Hello all! I'm at a bit of a loss and could very much use some help. Apologies in advance for the word dump:
I'm finally at the point in the story I'm writing where I know my characters like we've been best friends/worst enemies for years upon years and I also know what's going to happen from start to finish, down to the last comma, (and it's only taken me like, what? 8ish years? ;p ) So yes, finally I can confidently sit down and finish draft 3 just like I've always dreamt of doing...only to get stuck with my lack of descriptive detail. Specifically with how I introduce a character for the first time.
I always find myself using the same generic formula of: Eyes, hair, height, body type blah blah blah, mostly physical details and I very plainly state what they are, so there's not a whole lot of flow to it. I usually mark it down in my writing then move on so I can come back to it later, but some fairly important characters are about to come in, in about a chapter or two, and I want it to be about as perfect as can be.
So basically what I'm asking for is some advice on how to improve on describing my characters. Some things I already practice are slowly introducing them over a course of several character interactions to let the reader get a feel for said character from different point of views and to only describe Character A from Character B's POV rather than a general description. I feel the latter method not only introduces Character A, but also helps to expand upon Character's B already established personality.
Ah, also, if there's any advice floating out there on how to subtly hint at things toward the plot (foreshadowing I suppose) and toward a character (as in, this thing isn't incredibly important to the story so it's not worth mentioning, but at the same time, I want to include it without actually saying what it is) that would be much appreciated!
(EDIT: Below this is an edit cause I read someone else's post and didn't want to double post to reply)
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WingedClaymore Hello friend! Yeah, writing can be a bit of challenge sometimes. My advice is to just do it. Like anything else, writing well comes with practice, constructive criticism, and patience. I have the very first original story I ever tried to write (from 8-9 years ago) and it is beyond terrible. I cringe whenever I try to look it over, but because of that cringe I know for a fact I've improved tenfold on my own writing ability.
Whether the idea you have is terrible, or brilliant, or somewhere in between, go with it! Don't let your brain tell you it's bad. Ignore it and push through till the end, get a friend or random friendly stranger to read it, get their feedback, and work off it from there.
As for writing lore specifically, I like to look through the Encyclopedia (Under Library) for some inspiration whenever I can't think of something. I'll read up on the breed of dragon I'm writing about, then the Flight (if it's not my own) it came from and work on some general info based on what I read there. Then I'll play around with some ideas, like do I want the derg to be bad or good? Brains or Brawn? Shy or Outgoing? Play around with different personality traits and soon enough you'll have a nicely fleshed out dragon.
As for a backstory, if you want to do that, ask yourself how your dragon came to be this way, is there a tragedy to be told or did they live a happy life full of love? Add as many details as you could possibly want, or as little, because hey, this is your story, your dragon, and no one can tell you how it thinks or feels!
Anyway, this is just a suggestion to help get those gears in your head turning and thinking, and planning, and plotting. Do what you wish with it, I just hope it helped a little bit :)