, you should focus on the things a person would naturally notice first, such as their face, hair, clothing, voice, and general energy. You can further elaborate on their appearance later when it is relevant, and describe their gait, posture, temperament, and more.  There is one exception here I want to highlight. If you are telling a story from the first-person perspective, and you want to illustrate a character’s obsession with another person, hyper-fixating on the details can be a good way to show this. It can make the character seem creepy , and it can foreshadow the protagonist doing something bad to the person they are obsessing over.  Don’t Sell Them Short Opposite to the point above, you shouldn’t make your introductions too short. To some extent, it can be good to leave some parts of the character’s appearance up to the reader’s imagination. However, you should give them something to help them visualize the characters in the beginning. Otherwise, if you later reveal that the character has dark hair, all the readers that imagined them with light hair might have a difficult time accepting that.  Descriptions are important, and they help to include a reader in the narrative. Like a well-described setting, vivid characters can help immerse readers into the world and make them part of the story.  Use Their Personality A character’s personality can have a large impact on how they are perceived, and therefore should alter the words you use to describe them. Two characters might have similar features, but based on their personality, you would describe them differently.  For example, two characters might both be tall, but one would be described as “awkward and long” while the other is “towering.” In this case, the characters’ levels of confidence impact how they are perceived. For another example, think about two characters who both have light skin. You could describe one as looking like “porcelain” and describe the other one as “pasty,” depending on their other traits. Those two descriptions create very different perceptions from each other.    Use the Point of View If the character in question is being described from the first-person perspective of another character, then the protagonist’s opinions should sneak into the description. Your protagonist probably isn’t going to objectively evaluate the other person—they’re likely to rely on stereotypes, biases, and things they have heard from others about the character they’re looking at. Rely on that to make the description fit into the story more organically.  Here are some examples:  She had no right to have such a disarming smile. His expression was empty—just like his head. His dark, tangled hair reminded me of a swamp. She didn’t even wear any makeup! But even more frustratingly, she didn’t really need it. They looked divine… like I wasn’t even worthy to look upon them.  He looked like the type of person to stare at his own reflection before getting in the shower.  They were short and stocky, but they could still probably beat me in a fight.  Remember, your protagonist can make speculative judgments about the character they’re looking at. You’re telling the story as they experience it, so their judgments are part of the narrative! “…he was greeted by the barista—a young teen who had not yet matured enough to be handsome. Once his soft cheeks hollowed and his jaw squared, and the childish optimism fled his eyes, then he would have the chance to smolder. That crooked smile would win over many hearts in the blink of an eye, but not just yet.”  – excerpt from a draft Keep the Description Balanced A good rule of thumb when describing characters (or anything else really) is to create a balance of concrete details and flowery imagery. You should alternate between those two, as well as general and more specific details, to make the description flow more naturally, and to make it more interesting to read.  Imagine reading a description like:  “His hair was red and curly. His eyes were large and green. He had freckles, but they weren’t that noticeable. He was tall but very thin.”  That’s so dry, and it’s not fun to read. Compare that to a description that varies how the information is provided: “His hair was like a massive red bush surrounding two wide, green eyes. Freckles faintly dotted his cheeks, but they were only really visible in the sunshine. His long, lanky body and large hair made him look a bit like a big red lollipop—which was only heightened by his tendency to blush often.” Wasn’t that a lot more fun to read? Not only does it make the character description more interesting, but it also influences a reader’s perception of what the character is like. Certain words help readers to gauge what kind of person this character is. The first example gives no indication of personality, but the second one uses words like “sunshine” and “lollipop” to associate the character with lively, happy things. Additionally, using words like “lanky” and “blush” suggests that the character is awkward or shy, saving you the time of having to spell that out for readers.  Give them Something Special One helpful thing that I’ve learned over the years is that you should give your main character some distinctive feature that sets them apart from the other characters around them. Diverse descriptions are great, but it never hurts to make your main character a little more unique. This could be something like a distinctive scar, a tattoo, a weird eye color, a patch of silver or white hair, a missing or extra finger, a birthmark, or something else along those lines. That can make them stand out more, and it can be a really clear indicator that they are special.  Although your story won’t suffer if you don’t give your main character a distinct feature like this, it is usually a good bet—especially if you think your story could ever conceivably be adapted into a visual medium, like a comic, animation, or film. That character could become iconic. People may just see your character somewhere and that alone could motivate them to read or watch the whole story. As another plus, it could give you a cool opportunity for your story’s cover.  How to Describe a Character’s Face When describing a character’s face, the easiest way to do that is to first break the face down into its essential parts: the eyes, the mouth, the nose, and the facial structure. So let’s start with the eyes since they are the focal point of the face. Stay away from the descriptions you’ve heard a million times, like “piercing” or “doe-eyed.” The eyes are the window to the soul, and they can tell a reader a lot about a character. Instead of “piercing,” try “icy” or “sharp,” and instead of “doe-eyed,” try “wide,” “innocent,” or “full of wonder/awe.” The goal is to describe the character in a unique way to make it more interesting to read, while still creating a vivid image of that character.  You can describe the shape, color, and depth of a character’s eyes, but you should be careful not to rely on insensitive generalizations. For example, instead of “Asian” eyes, use “almond-shaped” or “mono-lid.” Not all Asian people have mono-lids, so simply using the word “Asian” to describe the character’s eyes doesn’t actually narrow down what they look like.  That goes for all the other features of the face, too. Though it is true that some features are more prominent in certain races, nothing is inherent. You shouldn’t rely on the character’s race or ethnic background alone to be the basis of your description. Saying that a character is Japanese or Jamaican without giving other details doesn’t do any more for the character’s description than saying they are European or white. Doing this only encourages your readers to stereotype your characters, even if that wasn’t your intention.  With that said, don’t get too caught up in describing every detail of a character’s face. Give the most important information, such as the eyes, face shape, scars, and other notable details or imperfections, then move on. If a character has an exaggerated feature, such as a large nose or bushy eyebrows, then that’s important to mention too. How to Describe a Character’s Hair There are lots of different types of hair colors, textures, thicknesses, and shines, so try not to make all your characters have the same kind of hair—unless they’re related or part of a small, isolated community, of course. Hair can be curly and blond, sleek and black, coily and auburn, and even dyed wild colors. Making your characters’ hair more distinct will make them easier for readers to visualize, especially if you introduce many characters at one time.  Beyond the basics, you can use words to describe a character’s hair that reflects who they are as a person. For example, describing a character’s hair as springy or bouncy could indicate the character is upbeat and moves excitedly. Slick, greasy, or wispy hair could suggest an untrustworthy or sneaky character. The words you use to describe the character’s hair will be subliminally applied to the character themself.  How to Describe a Character’s Clothes Clothing is an important element of self-expression, and what your character decides to wear can reflect a lot about them. However, unlike with the character’s face, you should not spend a lot of time describing their outfit. For one thing, they’re probably going to change their outfit at some point in the story—likely more than once. Secondly, readers just won’t care unless you give them a good reason to.  If you want to describe what your character is wearing, make sure to keep it short. If it’s just a simple way of helping the reader visualize the character’s style, present the information objectively and in only a paragraph or two, such as:  “She wore short-shorts and a denim jacket, and pink thigh-high socks that she had to keep pulling up because they always slipped down to her knees. Her tennis-shoes were white and bulky, as was the belt bag she wore off to one side. This free, laidback style was completed by the two messy buns her faded purple hair was pulled up into.” However, there are a few times in which you can use clothing to explore more complex ideas in the story. For example: An article of clothing might have special significance to a character. It could have been handed down from a relative, it could be a favorite shirt, or it could be meaningful in other ways. That would merit drawing more attention to it.  An article of clothing might have special significance to the story. This could be a type of ceremonial outfit, a piece of magical armor, or something along those lines. That would require a more thorough in-depth description of the item.  An article of clothing may be unfamiliar to most of your readers, such as a specific cultural outfit or an unusual costume, in which case a descriptive explanation could help illustrate what it looks like.  A particular outfit could draw attention to a character, such as an attractive or surprising outfit, that could merit taking more time to describe it (and explain why it garners the character extra attention).  How to Describe a Character’s Body Describing a character’s body is fairly straightforward. Like with many other aspects of a character’s appearance, there are a few methods you can use to approach describing their body. You could take the objective approach, which would do just fine in most cases, or you could toy with your readers’ perceptions.  I’ll start out with a word of caution. Too many times, I’ve seen unrealistic descriptions of characters’ bodies. Whether it’s a waist that’s impossibly thin or muscles like a bodybuilder on a teenager, people tend to push the boundaries of what the human body is even capable of. You need to keep your characters within the limits of what’s actually possible, unless you have a good reason for doing otherwise (genetically modified supersoldier, not actually human at all, etc).  Now, as with some other aspects of the character’s appearance, you can get away with a simple, objective description, like “tall and muscular” or “short and curvy.” Honestly, that’s usually all you’ll need to do. However, bodies are commonly associated with physical attractiveness, and if attraction is the point of your description, you need to take a different approach.  Writing about attraction is tough (which is why I go more in-depth about how to write about attraction in my other article, Romance 101: How to Write Characters Falling in Love ). You’ll want to highlight the positives of the character’s body—the elements of them that have caught your protagonist’s attention. Whether it’s biceps, legs, or a large chest, you’ll want to describe it in detail, as well as highlight what it is about them that has the protagonist so interested. Here’s an example: “He was tall and sturdy, and even in this relaxed environment, his pose held power. The way his shirt stretched taut around his shoulders when he shifted snagged and held my attention—I couldn’t help but stare. Did he pick that shirt on purpose? He had to know the thin fabric clung close to his body, showing off every rippling muscle underneath…”  How to Describe a Character’s Posture and Body Language Body language is an often overlooked element of describing a character, but you should give it some thought even if you don’t intend to draw a lot of attention to it in the story. How does your character stand? How do they emote? Do they gesture when they speak? Do they fidget? Try to envision what they look like when they are waiting, actively engaged in a passionate conversation, and when they are uncomfortable.  People move in different ways, even if they aren’t thinking about it. Come up with a list of movements and behaviors that are typical for the character, and utilize those movements to make dull scenes and conversations more interesting. Instead of just dialogue, you can give readers more to imagine as your character shifts their weight, runs their hand through their hair, or twists the hem of their shirt. This can also help to establish the tone of the conversation.   A person’s body, personality, and mood will all influence how they move. If you establish a baseline for how the character stands and behaves when they are in a neutral mindset, this will help you keep them consistent over time by casually mentioning their body language throughout the story. As a bonus, it can also help you tip readers off if you want them to notice that something is bothering the character. If you have established that a character is pretty relaxed in most situations, readers will instantly notice if they exhibit anxious body language even if you don’t draw a lot of attention to it.  For more tips and tricks on writing about body language, be sure to check out Writing Body Language: Bringing Your Characters to Life next! How to Describe an Attractive Character Describing an attractive character isn’t all that different from describing any other character. You still shouldn’t make them flawless, but you can put off mentioning their more negative qualities until later—especially if another character is looking at them through rose-colored glasses .  One recommendation that I have for describing a character who is supposed to be extremely attractive is to keep their description vague. Beauty is subjective, so each reader is going to have a different idea of what “attractive” means. By all means, describe the basics of their appearance, such as hair color, eye color, skin tone, and whatnot, but don’t dive deep into the shape of their features. This will leave a little bit up to the reader’s imagination, and they will fill in the gaps in the character’s description with the traits that they find most attractive.  Another helpful tip is to utilize the reactions of background characters to establish that the character is, in fact, attractive. Other people staring at the character or nudging and whispering to each other about them would help your reader understand that the character is good-looking, and alter their mental image of them accordingly.  The Importance of Creating Vivid Visual Descriptions for your Characters Creating vivid visual descriptions for your characters is incredibly important for a number of reasons. For one thing, being able to imagine the characters will help draw your readers into the story and immerse them in the world. Additionally, by giving your characters more distinct appearances, they will stand out more from each other, and from characters in other stories. The more complex and interesting the character, the more likely they are to stick in a reader’s mind for years after they finish reading the story.  Good luck with writing your descriptions! I know you’ll write something great. Character Development: Create Characters That Readers Love by Joe Bunting | 16 comments Readers love great characters. Think back to your favorite stories of all time. You might remember the story arc or not. You might remember the best bits of dialogue, or you might not. You might remember the setting descriptions, but let’s be honest, you probably don’t . But the characters? Original characters? Your favorite characters? You’ll remember them for the rest of your life. How do you create great characters? The short answer is character development, but what is character development and how can you use it to create characters readers love? That’s what we’re going to talk about in this article. We'll start by discussing the definition of character development and why writers need to do it. We'll talk about each phase of the character development process, from creating to developing to storytelling with them. Throughout, we'll look at lots of character development examples. Finally, we'll get you started writing with a character development exercise. Here's a quick table of contents so you can jump to your favorite tips for character development in the article. Table of Contents Character Development Video Guide What Is Character Development? 3 Steps Types of Characters How to Create a Character Sketch 6 Steps to Character Development Through a Story Character Development Test Character Development Writing Exercise Character Development Video Guide But first, would you prefer to watch this guide? Here's a video I made for it: Make sure to like the video and subscribe to our channel for more videos about the writing craft. Now, ready to get started with this characterization lesson? Let’s do it. What Is Character Development? The 3 Steps to Well-Developed Characters Character development is the process of creating and telling a story about a fictional character. It's far more than a personality trait list. When it comes to compelling characters, there are only three steps: Create a character Develop the character (making them more sympathetic and/or villainous) Then, put them into a story That's it. Easy right? Actually no, it's not easy at all. You'll need to make hundreds of decisions to develop characters people can fall in love with. Each of these steps might take you days or months or even  years . Or they might happen in just a few moments. J.K. Rowling said Harry Potter began when she had a vision of a young boy with a scar on his forehead board her train. You might already have an idea for a character or a whole crowd of characters. Of course, for Rowling it took her another five years to develop Harry Potter and write her first book. And that's what we're talking about in this article: the process of taking ideas and turning them into living, breathing characters that can drive whole stories. Let's begin with the first step: creating characters, as well as the different types of characters you might need to create. Step 1: How to Create Characters for Your Story Of all the character development steps, this is the one I have the least advice about. That's because characters are  rarely  created, they are discovered . Before I came up with the idea for my last novel, I had a vision of a curly haired boy on a beach. I didn't know what my story was about by that point, but I knew it had to have him in it. Just as J.K. Rowling discovered Harry Potter when he boarded her train, so most great characters come from a source that their writers have little control over.  You might come across inspiration in real life—real people who inspire you, but there are complex characters around you all the time in every movie, book, or story you read. Start noticing and you'll get a strong sense of what might inspire strong characters. That being said, there are  types  of characters that you might need in your story, and if you know that you need that type, you can sometimes reverse engineer the characters. Types of Characters There are two broad categories of characters and many different subtypes: 1. Protagonists 2. Secondary Characters Most stories only have one or two protagonists, or main characters, which means that most of your characters will be secondary characters. What is a protagonist? Protagonist definition: The primary character of a story. The character at the center of the plot whose choices drive the story and whose fate determines the story’s outcome. Protagonists tend to be dynamic characters who have a character arc that changes throughout the story. More on character arcs here . Protagonists also tend to be point of view characters , meaning the narrator follows their point of view or they are a first-person narrator. (More on point of view here .) These characters carry the narrative, and in a story told in third person limited point of view , they will be the only character whose thoughts and emotions the reader can see. Warning: Unless you're writing a love story, which frequently has two protagonists in the couple, be careful about having more than one protagonist. There's a reason George R. R. Martin is still  (still!) trying to finish  A Song of Ice and Fire . The more point-of-view characters you have, the more complicated your narrative, and the more problems you face. There are three types of protagonists: The Classic Hero. Think Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Atticus Finch, or Katniss Everdeen. Classic heros are brave, are selfless, and try to do the right thing. The Anti-Hero. Think Severus Snape, Huckleberry Finn, or Han Solo. Anti-heroes are not noble, rarely do the right thing, and might, in ordinary circumstances, be considered the villain. The Ordinary Hero. Think Neville Longbottom, Holden Caulfield, and Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse. These characters have an even mix of admirable and less noble qualities, just like most of us. Which type is your protagonist? Let us know in the comments. Also, read more on the three types of protagonists in this guide . Secondary characters are the next category, and they contain all the other types of characters, including: Villain or Antagonist . Not every story has a villain , but for the ones that do, the villain is the chief source of external conflict. Love interest and love rival . In stories with a love plot or subplot , the love interest is the chief love interest for the protagonist and may even be a protagonist themselves. They may be static, meaning they don't change over the course of the story, or dynamic, meaning they do change, but they add to the romantic tension. Similarly, most love stories involve rivals, another love interest who creates a love triangle and increases the romantic tension. Foil Character.  A secondary character who acts as a mirror to the protagonist and is often very similar but different in one major way that allows us to better understand the protagonist's personality and choices. Mentor . The mentor is a character who steers the protagonist, helps get them out of trouble, and provides chances for reflection. A mainstay of the hero’s journey plot structure , in many types of stories, without a good mentor, the character’s journey will end in tragedy (e.g. think about Hamlet, who had no mentor). Sidekick . A sidekick is a character who supports the protagonist. Besides the protagonist and villain, they have the most opportunity for characterization and provide dialogue opportunities and insight into the character’s mindset. Sidekicks appear in all genres, from romance (e.g. Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet ) to adventure (e.g. Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings ) to mystery (e.g. Inspector Beauvoir from the Inspector Gamache series) and more. Side Characters . Side characters often have fully developed personalities, long interactions with the protagonist, and perhaps even deep backstories. However, they rarely make decisions or change throughout the story. The Chorus . A term from playwriting, these characters may have names and vague descriptions, but they do not have fully developed personalities and are chiefly there to serve as bystanders. Suspects . Specific to mysteries and thrillers, suspects have fully developed personalities and they serve as objects of exploration for the investigator. They should all have motives and appear at least somewhat guilty of the crime, if only to serve as red herrings . These tend to be static characters with a flat character arc, at least within the confines of the story. However, great writers know that all characters have their own arc. Your job as a writer is to choose how much of that arc to show the reader in the story. For more on each of these character types, check out our guide, 6 Character Types Your Protagonist Needs Around Them . Step 2: Develop Your Characters by Making them More Sympathetic (and/or Villainous) Once you have a few characters, your work is not done. Now you have to  develop  them. To do that, I've created a framework called the Seven Characteristics of Sympathetic Characters. I learned this from Brandon Sanderson's fantastic characterization lessons as well as Blake Snyder's  Save the Cat and my own research into story structure and characterization. These characteristics are  reader candy . We  love  characters with these personality traits, and by adding them you can quickly create a bond with your readers. Think of this list as a checklist. The key is to include at least two or three of these characteristics early in your story, ideally in your protagonist's first scene. This list also works for your secondary characters, and it can be used to quickly add depth and connection. For your villains and antagonists, you can use this list in the opposite way, making the audience dislike them or even combining negative traits with sympathetic ones to give us a truly round, dynamic villain. Here are the characteristics: 7 Characteristics of Sympathetic Characters Use these seven traits to create believable characters who connect with the audience: Takes action. Show your protagonist being proactive. Show them making a hard choice when faced with a dilemma and taking action to get what they want. Treated unjustly . Show your character being bullied, persecuted, treated unfairly, or as the victim of injustice. One easy way to do this is to make your character an orphan , a trait shared by Hamilton, Harry Potter, nearly all of Charles Dickens's protagonists, Anne of Green Gables, Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, and many more iconic characters. Shows competence . Readers are interested in people who have competence, who show off their skill (even if those skills are unusual). Has friends . We’re attracted to people who show that they already have other people who like them. Just having a friend makes us more interested in someone. Show your protagonist is likable by surrounding them with other interesting characters. Does a good deed . “Save the cat,” as Blake Snyder says. By helping someone in need, your protagonist establishes themselves as “the good guy,” despite any other negative qualities. Has a humanizing quirk . Quirks are memorable things that create an instant visualization of someone, like Harry Potter’s scar on his forehead, Ron Weasley’s bright red hair, or Hermione’s frizzy hair. These can also include distinctive mannerisms, like a speech pattern, unique voice, or habits. Humanizing quirks are especially important for side characters, but a simple quirk can be a shortcut to help us quickly get to know a protagonist. Secret vulnerability . Everyone has a secret, whether it’s a phobia like Bruce Wayne’s fear of bats, Superman’s weakness toward kryptonite, or Inspector Gamache’s terror of heights. By letting the reader in on your protagonist’s secret vulnerability, you create a bond that can last the entire story. Once you've picked two or three of these that fit your character, include them in your early scenes. You can also include these throughout your story to make us fall in love with your character even more. How to Create a Character Sketch Once you've picked the traits, you can create a character sketch or character profile. This is where you record details about a character to remember for the writing process or continue to develop them. I’ll summarize the process below, but for a full guide, you can read about how to create a character sketch using Scrivener , one of our favorite writing tools, here . You can mix and match elements to create your own character sketch template, but here’s what a character sketch might contain: Character name Photo (I just find something on Google image search to serve as a likeness) Character type (see 8 types below) One sentence summary One paragraph description (including a physical description , occupation, flaws, good attributes, and mannerisms) Goals (what do they want) Conflicts (what keeps them from getting what they want) Narrative (what do they do in the story) Remember, the best way to do character development is to throw characters into a story. Don’t sketch characters for their own sake, but to find where they fit into the story. Character Development Questions: 78 Questions to Ask Your Characters Another development technique is to interview your characters, imagining them sitting before you, asking them a series of questions, and imagining their response. You can invent your own questions, but there are also established lists of questions that have been used by writers for decades. Here are three helpful lists that, together, total seventy-eight questions: The Proust Questionnaire . Used by novelist Marcel Proust when he was just fourteen years old, this questionnaire includes thirty-five questions that writers have used to find out who their characters are. 37 Questions to Ask Your Character . This list of unique and often surprising questions will help you discover many different sides of your character. Here's an example: “What did you eat for breakfast? Did you make it yourself? What time do you eat breakfast? Do you wash the pan after you cook the eggs or do you leave it for the maid to clean? Do you have a maid?” We first published this list by Pamela Hodges in 2016 and since then it's been shared over 6,000 times! 6 Revealing Questions to Get to Know Your Protagonist . This one is especially helpful to get to know your protagonist. Try one or more of these lists and see if it helps you get to know a new side of your character's personality. Step 3: Throw Your Character Into Your Story This is the most important step, and one that many writers take far too long to get to. Some writers believe they have to know every aspect of each of their characters personality  before  they start writing their book, from their earliest memories to their favorite afternoon snack. However, this is often a waste of time. Why? Because your job as a writer is to put your character into stressful, high-conflict situations, and in those moments, their favorite afternoon snack is going to be the furthest thing from their mind! That isn't to say you shouldn't spend some time getting to know your characters. Just recognize that's just the beginning. The real character development begins when you start telling your story. 6 Steps to Character Development Through a Story Character arc and story arc are usually the same thing. By telling a great story, your character will change and transform. This arc follows the six elements of plot, which we go into detail in this in our plot structure article , but which we'll summarize here: 1. Exposition. Begin with the character's “normal.” What does “normal” look like for your protagonist? In about one-half to no more than three scenes, show what normal looks like for your character. 2. Inciting Incident. A problem or opportunity interrupts the character's status quo. In the inciting incident , something interrupts the character's normal life and forces them to respond. For example, Harry Potter receives an admissions letter from Hogwarts. A dead body is discovered in three pines, leading to a call to Inspector Gamache. William Wallace's wife is killed by the English. The devil appears to Dr. Faustus offering him a deal. 3. Rising Action/Progressive Complications. Problems and complications increase, causing conflict for the protagonist. As the story continues, things must get more and more challenging for the protagonist. Maybe they're getting better, maybe they're getting worse, but they're definitely getting more complicated. Here it's useful to remember the century-old writing advice: In the first act, put your character up a tree. In the second act, throw rocks at them. In the final act, bring them down. This is the rock throwing part. But as you increase the internal conflict and external conflict, your character will develop right before your eyes. You may discover new aspects to their personality you had no idea about as you watch how they handle adversity. 4. Dilemma. Give your character an impossible choice. The purpose of the rising action is to put your protagonist into an impossible choice, a dilemma where they have two equally difficult choices. I find this moment in Frozen to be a useful example for this (spoiler alert if you somehow haven't seen Frozen !): Princess Anna is moments away from freezing solid. The only thing that can save her, she thinks, is true love's kiss from Kristoff, who is racing toward her. However, at the same moment, she sees Prince Hans about to kill her sister. What does she do? Option A: Save herself, continuing toward Kristoff but allowing Elsa to die Option B: Save her sister, choosing to stop Hans but sacrificing herself in the process An impossible choice. But it's dilemmas like this that are the engines of great stories and great characters. 5. Climax. The protagonist makes their choice and high conflict and action follows. The protagonist chooses and the result of their choice leads to the moment of highest action and conflict in the story. Remember, conflict in fiction directly impacts your character development. This choice is so essential because it truly tests and reveals their character. Don't skip it! 6. Denouement. The protagonist's new normal is established. What does the character's new normal look like after going through the conflict and drama of the story? This is a moment, usually just one scene, where we get to enjoy and bond with the character for a final time before the story ends. Character Development Test: What Makes a Good Character? On my podcast, Character Test , my cohost and I have found that there are four criteria that you can use to evaluate a character, to test and see whether a character is good or not. Here, I’m not talking about whether they are morally good, but whether they are interesting, relatable, entertaining, and worth following. In other words, this is about figuring out will readers love them. Also, this is what makes a good character. If you want to know how to make a good character, scroll down to the Character Development Steps section. 1. Good Characters Have Goals Good stories are about characters who want something, and they experience challenges to get what they want. Desire is central to good stories, good characters, and to the human condition itself. Good characters have deeply held desires and are willing to make sacrifices to achieve those desires. That being said, those desires don’t have to start out as anything big . As Kurt Vonnegut said, “Make your characters want something right away even if it's only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.” 2. Good Characters Face Challenges to Their Goals As nice as it would be for your character to get everything they wanted without having to do any work, it would make for a very boring story! This is part of the conflict we discussed above. I like what best-selling author Kristina McMorris told me : “I only give my characters a happy ending if they’ve worked really hard for it.” Kristina’s novel Sold on a Monday was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for twenty straight weeks, so she knows what she’s talking about! 3. Good Characters Make Decisions Good characters take control of their own fate. They take action. They make choices, and they suffer the good or bad consequences of those choices. Bad characters let life happen to them . Bad characters allow others to make choices for them. They never take action in their own lives, and it’s their lack of decision-making ability that makes them boring. 4. Good Characters Are Empathizable I made this word up, but I think it’s going to stick! Editorial note from Alice: Stop trying to make “empathizable” happen, Joe. It's not going to happen. You can empathize with good characters. Even if they are villains (especially if they’re villains), you can understand where they’re coming from, and maybe even relate. Good characters, in other words, are human. Bad characters are so foreign or perfect or evil that you can’t relate to where they’re coming from. Bonus: Good Characters Change . . . Sometimes Many will argue with this, but not all good characters change. In fact, you can tell a great story where the protagonist doesn’t change. Take James Bond. In a few novels and films he changes (e.g. Casino Royale ) but in most, James stays the same stoic, cocky person he started out as. And the novels are still great! Or Inspector Gamache, my favorite detective from the series by Louise Penny. Inspector Gamache starts out as the perfect gentleman, thoughtful leader, and unerring investigator and ends each novel the same way. There are a few individual books where he goes through deep inner turmoil, but even then he re-emerges the same amazing person, just a little bit stronger and surer in his ways. There are many great stories where the character changes . It’s especially a hallmark of the hero’s journey (which is itself a form of character development). But it’s not always a requirement of a good character. Character Development Writing Exercise Now that you know everything about developing characters, let's put your new knowledge to practice! Use the creative writing exercise below to practice bringing your characters to life! And if you're to create a character sketch for your novel, check out our guide on how to create a character sketch with Scrivener . Good luck and happy writing! What is your favorite characterization tip above? Are there any I missed? Let me know in the comments . Let’s put your character development to use with this creative writing prompt : Choose one of the character types above and spend five minutes sketching out their character using the character sketch template above (Character Name, type, one-sentence summary, goals, conflicts). After your five minutes are up, write about your new character as they go through a scene using the character development steps in a story: desire, conflict, dilemma, choice, and change. Write for ten minutes . When your time is up, post your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop . And if you post, be sure to give feedback to at least three other writers. I'm looking forward to meeting your characters! Joe Bunting Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting). Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here. Work with Joe Bunting? WSJ Bestselling author, founder of The Write Practice, and book coach with 14+ years experience. Joe Bunting specializes in working with Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, How To, Literary Fiction, Memoir, Mystery, Nonfiction, Science Fiction, and Self Help books. Sound like a good fit for you? 16 Comments I write & file pieces about my characters (main & major secondary) & for the main ones, may return to them several times. There are lots of folks in my novels, good guys & bad, so at some point I also write a for-file piece on which other characters are their ‘shadows’…even antagonists have feared antagonists. The first files help me bring them to life in my head, so I can monitor their behavior. The shadow file is important to off-main-plot resolutions. In truth, I seldom go back to my original files…having written them is usually enough. I’m on the last 40-50ppg of a novel draft right now…so there are over a dozen people living (& interacting) in my head. It’s around this point in the process that I begin muttering to myself that my next book is going to be 500 very short personal essays! Good one, Emily. I’m going to review my work-in-progress with these notes in mind. Thank you. I have one guiding principle, and that is — what will cause my protagonist to utterly fall apart. Because that’s where my stories have to go. Whatever will bring my character to a radical change of heart. All those things you mention are key to that happening. Cheers. ~ PJ The four Questions: Diana Daughter of Darkness My character Diana, is from the kingdom of Firefall and is it’s princess. All Diana wants is to find her father and get justice for her mother’s untimely death. But she finds herself haunted by her destiny more and more as she tries to achieve those goals. Diana’s relationship with her father is the most outstanding in the book but her relationship with her handmaiden and the two boys she grew up with are also very important to her. Diana’s biggest fear is failure. She doesn’t want to fail her father or her Kingdom. The power inside of her grows every day but she fears that it will soon take over her and leave nothing but destruction in it’s wake. This is perhaps what scares her the most…herself. Some good tips. My character questionnaire is at least 100 questions long and I often take characters to lunch—or let them take me to lunch. But I like your four tips for character development. They get to the heart of things quickly and provide an excellent framework for more complex development if that’s what a writer wants to do. I’d like to add one suggestion. A character’s worldview plays a major role in the way he or she responds to life in general and to individual incidents. A person who believes life is the result of time plus matter plus chance generally behaves differently than someone who believes they were created for a purpose. All five factors–your four and my addition–contribute to the development of person’s personality and behavior. Thanks again for the excellent tips. I’ve been away for several weeks polishing my own novel. This was a wonderful way to get back into the routine. Great tips, Emily! I’ve found that writing side stories about my characters helps me to explore who my characters are. I’ll make up a scenario, drop a character in the middle of it, and then give them free reign. This practice helps me flesh out how they make decisions and how they interact with the other characters in my story. Plus, it’s just fun to do! Awesome article. The article was extremely helpful it gave me ideas of how to strengthen my short story. My character is about a teenage girl that has strong family values due to her upbringing in a strict home where her mother is the head of the household, suddenly her mother dies she fills empty and alone, as all of her siblings are grown they have there own children. She start’s to explore the world and gets caught up in it. Excellent tips, especially number 3. People often understand themselves through their relationships with others. How they’re greeted, how they’re treated, how others understand their humour, their moods, their needs and wants. To understand a person’s key relationships, and what they’re willing to do for the people they love (as you say), means understanding what makes them tick. I also liked the point you made in Q4. Our fears sometimes reveal our true nature, in that they are a direct consequence of our values. In your example, Katniss fears being forced to kill others, because she values life and humanity. Our values sets us apart. Great tips, thanks for sharing Emily. I think what a person wears says a lot about his/her personality. So that’s where I often like to start: On the door stood a mid-aged woman in a black coat reaching down to her knees, a red scarf around her neck and a winter cap that covered most of her luscious brown hair. She had a book in her hand that she kept between her palms. Every now and then she would flip it open, read a few lines before closing it again and stare back at the meadow beyond her porch. It seemed as though she was deep in thought, and I afraid of interrupting stood still waiting for her to look back and notice my presence. Nice post! Number 2 is the most important, but # 3 is the one I need to spend more time on. I never really even considered that with character development, and now I’m kicking myself because it’s such an important aspect of creating a “real” person in your character. Thanks for the tips, Emily. I believe #2 is the most critical one since it will somewhat define who your character is. I’d like to share another article on character development that I hope could be of help to others. Here’s the link: https://www.chatebooks.com/blog-Character-Development-that-Entices-Readers Awesome 🙂 Finally something that helps developing characters other than long ass questionnaires, interviews or worksheets that became too tedious to do. Thanks for this article, Emily! I never thought with only 4 questions I’d be able to come up with a set of believable characters. I’ve always had a long line of questions just to have a concrete description of what and how my characters would look and sound like. I’d like to share an article I found on character development. Hope this could help as well: https://www.chatebooks.com/blog-Character-Development-that-Entices-Readers My character is a teen-aged girl brought up by a young, single mother who has had to work very hard to take care of her child. The girl doesn’t want to make things harder on her mother and tends to smile a lot and pretend everything is just fine, even when it’s not. Her relationship with her mother and the lack of one with her father shapes many of her views from romantic relationships to political ideology. Her greatest fear is to not end up as someone her mother can be proud of raising. Another quirk is her fear of sharing her feelings with others. For starters, Joe, I find you tremendously empathizable and vow to fully support you should you take action to replace your foil character, Alice, with someone equipped with a bit more imagination and a lot more humor. Jokes aside. This article is a gem. I am not a writer, definitely not a great storyteller and do not come with an endless supply of creativity, however, I take great joy in writing, especially when inspired. I have found that when I share my “pieces,” that something tends to draw people into my creation (much to their and my surprise!). So, as of, oh, about three hours ago, I made the decision to give it a more serious try and actually write something more substantial and less silly than Local Google Guide reviews. But to be any good at most anything, research is a must! I have about thirty tabs open, ready to be inhaled, masticated, repeated, digested and possibly incorporated in my book of writing “recipes.” Roughly ten of those tabs are direct links from your articles and I am starting to wonder if I’ll be able to find a good stopping point or if I’ll just lose myself in the world of creating worlds. Not to worry! I do come equipped with a stubbornness factor and, if anything, your guidance has served to exponentially “peak” my interest. Many thanks! And please do something about that editor. 🙂 Warm regards, Joana (Jo) Submit a Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Submit Comment Join over 450,000 readers who are saying YES to practice. You’ll also get a free copy of our eBook 14 Prompts : Popular Resources Best Resources for Writers Book Writing Tips & Guides Creativity & Inspiration Tips Writing Prompts Grammar & Vocab Resources Best Book Writing Software ProWritingAid Review Writing Teacher Resources Publisher Rocket Review Scrivener Review Gifts for Writers Books By Our Writers You've got it! Just us where to send your guide. Enter your email to get our free 10-step guide to becoming a writer. You've got it! Just us where to send your book. Enter your first name and email to get our free book, 14 Prompts. Want to Get Published? Enter your email to get our free interactive checklist to writing and publishing a book. Having trouble logging in? Some users have reported difficulties following a site update. If this includes you, please email [email protected] so we can get you up and running. Making great literacy lessons easy. Why join Plazoom? Character description – Creative writing tips and resources for bringing characters to life Successful writers know how to create convincing and memorable characters - and here's how they do it.... By Sue Drury Last updated 03 July 2020 Who are your best friends? Have a think about them. What are your first thoughts, such as what they look like and how kind or funny they are? Now think a little deeper. As you do so, you could probably say what their favourite things are, what they don’t like and what makes them laugh. There’s a good chance you are smiling to yourself as you think about them. Now, if you can bear it, think about people you don’t like. What do they look like? Does that affect how you feel about them? What is it that they do that annoys or upsets you? No doubt you can think of plenty of things! What is character description? In both cases mentioned above, the reason you know so much about them is all down to character description. Having a really good knowledge of someone, both the good traits and the bad, is a form of character description. It is a very important part of storytelling because it brings characters to life. Think about it, if you didn’t know much about someone, you wouldn’t really care about them, for better or worse. And if readers don’t have the chance to know much about the characters in the story they are reading, they won’t care about them either. It might be worth making that point to the young writers you are trying to nurture. In short, the features of a character description are the things that help you to get to know someone - and that means more than hair colour and body shape (although hair colour and body shape have a part to play in both basic and brilliant character descriptions). Character description examples If you want to show your pupils how to write a good character description, you need a good character description lesson, and that’s where we can help. Our Author in your Classroom podcast, with accompanying resource pack, gives you everything you need to help KS2 pupils get right under the skin of their characters. Children can listen to writer Sam Copeland , author of the Charlie McGuffin series , sharing his top writing tips, then create their own amazing characters with the help of teacher notes, PowerPoints, book extracts, planning sheets, writing sheets and plenty more besides. Effective character description KS1 For younger children, why not try our KS1 Story Telling Cards ? As well as helping to inspire pupils to create their own characters, they also help them to understand story structure, describe settings, use figurative language, and start sentences in interesting ways. What’s more, these attractive resources can be made into an appealing display. How to write a character description If you search the internet for examples of character description, you are likely to find almost as many as there are real people in the world. A few themes are fairly universal, however. There also seems to be a pretty strong consensus towards opting for the quality of descriptions over the quantity . So, make sure your pupils focus all their efforts on finding the best, most telling words to describe theicharacters. Character introductions – first appearances The way a person’s appearance is described is crucial for anchoring that character in the reader’s mind. Physical details matter: do they have green eyes, brown eyes? Black hair, blond hair? What about pale skin or dark skin? Even secondary characters can benefit from this attention paid to descriptive details. But for strong character descriptions, other aspects are just as important and often more so, so while physical descriptions needn’t go on for ages, a few well-chosen adjectives will help to embed that character in the consciousness of the audience. Character’s personality traits and behaviour How characters speak, move and behave will also be central to establishing them as individuals. Little quirks of body language are particularly good at setting characters apart, as long as they don’t dominate all other character traits. It also helps to build a clear picture of their personalities, opinions and motivations, because that will govern how they act in any situation within the story. After all, lazy, self-centred and unforgiving characters are unlikely to put themselves out enough to rescue people who have found themselves in perilous positions. Character development and backstory Sometimes, it really helps to have a clear idea of fictional characters’ backstories – significant events that have happened in their past – as this might affect their actions during the narrative. The traumatic experiences of a certain boy wizard during the early years of his life spring to mind at this stage. Once again, the trick with this aspect of character descriptions is to make the details of the backstory interesting and relevant, and only refer to them if necessary. Putting your main character into action When your pupils have clear descriptions of their main characters, they need to put them to work in their stories. The crucial thing here is how they do it. Urge your pupils to follow the mantra of ‘show not tell’. No matter how well they have written their basic character descriptions … no matter how impressive their vocabulary choices … if they just regurgitate their list of adjectives, it is unlikely to engage the reader. ‘Show not tell’ means letting the actual characters demonstrate their particular traits through their words, their actions and their reactions to the events of the story. Occasionally, especially when you introduce characters, you might want to describe their appearance. Most of the time, however, you want to reveal character traits through words and deeds; that’s how you create truly believable fiction characters. If you want to have good examples of what this means in practice, take a look at our Show-Not-Tell writing posters . These take a selection of emotions and show pupils how they could put these into actions, like writing “The door loudly slammed behind her,” instead of “She was very angry,” for example. We hope this has successfully put some meat on the bones of brilliant character description. Now it’s down to you to help your pupils bring their creations to life, with an amazing story idea… You may also be interested in... > Imperative verb – 10 ways to teach bossy verbs > Inverted commas – Getting speech punctuation right at KS2 Latest Stories Imperative verb – 10 ways to teach bossy verbs, inverted commas – getting speech punctuation right at…, save hours of planning. get loads of benefits.. Access 1,500+ resources Over 80 expert CPD guides New resources every week Full curriculum coverage Member-only premium collections Plus lots more... Trending resources Ks2 comprehension – classic literature – the invisible man, a..., ks1 and ks2 writing templates for english lessons, year 1 home learning pack (1), year 6 spelling revision – ks2 challenge worksheets, editable primary lesson plan template and english unit..., narrative writing ks2 – scaffolds and plot types resource pack, expanded noun phrases year 2 – spag worksheets, conjunctions ks2 – model sentences resource pack, browse by year group, upgrade now. Click 'Upgrade now' to activate your subscription. An invoice will appear on your accounts page and be sent by email. Once paid, the benefits of your full account will be unlocked within five days. Aaron Mullins BESTSELLING BOOKS – AUTHOR RESOURCES How to Describe People Unlock the power of words with this guide for authors on crafting remarkable character descriptions . As authors, we understand the profound impact that well-crafted characters can have on a story. The art of describing people goes beyond mere physical appearances; it delves into the intricacies of personalities and emotions that bring narratives to life. That’s why learning how to write physical descriptions of your story characters  is a key author skill. And to be a great writer ‘ how to describe people in stories ‘ means thinking beyond the basic physical descriptions of height, age, body shape, hair and eye colours. Each of these aspects can show personality and set the tone of a story, so it’s important to learn how to describe a character’s appearance in writing . This writing guide for authors will help you to really bring your unique characters to life and build a clear picture in the minds of your readers, but in a way that doesn’t sound generic and forced. Bookmark this page and use this handy list of character descriptions to build your perfect protagonists! Join me as we explore the essential techniques and strategies for authors to master the skill of character descriptions. From creating vivid profiles to weaving character traits seamlessly into your storytelling, we’ll navigate the terrain of effective characterisation and soon you’ll be writing believable characters in your novels. How to describe people is a list of useful adjectives for describing your story characters, with examples of how to describe their appearance in your story. Words that describe people are used to build physical appearance and reveal character, helping your book to have vivid, memorable characters, through effective character description. How to Describe a Character’s Physical Features One tip for writing descriptive characters is to make it match your story. If you’re writing a short story, then you may get away with never revealing some aspects of your character’s physical descriptions, if it isn’t moving the plot forwards. Regardless, you can choose a few key features to emphasise, and perhaps even utilise a well-placed simile to really make the reader’s imagination paint the picture for you. Simile Examples: Her hair was like a flame. She looked as American as apple pie. When using simile’s and using descriptions in general, it’s important that they match the behaviours and personality of your character, as well as the overall tone of your story, to ensure you are writing believable characters. To craft compelling character descriptions, you may even want to employ the power of psychology through the use of euphonics to emphasise the perfect description. You can learn more about the importance of euphonics and find guidance on how to use them in  How to Write Fiction: A Creative Writing Guide for Authors. Tips to Describe Characters in Your Writing So what are some writing tips to slip these character descriptions into our books in a natural way? If you’re writing from a first person perspective, one descriptive writing technique is to have the narrator ‘speak their mind’ regarding particular looks or traits, passing comment on either themselves or another character. First Person Narrator : I’ve always been proud of my soft blonde hair. Another way to write effective character descriptions is to reveal physical characteristics in a natural way while describing your character’s actions. This can be either physical traits (such as hairstyle) or the way a character moves that gives descriptions of their body type. Describing Actions : She ducked under the archway, knocking loose strands of her high, tight bun.  Describing Actions : His height was accentuated by his stiff gait. A great tip for characters traits in fiction writing, to prevent writing from sounding like a news bulletin, is to spread the description throughout different parts of your book. Perhaps give them a key feature, then a bit of dialogue, then an action which reveals more. This way, when you’re writing a vivid character profile, the story doesn’t pause to describe the character, the description itself becomes part of the unfolding story. All you need to do is give the readers enough information that they can hold a current picture in their mind. How To Describe People in Stories I have provided a list of examples of how to describe people in stories, split by different parts of the body. These are generally the most common descriptions, as full lists would be huge, but they can be a starting point for crafting your own compelling character descriptions. How to Describe Body Shape A great characterisation tip for authors is: when describing the body focus on both body-type and posture. What it looks like and how they are using it. Describe Characters’ Body : big, little, large, small, fat, thin, bulky, skinny, plump, lean, fine, chunky, solid, muscular, athletic, flabby, saggy, standing, sitting, reaching, resting, arching, walking, jogging, running, hunching, bending, stretching, leaning How to Describe Faces Possibly the most important feature to describe is the face, as it’s able to convey the most emotion and intent of your character. It’s essential that writers and readers get this part of the character descriptions clear in their mind, if they want to create memorable characters. Character Face Shapes : round, square, oval, heart-shaped, triangular, diamond, pear, oblong Describe Character’s Face : fine, full, baby-faced, fresh, chiselled, thin, wide, furrowed, craggy, sculpted, weather-beaten, dimpled, handsome, gaunt, sweet, anxious, boyish, youthful, clean-shaven, intelligent, hard, blocky, angelic, watchful, dubious, impassioned, bestial, rugged, strong, ordinary, unreadable How to Describe Skin Complexion is your skin colour and what it looks like. When learning how to describe people in stories, you should practice describing a diverse range of characters. Describe Character’s Skin : tanned, wrinkled, freckled, rosy-cheeked, fresh, smooth, creamy, pale, glowing, rough, leathered, brown, dark, ebony How to Describe Eyes When thinking of character description examples for authors, we have to remember that most of our information about the world is received through the eyes. And most of our reaction to the world can also be told through the eyes. Remember to describe colour, shape and expressions in your vivid character profiles. Describe Character’s Eyes : small, large, bulging, deep-set, teary, hollow, sad, gentle, bright, twinkling, warm, sleepy, brown, blue, green, hazel, dark, haunted How to Describe Noses Writing believable characters in novels includes going into depth about every aspect of your character. The nose is an excellent body part for creating a unique look and personality for your characters. Describe Character’s Nose : bridge, nostril, flared, hooked, wrinkling, twitching, aquiline, red, puffy, crooked, flat, enormous, pointed, thick, veined How to Describe Ears To write effective character descriptions, you can play around with descriptions of a character’s ears, as they receive dialogue, so can convey emotional meaning through interactions. Describe Character’s Ears : pulling/tugging on their ear, covering their ears, tucking their hair behind their ears, hear their pulse, battered, attentive, bandaged, bleeding, buzzing, dainty, elfin, floppy, earringed, pierced, comical, deaf, keen, open “Plot is people. Human emotions and desires founded on the realities of life, working at cross purposes, getting hotter and fiercer as they strike against each other until finally there’s an explosion—that’s Plot.” — Leigh Brackett How to Describe Mouth and Lips Like the eyes, describing the mouth relates to both shape and expressions, and is a key character trait for fiction writing. Describe Character’s Mouth : full, thin, pursed, puckered, pouting, laughing, smiling, curled, sneer, toothless, gappy, cruel, kind How to Describe Hair You can describe hair by its colour, texture and style when describing characters in your stories. Describe Character’s Hair Colour : black, brown, blonde, red, auburn, ash, honey, golden, platinum, strawberry, silver, white, grey, salt-and-pepper Describe Character’s Hair Style : long, short, shoulder-length, ponytail, bun, ringlets, bangs, slick, pigtails, bob Describe Character’s Hair Texture :  shiny, spiky, fuzzy, wavy, parted, neat, cascading, curly, dull, frizzy, wild, straight, shaved, thick, thin, full, fine, bald, dyed, permed How to Describe Beards, Moustaches and Facial Hair Here are some character description examples for crafting the perfect facial hair. Describe Character’s Facial Hair : beard, sideburns, goatee, moustache, stubble, bushy, shaggy, clean-shaven, smooth, trimmed, whiskers, handlebars, viking How to Describe Clothing Whether you’re a seasoned novelist or an aspiring writer, you will know the importance of crafting remarkable character descriptions through the choice of clothing. There’s obviously a huge choice of clothing options available for your character. I always use a character template before I start writing, which captures what each character is wearing. This ensures it fits into my plot, making logical sense in relation to the character’s personality and the situation they find themselves in. I divide clothing into tops, bottoms, outer, footwear and accessories. I then decide what fabric and other materials each item is made from, as well as patterns and textures. Describe Character’s Style : smart, scruffy, elegant, torn, stylish, rough, relaxed, posh, chic, casual, sharp, disheveled, ripped, faded, badge, worn, new, shiny, soft, knitted, shabby, goth, sporty, wild, over-dressed Describe Character’s Tops : t-shirt, shirt, tank top, polo shirt, jumper, sweater, cardigan, hoodie, V-neck, round-neck, turtleneck, collar, bra Describe Character’s Bottoms : trousers, jeans, pants, boxers, leggings, slacks, jogging bottoms,  sweatpants, overalls, shorts, swimming trunks, knickers Describe Character’s Outerwear : jacket, coat, blazer, dressing gown, bath robe, apron, uniform, costume Describe Character’s Footwear : shoes, trainers, sneakers, sandals, plimsoles, flip-flops, boots, wellies, pumps, heels, socks, stockings, tights, slippers Describe Character’s Accessories : gloves, scarf, hat, baseball cap, bandana, bracelet, earrings, necklace, cufflinks, rings, purse, bag, handbag, glasses, sunglasses, watch, belt Describe Patterns and Fabrics : cotton, acrylic, polyester, denim, tweed, silk, lace, velvet, fleece, wool, leather, stripes, checked, dots, stars, squares, solid block, floral, pastel I hope these ideas on how to describe people  help you write vivid descriptions and bring your characters to life. They’re just a starting point and you can read many more of them to describe each body part in  How to Write Fiction: A Creative Writing Guide for Authors. Stay creative, Pop in your email and click ‘Subscribe’ to get free stories , writing tips and author advice: Email Address Aaron Mullins ( @DrAaronMullins ) is an award winning, internationally published psychologist and bestselling author. Aaron has over 15 years experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in business strategy for authors and publishers. He started Birdtree Books Publishing where he worked as Editor-in-Chief, partnered with World Reader Charity and taught Academic Writing at Coventry University. Aaron’s book How to Write Fiction: A Creative Writing Guide for Authors has become a staple reference book for writers and those interested in a publishing career. Find out more . 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Log in now. Subscribe Subscribed Copy shortlink Report this content View post in Reader Manage subscriptions Collapse this bar 6 creative writing exercises for rich character In creative writing, practice is key. Try these creative writing exercises for deeper characterization. Use every detail, from appearance to movement, gesture, voice, habit, and reputation to make your characters great: Post author By Jordan 1 Comment on 6 creative writing exercises for rich character What do we mean by ‘rich character’? First, what do we mean by ‘rich’ character? Call it rich characterization, deep characterization – whatever superlative you prefer. We mean characterization that shows, more than tells . Conveying character using every available narrative device to build more intriguing characters. Creative writing exercises for fuller characters: Play ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ Think about ‘The clothes make the man’ Use language to embody emotion Make setting do character work Evoke habits (and changes in them) Let people’s reputations precede them 1. Play ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes’ As children, many English speakers learn the song ‘head, shoulders knees and toes’. Yet as adults, when we introduce characters we often stop at ‘head’. Beginners’ character descriptions often read something like this: ‘Jemima had short brown hair and violet eyes.’ As character description, this is at least factual. We know Jemima doesn’t have long hair or brown eyes. Yet, staying at head level for now, what if we said: Jemima’s new pixie cut gave her a tomboyish look. The kohl she had started wearing recently amplified the piercing and perceptive quality of her violet eyes. Some may say the description here is too much, by comparison. Of course, each writer (and reader) must decide for themselves what is too little, or too much. Yet what this doesn’t lack is concrete detail and specificity. The description also tells us: What’s changed about Jemima recently Aspects of how she performs her gender Character qualities suggested by appearance (intensity, intuition) Creative Writing Exercise #1: Head, shoulders, knees and toes Play head, shoulders, knees and toes. Describe a detail about a character at head-level in concrete terms (a hairstyle, unusual mark, wild choice of hat). Proceed to describe one detail each from shoulder level, from knee to navel, and at the level of your character’s feet. 2. Think about ‘The clothes make the man’ Mark Twain is alleged to have said, ‘The clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.’ Clothes, of course, make living beings of every or any gender, gender flexibility or absence of gender. Clothes may signal : Intent : For example, dressing formally (or infornally) for a job interview or conservatively to communicate respect for another culture Status or title: A queen’s crown, a beauty queen’s tiara Rank: For example, the Papal ferula or pastoral staff used by the Pope in the Catholic Church Personality: One person may favour concealing or baggy clothing while another prefers skimpier, revealing clothing Profession or educational status: A librarian’s reading glasses, a chef’s hat, an air steward or schoolboy’s fedora They may also suggest the opposite of what we expect. The private slob may dress in a neat style that does not admit to their chaotic home life. Especially in the era of carefully-curated social media accounts, appearance does not always align with reality . Consider this character description that conveys the hero Pip’s sister’s proud and reproachful nature in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations : My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap. She was tall and bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles. She made it a powerful merit in herself, and a strong reproach against [her husband] Joe, that she wore this apron so much. Charles Dickens, in Great Expectations (1861), full text available here. Creative Writing Exercise #2: Making the clothes For this creative writing exercise, pick one of the following items identifying a character’s job, status, intent or other detail: A gem-studded crown A chef’s apron A businesswoman’s power suit A schoolgirl’s uniform Now write 500 words describing a charactor. Use this garment or accessory – the way they wear it, handle it (or don’t wear it). Use it to show two character qualities from the following list: Industriousness Carelessness Absent-mindedness Ruthlessness Rebelliousness 3. Use language to embody emotion Building deep characterization isn’t only a task for description, of course. The rhythm, tone and quality of the language we use in narration all contribute to an impression of character. This is especially the case in limited third person , where the narration and the third person POV character overlap. We might narrate a clipped, brusque and brutish character in clipped, brusque and brutish phrases, for example. Imagine, for example, a belligerent chef who dents his pots when he’s in a range: Bang. He swung another down hard on a stone counter corner. A pot’s lid clattered to the floor as he plonked the dented casserole down, scowling. Short phrases and the explosive alliteration of ‘p’ and ‘t’ sounds (known as plosive consonants ) create a sense of the character’s jerky, angry movements. Besides movement and the emotion in the chef’s scowl, the language itself mirrors the character’s mood. Creative writing exercise #3: Using emotive language This writing exercise is courtesy of Ursula K. Le Guin’s wonderful writing manual Steering the Craft . The exercise is given after Le Guin’s following advice: For the moment, forget all the good advice that says good style is invisible, good art conceals art. Show off! Use the whole orchestra our wonderful language offers us! Ursula K. Le Guin, in Steering the Craft (1998) , p. 17. The character writing exercise: In a paragraph or so, describe an action, or a person feeling strong emotion—joy, fear, grief. Try to make the rhythm and movement of the sentences embody or represent the physical reality you’re writing about. Le Guin, Steering the Craft, p. 17. 4. Make setting do character work Setting and character are two separate areas of writing craft, right? Not entirely. We’ve already written about how to use setting to drive plot . You can also involve setting in character description to create a richer sense of tone, mood and state of mind. We used the following example by Barbara Kingsolver to illustrate this in our workbook How to Write Real Characters: Character description . “Take this baby,” she said. […] The child had the exact same round eyes. All four of those eyes were hanging there in the darkness, hanging on me, waiting. The Budweiser sign blinked on and off, on and off, throwing a faint light that made the whites of their eyes look orange.’ Barbara Kingsolver, The Bean Trees , p. 17. Kingsolver captures the moment a baby is foisted on her protagonist at a rest stop beautifully. The neon light of the Budweiser sign, reflected in the eyes of the desperate woman and the child, add a layer of quiet pathos to their situation. Creative writing exercise #4: Making setting do character work An archaeologist is working at a dig site when a stranger approaches them with a strange, cryptic caution. Write their conversation. Include details from their surrounds to make the stranger creepier. 5. Evoke habits (and changes in them) Change is a vital element of character development. If characters stayed exactly the same throughout a story, and little else changed to at least provide contrast, it would be a boring story indeed. People are often, of course, creatures of habit. Yet conflicts and other schisms often shake us out of routines. This is one of the reasons conflict is crucial to stories. They often supply a reason for change, a reason for story. Consider this description of a change in habit on page one of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina : Everything had gone wrong in the Oblonsky household. The wife had found out about her husband’s relationship with their former French governess and had announced that she could not go on living in the same house with him […] The wife did not leave her own rooms and the husband stayed away from home all day. The children strayed all over the house, not knowing what to do with themselves. […] On the third morning after the quarrel, Prince Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky – Stiva, as he was generally called by his friends – awoke at his usual time, which was about eight o’clock, not in his wife’s bedroom but on a morocco-leather couch in his study. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (translated by Rosemary Edmonds), p. 13. Details Tolstoy includes – the children’s ‘straying’ all over the house like lost cats, Stiva alone on his ‘morocco-leather’ couch – provide a sense of characters’ habits and changes caused by the upset of Stiva’s infidelity. Creative writing exercise #5: Evoking habits A teacher at a local school follows the same morning routine for years, taking the same walking route to school. One morning, something happens on their morning route that changes their life and makes them quit teaching and pursue a new passion. For this creative writing exercise, describe the routine, what happens on their route, and their reaction. 6. Let people’s reputations precede them Gossip, rumour, or blowing someone’s trumpet – these are all useful ways to introduce characters, even before they appear on the page themselves. Anticipating the way a character will match, exceed (or entirely differ from) prejudice creates intrigue. If a character is famous, what are they famous for? What garners public interest? If they are a notorious villain, what misdeeds are widely reported or spoken about in hushed tones? Take, for example, the character of the famous parrot belonging to Dr Urbino in Love in the Time of Cholera : Day after day, over and over again for several months, [Dr Urbino] played the songs of Yvette Guilbert and Aristide Bruant, who had charmed France during the last century, until the parrot learned them by heart. He sang them in a woman’s voice if they were hers, in a tenor’s voice if they were his, and ended with impudent laughter that was a masterful imitation of the servant girls when they heard him singing in French. The fame of his accomplishments was so widespread that on occasion distinguished visitors who had traveled from the interior on the riverboats would ask permission to see him… Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), p 20. The delight of the parrot’s vast repertoire of imitations (the doctor also teaches him ‘to speak French like an academician’) provides a keen and lively sense of character. This imitative prowess builds the parrot’s celebrity. Creative writing exercise #6: Preceding reputations A famous artist is coming to a small town for a residency. A amateur artist is a fan of their work but has heard of some peculiar interests and behaviours. Her neighbor asks her over the fence whether she’s aware of his impending arrival, and the first woman tells her neighbour what she’s heard. Write their conversation. Once you’ve completed the writing prompts above, explore 10 fun writing exercises for practicing writing tenses . Get even more exercises in prompts to build useful character profiles . Related Posts: Creative points of view in character writing: 5 examples 50 fun group writing exercises Creating your own budget MFA in Creative Writing Tags creative writing exercises Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town. One reply on “6 creative writing exercises for rich character” Helpfull sugestions. Have to exercise! Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. 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Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 83% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 153,967 times. Whether writing fiction or nonfiction, beginning with an effective character description attracts your reader’s attention and sets the mood or tone for your story. Your role as a writer is to be your reader’s eyes, ears, and conscience, and a great character description is both vivid and realistic. Writing a character description creates a visual image for the reader that seems to come alive by offering crucial insight into this character’s personality, appearance, and background. [1] X Research source Writing a Character Description A character description gives your readers details about your character, like their appearance, personality, and background. Identify your character’s unique physical characteristics, like any scars they might have or clothes they wear. Then, describe their personality and history. Describing a Character’s Physical Appearance If you are an artist, draw a picture of your character. Provide as much detail as possible. The more details you know, the better you can pick out the unusual ones to share with readers. [4] X Research source If you are not an artist, then try using a character illustration generator website or software to help you visualize your character. [5] X Research source Don’t dress them in a generic plain t-shirt without you detailing what makes it different from every other shirt like it. Does it have any tears or old stains, indicating perhaps this is a favorite shirt? Maybe a logo or designer brand that shows their personal style or places they frequent. Do not exhaustively detail every facet of your character’s appearance. Ask yourself, as an observer, what is the first thing you notice about this person? Do they have scars, tattoos, or unusual physical features (like wide, clear blue eyes) that stand out? Can you see their facial features or does a hat or pair of oversized sunglasses hide their face? Instead of simply stating your character has green eyes, for example, describe the exact shade of green by referencing an object readers will recognize. Are they pea green, forest green, or the color of Crayola finger paint? [7] X Research source Avoid clichés and aim for original comparisons. Clichés like “she is lovely as a rose” are so common that readers instantly recognize them without having to think about what they mean. This statement fails to say anything important about the woman since beauty is a subjective judgment. Be specific and use your imagination. [8] X Research source Describing a Character’s Personality Think about how they see themselves and how others would perceive them. [9] X Research source Do these images match or clash? Do their dreams for the future match their talents and strengths? You want your reader to leave with an impression of who your character is as a person, not just what they look like. [10] X Research source Note anything that is absent that one would normally expect. Are they walking in the snow without a coat or shoes, or fully dressed head-to-toe in 100 degree weather? Be specific and concrete. If surfing the web, what type of sites are they looking at? If walking, are they taking large, confident strides or shuffling their feet? [12] X Research source Even if s/he is doing "nothing," this fact provides insight into their personality and thoughts. [13] X Research source When using dialogue, note the speaker’s tone or inflection, any pauses or tics, or unusual words choices. Do they gesture while they speak or use meaningful body language? Are they saying what they really think or hiding their true nature? [15] X Research source Describing a Character’s Environment If at their home, details concerning the location, size and condition of structure, how it is decorated, and your character’s housekeeping skills can offer clues as to their personality or habits. If your setting is a public space, like a coffee shop, tell readers whether the shop is a well-known chain, or a dive that few people even know about. Reveal if they sit in the back rather than in view of other patrons. Don’t just tell your audience that your character is drinking coffee, give details about the type of coffee: straight espresso, a syrupy latte, or plain black Columbian coffee. Describe the scents in the shop, the noise from the drink machines, and the people chatting at tables nearby. Can they hear a dog barking outside? Is the sun permeating the window, forcing them to wear sunglasses? Explain how they got there: were they trying out a new place on their own, meeting someone for the first time, or are they really bad at reading directions? Describe what exactly about the scene makes them uncomfortable. [17] X Research source Common Questions: Describing a Character What is a good character description? A good character description paints a picture of your character. It shows your readers what they look like, how they speak, how they move, and how they think. The description also tells your readers what your character is like, what’s important to them, and what their past was like. What is an example of a character description? Aldous Huxley provides a great character description of the Director in Brave New World : “He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say.” [18] X Research source What are good character traits examples? Some positive character traits include affectionate, courageous, compassionate, generous, humble, just, kind, passionate, responsible, and supportive. Remember that your character should change over the course of the story, based on the action and their psychological development. Your character profile can help you keep track of how they change over the course of the story. [19] X Research source Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0 Make sure that your characters have different traits so it is easy for readers to distinguish them. Thanks Helpful 9 Not Helpful 1 Only the main characters should be described in detail. Don’t weigh your reader down with detailed caricatures of all characters in your story. This will diminish the importance of your story’s focus and distract the reader from the plot. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0 Don’t make your descriptions unnecessarily complex. Choose the simplest and most precise way to tell your story and don’t overuse the thesaurus. [20] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1 You Might Also Like ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/11-secrets-to-writing-effective-character-description ↑ https://www.creative-writing-now.com/writing-character-profiles.html ↑ https://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986 ↑ https://englishonline.tki.org.nz/English-Online/Planning-for-my-students-needs/Teaching-learning-sequences/English-Units-Level-4/What-a-character/Learning-task-1-Strategies-for-description ↑ https://secure.profantasy.com/products/ca.asp#&panel1-1 ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/there-are-no-rules/the-five-cardinal-sins-of-description ↑ https://writershelpingwriters.net/2013/12/character-descriptions-learn-pros/ ↑ www.primaryresources.co.uk ↑ https://www.springhole.net/writing/describing-your-characters-tips-and-advice.htm ↑ https://www.laban.rs/lib/Aldous_Huxley/Brave_New_World.html About This Article To describe a character, use creative and specific details to give the reader a clear picture. Note their unique physical characteristics, like eye color, hair, body type, and scars, as well as their personality traits such as hobbies, moral beliefs, and temperament. Avoid using cliches like, “she is as lovely as a rose,” but do use metaphors like "he had a heart of gold." For tips on describing your character’s surroundings, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No Send fan mail to authors Reader Success Stories Contina Scott Nov 21, 2016 Did this article help you? Alexandra Burt Jun 9, 2018 Hammad Jenkins Feb 9, 2018 Raychel Lynne Sep 2, 2017 shuayb mohamed Apr 18, 2017 Featured Articles Trending Articles Watch Articles Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell or Share My Info Not Selling Info Don’t miss out! Sign up for wikiHow’s newsletter 483 IMAGES How to Describe a Character's Looks Well (with Examples) 11+ English, Creative Writing, Describing Characters Practice Describing Characters Creative Writing Skill Builder Describing character (part 2) (With images) ***CREATIVE WRITING CHARACTER DESCRIPTION*** 6 Kreative Skriveøvelser for Rik Karakter VIDEO different kinds of characters Grade 3 Grade 5 Creative writing, descriptive writing, describing people, narrative writing, characterisation How To Teach Students to Describe Characters in Their Writing Reader's Notebook: Promoting Comprehension Strategies through Letter Writing (Virtual Tour) COMMENTS 11 Secrets to Writing an Effective Character Description 4. Select physical details carefully, choosing only those that create the strongest, most revealing impression. One well-chosen physical trait, item of clothing, or idiosyncratic mannerism can reveal character more effectively than a dozen random images. This applies to characters in nonfiction as well as fiction. How To Write A Character Description (101 Examples) Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin (2000) Another great way to establish a character's presence through description is to tie it to a metaphor. Let's look at an example of Arudhati Roy's The God of Small Things, where we have a character consumed by quietude. Once the quietness arrived, it stayed and spread in Estha. How to Write Amazing Character Descriptions (with Examples) 1. Start With a List. This is where the character profile comes in handy. Not only does it keep you on track (there's nothing worse than realizing you switched a character's eye color halfway through a book) but it also allows you to keep a picture of your character fresh in your mind's eye. So keep a list handy. The Gigantic List of Character Descriptions (70+ examples) 23. Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness. "He was commonplace in complexion, in feature, in manners, and in voice. He was of middle size and of ordinary build. His eyes, of the usual blue, were perhaps remarkably cold, and he certainly could make his glance fall on one as trenchant and heavy as an axe…. 101 Character Description Ideas To Transform Your Stories Character description ideas. 1. Aria: With eyes that changed color like a mood ring and hair wilder than morning sunshine, she embodied the unexplored galaxy. 2. Bren: His beard, a nesting ground for forgotten crumbs, hid a chin nobody had seen in decades. 3. 6 Ways to Write Better Character Descriptions 6 Ways to Write Better Character Descriptions. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Aug 17, 2021 • 5 min read. Great character descriptions can bring your writing to life while building a believable world for your reader. Here are some tips on how to describe a character in your own writing. Character Descriptions: How To Write Them (in 3 Steps) 1. Choose your words carefully. When writing character descriptions, it's easy to get ahead of yourself. After all, this is the first time you're introducing a character you've created from the ground up. But just because you know everything about them, doesn't mean the reader needs to. How to Write Vivid Character Descriptions How to Write Vivid Character Descriptions. If you think about your favorite character in fiction, you probably have an immediate image that pops into your head. Though this image only exists in your imagination, it owes a lot to the way this character is described by the author. Populating a work of fiction with carefully described characters ... Character description examples: Creating people not caricatures Great character descriptions demonstrate how fiction has the power to make invented characters feel like old friends. Ernest Hemingway once wrote, 'When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature'. Read examples of character description that build character and persona, plus ... Character description: 14 ways to get it right Content continues after advertisements. 1. The worst way to describe a character is to tell readers what they look like. The obvious temptation for new writers is to give readers a physical description of their characters. Jem was tall and broad with brown eyes and short dark hair. The new writer wants to create an impression of their character ... 8 Ways to Describe Character Features in Writing A person's eyes can reveal a wide range of emotions. A simple gaze, a blank stare, or a narrow squint can all convey deep meaning. The expressive power of human eyes makes them the perfect literary tool for character development in fiction writing. Eyes can let a reader in on a secret, signal intent, or offer clues to a character's mental state. Master List of Physical Description for Writers Eyes - General. For all the words about describing facial features, I'm focusing more on physical descriptions rather than emotional expressions, though there's a little crossover! You can also check out my long list of facial expressions. sharp. close-set. sunken. bulging. bedroom. sparkling. Tricks for Describing a Character's Appearance (With Examples) 1.5 Use the Point of View. 1.6 Keep the Description Balanced. 1.7 Give them Something Special. 2 How to Describe a Character's Face. 3 How to Describe a Character's Hair. 4 How to Describe a Character's Clothes. 5 How to Describe a Character's Body. 6 How to Describe a Character's Posture and Body Language. Character Development: Create Characters That Readers Love Step 1: How to Create Characters for Your Story. Of all the character development steps, this is the one I have the least advice about. That's because characters are rarely created, they are discovered. Before I came up with the idea for my last novel, I had a vision of a curly haired boy on a beach. How do you write good character description? 5 techniques Try these 5 techniques: 1. Give character description via action. Writer's who are still developing their craft often give 'laundry list' description. This is where a character's physical attributes appear in a list, such as: 'She had green eyes, long, tawny hair, a scruffy tracksuit that was stained, and a loud laugh.'. Character description Character description - Creative writing tips and resources for bringing characters to life ... Occasionally, especially when you introduce characters, you might want to describe their appearance. Most of the time, however, you want to reveal character traits through words and deeds; that's how you create truly believable fiction characters How to Describe People How to describe people is a list of useful adjectives for describing your story characters, with examples of how to describe their appearance in your story. Words that describe people are used to build physical appearance and reveal character, helping your book to have vivid, memorable characters, through effective character description. 6 Creative Writing Exercises for Rich Character Creative Writing Exercise #2: Making the clothes. For this creative writing exercise, pick one of the following items identifying a character's job, status, intent or other detail: Now write 500 words describing a charactor. Use this garment or accessory - the way they wear it, handle it (or don't wear it). Character Descriptions: 7 Tips for Describing Faces in Your Writing In creative writing, describing a character's face can uncover information about who they are and how they feel. Writers can zoom in on individual features, like the eyes or mouth, or describe a face in its entirety to paint a picture of a character. Learn how to develop a character through their most telling attribute—their face. Explore. How to Give a Description of a Character 3. Make him or her an active participant. Describing how your character interacts with his or her environment gives you a chance to offer insight into their intellect and conscious indirectly, so that your writing becomes a story and not just a biographical sketch. [11] Be specific and concrete. 10 Tips for Writing Physical Descriptions of Your Characters 5. Scatter physical descriptions throughout the prose. You don't have to give all your description of a character when he or she first arrives on the scene. Instead, scatter brief descriptions throughout multiple scenes. No doubt many of your favorite writers do this. 6. How to Use Descriptive Writing to Improve Your Story Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Sep 3, 2021 • 4 min read. In fiction writing, authors bring characters to life and create imaginative settings through descriptive writing—using vivid details, figurative language, and sensory information to paint a picture for readers. Well-crafted descriptive writing draws readers into the story. How to Develop a Fictional Character: 6 Tips for Writing Great Secured with SSL. Whether we're discussing *Hamlet* or *Harry Potter*, the best stories are not just about an interesting series of events: they're about characters. While a mastery of plot can help you develop exciting twists and turns, great character development draws readers in by giving them strong characters with whom they can identify. assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review thesis